Jose Bautista vs. Toronto Blue Jays: The arbitration battle continues
The headline above clearly says that the chance to increase the salary has come to dawn on the arbitration eligible players in Major League Baseball. The pursuit for glory will be refreshed
this April when teams from both the American League and the National League will go out to compete on the field in the regular league season. The chance to get a pay hike and battle it to the post season will be reignited. For now teams and players are looking
to settle sensitive matters at hand.
The Toronto Blue Jays are not far from the issues arising from the arbitration period. Eligible club players are looking for hard line salary increments. The only way to deal with that problem
or agenda is by either submitting to the demands, or writing up a new contract.
However, when no compromise is reached, an arbitration panel is called in to decide the right salary figure. At the moment, that has not been the case for both the team and the player. However,
in the coming days it could become a prime issue on the horizon.
Jose Bautista was one of the star players in 2010 and it comes as no surprise to see him asking for more. If there is one thing that Bautista will be remembered for in 2010, it would probably
be the 50 plus home runs he smashed last year. In addition to that, the slugger amassed an average of .260 with the bat. Moreover his .617 slugging percentage has paid dividends in countless games.
Bautista collected 124 runs batting in. Furthermore, his on base percentage went up to .378. The 30-year-old player is still young for a top of the crop performer, but that does not mean
he cannot avail the rightful dues he has left on the tab. In 2010, Bautista collected $2.4 million dollars. Now, he is looking for a raise and that figure is quoted to be somewhere around $10.5 million. The Blue Jays are not letting that happen, as their proposed
figure is $7.6 million. The difference: a whopping $3 million.
The biggest one after that is the figure between Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers. That amount goes up to $3 million as well. One would think there is a big distortion between Bautista
and the management. Toronto’s general manager, Alex Anthopoulos, says otherwise.
"Our dialogue with their camp has been outstanding," Anthopoulos said. "Philosophically we don't see eye-to-eye right now and that's OK. That's why we have the process in place and I think
we both realize that there's no one who is right or wrong. Both sides make a compelling case and that's why we need a third party to make a determination of what the right value for the player is."
On the thought of entering into a negotiation process for a multiyear deal, Alex dismissed the possibility.
"I would never say on any player whether we would look to do a multiyear deal," Anthopoulos said. "There's no benefit to the club. I think all it does is complicate things. I think if a
club comes out and says they will not extend a player you're left with a lot of questions as to why you won't. If you say you will, you're left with questions about what it should be. Then, if it doesn't get done is it greed on the player's part or is it the
club being unreasonable? Negotiations are hard enough as is, and with us being under the microscope so much - both players and the club - the less confusion and the less involvement from outside factors, the easier it is to get things done."
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