DUNEDIN, Fla. – Jose Bautista has given the Toronto Blue Jays the dollar figure and contract term it will take for him to sign a contract extension, and told them he has no intention of moving off his demands.
The all-star right-fielder made the revelation Monday after the club’s first official workout for pitchers and catchers, seeking to avoid the ongoing discussion about his status after the 2016 season.
In doing so, Bautista put the Blue Jays and team ownership on the spot by leaving the decision in their hands.
“I’m not willing to negotiate even right now,” he said. “I don’t think there should be any negotiation. I think I’ve proved myself and the question has been asked, what will it take, and I’ve given them an answer. It is what it is. I’m not going to sit here and try to bargain for a couple dollars.”
Bautista said he met with the Blue Jays for roughly 15 minutes two weeks ago in Toronto, when he delivered his evaluation of his worth on the market. The meeting was business-like and direct, and Bautista got right to the point.
“I didn’t want to waste any time,” he said. “If this is going to happen, I think it should be natural, organic, quick and easy, it shouldn’t be a pull and tug about a few dollars here or there. I didn’t want to waste any time, I didn’t want to waste their time or their effort, so they can start planning ahead, and if it’s not going to happen they have plenty of time to do so …
“There’s no negotiation, I told them what I wanted. They either meet it or it is what it is.”
