12:05pm: The deal includes attendance bonuses as well, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). In each year of the deal, Bautista can earn up to $900K depending upon how the club draws. He’ll take home $150K for every hundred-thousand fans through the gate between 3.5 and 4.0 million.
It’s not known just how attendance will be calculated, but per ESPN.com, the Jays drew 3,392,299 guests to the Rogers Centre last year.
9:58am: The Blue Jays have now formally announced that they’ve re-signed Bautista (via press release). One of the few teams to publicly disclose the financial details of their contracts, the Jays announced that Bautista will earn $18MM next season. His 2018 option is a mutual option worth $17MM which comes with a $500K buyout that is paid out if either side declines their half of the option. Bautista’s deal also contains a $20MM vesting option for the 2019 season.
JAN. 18, 7:36am: The final guarantee is $18.5MM, Passan tweets. An official announcement is expected in short order.
JAN. 17, 3:45pm: Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that Bautista’s 2017 salary will be $18MM, but the buyout on the second-year option will tack another $500K to $1MM onto the overall guarantee (Twitter links). Bautista will have mutual option for the 2018 season and a vesting option for the 2019 season, according to Passan. The two sides are still finalizing the details surrounding the vesting option, he notes, but there’s a framework in place for the agreement.
2:35pm: Bautista receives an $18MM guarantee, per Steve Phillips of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link). The maximum value of the deal — with incentives and the consecutive mutual options — is $60MM.
The 2017 salary remains unknown, but buyouts on the option years help contribute to the total guarantee, Bob Nightengale of USA Today notes on Twitter.
1:53pm: The Blue Jays have agreed to a deal with free-agent outfielder Jose Bautista, according to reports from Baseball Prospectus Toronto (Twitter link) and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal that includes at least one mutual option, and could reportedly extend to three total seasons in duration. Bautista will receive a guarantee that exceeds the $17.2MM qualifying offer value, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter), assuming he passes his physical.
[RELATED: Updated Blue Jays Depth Chart]
Bautista was said to be nearing a reunion with the Jays, who’ll plug his bat back into the middle of their order for at least one more season. At the outset of the offseason, Bautista had declined a QO from the organization, which set the stage for Toronto to recoup draft compensation if he signed elsewhere. Instead, the team will give up that possible first-round pick in order to fill the noticeable void that remained in right field.
The signing brings to an end — for now, at least — what has been a lengthy dance between the organization and the player who was perhaps most singularly associated with it. Both Bautista and fellow slugger Edwin Encarnacion were reclamation projects that turned into stars in Toronto. After performing admirably under their respective extensions, both hit the market when they were unable to reach new long-term accords. Though the Jays pursued Encarnacion, he spurned their initial efforts and ended up joining the Indians when Toronto pivoted to add DH Kendrys Morales.
Bautista, though, will be back in the fold. Now, the attention will turn back to the field of play. The 36-year-old has long delivered a potent blend of top-end plate discipline and outstanding power. But while he maintained the former in 2016, his power output dipped. He ended the year with 22 home runs and a .217 isolated slugging percentage — each of which represented his lowest marks since 2009, the year before his remarkable breakout.
Of course, that was still a plenty productive offensive campaign; Bautista checked in at about 20% above the league-average hitter. Though he made more soft contact than has been his custom (21.3%), he also posted a career-best 41.0% hard-contact rate. If he’s able to maintain the lion’s share of his pop while continuing to display an impeccable batting eye and excellent contact ability, then Bautista ought to continue to produce. If he can boost the power back to its typical levels, then there’s plenty of upside here for the Jays. Of course, there’s also a slight downside scenario — though it’s curbed by the nature of the arrangement — in the event that 2016 represents a turning point for an aging player.
Really, there’s plenty of reason to bet on Bautista’s bat, at least to some extent. The real question is whether there’s enough left there to make up for his declines elsewhere. Typically a solid defender in right, Bautista has drawn negative reviews from both UZR and DRS for his glovework in each of the last two seasons. And he checked in with a very poor -5.2 BsR rating for his efforts on the bases last year.
Bautista did need to rehab and return from a mid-season toe injury, which surely didn’t help. Aside from that malady and a 2012 wrist injury, both of which were acute issues, he has been a pillar of fitness and durability. Though there has been plenty of debate about the wisdom of a long-term investment, given Bautista’s age, those concerns largely go out the window in that shorter-term, flexible scenario that the sides seemingly landed at.
Of course, Bautista was long said to be hoping for a much greater guarantee. He and the Jays’ then-new front office engaged in extension discussions this time last year, but he wasn’t willing to move off of a number well in excess of $100MM over five years. While there was little chance that he’d reach that level of contract after his relatively unsuccessful 2016 season, Bautista still seemed a reasonable bet to achieve a strong, multi-year commitment heading into the offseason. MLBTR predicted he could command $51MM over three years, while noting that a one-year, make-good scenario remained a plausible outcome.
Toronto seems likely to plug Bautista back into right field, though perhaps he’ll also see time at first base — which is currently set to be manned mostly by Justin Smoak, who typically struggles against left-handed pitching. Fellow signee Steve Pearce might also get some time in right and at first, with Morales likely occupying the DH slot on a more-or-less full-time basis while Ezequiel Carrera and Melvin Upton form a platoon in left alongside regular center fielder Kevin Pillar.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
‘Bout time!
Couldn’t have said better myself!
He probably hits 60 bombs @ Wrigley. Trade Heyward for Him
I don’t know many teams that would really gamble on Heyward’s bat coming around without CHC kicking in a lot of money. And don’t forget his ability to opt out after 2018 and 2019, so why would anyone give up anything for that regardless of how good with the glove he is?
IF they did get rid of him, who plays CF? Would be hilarious to see Fowler manning CF for the Cubs’; arch rivals with Bautista yet another offensive-only corner OF – in this crazy scenario. I can’t believe I entertained the idea.
Albert Almora and Jon jay will man cf, just like they are going to anyway in 2017.
Why would he opt out?
It would be Albert Almora. Fowler signed with the Cards
Cubs ain’t winning this year
Putting aside the fact Bautista will not hit 60 homers in Wrigley and sucks defensively …
And makes 10 million per year more …
But even if the old Cubs were running the show and would be dumb enough to consider that …
Then why would they not have just signed him directly instead of waiting for another team to sign him and then make a trade offer???
don’t hate it, but guess we will see if he can be a defensive bonus and not so one dimensional
Do mutual options ever get picked up? Seems rare.. so essentially 1 year deal haha
Never. This is a one year deal.
Not true, Aramis Ramirez a few years ago had his mutual option picked up and he accepted it.
@bbatardo, rols1026 is right. Mutual options are NEVER picked up. Either the player performs well and opts out to seek a bigger payday in free agency, or he performs poorly, and the team doesn’t want to pay him for mediocrity the following season.
Yes, but if Bautista has a slightly better, full year this year, it’s possible they both pick it up and adjust the second option in some manner.
I agree. I think actually if he has a great year, and the team picks up their end, he might not expect to do better in free agency at his age and given his market this time around. Given that the 60mil total is pretty substantial, it could be in everyone’s best interests to pick up those options if he’s playing well and the Jays window continues to be open.
I feel as though the options are tacked on more so to provide the illusion of a longer term deal, and help both parties save a little bit of face. I don’t think Shapiro and Atkins want a 37-38 year old 1B/DH around in 2018-2019 (because that’s what he’ll be, if he doesn’t transition over a bit during 2017, even), given the fact that we already have a bit of a logjam there with Morales and Pearce in the fold.
This front office seems to value sabermetrics much more than the one before it, and knows Bautista provides negative defensive value. He’s here to keep us competitive in 2017 and bridge the gap to our prospects (at least one of whom should hopefully be ready by the end of 2017). Nothing more, nothing less.
We have no prospects that are near MLB ready
Has nothing to do with age or market. It’s Jose’s big fat ego. No teams went near him because they don’t want the baggage (attitude). It took years for the Toronto fans to get by it, and now they’re numb to it. Why else is he back with only $800K over the qualifying offer?
Hahaha none of that is true. Of course it’s age and market and Blue Jays fans like any fans, liked that he hit so many bombs. Being disliked by opposing fans and teams because you have attitude and can back it up by crushing their pitchers doesn’t make front office executive not named Jim Duquette stay away.
He is well liked apparently in the dressing room and would likely be welcome in most- players with a chip on their shoulder, that have a history of backing it up on the field, tend to be welcome everywhere.
BTW… do all your coworkers like you? No? And yet stuff still gets done.
@patborders92… Does the name Rowdy Tellez ring a bell? Expect him to be a September callup in 2017, if not sooner. Also, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will only be in the minors temporarily to get him up to speed with North American talent. Both these guys should be MLB ready by September at the latest, which gives us 2 guys to plug into the 2018 lineup once José will inevitably leave/be sent packing at the end of this season.
There is no “both picking it up and adjusting the second option in some manner.” If they both pick up the option that is how much money Bautista is making in 2018, END OF STORY!
I think you’re over-valuing prospects. The closest prospect to MLB ready is Pompey and the jury is still out on him. While I hope that both Tellez and Gurriel Jr. are the real deal I still wouldn’t hold my breath on them becoming regulars anytime soon. Tellez will most likely spend the season in AAA with a POSSIBILITY of a September call up depending on how he does at the AAA level. Many MLB scouts have Gurriel jr. Playing in the minors all season with a possibile spring invite next season. As talented as he is he’s no where near as polished as his brother.
@osonvs, I don’t think I’m overvaluing anyone, at all. Never said these guys are going to be big value pieces in 2017. I said they’ll be useful, cost-effective guys to plug into the lineup in 2018. Never said they’re going to be MVP candidates or All-Stars. Just said they’ll be MLB ready by 2018, which is when the Jays will inevitably part ways with José Bautista.
@ryguytheflyguy
“Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will only be in the minors temporarily to get him up to speed with North American talent.”
You’re being extremely bullish on Lourdes.
@go_jays_go… Notice how I ALSO said that he’ll be ready to play in 2018. Please read an entire comment before taking one excerpt out of context. It’s really quite unbecoming.
I totally expect him to spend 2017 in AAA. He’ll get a shot at the show in 2018. Don’t know what you’re taking from what I said, exactly? I don’t think a 2018 appearance in the show is bullish at all for a guy with the plate discipline the Gurriel has shown. He was ranked as one of the (if not THE) top Cuban prospect this year for a reason….
His “attitude” is so blown out of proportion. Oh ye Gods, he argues some balls and strikes, how dreadful. You don’t know the first thing about what Jays fans think or thought of him if you think it took them years to warm up to him. Most fans loved him from the moment he started producing and actually loved his swagger and felt that was what Toronto needed more of. Only years later did more whiners come out of the woodwork and start getting all PC about his “attitude”, to the point that half the people who claim to hate him now probably only do so because of all the other haters.
The 1 year is probably what he has left in the tank.
I hope he learned lesson. Don’t be a cocky self centered ball player and you just might get paid.
You really think that’s why he didn’t get paid? C’mon.
Super rich coming from a Yankees fan
You guys have never had a self centered cocky player *rolls eyes
Lol. Except the cocky self centered guy on the Yankees got paid over $250 million….Twice!
Then again , I’d say Bryce Harper is very self centered and cocky and he may get $400 mil
Exceeds the $17.2MM QO? So they outbid themselves?
not sure if you know how qualifying offers work…just because you made the guy a qualifying offer doesn’t mean he has to accept it. in this case he rejected so if the jays wanted to re-sign him they have to offer more money (unless his market collapses completely). many players reject qualifying offers and receive higher offers. some even sign back with their previous teams like all of the dodgers players did. the jays did not outbid themselves…this is the first free agency bid/offer they made to bautista.
I understand how the QO works. There wasn’t really any market for him because of the all the corner OF’s on the market and the QO attached to him. No other team would pay more than $17.2MM and sacrifice a pick for him.
That’s just not even close to true.
i get what your saying and i agree. no team was willing to pay for jose and give up a pick! so yes the jays outbid themselves technically. yet jose isnt requirent to take the qualifying offer. this is a good deal for jose as now next year he wont have draft compensation attatched to him.
Right, so the market for Bautista was MORE than just 17.2 million. The Jays could pay 18million and it costs them less than a team paying 17.2 because the Jays won’t lose a first round draft pick.
They lose a pick, too. Soon as Bautista declined the QO, they had a route to adding another one. Now, they won’t get it.
except you aren’t accounting for them not getting that pick if he were to eventually sign.
Jeff, what’s the current moderation status on the comment boards? Pretty salty talk…someone above told someone to “kill yourself”….cmon…enough is enough
You cant lose what is not yours.. Jays dont “get” the pick until Bautista signs elsewhere. Which didnt happen..
This is what happens when Toronto fans are around.
Lol is there a lot of salt in Baltimore
Lol as I read through all these salty Toronto comments.
I agree, although the responsibility still falls on the commenter themselves more so than the moderators IMO. I’m not one usually to pass moral judgments on an Internet board, but some of the stuff this offseason has been especially brutal. It’s gone from legitimate baseball commentary to random insults hurled at people whom no one here actually knows personally. You could be calling a 12 year-old a moron who should kill themselves for all you know…
The “you” is obviously general, not in response directly to Red Line, whom my comment was intended to reply to
Mlbtr used to have TIGHT moderating that wouldn’t allow insults of other users and even mlb personnel. I have to scroll and scroll just to talk baseball anymore. We had this discussion actually in the Chris Iannetta comment section
I missed that one. Kinda glanced over Chris Ianetta for obvious baseball reasons, haha. I’ll check it out
I’ve heard about their previous moderation standards. I started filtering regularly leading up to the trade deadline in 2015. I thought the moderation was still loose enough, but the quality of the commenters was better. Trolls are inevitable, but the random insults that do literally nothing to enhance a conversation seem more prevalent now than ever before
I was actually banned from commenting on the site in the past for simply referring to a guy as a “jackass yankees fan” (no intent to insult someone this time). Banned from comments till I asked back in years later.. The stuff these days is laughable compared to what i was banned for. And it’s not just Jays fans it’s from everywhere.
But it was inevitable that he’d sign somewhere. Unless you’re thinking he was going to retire. So that pick was as good as theirs
Yeah…that’d do it K-Man. I’d forever not understand how my comments would be sent to moderator.
Right
Lol
Well it all worked out for him in the end
Frankly, their moderating was TOO tight before. I would have comments deleted that had nothing but a mild swear word in them (like damn), but were not in any way insulting other people. Comments that went slightly off topic, or which cordially challenged other people’s views often got axed too. There has to be more of a middle ground between what the moderating was and what it is now.
And do away with the voting system, it’s so useless. It’s embarrassing seeing people gang up on some comments that are simply stating a person’s opinion. You can see the group of anti-Bautista people voting down any comment that expresses any happiness that Bautista is back with the Jays. That could be some kid making a comment about his favorite player, and an adult is downvoting that comment because he doesn’t like Bautista. I mean really? Grow up. Is this really what people want MLBTR to turn into?
Not really.
To be fair you don’t know his offers for a 1 year deal. There wasn’t a market for him at his multi year price but to say there was no market for him on a 1 year deal lacks evidence and reason
why would the jays pay him more than the qualify offer? he Clearly has no buyers.
Actually he reportedly had received offers from O’s, Rays and possibly Cleveland.
The O’s told him they wouldn’t sign him because their fans hate him lol
It was funny when I heard it
But it’s not funny because it’s BS O’s didn’t sign him because they are cheap. Just a front to save face to a miserable fan base
But we don’t throw beer cans at babies so we’ll never be as miserable as our friends in Toronto.
You’re 100% right.
Baltimore is cheap and the fan base is miserable.
Also, in case you haven’t heard the ballpark is a total dump………….and you’ll get murdered on the streets once you leave.
I kindly suggest you don’t come here.
The O’s had possible interest in Bautista because his market was declining. That is a huge difference from receiving an offer from the O’s.
No way Bautista was ever going to wind up in Baltimore after Duquette’s comments. You can’t turn back from stuff like that. It was a real amateur move on Duquette’s part, if you ask me.
Remember when that fool was almost our Team President instead of the clearly superior Mark Shapiro? Sheeesh! We really dodged a bullet there!
Lol the fool who has lead the Orioles to the best record in the AL over the last 5 years. You, sir, are a fool.
@bigpapijuicer… Duquette began as the GM of the Orioles in 2011, and inherited a team that was already prime to win ballgames. He’s made a few savvy moves (Clevenger for Trumbo, signing Cruz to a 1yr 8MM contract), but beyond that, he really hasn’t built a sustainable winner. The Orioles are on the outside looking in of the AL East, with a pittance of a minor league system that will keep them in mediocrity not only in 2017, but for years to come.
Shapiro, on the other hand, has made a slew of savvy moves in his short time in Toronto that not only keep them in contention in the short term, but ALSO build a sustainable winner for the future (Grilli, Benoit, Liriano + prospects, the Estrada and Happ deals. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., the list goes on and on).
It’s like night and day between the two. Not to mention that as a GM you should NEVER shut the door on a top quality player like Bautista the way Duquette did in the media. If you support that in the least, YOU are just as much of a fool as he is.
Outside looking in………same thing folks have been saying for the past five years. Don’t cry for me, Toronto. PECOTA anyone?
$18M vs 17.2M, who cares. He was there best shot at a chance to compete. If they fall out of it the drop in attendance will be the bigger monetary loss.
That’s way too much money to pay for Bautista. Why pay more than the QO? I’m sure none of the other offers given to him were more than 1/11 or 1/12, if that high.
im sure the jays are more aware of bautista’s current market and offers he has received than you are lol
You think tb told the blue jays what they offered him?
If you think anyone legitimately offered Jose Bautista 11 million for 1 season, than you have a serious misunderstanding of how free agency works. You get paid more per year when there are less years. You can get paid less per year when there are more years (more stability means they’ll be more flexible to take less money)
Nelson Cruz? It’s a demand based system, that works both ways. I’m sure a lot of veterans get the respectful treatment you’re referring to though.
They paid more than the QO to ensure that they could keep him to a 1yr deal (the mutual options are irrelevant, since they never get picked up). You always have to up the AAV when cutting back on term. Bautista on a 1yr deal is EXACTLY what this team needs. Allows us to remain competitive in 2017 and make another playoff push, and bridges the gap to our younger stars in the minors (Alford, Pompey, Smith Jr. Gurriel Jr., etc), while also not handcuffing us financially from making splashy moves in the free agent frenzy that will be 2018.
I see no value in bautista what so ever.
You must have vision issues, then.
He’s a 1 fwar player at worst. A 4-5 fWAR player at best. This is a great deal for the Jays.
A great deal as in outbidding their OWN QO great deal?
What? The QO is completely irrelevant because it can only be accepted in November.
By .8 million, hardly something to be snickering about. He’s worth it as well.
How does that make any sense angeltrout27 that’s like saying if you come to the table with a 5 million dollar offer and the player rejects it and then come in with a 5.5 million dollar offer and he accepts it then they outbid themselves. That doesnt make any sense. Not to mention the difference between the qualifying offer and what he actually signed for was only 800k
Lol okay, why?
The actions of a few misguided people doesn’t merit a blanket statement that all Torontonians are horrible people. People have legitimately been KILLED at other baseball parks (Philadelphia, Boston, San Fran, Chicago). While I don’t defend the actions of the select few who threw beer and garbage, there’s no need to talk trash about an entire city of people. Please give your head a shake before posting, mate.
Easy there goat cheese. I don’t think he mentioned an entire city or country there, not to mention, you’re categorizing yourself. Hypocrisy at it’s finest. Good job sir 😉
Not my fault he chickened out and deleted his comment where he identified the people of Toronto explicitly, and said we should have all of our sports teams revoked for being such awful people.
Not to mention, why doesn’t it matter that I’m “categorizing” myself? I’m a proud Torontonian. How is that hypocritical?
How do you delete a post?
You’ve got about 4-5 mins after you type a post to edit or delete it.
But not on the mobile version huh
Couldn’t tell ya. I don’t run the site lol.
Goat cheese? I’m not sure if that’s an insult or just the most random opening you could think of.
Yea what does that mean???
He’s said it more than once, so I think he thinks its clever or funny.
I can only assume so. He’s definitely a strange fellow.
Maybe Mr. Anderson chose the blue pill instead of the red pill?
Maybe it’s not the trash that threw the beer (twice) but the people around that didn’t call them on it.
Twice? Did you forgot Nate McClouth’s episode with the fine fans of Toronto?
Yes! Watch how good they are now! He’s going to be awesome for them!!!
When was the last time a mutual option was ever executed by team and player???
this one may actually have a possibility of coming to fruition. i can see jose moving to first…
Cant believe they outbid themselves on Bautista. Good luck.
Says the Angels fan who’s team signed Pujols to one of the most ridiculous contracts of all time?
When does that contract end? 2030? Good Luck!
You really don’t understand how free agency and the qualifying offer works do you?
How does that make any sense angeltrout27 that’s like saying if you come to the table with a 5 million dollar offer and the player rejects it and then come in with a 5.5 million dollar offer and he accepts it then they outbid themselves. That doesnt make any sense. Not to mention the difference between the qualifying offer and what he actually signed for was only 800k
@tbj777, that’s a GREAT analogy! Thank you kindly for your wisdom here on this message board! You understand a concept that too many seem to be struggling with.
Bautista wasn’t without suitors this offseason. He just wasn’t going to get the 5yr/150MM contract he was hoping for (nay, wishing for) a year ago. He’s worth every penny of that 18MM, and hopefully, both sides wind up happy when these 2017 Jays make the playoffs for a 3rd consecutive year.
Now all we need are a couple of bullpen pieces, and we’re set!
You really do not understand qualifying offers do you?
I believe there is a lot of misconception regarding Josh Hamilton, and a number of people on both sides of the “argument” trying to make a grey situation, black and white.
His addiction is a disease. There’s a massive amount of research on this already, and it’s well established that addiction is a chronic brain disease.
What gets overlooked however, is the responsibility of the person to manage what they have been dealt. And this is where the criticism of Josh Hamilton can become reasonable – because there is the belief that he has not taken a sufficient amount of responsibility for MANAGING the situation he has found himself in..and this has been compounded by the immense financial gain he received from a baseball career that fell short of expectations.
It is not fair to criticize him for having a disease. However it is fair to look at, and potentially question, what he has done to manage it.
It is possible to have a disease, and be an irresponsible person alongside it. Being sick does not make that person a responsible one by default.
A disease is contagious. You cannot catch substance abuse like the common cold. The disease model is utter nonsense.
Oh my. A) diseases aren’t contagious. You can’t “catch” cancer or CF. The AMA classifies addiction as a disease. Because it is. Jeez.
The common cold? You think the common cold is a disease?
Also all diseases aren’t contagious. Read a book….
As someone with 15 years of Sobriety and Bi Polar disorder I can assure you that it is a disease…., and is manageable for some people, while others struggle for the rest of their lives…A little sensitive
Lol at the blue Jays. Bid against themselves.
Some people don’t realize that on this site. Lol
How do you know ? You an insider for one of the MLB teams ? You’re nothing but a troll by reading your comments
Not as bad as that Chris Davis deal last year. Woof.
You mean the one where the O’s paid less money than their original offer?
And still got stuck with an albatross contact! At least theres no such thing as a bad one year deal
by far the stupidest comment on the internet today
They shoulda bid on Edwin instead and let Bautista go. EE is a much better player in my opinion.
They did put a solid offer out to Edwin. He turned it down. Then they quickly went to plan b.
Joey Bats is garbage…
If I were the Jays I would have insisted on a clause that reduces his salary if Bautista continues to be himself
The 3rd year being a vesting is interesting
Doubt it ever gets that far though. Mutual options are, as I’m sure you’re aware, quite difficult to exercise for both parties
I’m not sure I understand this signing? I think I’d rather have the compensatory pick and play a lest costly option in LF. He may rebound in 18′ but if he does he’ll opt out AND he can’t be QO’d again. So you get one year for 18 and lose the pick AND hope he rebounds.
I don’t know anything about this guy except that his name is fun to say
Would have been nice if MLBTR used a pic of him getting rocked by Odor as the headline picture here.. On another note, I’m trying to figure out why the Jays are paying $18M for a year of a guy who had no market. Make zero sense to me. I get a high price for essentially what is a one year deal, but wasn’t necessary. He could’ve been had for $10M
I don’t think he could of been had for 10M unless he wasn’t playing until June. He basically gets the QO money this year and if he performs the Jays give him the equivalent of the QO offer next year. As far as the people talking about his antics. I hope he throws 50 bats this year. That means the Jays are in contention and emotions are running wild. Every city should be so lucky.
We get it, Odor couldn’t take an illegal but fairly tame “hard slide”, threw at his face in retaliation. Bautista popped up, Odor did his shove and punch special move. Fight was over. Texas fans felt like fighting in a non-violent sport was justified and celebrated the event all year. Fast forward to the ALDS, Toronto sweeps Texas, and the last laugh is had.
he is/was the best bat available on the market, throw in willingness to take a short term contract and as he mentioned prior he would be open to a move to 1b if need be. this contract is fair. a lot of teams could use his bat in their lineup including texas; who once again got sent home from said jays. how you figure 10m is realistic is silly.
You know what would’ve been a funnier picture? Jose celebrating after your boy Odor threw the ball away to end his own season and lose the ALDS
Lol no one wanted him lol
Still unsure of the Jays plan. After rushing to sign Morales, it seemed the Jays wanted EE, but EE passed on a good offer before landing in Cleveland. Jays seemed uninterested in Bautista, but he returns. This signing has the feel of someone asking to “crash on your couch.” Personally, I think removing Bautista from the clubhouse and provoking a change in leadership would have served the Jays well.
@vinscully16… Once the Jays signed Morales and Pearce, there was simply no more room on the team for Edwin. He would’ve created an even greater logjam at 1B/Dh than we already have. The Jays moved on from Edwin quicker than Bautista because their #1 free agent target in the OF was Dexter Fowler. Once he signed with the Cardinals, and Bautista was still unsigned, they had a unique opportunity to bring him back on a short-term deal that will allow the team to remain competitive in 2017 and bridge the gap to their young stars, while also not handcuffing the team financially in the future.
As far as Bautista’s leadership role with the team, I feel as though he’s already been supplanted by guys like Donaldson, Martin, and Tulo. Bautista was the team leader back in the days when there was a larger Hispanic presence on the team (Yunel Escobar, Edwin, Henderson Alvarez, Carlos Villanueva, Luis Perez, Ricky Romero, to name a few), but the same is no longer true anymore.
it was about draft pick compensation – they offered a deal to EE they were fine with knowing he would likely decline but were good with bringing him back at- once he decline, this allowed them to use portion of those funds on Morales and thus EE was gone (Pearce is irrelevant in this) and they were obtaining a comp pick,.once they were done exploring other OF options, realizing asking prices for who ever they determined as trade targets would cost more than the draft pick gained for jose signing elsewhere they circled back to Jose and thus he we are. But question is in all this is will Jose be moved to 1st? and will they fix/address the darn bullpen.
@freefall… I’d argue that Pearce is highly relevant to Edwin being in Cleveland. There was room on the team for Morales and Edwin, just not Morales, Edwin, AND Pearce, given that we still have Smoak lying around, and Tellez coming up the pipeline.
All in all, we probably dodged a bullet when Edwin signed with Cleveland, because if we were tied to his contract for 20MM AAV over the next 5 years, this team would’ve been severely hamstrung financially with Tulo, Martin, and JD all making 20MM the next 3 years as well (or almost 20MM, in JD’s case).
Bautista on a short-term deal on our terms, where we can let him go after 2017 if we so choose, is a major boon to this team.
Now they can turn their entire focus to the bullpen, which I’m still not worried about yet. We’ve got another 2+ months left in the offseason. There are still plenty of pieces out there in free agency, and on the trade block. It’s not over until the fat lady sings.
@ryguytheflyguy – sorry meant once Morales was signed EE was as good as gone right then and there. Pearce being signed was (silly imo) after they had moved on knowing they were instead collecting a draft pick.
I thought the 4/80 was fair for EE and him declining and wanting to test the market is his right. No harm no foul on either side. Its important to note that the likes of Sanchez, for one, was a supp pick himself. yes it is a bit frustrating as a fan to see someone one go but there is value in those picks. which brings me to my opinion that they were more than happy to try and make a trade for a solid OF and take a comp pick for Jose but finding asking prices for players they like being either equal or greater than the one pick gained for Jose leaving made no sense. side note, I do live in a world where i can see Jose at 1st base for some reason….. but yeah there is time for the ‘pen. it can hold on as is. mid season is fine as what is available on the FA market is not worth it imo. cecil will be missed though. EDIT: forgot Feliz kicking around wonder what he is seeking….
@freefall Haha no worries, mate! I agree with you on that one, but Pearce definitely put the final nail in the coffin, for sure!.
I actually like the Pearce signing though, because since Morales is pretty much a dedicated DH (I want him playing the field as LITTLE as possible lol), Pearce slots in nicely as a platoon partner with Smoak (assuming he sticks around), and can be plugged in to backup Travis at 2B, or in the outfield to give guys some days off. He’s no defensive wizard, by any means, but he’s more than adequate at all of those positions, and definitely a superior bat than trotting Ryan Goins out to do the same. He also makes Goins a bit expendable, since we also have Barney around, and free Goins up to be used a trade chip (he’s undervalued as one. Many teams would like a defense-first guy to backup their infield).
Kudos to you for being level-headed about the whole EE contract negotiation, as well. Too many fans were up in arms, when in reality, both parties (Front Office and EE) did pretty much exactly what ought to have been expected of them).
Now, if the $165MM opening day payroll rumour is to be believed, with Bautista in the fold we’re sitting around $150MM, which still eave us some room to go out and get 2 bullpen arms and a serviceable backup catcher. I’d be fine with a platoon of some combination of Pompey/Carerra/Upton in RF, putting Bautista and his declining defensive abilities in the less important LF position.
There’s plenty to look forward to in 2017, and we’re not even done making moves yet! Not to mention all of the talent we have coming up through the pipeline (Alford, Gurriel Jr., Smith Jr., Tellez, Reid Foley, etc) It’s an exciting time to be a Jays fan! Definitely will miss Cecil, though. He made goggles cool in MLB again haha
Good stuff here Ryguy. Main gist of your post is on point in my opinion, Just wanted to add a bit of petty nitpicking for ya.
I’d personally rather see Smoak vs RHP than Upton or Carrera. Would love to see Pearce get most of his reps in the outfield.
Can’t see Goins having trade value. Like a number 20 prospect might be the return. Less than Nats got for Espinosa.
12man bullpen usually is the norm.
Martin, Pearce, Morales, Travis, Tulo, Donaldson, Pillar, Bautista, Smoak.
Carrera, Upton, Barney, catcher.
No room for Pompey.
First callup if injury or if Smoak/Upton really stink it up. Likely late season callup unless he really shines.
Feels like Gurriel or Alford will pass him soon.
It feels a lot like Morales signing will lead to a better comfort level in MLB for Gurriel than in MiLB. Hot spring fast tracked Travis, don’t count Gurriel out for 2017 yet!
Goins and Carrera out of options so there’s not really room for Gurriel. Not looking like room for Goins either. There’s bound to be a team with out room for a reliever that’s out of options. Goins could fetch something of value, but it’s a stretch.
Definitely exciting time to be a Jays fan. Agreed about miss Cecil, despite the poor timing of his 2015 injury, and 1st half 2016’s pitching performance.
I think it’s safe to say that this offseason has been a failure for the Jays if we take into account the needs they identified at the end of the season (more LHH, better bullpen, more OBP, better D in the outfield and a good backup catcher). Plus, They missed on their top targets (EE and Fowler), only to end up with older or less versatile players.
Having said that, while I still think they mishandled the EE situation, assuming they really wanted him back, As a fan, I am glad Jose is back, whether it’s logic or not. You see, we had a long and painful road before finally getting into the playoffs in 2015 and Jose has been the first brick toward that success. I know other teams hate him, but he’s been good to this city and this country. If you ask me, I still think that we would’ve been better with EE and Fowler instead. But I can’t say I hate this signing. Actually, I like it since it keeps in town a big part of the soul of this team.
my real concern with this team is the bullpen. thats where the tribe got the best of us. we needed one of EE or Jose back in our lineup. I can see Jose moving to 1st. use pearce as super utility player and see what we can find in regards to more defensive outfielder. Donaldson Jose Morales Tulo Martin is a very solid 2-6. cecil will be missed….
@ozunamatata… I don’t think we can truly comment on whether the offseason is a success or failure until it’s actually over. There’s still plenty of time for some more moves (especially in the bullpen, with several attractive options still available in free agency – Holland, Feldman, Blevins, Feliz, Hochevar, Logan, Howell, etc).
We have also managed get a “bit” more left handed, with the addition of switch-hitting Morales to replace EE’s right handed bat, as well as seemingly forcing an OF platoon of Carerra and Upton with the Bautista signing.
We’ve also improved our OBP a tad, given that Edwin and Morales are almost similar the last 2 years (edge to EE, but Morales will now benefit from playing in a better lineup with more protection), and Pearce’s strong OBP totals, while also bringing back our OBP king, Bautista.
The D in the outfield was a swing and a miss, for sure! Fowler would have been the answer to ALL of our prayers, but I don’t believe that handing over 18+MM AAV over a 4-5 year contract (which is what it would have taken to pry him from the Cardinals) was a misplay by our front office.
All in all, it ain’t over until the fat lady sings! We still have some bullpen pieces and a backup catcher to acquire! Hopefully we’ll have good answers to those remaining concerns over the next 2 months.
Welcome back joey bats! Let’s see more bat flips!
DFA smoak or trade him for a bag of balls. Package him with Carrera or Upton to get a useful peice back
I want Pompey to be the 4th OF over Carrera or Upton
Dumping 2 of the 3 above will free up enough to get a Holland plus Feliz or Hochaver or any other legit BP help
Then use the rest to bring back Navarro to back up Martin.
Done and Done see you in the playoffs boys
Smoak, Carrera, Upton aren’t getting anything useful back.
DFA would be ridiculous if you actually looked at the splits.
Smoak is about 6th/7th best on the team against RHP,
Carrera is out of options, so he’ll be reserve OF unless he really tanks and Pompey kills it. The idea of a speedy lefty outfielder is tempting but Pompey still seems like he needs work with the bat. Upton could drop a couple sac flies and end up sacrificed for Pompey or Gurriel soon enough.
No need to panic yet, there’s some intrigue around the current options. Bautista and Edwin seemed like terrible options for playing time not too long ago. Give a guy regular ABs in the Skydome and magic sometimes happens.
Rogers can afford any BP help they want. Not seeming to want to spend on the pen though. Bullpen talent fluctuates a lot. Hard to blame them.
A backup catcher over league minimum would be foolish. Not getting enough ABs to get comfortable batting, therefore you only wanna pay for a defensive wiz as your backup. Trade for a vet in July, but let a cheapo get the first crack.
I like your statement except I do think this team needs somebody that can give Martin a decent replacement even early in the season.
Really agree on bullpen. Toronto has seen their share of lightning bullpen arms who fizzle out the next year, as most teams have. I think the bullpen free agent market is a fool’s market. Bullpen guys except elite closers (but even them Drew Storen) are like catching wasps in a beer can.
If Jays will spend, a better backup catcher might be sweet.
Not sure that player exists though.
I’d prefer defensive minded over ability to suit up every day.
Extended injury for Martin would necessitate a trade.
Not making playoffs if Navarro catches significant innings.
Not making playoffs if Jimenez gets significant ABs.
Trade to stay in it, or start rebuilding early if Martin goes down.
For current free agent catchers, Wieters would be sweet, but he’s gotta be holding out for starting job still. Top 15 catcher isn’t going to get ignored. Not seeing an obvious fit though. Padres maybe.
Saltalamacchia, Navarro, Suzuki are worth a chance?
Backups signing for about $2mill right now.
Coin flip to me, whichever one signs closest to $2mill.
I’d rather let Jimenez get 2 starts a week early, and by mid-May- we’ll know if a trade is needed.
Thole set the bar low for a backup anyway.
Shut down the run game without making too many errors for cheap is the perfect backup. Any offense is gravy.
Save all the pennies for the bullpen is my vote!!
Just how I see it, pick apart as needed.
And this guy thought he was worth $150M at the beginning of the 2016 season. Burn!!
That report was denied
To be fair I also thought I was worth 5/150m at the start of this fiscal year.
Just completely rekt
How ’bout it? TROUT OR HARPER????
It’ll help them this year most likely, but in the last year where the QO will be at full strength, think I’d have liked the pick. Next year, it’s a much easier signing.
He can’t be offered a QO next year anyway, so it’s definitely a much easier signing.
He did believe he was cashing in. Aging and hurt slugger even at one year is an overpay.
Welcome back joey bats! Can’t wait to see more bat flips!
Agree with everyone who thinks the Jays are crazy for paying him more than what he turned down in the QO. Seems like they are doing it almost as a goodwill gesture towards a (by todays standards) long time team-hero. Good for him I guess, but I don’t at all expect his production to be worth 18.5 Million
It’s too funny how many here are overly focused on the money part of this. Bautista is back on a 1 year contract and that is a good thing. It gives Pompey, Ramirez, and Anthony Alford one more year of development before they play the next year in LF and RF. Bautista had multiple leg and turf toe injuries that greatly hurt his range and agility in the OF last year and he still had a 815 OPS in a down year. I expect Bautista to play hard and make the other teams pay for not signing him this year. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him hit .270 with 35-40 homers, 100 RBIs and 100 walks.
MIKE TROUT OR BRYCE HARPER??? Like for Trout dislike for Harper. If you think Harper please look at the Padres sign Alexi Amarista article then scroll down to the newest comment.
I’d say Trout is the overall better player, but Harper has a higher ceiling. I don’t think everyone will agree with that, though. Now, if Harper could post numbers similar (or comparable but lesser) to his 2015 line then he would be the better player. Contrary to popular belief, Trout is nothing special defensively and Harper could be considered better. Although he’s committed more errors in a shorter amount of time, Harper has a much better arm, has more Rdrs, etc.
Still, Trout>Harper nearly every day of the week. I know WAR isn’t the definitive stat when showing the best players, but Trout having more than double Harper’s WAR in only 154 more games speaks for itself.
In My opinion, trout is a great defender, but thats just me.
Obviously, you’re an Angels fan. Are you 12?
WOOOOW…. How did you know? Did my angels profile picture give it away… or was it my username. Gosh… What makes you think that I’m 12? Are mad about something I said was it about trout or what?
Shut up with these cancerous posts
Im just doing this for fun. Gosh.
Well trout then lol
What do Mike trout and Bryce Harper have to do with this thread? This is about Bautista lol. Please comment on the relevant material, or leave.
I’m sorry that I’m making you mad. First one guy calls me 12 and then you tell me to leave…. It’s just not my day. I try to pick the most popular article right now and have some fun but NOOO everyone cares about this punk. I’ve already talked about bautista. If you don’t want to talk about Trout or Harper, then you don’t have to comment. EASY… But tell me, did you like my comment with all the stats and stuff I mean it took me hours of going to baseball reference and back for two different guys. I really made Trout proud didn’t I?
Honestly in my opinion WAR kind of shows who the better player is offensively and defensively. Sorry postcards i do like your comment but have you seen the many amazing home run robberies and defensive plays that he’s done over the years? He was 2012 AL defensive POY and he would’ve won a gold glove if he hadn’t been playing all over the outfield that year. But thank you for the trout>harper thing. I appreciate that 🙂
I really hoped they’d just pick up a draft pick.
What happens if the 2019 vesting option vests, but the 2018 mutual option is declined?
What a weird contract.
It’s impossible to have a rational discussion about Jose Bautista with most Jays fan. Impossible. Jays fans were lulled into the acceptance of mediocrity for two decades and, as such, they developed a Habs-fan-like inability to view their team with a critical eye.
@vinscully, I hope that’s not in reference to me lol. I’m just as critical of José Bautista as the next guy. To be honest, I was quite glad to see him go, and would have much preferred our FA $$$ spent on Fowler, instead.
That being said, the way the offseason market has developed, bringing Bautista back on a short-term deal (because let’s face it, he’ll only be around for 2017. The option years are just to save face for both sides) is a good thing for this team. Keeps the team in contention for a playoff spot in 2017, and bridges the gap to the young guys for 2018.
Well he was 18% better than average last year while battling 2 separate injuries and has an elite eye. It seems you just always mindlessly bash him
… exhibit A. Thanks for playing along.
Lol. If you think defending a 1yr fair-value, market-price contract for a player who is projected for 3+ WAR next season makes Toronto fans homers, then all the more power to you.
I’m sorry stats disprove your imagination, but that’s reality.
I’m sorry stats disprove your imagination, but it’s reality
Classic Jays fan. Aren’t you the same guy that claimed “what might have been” in referencing Lawrie, Arencibia, and Romero? My god, man, you can’t be serious? Keep drinking that Rogers Media koolaid. I suppose you’re still counting on Pompey to hit .300 the next ten seasons. Any time you’d like to match baseball IQs, I’m happy to oblige.
I fail to see how top prospects busting has anything to do to this. Please, continue your unessesary mindless bashing.
Love that Lawrie/Arencibia/Romero dig, hahahah. What might have been is right. I’m still waiting on Snider to make it. After Rios/Snider never turned out as superstars, I’ve been hesitant to get excited about Pompey. Great debut, struggled, had setbacks in minors, but still young and fast, might have a shot. Feeling like a 4th OF that I’d actually see fitting well in LA if the Dodgers wanted to save on Ethier. Not seeing the Jays add money now, and seems like the Dodgers soon have the money under control anyway.
I don’t get what’s so impossible about talking Bautista? To stick with the hockey reference, he’s like a Claude Lemieux. Love when he’s on your side. The complaining during ABs and tone he has during interviews is quite unbearable at times, and there is no doubt better ways the money should and could have been spent this offseason but to think he’ll completely flop is hard to imagine.
Great approach and focus at the plate most of the time. Generally a smart baserunner and defender. Not a stretch to say Bautista profiles similar to Beltran? I’m gonna run with it. Beltran’s been making $18mill per year since he was 36. Played from half to 3/4 time as outfielder during that stretch. Was always a better defender than Bautista, but older Beltran hasn’t been considered a defensive threat in any way as far as I know. Comparisons have been made to OF that fell off at this age too but based on what I’ve been watching, I’d argue the Beltran comparison over any Jay Buhner comparisons. I’d even debate some Larry Walker comparisons for Bautista at that age. Wild card to stay healthy, given the playing conditions in Skydome, but worth a shot given the potential payout if he’s healthy.
Can’t wait to see that baseball IQ shine. Let’s see some real talking points against Bautista. Better ways to spend the money is pretty obvious, but I can’t say I’m more confident in any of the alternate OF options that remained after Fowler was signed. For the price, there are a few that I would prefer, Pagan for example, but the potential payout can’t be ignored. Bautista did not look done after the 2nd DL stint.
I dream of a day when Rogers spends like the Dodgers but they try to please stockholders, so we’re stuck seeing a team try to operate on a bit of a budget. Gotta find cheaper versions of Edwin/Bautista/Saunders/Cecil without sacrifice too much talent. Morales/Bautista/Pearce/?? is a definite downgrade, no matter how it gets rationalized. Not a huge savings either. A gamble that Edwin would drop would have been sweet in hindsight. Edwin/Fowler/Rajai/Chapman was my dream, but again Rogers just doesn’t want to go all in for some reason. Whole country supports the team but they blame the exchange rate. Nice to see some playoff profits spent on the roster, but would have been nice to commit to it before losing Edwin.
Gimme six $20mill aging duds in 2-3 years if it means another World Series now. An open window doesn’t come around often. Settling on building a strong system with dynasty potential is risky too. Trying to like the new regime’s philosophy, but it’s tough. Still think the starting rotation looks strong enough to get to the playoffs again, but worried about the innings bumps that Stroman and Sanchez saw last year. Could see 2-3 key starting injuries ruin the whole year. Probably smart to not invest too heavily in the immediate future but it’s frustrating to watch play out.
Cheers Scullyfan, great taste so I don’t doubt the baseball IQ. Happy to have my case picked apart here!
Filthy, you’re a rare breed, that was quite rational. Well said. I’ve never once doubted Bautista’s on field talents. My opinion is that, like Claude Lemieux and Sean Avery (to carry forward the hockey talk), there comes a time when it’s best to move on from an abrasive, inconsiderate teammate. I’d bet good money more than a few Jays players were content to see JB walk.
My problem with bringing JB back is a leadership issue, I think the Jays would be well served to have another leading voice in the locker room (eg. the “shaking in his boots” comment – leaders don’t make such comments). The Jays off-season seemed rushed and, at times, thoughtless. I’d prefer EE to JB and Morales (no offence to KM), when factoring the positives of ridding oneself of Bautista’s attitude.
I’m a Sox fan, but not too proud to discuss the shortcomings of Sox players. In general, I don’t find that same distinction amongst Jays fans and feel, genuinely, the mediocre, ever-positive Rogers coverage is largely to blame. Hey, Sox fans have issues, too, like thinking every Sox prospect is a future HOFer, but that’s for another post.
I’m a baseball fan, I’ll stay up until the wee hours to watch a Reds-Padres game – obsessed ball fan. I stand by my Habs-fan comparison.
Appreciate your two cents, Filthy.
More than two cents to come, feel free to quit reading at any time haha.
The problem that I see a lot of – in reality and online, is that there are two types of fan extreme for any given team. You get people that are baseball fans with an undying passion for their favourite team, and then people that are sports fans with a favourite baseball team.
The Red sox and Yankees will always seem to have a bad rep when it comes to fan stereotypes, but they will also have some of the smartest real fans you can find. No different with the Jays. Even a newer team with small fanbase like the Rays will have some very smart fans. Most fans look down upon other fanbases, shouting it when it’s going good, and rationalizing when it’s going bad. No different in hockey. Justifying the mediocrity or rubbing the victories in everyone’s face is the norm for the modern sports fan. Habs comparison is spot on. but not for a fan that’s been a true Canadien since the good days I bet. Perspective is key. In the current era, there might be only 10-20 teams among the major sports that wouldn’t be considered as accepting mediocrity. Jays aren’t doing so bad this decade. Neither are the Habs for that matter.
Living Vancouver Island, I encounter Jays fans mostly. Like 80-90%. And a lot of those are sports fans that like the Jays. I’ve only really talked ball with 2 Red Sox and 2 Yankees fans in person, and 3 of 4 were great to talk to. Red Sox fan that likes them since Ortiz was a little impossible to talk to, but young and plays ball so it’s cool. Predicting ace numbers from Joe Kelly, Red Sox can do no wrong because Papi type of talk. The type sneaks in to every fan base I swear! Except I never met a bad Mariners fan, out of hundreds. Met some bad Jays fans. One Cardinals fan that’s way too smug, but I think that’s just how he is. He’s a good shortstop so it’s cool. I see the Yanks/Sox logo a lot in town, but I suspect those are sports fans, because only 4 of them around the baseball leagues I’m around. I would bet a lot of the ridiculous Jays fan comments online are from the bandwagon types that prefer hockey most. The real hockey fans are awesome and following hockey all year, but the bandwagon types are loving everything Jays until spring training when hockey starts to get good. Then they shut up about Jays until their team is eliminated from playoff contention. Then return acting like know it alls. Then check out for football if the Jays stink that year.
Same case for American fanbase in a strong basketball market I would imagine? The timing is too convenient. From my perspective, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jays fans do seem ridiculous in general. But consider there will be true baseball fans among any fanbase. I sometimes peak but never post at a site called bluebird banter that would suggest there are a whole lot of really smart true baseball fans among the blue jays crowd. I’m sure there’s other sites. I see a handful of really good Jays fans in here too. Like half and half. And some people are half and half. Depends on the subject. The fun of being a fan. Jays have a very diverse fanbase, and the Onterrible fans are going to want different than the Prairie fans, Quebec fans, Maritime fans and the BC fans want. I hope and wish some Northern Jays fans are on board as well! All types of Jays fans, from uptight to laid back, and the bonding theme is that the Blue Jays are Canada’s sports team as long as they stay relevant and spend. Can’t let the Raptors get ahead right now!
I agree about the change of scenery for Bautista, and the thoughtless feeling to the offseason so far. I am hopeful that Bautista has been humbled enough to be the change on his own. He was making arrogant comments and arguing calls more than ever last year, at least in key moments. Fielding and baserunning mistakes that he normally wasn’t making in past years. Battling injury and trying too hard to come back early, then make up for lost time? If he has been humbled, he can hopefully return to being a sound player. At least passable fielding and baserunning seems capable still. From what I watched, I would guess that a lot of .Bautista’s WAR stats decrease was magnified by a few bonehead mistakes. Key pickoffs, and key errors with a small sample size due to missed time and DH time would all decrease his WAR, however you wanna slice it? Big asterisk beside last year’s stats for Bautista in my mind. It’s not quite an Ichiro work ethic, but Bautista seems driven to stay strong and stretched and healthy enough to play until he’s 40. And if truly humbled, and able to stay healthy, look out. I can sort of see the calculated risk in what the regime is doing this offseason, but it seems like we’re on to obvious backup plans now.
I gotta say the Rogers coverage is too much, but I assumed that was the case in most markets. I’ve seen worse than Tabler/Martinez on other teams coverage, in terms of being homers, but I can’t say I’ve seen a team covered locally in a critical way anywhere in my encounters. Jays’ broadcast team is not good, but not overly biased. Repeat each other a lot. In studio analysts are a nice touch, but they’re not good. It felt like Gregg Zaun got his wrist slapped for being critical at some points last year. He tries so hard to be Don Cherry. A lot of people hate it. I sometimes love it, sometimes hate it. Then everyone else in studio is on the hype train, Barry Davis is the biggest buttkiss covering in person, and Rogers coverage is not the best in general. Hazel Mae actually. She’s legit. But coverage weaknesses aside, we get Jays in 30 on loop if we miss the game and we get every game live nowadays, used to miss a few per season at least and have a difficult time finding highlights around the hockey in a lot of years. Rogers has done some real good stuff with the Jays brand in recent years. Recently dwarfing TSN in ratings, largely due to the Jays/Raptors obviously. Most of the official Jays press are absolutely terrible and would be worse culprits than Rogers own broadcast team for creating awful Jays fans. Going off memory, but I try to block them out cause they’re usually bad- Griffin, Mccown, Willner, Blair? Usually just plain bad coverage. An article proposing trade Stroman for Blackmon? Not voting Larry Walker despite covering a Canadian team seems wrong. Stuff like that is bad vibes. Regardless, there is some good stuff among the ridiculous!
Love watching some Redsox Yanks on a Sunday night despite dislike both teams. Jays game followed by Mariners game in recent years on the Rogers channel in my region has been amazing. Any baseball, any time is a life for me! Didn’t get to add to the thoughts on Sox fans issues, but will save that for another ramble. My grandpa liked Sox/Ted Williams in a Yankee town, so it’s hard to really hate them. Strong dislike works for me.
Cheers to anyone that read through this! Go baseball!
On what basis can you claim Jays fans accepted mediocrity for two decades? Attendance was not very good and the team basically fell off the sports radar of many Canadians. It’s not like they had rabid fan support throughout the lean years. Was their attendance supposed to drop to 0? Were they supposed to picket outside the Rogers Center until they got a better team? I mean what do you freaking want? You do nothing but attack the Jays fanbase in every post, it’s so tiring.
They’re not breaking 3.5 million in attendance
Not a chance! 4 million exceeds the capacity of the damn stadium! The Jays barely drew 4 million in the early 90s, when they were setting attendance records and sold out every game. The stadium holds 4K less today.
That is a lot of cash for a mediocre player. Enjoy 4th place Toronto.
He’s not mediocre though
It must be 18 mil in canadian dollars eh
If mediocre means being 17% better during an injury-plagued year, 56% better from 2010-2015 and hitting 249 homers since 2010, I want a team of mediocre players
Did Jose and his agent research the Rogers Centre’s capacity prior to negotiating attendance based incentives? Just curious.
Back in the Jays hayday the SKYDOME once held 53K+. However, post Rogers renos the giant concrete eyesore only holds 49K.
A capacity crowd for all 81 home dates will still draw a little less than 4 mil. With all of last year’s success, while leading the AL in attendance, they drew less than 3.4. Just sayin’
Those are some tough negotiating skills boys.
I almost wonder if it’s supposed to be 3m-3.5m.
Yeah what an odd incentive at that figure. Jays better have a few ten game win streaks if there’s even a chance of that incentive cashing in.