Toronto Blue Jays Top Five Offseason Priorities

No More Than 2 Years to Bautista

As for the other half of the dynamic duo, the Toronto Blue Jays should adopt a more hard-line stance with Jose Bautista. Give the veteran at most a two-year offer, and if he doesn’t bite, go your separate ways.

Bautista just turned 36, so stretching beyond a contract of that length seems destined to be a bad move. Two years would take him through his age 37 season, which could be pushing it as it is in light of his recent injury troubles. Bautista’s production in 116 games this year was by no means awful, but disappointing when compared to his recent standards. He slashed .234/.366/.452 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI after posting a .250/.377/.536 line, 40 homers and 114 RBI the year before. Though his average and power numbers were down, he still demonstrated his ability to draw walks, but if Bautista is going to get paid, it’s going to be for hitting the ball out of the park.

Refusing to go more than two years on Bautista could effectively be saying goodbye to him. With power at such a premium, it’s not too difficult to imagine a team offering him a three-year deal in spite of his age and the underwhelming season he just had. But cutting ties with Bautista could allow the Jays to explore some other intriguing possibilities.

If Bautista leaves, that could open Toronto up to pursue an outfielder like Yoenis Cespedes or Mark Trumbo, sluggers who would feel right at home in the Jays lineup. That would require the team to loosen its purse strings even more, but when you’re chasing a championship, that is often the nature of the game.

Next: Threats from Both Sides