Phillies/Jose Bautista Rumors Will Not Die
Rumors surrounding Phillies, former Blue Jays slugger Bautista have grown more
Ever since Howard Eskin released a faulty rumor regarding a Dominic Brown trade involving Jose Bautista, the Phillies have been connected to the veteran slugger.
With Bautista still on the free agent market, many fans and pundits have wondered if the Phillies would entertain actually signing Bautista.
Last month I wrote how signing Bautista would be fun, yet unproductive for the Phillies rebuild. Apparently, someone didn’t get the memo.
Related Story: Stop with the Jose Bautista Rumors
Ken Rosenthal, one of the best insiders in baseball, added another leaf to the Phillies/Bautista rumor tree on Tuesday. The bowtie-man himself broke down the situation in an article on Fox Sports.
The Phillies are open-minded to adding another bat through free agency or trade, according to major-league sources.The team’s wide-ranging list of potential targets includes free-agent outfielder Jose Bautista, who is perhaps the best hitter still available. But the Phils, seeking the lowest possible acquisition cost, consider Bautista a less likely option; they are reluctant to lose a draft pick for signing him, sources say.
The article title is perfectly positioned to draw in the reader, and make anyone who ignores to actually read the story (yes, that’s what you’re supposed to do) think that the Phillies are in the mix.
Rosenthal specifically states that this is an unlikely move, but the Phillies are capable of pulling it off. Then, he says why the move would be bad, considering the loss of a high draft pick, and less playing time for young players such as Roman Quinn, Aaron Altherr, and eventually Nick Williams.
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With the money and flexibility the Phillies have, the move makes sense. But from a position of rebuilding with very little established major league talent, it simply does not.
It’s time to cut down the Jose Bautista rumor tree, and throw it in the chipper.