Here’s a cruel thought experiment for Toronto Blue Jays fans unhappy about the prospect of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion signing elsewhere: Picture each player wearing a new uniform. Which one is the best fit?
With both free agents testing the market and looking increasingly unlikely to return to Toronto, we consider a few teams who might be willing to spend big for their services.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox have probably been the most-discussed potential landing spot for Bautista and especially Encarnacion. Now that David Ortiz has retired, Boston needs to find a new DH, and Encarnacion seems like an obvious fit—even Big Papi himself indicated as much.
But Dave Dombrowski, Red Sox president of baseball operations, has said that the team may look at filling the void at DH internally, and even Encarnacion’s agent, Paul Kinzer, has noted that Boston hasn’t been all that aggressive in pursuing the 33-year-old slugger. Still, the Red Sox remain in the mix.
Bautista, too, could land in Beantown; he’s hit .276/.375/.597 with 24 home runs and 54 RBI across 66 career games at Fenway Park. But a deal here would mean he’d either have to be willing to DH full-time, or the team would have to do some tinkering to create room in the outfield.
New York Yankees
The Yankees have veered away from their tradition of signing aging big-money players of late. As a result, they’ve gotten younger, but they need a boost on offence if they’re going to contend. Both Encarnacion and Bautista could be good fits here, and the team has the funds to make a deal happen. With 24-year-old first baseman Greg Bird returning to the big club next season after missing out on 2016 due to injury, Bautista might make more sense in pinstripes, since he could split time between right field and DH.
Houston Astros
The Astros are looking to boost an already strong core with the addition of a power hitter. They’ve also got money to spend. Minute Maid Park is extremely right-handed-hitter-friendly, so it’s an ideal home park for either Bautista or Encarnacion. Encarnacion is a more natural fit here, since they could use him at first base.
Texas Rangers
With the bad blood between Jose Bautista and Rougned Odor—the bat flip, the punch, and all the words exchanged since then—the idea of Bautista signing with the Texas Rangers just doesn’t make any sense.
Encarnacion, on the other hand, could be a good fit: Now that Prince Fielder’s career is over and Mitch Moreland’s a free agent, the team needs to fill the hole at first base/DH. The question is whether they’re willing to give Encarnacion the term he’s looking for, or whether they’re all right settling for a shorter-term solution.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
New York Mets
Yoenis Cespedes is back on the free-agent market, and if he doesn’t re-sign in New York, the Mets will need another slugger. There’s no spot at first base for Encarnacion, since the team already has 30-year-old Lucas Duda, but Bautista could land with the Mets, where he’d balance out an all-lefty outfield that includes Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto. The veteran slugger has reportedly already had talks with the team, though the Mets are also reported to be very eager to bring back Cespedes.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals are in win-now mode, they’re eager to get past the NLDS, and they’ve shown that they’re willing to spend big. Either player could wind up here, though it would take some manoeuvring. Current Washington first baseman Ryan Zimmerman is signed through 2019, but he struggled at the plate this season and the team could look at parting ways with him in order to make room for Encarnacion. Meanwhile, the addition of an outfielder like Bautista or Cespedes would likely shift Trea Turner back to the infield.
St. Louis Cardinals
This is something of a wild-card option, but Encarnacion could wind up with the Cardinals, a team eager to get back in the mix after seeing their division rivals win the World Series.
While St. Louis seems to have committed to playing Matt Carpenter at first base next season, Encarnacion could make sense here if the team moves Carpenter to third. It’s a little outlandish, but stranger things have happened.
