Nationals have reportedly inquired about Jose Bautista
Do the Washington Nationals need even more star power? Ah hell, why not?
According to a report by Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post on Wednesday, the Nationals have inquired about Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista.
Ok, this one is crazy and seems unlikely, but: person with knowledge says Nats have inquired about Toronto OF Jose Bautista. He is 10-5.
— Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) July 28, 2016
Bautista, 35, will be a free agent after the season but, as Svrluga notes, holds 10-and-5 rights (earned by logging at least ten years in the MLB and at least five years with his current team), giving him the right to veto any trade. He is batting just .227/.361/.446 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs this season, his ninth consecutive one in Toronto.
The six-time All-Star might consider waiving his 10-and-5 rights to facilitate a trade to Washington, given that the Nationals currently have a better record than the Blue Jays and that Bautista has had some measure of conflict in contract negotiations with Toronto in the last several months. But it’s hard to envision this kind of blockbuster deal actually materializing with the Blue Jays still very much in championship contention and Bautista’s trade value looking as low as it has ever been.
H/T theScore