Jose Bautista Shoots Down Report He’s Demanding Five-Year, $150 Million Deal

“I’m not trying to sound like it was adamant and I put down the law and I drew lines in the sand”, Bautista said. Votto not only has eight years and $199 million left on his 10-year, $225 million deal, but a full no-trade clause that he says he would invoke if the Res tried to deal him.

“The stakes are so high for us personally as a team and what’s at stake for him as a free agent so it might be his best year ever”, he said. At Age 36 next winter, he is said to be seeking 5 Years and $150 MIL from the team.

Bautista’s current package expires this fall, but the 35 year old thinks he’s proved himself with the Jays and feels he has outperformed his contract. The 35-year-old had 40 homers and 114 RBI last season as Toronto won the AL East and reached the playoffs for the first time since winning the 1993 title.

“If this is going to happen, I think it should be natural, organic, quick and easy”. Often times in baseball, massive contracts are given to players based on their past accomplishments, with the understanding that the team will likely have to swallow large amounts of money for little production in the last few years of the deal.

In fact, it’s possible newly hired general manager Ross Atkins and president and CEO Mark Shapiro might be more interested in pursuing an extension with Edwin Encarnacion, who is two years younger than Bautista and also a free agent after this season. Having been one of MLB’s premier home run hitters since the 2010 season, Bautista will have the chance to cash in on his success, something he didn’t do last time. 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. “I expect to be a Jay, they expect me to be a Jay and that’s how I’m approaching this spring training”. “They asked me a question, ‘What would it take to get it done?’ and I gave them an answer”, Bautista told ESPN’s Britt McHenry. But because both Bautista and Encarnacion are set for free agency after the season, the club’s future appears murky.

“Every off-season I try to get myself better as a player”, Tulowitzki said. But for the sake of the new management regime’s introduction to Blue Jay Nation, can they afford not to? “I woke up itching and I’m just looking around and I’m like, “Are you serious right now?” It’s about wanting to be in a place you want to play in, that you’re happy in.

More specifically, is it possible for Bautista to increase his value in 2016? “I was really excited to come here previous year and show what I could do and do it with my hometown team….”