Jose Bautista Throws It Down

There's no denying the fact that the man they call Joey Bats has become one of the premier power hitters in all of Major League Baseball. For a man who's spent twelve years in the Majors, Jose Bautista really needed a change of scenery for his career to take off. Before signing with the Blue Jays in 2010, he hasn't really put up solid power numbers, even after spending five years in Pittsburgh. Hell his first two years North Of The Border were average at best. Then he got the contract in 2010, his career has really taken off. Now the question is can he stay put North Of The Boarder? Bautista has thrown down the offer to the Toronto Blue Jays, they can either take it or leave it.

According to reports, Jose Bautista has give the Jays a set number. What exactly that number is has not be made public knowledge yet. He said to the Jays flat out that he has given them a number that he wants to sign an extension for, as his contract is up at the end of the season. He has said he gave them a number and isn't willing to negotiate further.

According to ESPN: "I did not go to them. They asked me a question, 'What would it take to get it done?' and I gave them an answer. It's not an adamant, drawn lines in the sand or anything. Simply questions were asked, I felt like for this process to go down smoothly there didn't need to be any time wasted and efforts wasted for either party. If this is going to happen, they should know what it takes, and I told them the number because they asked me," he told ESPN's Britt McHenry.

The thing is, Jose Bautista has put up the numbers to back that move up, at least over the last few years. Over the last six seasons, Bautista has led the major leagues with 227 home runs and ranks second only to Miguel Cabrera in slugging (.555) and OPS (.945). Last season, he hit 40 home runs with 114 RBIs, helping the Blue Jays win the American League East and putting Bautista in the playoffs for the first time in his career (ESPN). His first six years in the Majors he looked average at best. His first year and a half in Toronto, it took him that length of time to get comfortable.

Then in 2010, his career took off with the 54 homers. He followed that up with a 43 home run season in 2011. Since then he has hit at least 25 homers in each season. He had injury issues in 12 and 13 but the last two years saw 35 homers and 103 RBI and then 40 homers and 114 RBI a season ago, helping the Jays run away with the AL East. He has all the talent in the world, but he is 35 years old. Its a gamble.

Don't get me wrong the guy has all the talent in the world and can crush a baseball like its nobody's business. He throws down the challenge saying here's what I want, either take it or I walk there is no changing the terms. I give him credit for saying that this is what I'm worth (at least in his mind) and here's what I'm asking for. If I don't get it from you I can get it somewhere else. Its talking a big risk because there's no way of knowing if he can still produce at 35, 36 years old. Since there's no public knowledge of the actual number that was thrown out, we don't know what terms were looking at. The guy can hit but his age has to be a factor if your the Jays, or any other team that's looking for his services.

If your Toronto, you now know what the offer is, since its on the table. I would say wait. See what kind of year he has. If he can still produce at the pace he has in the last few years, when healthy, I'd say take the shot at it. Make sure there's an opt out option in the contract if your the Jays so that way you can cover your rear end if his numbers start to fall off. You also have to consider the fact that the Jays are going to want to stay in contention in the American League so they may take that into consideration as well.

I give Bautista marks for having the guts to throw down the challenge to the Jays saying here's what I'm worth, take it or leave it. Be careful what you wish for Jose, it might come back to bite you in the rear end!