When John Gibbons pulled Jose Bautista from the Toronto Blue Jays final home game of 2017, fans knew it was their chance to say goodbye with a standing ovation.
The veteran gave 10 fantastic years to the Blue Jays, hitting 54 home runs in 2010 and eclipsing the 40 home run mark a couple of times.
He also gave the Jays one of the franchise’s most iconic moments, a three-run, go ahead home run in game 5 of the 2015 ALDS against the Texas Rangers.
The emotional, series-winning home run led to Bautista’s famous bat flip, which will be talked about by baseball fans for a long long time (as will the “scrap” between Bautista and Rougned Odor the following year.)
However, all good things must come to an end and that’s the case for Bautista’s decade long career as a Blue Jay, but now the 37-year-old has found a new home in the MLB.
Bautista inked a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves today and will look to work his way up to the Braves major league roster.
The Atlanta #Braves today agreed to terms with free agent infielder José Bautista on a one-year minor-league contract for the 2018 season, and he has reported to Atlanta’s extended spring training complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. He will play third base.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 18, 2018
Not only will it be a new chapter of his career organization wise, but the Braves tweeted that Bautista will also be playing third base, which is a new position for him.
This comes after his outfield play struggled in 2017, one of the reasons why Toronto chose to let him explore other options in free agency.
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