Bautista wants 5 Years - $150M

[Rich]

That is a crazy amount of money.  Even crazier for a 36 year old athlete.

http://www.tsn.ca/sources-bautista-s-demand-is-five-years-150m-1.442180

 

Quote

Toronto Blue Jays’ all-star outfielder Jose Bautista is demanding a five-year contract extension worth more than $30 million per year, two sources familiar with the matter told TSN.

Bautista turns 36 in October and a $150-million contract, were he able to secure it, would make him among baseball’s top-paid players. 

On Monday, meeting with media on the first day of spring training, Bautista said the five-year, $65-million contract he signed with Toronto in 2011 has amounted to a “five-year hometown discount.”
But in a meeting with Blue Jays officials two weeks ago in Toronto, Bautista and his financial advisors compared the Blue Jays outfielder to Miguel Cabrera and retired Yankees superstar Derek Jeter, in terms of his value to his club.

Cabrera is baseball’s highest-paid position player, earning $31-million per season with the Detroit Tigers. Zack Greinke is the game’s top-paid player overall, after signing a free-agent contract with Arizona worth $34 million per season.

Bautista: I've given the Jays a five-year hometown discount already

A candid Jose Bautista updates where contract talks stand between himself and the Jays, reveals that he has given the team a number and a term and has no interest in negotiating. Bautista also says he's ''given this organization a five-year hometown discount already''.

In a press scrum on Monday, Bautista said Rogers should pay him the money at least partly because it can afford to.

"It’s no secret that in a publicly traded company everybody can track performance fairly easily,” Bautista told reporters. “Stock prices are closely monitored by the whole financial world. I think there is a direct correlation with the success of [Rogers] earnings per share after we started experiencing success. Are they going to put it out in the media and say, ‘Because of the Jays, we made all this money?’ No. But everybody can read between the lines.”

Rogers Communications Inc. deputy chairman Edward Rogers III has been briefed on Bautista’s contract demands, a source told TSN.

 

[Mike]

I was on his side until I read this, because I figured while he was being smart, he wouldn't take that stance if he was incredibly greedy and overinflating his value.

 

I was wrong.

[Jpan85]

I would give him 3 years in the 15-17 million dollar per year range with a team and player opt out in year 2

[Taynted_Fayth]

considering the guys done nothing but produce offensively for the jays while making  way less then he should have I dont have a problem with this.  last 4 years he's been top 10 in most offensive catagories if not all of them.  but since he joined the jays here's his stats;

 

GP: 962  AB: 3354  R: 630  H: 885 HR: 243 RBI:  632  BB: 632  SO: 675  Average (as a jay): .261 (not counting the 21 games played in 2008 coming over from Pittsburg just for his average, his other stats include those 21 games)

 

Id say he's paid his dues alright.  

Edited February 23, 2016 by Taynted_Fayth

[Jpan85]

The problem is he is going to get no where near that in the open market. I could see if he was 28 and not 36 but its just not going to happen. No way he gets more than Cespedes who got a 3 year 75 milllion dollar deal. What's going to kill his value is when the Blue Jays keep him all year and then give him a qualifying offer. No one will pay him 5 years 150 million and have to give up a first round pick.

[Taynted_Fayth]

it might end ugly if no one budges, but i hope they both come to an agreement, Bautista deserves to be paid right after all these years and the last thing id wanna see is Bautista playing for the red sox or yankees. hell no to that on so many levels. no no no

[Noeller]

I totally understand how good the guy is, but I've never been a fan of his attitude...just not my kinda athlete. I'd trade him in a heartbeat...

[FrostyWinnipeg]

NHL deal, Bautista deal. Am I glad i'm not a Rogers customer.

[bearpants]

19 hours ago, Rich said:

That is a crazy amount of money.  Even crazier for a 36 year old athlete.

 

I think that's the biggest issue... if he was 30 with the same previous 5-6 seasons... that ask wouldn't be ridiculous...

[nate007]

If I'm the Jays, I'd give him a three-year deal with a team option on the fourth. Over the past five years he's been a bargain, so I'd give him a generous offer, but not 30 mil/year. Four years, $100 million tops.

[Taynted_Fayth]

no one ever likes to concede that they are getting old(er), Bautista is likely looking at the top 3 payed players, i think i saw Cabrera at like 31m for 2016 (though i have him calculated @ 35m/year - 248mill on a 7 year term), ARod at 27m for 2016 and Cesepedes @ 25m for 2016 and wants to fit somewhere in their.

Other then age working against him, Bautista's stats did improve last year vs 2014. hes been a franchise player for the team in otherwise bleak years and was pretty clutch last year.  5 years might be a bit too long for anyones comfort but maybe they find a middle ground on shortening that to 3 years 90m or something close they can both agree on