Jose Bautista claimed off waivers by Phillies, Mets working on trade

New York Mets outfielder Jose Bautista has been claimed on revocable waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies, according to Ken Rosenthal. The teams are discussing a deal and have until Tuesday to complete a trade. If no deal is reached, the Mets would have to pull Bautista off waivers.

Although there is no evidence that a swap is imminent, Andy Martino has heard that it’s likely the two clubs will agree to a trade. The Mets are looking for a prospect in return for Bautista and do not intend to give him away, according to Jon Heyman. Earlier this year, the Mets sent Asdrubal Cabrera to the Phillies for pitching prospect Franklyn Kilome.

The Mets signed Bautista on May 22, two days after he was released by the Atlanta Braves. Although he was picked up as a potential bat off the bench and a fourth outfielder, prolonged injuries to Yoenis Cespedes and Jay Bruce led to Bautista receiving consistent playing time.

The result so far has been a .207/.352/.372 line in 82 games. In that time, he has a 106 wRC+ and 0.4 fWAR. His most memorable moment in New York thus far was walk-off grand slam against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 6. Despite starting off strong with the club, Bautista has struggled since the All-Star Break. In 33 games since July 20, he is hitting .172 with a .606 OPS.