Jose Bautista Rumors: Slugger Receives Offers, Not Retiring, According To Report By Jeff Passan
Jose Bautista rumors have taken another interesting turn. Prior reports had suggested Bautista was ready to retire from Major League Baseball, but a new report by Jeff Passan for Yahoo Sports hints at something different. It’s just another odd story from an offseason that has been everything but typical. Following the news of Mike Moustakas re-signing with the Kansas City Royals for just $6.5 million after turning down a qualifying offer of $17.4 million, anything seems possible in baseball right now.
It had been assumed that Bautista would either re-sign with the Toronto Blue Jays or look to become a designated hitter for a different team this offseason. That hasn’t been the case. Then, it was suggested that he was contemplating retirement because he wasn’t receiving offers in free agency. Jess Passan spoke with Bautista late Thursday (March 8) and found out that this wasn’t the case at all.
Not only did Bautista state he is not considering retirement, but he also said he has guaranteed major league offers on the table. This indicates that he is either waiting for a better offer to come along or simply hasn’t decided what team he wants to play for next. He shouldn’t wait too long, though, as teams are already deep into Spring Training for the 2018 MLB season.
I spoke with Jose Bautista earlier, and he told me he is NOT considering retirement. Story at Yahoo Sports: https://t.co/DOh88vnpvq
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 9, 2018
Bautista struggled during the 2017 MLB season for the Toronto Blue Jays. He appeared in 157 games, hitting just 23 home runs, with 65 RBIs and a 0.203 batting average. It marked the worst offensive numbers he had posted in years and had both baseball analysts and fantasy baseball owners suggesting that he was about out of gas. Bautista also struck out 170 times, which was notable because his previous career-high was just 116 back in 2010. His walks were also down to just 84 on the year.
“I’m comfortable believing that a team that wants to win will see how I can positively impact their ballclub and give me a phone call.”
That statement alone, as quoted by Jess Passan, makes it seem like the six-time All-Star outfielder is still ready to play baseball. But has he waited too long for the right situation to evolve from a team that might not even be interested in signing him? These Jose Bautista rumors could go on a while longer if he isn’t pleased with the teams that want to sign him. Then, considering retirement might not be that far off after all.
