Filed under: Blue Jays, MLB Rumors
Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays reaching a multiyear contract has seemed a foregone conclusion this week, since they postponed their arbitration hearing scheduled for Monday to hammer out a deal. It appears that process is just about finished, as the sides have reportedly agreed to a five-year extension worth nearly $65 million, according to ESPN Deportes.
The reigning home run champion had asked for $10.5 million in arbitration for 2011, with the Jays countering at $7.6 million, but his new deal will eliminate the need for negotiations for quite a while.
Bautista earned his big payday by hitting 54 homers, driving in 124 runs and posting a stellar .995 OPS in his second full season in Toronto. His previous career high in homers in the majors or minors was 24 in 2005 -- all but one of those coming for Double-A Altoona. He had never hit more than 16 homers in six previous major league seasons.
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