Blue Jays, Indians interested in Jose Bautista

6-time All Star Jose Bautista met with the Blue Jays today, according to a tweet from broadcaster Hazel Mae, which Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports later confirmed.

This is a surprise because Heyman had previously reported that the Blue Jays had shown no interest in Bautista.

Bautista would clearly be a good fit in Toronto with the loss of Edwin Encarnacion to free agency, and due to the fact Bautista spent nine years there. The Jays signed Kendrys Morales to be their DH, but Bautista could slide into right field. He has been one of the most prolific power hitters in baseball since coming to Toronto, hitting 40+ homers three times, and leading the league twice, including a 54 home run campaign in 2010.

Bautista had a down year last year, but was hurt for a long stretch of time. If he is able to come back healthy, he could supply that much needed power for Toronto.

He would also be a very good fit in Cleveland, who Heyman reports has interest in him. With Mike Napoli on the free agent market, that means that the Indians could be losing what little power they had. Although he is aging and is likely asking for a lot of money, it’s a price the defending American League champs should be willing to pay in order to get that elite power.