My four-year-old daughter – affectionately known as Taolette – is an unabashed Jose Bautista fan. Whenever he appears on screen over the summer months, she’ll make a point of enthusiastically shouting his name, and letting me know that he’s her favourite player. It’s probably the beard.
At some point last season, I made sincere attempts to emphasize the awesomeness of Josh Donaldson to Taolette, anticipating that the day would soon be upon us when Bautista’s absence would be noted, and thinking that having another “favourite” Blue Jay might soften the blow.
When the news got serious that Bautista and the Blue Jays were nearing a deal, an immediate response was the parental relief at not having to have the difficult conversation about Bautista’s departure. Though to be honest, I was probably making a bigger deal out of this than she would have. She’s level-headed that way.
Shifting away from a sad resignation at the idea of losing Bautista – which some of us have held in our hearts for much of the past year – there is something awkward about the idea of this franchise icon sliding backwards into the fold once again. As much as many of us wanted to see Bautista return this was not how we envisioned it. He had the ignoble fate of being humbled by an unforgiving market, and only after several other options fell through in Toronto.
Conversely, Bautista’s return opens up new possibilities.
Practically speaking, Bautista fills a glaring need for a corner outfielder, and his significant presence certainly begins to underline the glut of marginal outfielders from which the Blue Jays will need to build the edges of the roster. The number of at bats for Ezequiel Carrera and Melvin Upton Jr. will certainly be reduced to a level which is more palatable for most Jays fans, while Dalton Pompey’s role with the team becomes even less clear. But these are nicer problems to have.
Moreover, it gives Bautista the opportunity for a better finish in Toronto. In the ninth inning of Game 5 of the ALCS, Bautista’s at bat was interrupted by a fan running on the field, just as the crowd was attempting to acknowledge him. He hit a double, but was left to watch from second base as the final out was made in foul territory, and there was little opportunity to provide him with the proper send off.
Now, depending on the length and structure of the deal, Bautista has the opportunity to burnish his reputation as possibly the greatest Blue Jays hitter of all time.
Last season, Bautista eked past Tony Fernandez to become the Blue Jays’ all-time position player leader in Wins Above Replacement according to both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference. He sits 71 home runs behind Carlos Delgado for the franchise’s all-time lead, a mark he could plausibly chase if he spent two full and healthy seasons back in the fold.
Say what you will for the diminishing value of the home run on this year’s free agent market, a home run chase would certainly enliven fans at the Rogers Centre in the coming years.
It will also give Bautista another shot to help the Blue Jays make another push towards the ultimate goal: the World Series. While the off-season has created prohibitive favourites that would stand in the Blue Jays’ way, it’s fair to say that Bautista’s place in the team’s lore will certainly be enhanced if he is part of another post-season appearance. And given Bautista’s previous shining moments with the focus of the baseball world on him, it’s not wrong to suspect that he has at least one more in him.
For all of the hand-wringing around Bautista in recent years, and the way his attitude rubbed some the wrong way, his was one of the most remarkable stories in the history of Toronto professional sports. His return makes perfect sense based on a rational assessment of the market, but it also lets the fans enjoy a few more chapters in this transcendent player’s career.