New York Daily News

Bautista stuck in limbo between Philly & N.Y.

- THE DAILY NEWS STAFF

Jose Bautista’s tour around the NL East may continue.

Next stop: The City of Brotherly Love.

The Phillies claimed the Mets outfielder on revocable trade waivers, according to a Monday report from MLB insider Ken Rosenthal.

The two NL East rivals have until today to complete a trade — if not, the Mets will have to choose between pulling Bautista and his league minimum salary off waivers or letting him go to Philly for nothing.

The front offices aren’t afraid to strike a deal with one another.

The Mets sent infielder Asdrubal Cabrera to the Phillies last month for pitching prospect Franklyn Kilome.

Bautista has been somewhat of a bright spot since joining the Mets on a oneyear deal in May, following a short stint with Atlanta to begin the season.

The 37-year-old has hit nine home runs and has 37 RBI and a .352 OBP. He’s also racked up 50 walks in 82 games.

Bautista’s signature moment as a Met came in early July when he launched his first-career walk-off home run — a grand slam no-less — to lead his team to a 5-1 victory over the Rays.

While Bautista is far from the player he was in Toronto, where he became a home run machine, he would become a valuable asset for a young Philadelph­ia squad deep in the midst of competing with the Braves for the NL East crown.

Entering Monday night’s action, the Phillies sat three games behind the Braves for the division lead and two back of the Wild Card spot.

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