Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista stretches his arms as he walks up the field in the first official spring training baseball workout in Dunedin, Fla., Monday Feb. 22, 2016. After all, he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball since breaking out in the back-half of the 2009 season.
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Bautista said on Monday that he met with the Blue Jays two weeks ago and told them the amount it would take to keep him around for the long-term.
Jose Bautista definitely saved the Jays financially when he signed a 4-year $65 million contract in 2011.
“I think I signed a very lucrative deal that I was compensated very fairly at the time for my production”. Robinson Cano sits just below him in WAR, but it’s a fair assumption that most would say he isn’t worth the $24 million per season he’s going to get from the Mariners until 2023.
Going into that final team option year and looking for a new contract, Bautista spoke to reporters today about his situation.
Atkins wouldn’t reveal anything specific about Bautista’s comments or about the earlier meeting he had with the all-star right-fielder.
The Jays are also weighing the contract of fellow Dominican slugger Edwin Encarnacion, who has given the club until Opening Day to offer a multi-year extension.
However, there is no reason to believe Bautista is headed for a down year. “They made sure I wasn’t paying any attention to the rumors and they assured me that they’re just rumors and nothing more”.
“He’s an outlier”, Atkins said.
“I love being around the guy”, Atkins said. Bautista said. “And it’s not just necessarily Ross and Mark”. His response: “I don’t know”. Another franchise might not even blink an eye at such a contract, but this is a team that has significant financial commitments to other core players, making the decision to sign Bautista more complicated than it appears. After trade rumours circulated that the Blue Jays were close to shipping the Victoria native to the Los Angeles Angels, Saunders hasn’t lost that vision. It’s not a secret. “It’s not an easy thing to do, because it does take a lot of work and a lot of time, we don’t necessarily have a lot of time, but they all need to experience it a little bit”. “No. But everybody can read between the lines”. “I was really excited to come here previous year and show what I could do and do it with my hometown team….”
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The slugger played an instrumental role in the Blue Jays’ run to the American League Championship Series, their first post-season appearance since 1993, hitting 40 home runs. Encarnacion has averaged 31.5 homers per season over the same period. He said he is “not willing to negotiate”. Bautista didn’t say anything like that, but he certainly seemed intent on leaving the issue firmly on management. I didn’t want to waste their time or their effort, so they can start planning ahead, and if it’s not going to happen, they have plenty of time to [respond]. There’s really nothing I can comment on. “I expect to be a Jay, they expect me to be a Jay and that’s how I’m approaching this spring training”. He elaborated by saying ‘there’s no negotiation, they either meet it or it is what it is’.
