Blue Jays GM Atkins remains tight-lipped on contract negotiations, trade rumours

The Toronto slugger said Monday he has let the Blue Jays know what it would take to keep him, and is waiting for an answer.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista wraps his arm during spring training baseball practice in Dunedin, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016.

The sky is seemingly the limit for Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who is just 21 years old and coming off winning the AL Rookie of the Year award last season. Last November, the Blue Jays exercised their $14 million option to retain him for the 2016 season.

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. That means the term of the deal must be at least four years, and could likely be more.

For Blue Jays fans, the start of Spring Training has already been a roller coaster ride.

“There’s a lot of trade rumors, there’s a lot of trade discussion”, Atkins said.

Plus, if the Yankees are anxious about someone whose 36 going into the outfield, Alex Rodriguez will be done with his contract at the end of the 2017 season, so if they need to put Bautista at the DH spot, they could look to do so with an opening.

“I think I signed a very lucrative deal that I was compensated very fairly at the time for my production”.

“As you can see I got it at the top of my head, it’s just like bed bugs and I didn’t get any sleep”, Irving said, showing reporters evidence of his encounter with the little critters.

So given the deal we just say Jason Heyward get, shouldn’t Bautista expect more than 5-150M? They must decide how badly they want to bring back a franchise figurehead; a player that developed into a superstar right before their very eyes.

Over the past couple of weeks he has met with Blue Jays management about a contract extension, and he isn’t bothering to negotiate.

Two unidentified sources familiar with the matter told Canada’s TSN that Bautista is seeking a five-year contract extension worth more than $30 million per year.

“I’ve said that over and over; I would love for Jose to be here”, said Atkins. It is what it is, I’m not going to sit here and try to bargain for a few dollars.

“Physically it was a struggle with my knee, clearly, but more so I felt like I had more hurdles to climb mentally and emotionally”, said Saunders, who added that his knee is now “fully healed”. “I was really excited to come here a year ago and show what I could do and do it with my hometown team….”

It’s an aggressive stance by Jose Bautista’s camp, but it’s one where he feels his actions are warranted. The 37-year-old switch-hitter spent last season with the Dodgers, batting.