Cleveland Indians: How Serious Was The Pursuit Of Jose Bautista?

Outfielder Jose Bautista‘s future was not going to be with the Cleveland Indians despite all of the rumors.

The Cleveland Indians added a former member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion earlier this offseason. With an outfield need still on the to-do list, trying to sign veteran Jose Bautista, another Blue Jay to fill that void would have been ideal.

There was not much talk of Bautista being linked to other teams this offseason. As a result, Cleveland signing him on a discounted deal would have been right a great way for the Tribe to add to their outfield.

According to Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto, Cleveland did look into the veteran outfielder. Regardless if you wanted him to join the Indians or not, the fact is that the mutual interest was not there.

"The Indians did inquire about Jose Bautista, but they were never seriously considered by the outfielder, who re-signed with the Blue Jays for $18 million."

Now, even had Cleveland signed Bautista, he would not have been a long-term option, but that is okay. Given his age and the fact that there are multiple young players on their way up, Bautista would have only been a stop gap fix.

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So, the pursuit was not serious, but it was not Cleveland’s fault. If both parties had interest, Cleveland would have signed two former Blue Jays instead of one. Honestly, it is kind of surprising that Cleveland was not rumored to other outfielders either in trade or via trade after finding out about Bautista’s stance.

Even if Bautista joined Cleveland, I would not have had the belief their outfield situation would have been solidified. That said, I am not impressed with Cleveland’s outfield at the moment and I wished they did something to help.

Hopefully, a younger player such as Yandy Diaz or Bradley Zimmer ends up doing something substantial for them this upcoming season. Signing Brandon Guyer helps, but he is not a player that can make a significant yearly impact on a team.

Had he not succeeded against left-handed pitchers, Guyer would not be a member of the Indians right now.

Next: Encarnacion Is The Most Exciting Tribe Acquisition Since..?

At the end of the day, it is a good thing that Bautista did not end up in Cleveland. Still, another outfielder needs to step up to reduce the Indians’ inconsistencies with their expected platoons in 2017.

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