We’re a few games into the exhibition season but that doesn’t mean the Hot Stove cools off. Sunday morning, The Score reported that former Blue Jays slugger, Jose Bautista, has mutual interest in coming to Tampa to play for the Rays. It was even mentioned by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that Bautista, a free agent, is in good shape and ready to play.
Jose Bautista headed to Tampa? https://t.co/COKANnQzkT pic.twitter.com/dxGEGziXyV
— theScore (@theScore) February 25, 2018
A resident of the Tampa area, “Joey Bats” could be another power bat from the right side, and for cheap.
It was a rough 2017 for Bautista, where he made $18M in Toronto. In 157 games, he hit a career-low .203/.308/.366 with 23 home runs and 65 runs batted in playing primarily right field.
A former Devil Ray
A few Rays fans might remember an interesting fact about Bautista. In 2004 he broke into MLB with the Orioles before being traded to the Devil Rays in June. His career in Tampa was brief, appearing in just 12 games.
Drafted by the Pirates in the 20th round of the 2000 draft, he’s a career .250 hitter in 14 seasons with 331 home runs.
