Blue Jays and Bautista Agree On 1-Year Deal
- Updated: January 18, 2017

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The wait is finally over as Jose Bautista will return to the Toronto Blue Jays for one year. The make up of the deal also calls for a mutual option for 2018 which if picked up can keep him in the jays uniform through 2019.
The Jays and their power hitting outfielder reached a deal on Tuesday afternoon that is reported to be worth $18 million. Bautista declined a $17.2 million qualifying offer and opted for free agency.
As the Jays explored several options to replace him, at the end of the day, he was the best hitter on the market, especially after missing out on bringing back Edwin Encarnacion to signed with the Cleveland Indians.
For the past nine years Bautista has enjoyed amazing offensive seasons in Canada, but he hit his lowest output in home runs (22) in 2016 since 2009.
Overall, he has 192 doubles, 265 home runs, 701 RBI’s, 50 stolen bases, 719 walks and a .261 bating average in his time in Toronto.
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