Today in Braves history: Six-time All-Star is signed by Atlanta to a minor level contract.

On this day in 2018, the Braves acquired a six-time All-Star slugger.

The Atlanta Braves acquired veteran outfielder Jose Bautista just after the 2018 season began, making it one of the most high-profile minor league signings in the team’s recent history on this day, April 18, 2018.

In Braves history, on this day: Atlanta acquires six-time All-Star to deal with minors
Because of his tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays, Bautista was well-known in baseball before he even got to Atlanta.

As a member of the Blue Bays organization in Toronto from 2008 to 2017, Bautista was a six-time All-Star, hitting a combined.253/.372/.506 with 288 HR, 766 RBI, and 56 SB in those ten years. With the Blue Jays, Bautista was also one of the best home run hitters in the game; in fact, he led the league in total home runs in both the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
Nevertheless, following the 2017 season, Toronto did not re-sign Bautista, who at the time was a 27-year-old outfielder eligible for free agency. During that offseason, Bautista remained unsigned as well. On April 18, 2018, he signed a minor league contract with the Braves, and that same day, he was assigned to extended spring training.

After joining the Braves, Bautista played in just a few minor league games before being called up to the major leagues on May 4, 2018. Though Bautista was recognized for his defensive prowess, Atlanta would bring him up to play third base rather than the outfield, something he hadn’t done frequently in Major League Baseball since the late 2000s while he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It would be a brief stay for Bautista in Atlanta, as the veteran slugger played in just 12 major league games with the Braves before being let go on May 20, 2018. Bautista hit.143/.250/.343 with two home runs and five RBI in eight games at third base during that time. He also posted a.933 field goal distribution percentage.

Following his release from the Braves, Bautista spent the rest of the 2018 season, which would be his final in 15 years in Major League Baseball, playing for both the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies.