The Toronto Blue Jays did not have to break the bank to retain one of their most feared, free agent sluggers.
José Bautista is returning to Toronto on team-friendly terms, signing a one-year, $18 million contract with two options. Bautista, 36, will have a mutual option in 2018, and a vesting option for 2019. There is also a $500,000 buyout for ’18, making it a guaranteed $18.5 million deal. The contract in its entirety could be worth as much as $60 million, according to MLB Network Radio's Steve Phillips.
On the surface, Bautista's contract amounts to a fraction of what the outfielder was assumed to be worth. Only five hitters in Major League Baseball posted more fWAR from 2010 to 2015 than Bautista. He even seemed to think he was worth $150 million back in February 2016.
So why did he only receive around $19 million guaranteed (including a buyout for ‘17)?
The right-handed hitter can, in part, blame his struggles in 2016. Bautista posted a down season, batting .234, with a 16.8 percent walk rate, 22 home runs, and 122 wRC+. In addition, his 1.4 fWAR was his worst showing since 2009.
Stamina was also an issue in '16. Bautista, typically a beacon of health, garnered just 517 plate appearances last season. It was his fewest total since 2012, when he had just 399 plate appearances (although he did also hit 27 home runs).
But perhaps the biggest reason the outfielder failed to land a six-figure contract was his declining his qualifying offer. Bautista turned down a $17.2 million qualifying offer in the offseason, the result of which would have forced a potential suitor to surrender a draft pick.
Draft pick compensation was a hot topic during the recent CBA negotiations. In the new CBA, which will begin next offseason, there will be less severe punishments in regards to compensation.
For example, if a team is over the tax threshold, they will have to surrender a second and fifth-round pick. But if a team is under, they will only have to surrender a third-round pick. The same goes for a team that signs a player to a contract worth more than $50 million (pick compensation depends on a team’s market size).
The Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh concurs in his article on Bautista, writing that these “three strikes” affected the market for the former-superstar.
If Bautista reverts back to his 2015-self, it is likely he will opt out of his new contract, and again test free agent waters. Regardless of his production, the Blue Jays’ patience paid off.
