Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays are currently negotiating a contract extension, and it doesn’t appear that Jose is willing to give the Jays a discounted price tag. Bautista is currently entering the last year of a five-year, $65 million contract which he inked back in 2011. During spring training, Jose caught up with some reporters and he had some very strong thoughts on what he is worth, and on whether there is such a thing as a ‘hometown discount.’
Full Jose Bautista quote on "hometown discount". #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/zvJQjEAepb
— Faizal Khamisa (@SNFaizalKhamisa) February 22, 2016
Jose Bautista: 'I don't believe in hometown discounts. I've given this organization a 5-year hometown discount already. #BlueJays
— Alex Seixeiro (@alexfan590) February 22, 2016
It would be easy to criticize Bautista for this stance, but we believe he is 100% in the right here. Baseball is a business, and it should be treated as such. It is easier to also feel this way when you hit 40 home runs and 114 RBI in 2015. This should be a fun negotiation to keep your eyes on this off-season.