Toronto Blue Jays, Jose Bautista Happy With His Return

On Saturday, Jose Bautista joined his teammates and fans by expressing his mutual excitement of resigning with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Following an offseason of uncertainty, Jose Bautista inked a deal that brings him back to the Toronto Blue Jays. On Wednesday, the 36-year-old accepted a one-year, $18 million deal with options for 2018 and 2019. Although his gamble on the free agent market did not financially pan out, Bautista communicated his excitement to return to Toronto on Saturday.

“Rumors are rumors and everybody would like to be in a long-term deal but you get what you can get,” Bautista said (per CBA.ca). “The most important thing is being happy where you are and I’m happy I’m where I want to be.”

And why shouldn’t he be?

Since joining the Blue Jays in 2008, Bautista gradually grew into one the game’s best. After a roller coaster rookie season, where he played for five different teams, Bautista began a five-year stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Little did the Pirates know when they traded Bautista in 2008 that they gave away a soon-to-be superstar.

Over his nine seasons in Toronto, Bautista brags a .261 overall batting average. Including back-to-back seasons as the home run champion, Bautista has hit the most home runs in the majors since 2010 with 249. With a total of 265 homers in a Blue Jays uniform, Bautista is second behind Carlos Delgado (336) for most franchise home runs. He fought alongside his teammates to bring the Blue Jays to the postseason in 2015 for the first time since winning the 1993 World Series.

Preceding from a shoulder injury he suffered in 2015, another injury cut Bautista’s 2016 campaign short. However, he believes his injuries are behind him and is ready for a bouce-back season.

”My arm is two years away from an injury and feeling much better than it did last year at this time,” Bautista said (per sports.yahoo.com). ”I’m excited about that and to contribute on defense like I used too.”

Home, Sweet Home

It does not take long after watching Bautista to understand the kind of ballplayer he is. His fierce competiveness insights excitement in Toronto, but has created bitter feelings towards the right fielder throughout his career. This fact reached the breaking point during a series against the Texas Rangers early last season.

In retaliation to Bautista’s gaudy home run during the 2015 ALDS, Rougned Odor took it upon himself to defend his franchise. What started as a  routine double play turned into a brawl when Odor punched Bautista directly in the face. While many other teams disapprove of his character, Toronto welcomes Bautista’s aggressive personality.

According to his agent Jay Alou, Bautista turned down a number of offers to return to the True North. Despite the foggy details of who made offers for Bautista, his client’s desire to return to Toronto rang crystal clear.

Along with their fans, his teammates are thrilled that their clubhouse leader is back. Once his welcoming news conference on Saturday ended, Marcus Stroman greeted his teammate with a massive hug. Especially for Stroman, Bautista is the face and keystone of the Blue Jays organization.

“I feel like Bautista is Blue Jays baseball,” Stroman said (per MLB.com). “He’s an unbelievable clubhouse guy. I can’t begin to talk about how much he’s taught me about pitching, about the game of baseball, [and] how much of that I’ve put right into my game.”

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With Bautista at the helm, the Blue Jays look to be serious postseason contenders in 2017. They prepare for the upcoming season with great potential and unbreakable confidence.

“As a unit, we can always play better baseball,” Bautista said (per CBA.ca). “Our pitching is strong and our defense is great so we’re still up there amongst the best in the American League.”