Jose Bautista #19 of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after striking out for the first out of the tenth inning against the Texas Rangers during game three of the American League Division Series at Rogers Centre on October 9, 2016 in Toronto, Canada.Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Lloyd Moseby knows a thing or two about patrolling the outfield, which he did with élan during a solid 12-year major-league career, the first 10 spent with the Toronto Blue Jays.
A stalwart in centre, Moseby was part of the famed "Killer B's" Toronto outfield of the 1980s along with George Bell in left and Jesse Barfield in right, arguably one of the game's best of their day.
His final season in the big leagues was 1991 with the Detroit Tigers. He was 31.
Moseby, in Toronto on Friday morning attending the Blue Jays Winter Caravan stop at Rogers Centre, said he was elated to learn that slugger Jose Bautista had signed a new contract, which will bring him back to the Jays for 2017.
"I thought for sure he was going to leave, I really did," Moseby said about Bautista. "I was like damn, Edwin [Encarnacion] was already gone. So if Jose had have left it would really have left a big void."
While Encarnacion bolted to the Cleveland Indians on a three-year, $60-million (U.S.) deal, Bautista was unable to land as lucrative a free-agent contract coming off a substandard and injury-filled 2016 campaign.
He eventually decided to return to Toronto on a one-year guaranteed deal that will pay him $18-million in 2017 with a $17-million "mutual option" in 2018 if triggered.
There is also a $20-million vesting option if Bautista is still a member of the Blue Jays heading into the 2019 season.
While Bautista's big bat will be a welcome return for the offence, Moseby said he is a bit concerned how Bautista will hold up, at the age of 36, playing right field on a regular basis.
"It could be [tough]," Moseby conceded. "It could be difficult."
However, Moseby added that modern-day stars such as Bautista have so much more at their disposal to maintain their bodies and be able to produce at a high level and stave off the inevitable onslaught of old age.
"You got to remember now, but the money they make they [use to] take care of their bodies," Moseby said. "These guys, they're sleeping on beds that are $10,000 beds. My bed was like $30.
"So Jose I think will be good."
Good enough, in all probability, to cement his status as one of the greatest Blue Jays in history when his career is over. In all likelihood he'll one day join Bell, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, Carlos Delgado, Tony Fernandez and Dave Stieb with recognition on the club's Level of Excellence.
"He's going to go down as one of the greatest players in Blue Jays history," Moseby said. "When he first came to Toronto, before the team started making the playoffs, the fans were just kind of down and disappointed.
"But Jose picked everybody up, hitting 40s and 50s [home runs a season]. He gave us something to cheer about."
Bautista has stroked a couple of the most memorable home runs in franchise history, none more iconic – think bat flip – than the three-run blast he launched at Rogers Centre in 2015 that won Toronto its American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers.
Even if Bautista struggles this season, his legacy as one of the team's most dynamic performers is pretty well set after nine seasons in Toronto.
Bautista arrived in Toronto in August, 2008, in a trade that J.P. Ricciardi, the Blue Jays general manager at the time, will be able to dine out on for the rest of his career.
Bautista was swapped for catcher Robinzon Diaz, who never amounted to much and was gone from baseball following the 2009 season and 44 games in the majors.
After an underwhelming start to his professional career, never hitting more than the 16 home runs he had with the Pirates in 2006, Bautista suddenly emerged as one of baseball's most feared bats while in Toronto.
In 2010 he led the major leagues with 54 home runs, a Blue Jays record. He clubbed 43 the following year to lead the majors again.
Utility player Steve Pearce, who signed a two-year free-agent deal with Toronto in December, was a teammate of Bautista's while in Pittsburgh. He was asked if it was apparent back then if Bautista was on the verge of breaking out with the bat.
"It's hard to envision what he's done," Pearce said. "He could hit, he was a gap-to-gap guy in Pittsburgh but now he can launch the ball out of the park at anytime, anywhere."
Bautista has stroked 265 of his 308 career regular-season home runs while wearing a Blue Jays jersey the past nine years, which ranks him second on the franchise hit list behind Delgado's 336.
He also ranks in the franchise top-10 in hits (984), games played (1,078), runs batted in (701) and walks (719).
Marcus Stroman, a Toronto starter who was also at the Winter Caravan stop on Friday, said it is hard to quantify what Bautista's presence means to the team.
"I feel Bautista is Blue Jays baseball," Stroman said. "He's an unbelievable clubhouse guy. I can't even put into words how much he's taught me about pitching, about the game of baseball, how much I put that right into my game.
"One of my first starts in the big leagues he preached to me about tempo, he preached to me about pitch selection. He's the first guy when I come off the mound – 'Hey Stro, let's try this a little bit or if you do this, this might get this result.' So extremely instrumental in my career."
The Blue Jays unveiled a new alternative red uniform on Friday, the colour commemorating Canada's 150th anniversary celebration, which they will wear at home games every Sunday.