What's the rush AA?

[love_that_reefer]

According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes, the Blue Jays are nearing a five-year, $65 million extension with third baseman Jose Bautista.
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com adds that the deal will carry a $13 million club option for a sixth season. It's a major commitment for a player who had a .729 career OPS before last year. The Blue Jays must truly believe that Bautista's numbers from 2010 -- a league-leading 54 homers and a .995 OPS -- can be replicated over the next several seasons. The new extension will buy out his final year of arbitration eligibility and four years of free agency. Bautista, 30, is expected to start most games at the hot corner this season in Toronto.

What are you doing AA? You have had such a successful offseason shedding payroll and getting draft picks and now you are going to risk it on Jose Bautista? Don't do it man, not now. There is no need or rush to do it now. I would be very hesitant to give that kind of money for someone with no track record and one that hit all but one homerun to LF. Plus his position is up in the air at this point. Sit back and see if he can come close to duplicating his 2010. This has disaster written all over it!

[DirtyKash]

Bautista asks for $10M in Arbitration
Jays offer $7.6M

Jays end up giving Jose 5 years/$65M.

That's some great negotiating.

[Foster]

Still working this out in my head. They pay him 8 million next year, than 4 years at 13 million!?!?!?!?

I trust AA made the right move, but it surely looks like he may have failed this time. How are we gonna sign Albert now?

[Kingdom]

Albert .... Alburquerque?

[Kingdom]

So when he hits half as many in 2011, there will be one guy in the stadium chanting "JP! JP!"

[realmofotalk]

Still working this out in my head. They pay him 8 million next year, than 4 years at 13 million!?!?!?!?

backloaded contracts FTL.

If he was on the Dodgers, I'm sure they would pay him 5 million first year, 7 million second year, 8 million third year, and then spread the remaining 45 million over the next 5 years.

[Foster]

Yeah I know. He just traded away a backload of JP's junk, only to bring in AA's own backloaded contracts.

[Impossibles]

Its a bit of a head scratcher, but its not like he just had a hot couple months, 162 game seasons tend to be pretty good true talent indicators. None of his rate numbers were completely out of line (great walk rate, good strikeout rate), and since he's come to the Jays he's been very solid. He's likely not going to have another MVP year but there is no reason to believe he can't be productive. He just has to be a good player to be worth his contract, and because the Jays have no other big contracts, paying jose isn't going to be a burden to the franchise.

Alex wasn't going to go after Albert...Fielder maybe, but I really don't think this deal keeps the team from doing anything going forward.