MLB Hot Stove: Encarnacion, Bautista market thin after Red Sox sign Moreland
We have to assume the Red Sox won't be signing Edwin Encarnacion or Jose Bautista now
By
Matt Snyder
•
3 min read
From Big Papi to ... Mitch Moreland? That appears to be the decision the Red Sox have made, as Ken Rosenthal reports that Boston has agreed to sign the free agent DH/1B to a one-year deal, pending a physical.
With Hanley Ramirez better suited for DH than first base and Moreland a Gold Glove defender at first, it appears the Red Sox have settled their offense in the wake of David Ortiz's retirement.
Moreland has some large shoes to fill offensively, too, as he hit just .233/.298/.422 with 21 doubles and 22 homers last season. He did hit .278/.330/.482 in 2015, though.
Overall, though, the most interesting thing about this move is the ripple effect. The Red Sox were thought to be one possibility for free-agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion or maybe even Jose Bautista -- a long shot -- as a DH. Even if they were never serious about making a run at either, the perception of their involvement has a market impact.
Now, that is likely gone.
The Blue Jays, Yankees and Astros have already likely been eliminated from the Encarnacion and Bautista markets thanks to recent signings. Who is left?
There's been a rumor connecting the Indians to Encarnacion, but Buster Olney of ESPN.com says Encarnacion is "too expensive," "in all likelihood." But will that really end up being true? What if every large-market suitor drops out? We've already seen this happening.
If not Encarnacion for the Indians, they are discussing a one-year deal to bring Mike Napoli back, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
How about the Rockies? They have a very good roster for next season, but there's a glaring hole at first base. Rockies.com notes that general manager Jeff Bridich said the Rockies are "considering" a big-ticket guy, such as Encarnacion, Mark Trumbo or even trading with the White Sox for Jose Abreu. That's pretty fun.
Bautista hasn't really been bandied about in the rumor mill much this offseason. In Rosenthal's latest, he mentions that maybe Bautista needs to go to a team that finished in the bottom 10 and, thus, has a top-10 overall and protected draft pick. The suggestion is a team wouldn't want to give up a first-round pick to sign Bautista. Rosenthal concludes that while Bautista will certainly sign somewhere, "He likely will need to be patient, and he might need to swallow his considerable pride."
Having seen that, will the Dodgers be Bautista's knight in shining armor? A report from Richard Griffin of TheStar.com says that Bautista "and his camp" have contacted the Dodgers, but "those talks are on hold until the major-league trade market further plays itself out."
Basically, the Andrew McCutchen trade market needs to play itself out and then maybe even Ryan Braun and/or Yasiel Puig need to be dealt or taken off the block before this would be a consideration.
If nothing else, the Moreland-Red Sox marriage and the following signings of players like Steve Pearce (Blue Jays), Carlos Beltran (Astros), Matt Holliday (Yankees) and some others seems to be a clear indication that the market for Bautista and, to a lesser extent, Encarnacion is a lot more barren than once thought. It could be a long offseason for the former Blue Jays duo.
UPDATE: As always on these offseason rumors from the Winter Meetings, things are fluid. Shortly after this post went live, there was a report that Bautista's agents met with the Blue Jays. So maybe a reunion remains possible. It should be noted that the additions of Pearce and Kendrys Morales don't preclude the Jays from bringing back Bautista in right field like they do Encarnacion in the 1B/DH role.
