Jose Bautista started long-term contract negotiations with the Blue Jays with his final offer:
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. Bautista is entering the final year of his deal. The 35-year-old outfielder is coming off a 40-homer season in which he helped Toronto to an AL East title and its first postseason appearance since 1993.
“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 said. “I’m not going to sit here and try to bargain for a couple dollars.”
This reminds me of recent Yankees signings of big-name free agents, especially CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. The Yankees let the market for those players develop. If other teams were not meeting the player’s price, the Yankees would swoop in with a better offer, but a time limit to accept or reject.
He’s making $14 million this season, and the extension he signed in 2011 averaged about $13 million a year, so he probably gave the Blue Jays a residual value of about $130 million. I’m guessing he would be worth around $150 million for five years on the free agent market. I would not be surprised if he asked for something very close to that.
One thing the Blue Jays have going for them is a new front office. Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins have nothing personally invested in Jose Bautista. They are more likely to make a cold, business decision, which may be to let Bautista walk. They can see if they can get him for less on the free agent market, or just take a draft pick and let another team pay for his decline.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/1Or7q4M
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