Jose Bautista: Jays asked about deal, I gave them 'number'

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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista said Monday that he has given the team "a number" on what it would take to sign him to an extension and he isn't willing to negotiate further.

"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.

In comments to reporters Monday, Bautista said the Blue Jays came to him with their question two weeks ago. He said he is "not willing to negotiate."

"I'm not going to sit here and bargain for a couple of dollars," he said, adding later, "They either meet it or it is what it is."

Asked about hometown discounts, he said: "In my world, that doesn't exist. ... In my eyes, I've given this organization a five-year hometown discount already."

Bautista will turn 36 on Oct. 19. He signed a five-year, $65 million extension with the team in 2011. Last November, the Blue Jays exercised their $14 million option to retain him for the 2016 season.

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.

"I think I signed a very lucrative deal that I was compensated very fairly at the time for my production. I just happened to have outplayed it severely. Those are facts," he told ESPN.

"I'm not complaining and I'm not whining about it. I know what I signed and I never complained about it once. And I'm happy to play it out if that's what it takes."

Bautista was asked by reporters if he would agree to an extension if the Blue Jays waited until Oct. 1 to meet his demands. His response: "I don't know."

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