Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista has been the face of the franchise since signing with the team in 2008, but if the team wants to keep him, he has set the price they're going to have to reach. Bautista is set to be a free agent following the 2016 season, and is demanding a five-year deal worth $150 million from the team or he'll sign elsewhere on the open market, according to TSN's Rick Westhead.
"I don't think there should be any negotiations. I think I've proved myself, and the question has been asked — what will it take — and I've given them an answer," Bautista told the media yesterday. "I'm not going to sit here and try to bargain for a couple dollars. I'm not trying to sound like it was adamant and I put down the law and I drew lines in the sand. They asked me a question and I gave them an answer.
"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 do so. They asked me about two weeks ago, and I told them, and that's it. There's no negotiation. I told them what I wanted. They either meet it, or it is what it is."
Bautista also said there's no chance he gives the Blue Jays a "hometown discount" for his services, saying "that doesn't exist" in his world. He signed a five-year, $64 million extension with the team in 2011, and in his eyes, that was a "five-year hometown discount" he has already given the franchise.
He will turn 36 in October, meaning his next contract would take him through age 41. The $30-million per season contract Bautista is asking for would rank just behind Detroit Tigers' slugger Miguel Cabrera's $31 million, which is the highest among position players.
Bautista played a vital role in leading Toronto to their first AL East title since 1993 this past season, and has hit at last 27 home runs in every season since 2010. He batted .250 with 40 home runs and 114 RBIs in 2015.
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