Jose Bautista had a chance to be reunited with good friend Edwin Encarnacion in Cleveland, but reportedly rejected a better offer from the Indians to sign with the Atlanta Braves.

SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports Bautista turned down the opportunity with the Indians due to his relationship with Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who was GM in Toronto for the bulk of the slugger’s Blue Jays tenure. Bautista signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta earlier this week, and will reportedly earn $1 million if he reaches the majors.

In an interview with Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker on Sportsnet 590 The FAN Thursday, Anthopoulos expressed confidence Bautista will be able to play third base despite logging the majority of his innings in the outfield in recent years. The Braves GM also indicated he does not expect Bautista’s stint in the minors to last very long.