Toronto Blue Jays sign five year contract with Jose Bautista – MLB News
Power hitter Jose Bautista signed a five year $65 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on February 17, 2011.
Bautista was very pleased with the new contract and is excited to be able to stay with the Toronto Blue Jays. He will receive $8 million in 2011, with $14 million each season for the next four. He also has been given an option worth $14 million for 2016.
After finalising this lucrative contract, Bautista said, "This is one of the biggest days of my life, for me and my family. Knowing what's gone on here, knowing that we're very close to being in contention for playoffs, why wait? I didn't see a reason to
do it. I was going to be here for one more season, but I wanted to be here for longer."
It was reported that contract negotiations between Bautista and the Blue Jays had been going on for the past few days.
The General Manager of Blue Jays, Alex Anthopoulos said, "We were really negotiating up until the last minute. We were in the $60 million range."
Bautista had a tremendous 2010 season for the Blue Jays, as he managed to hit 54 home-runs during the season. He is a tremendous hitter and the Blue Jays were not going to let him leave without offering some type of lucrative contract to retain his batting
prowess in the club. He is considered as a match winner, as he has the ability to hit the ball out of the park with ease. Bautista is feared by many pitchers as he can destroy the throwing line-up of any team on any given day.
This contract is considered to be the fourth highest in Blue Jays’ history. Vernon Wells seven year $126 million contract was the highest followed by Alex Rios with a seven year $69.8 million contract at second and finally Carlos Delgado with a four year
$68 million contract in third.
During the 2010 season, Bautista led the league in home-runs, extra bases and strikes. He is only the fourth player in MLB history to have 50 home-runs, 120 RBIs, 100 walks, 100 runs and 35 doubles in a single season.
The Blue Jays will be hoping that Bautista, with his newly signed contract, can have a repeat performance in the 2011 regular season. The team is desperate for a playoff spot, as they are a very talented team with some high quality players. It will be interesting
to see how this new contract will affect Bautista and if it will increase his performance levels during the 2011 regular season. Only time will tell if the Blue Jays did a smart move by signing Bautista for another five years.
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