Jose Bautista appears to be on the verge of returning to Toronto.
According to a report by Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com on Sunday, the Blue Jays have emerged as the front-runner for the six-time All-Star slugger with the two sides said to be nearing a deal.
Source: #BlueJays have emerged as the front-runner for Jose Bautista. He's nearing a deal with the club. #Toronto @mlb
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) January 16, 2017
Bautista, who turned 36 in October, was said to be in “active” negotiations with the Blue Jays in recent weeks. Though reports like this earlier in the offseason made it seem like Bautista might just flee for greener pastures, the market for an aging hitter who batted just .234 last season didn’t heat up as he would have liked it to. With Edwin Encarnacion jumping ship to sign with the Cleveland Indians in December, it also stands to reason that Toronto simply wasn’t content to lose its two biggest veteran bats in the same offseason.
