Jose Bautista is not looking to give the Blue Jays any deals to stay in Toronto.
Speaking to the media in Dunedin, Fla. on Monday, while wearing a 'Home is Toronto' T-shirt, Bautista said he would not be giving the Blue Jays a hometown discount on his next contract as he gets set to play on an expiring option.
"My job is to play baseball and I know my value," Bautista said. "That [a hometown discount] doesn't exist. Not in my world. In my eyes, I've given this organziation a five-year hometown discount already."
Bautista enjoyed a breakout season in 2010 when he hit 54 homers and drove in 124 runs. The Blue Jays rewarded him the following off-season with a five-year contract worth a guaranteed $65 million (U.S.) and his 2016 option was picked up at $14 million.
Bautista added he had told the Blue Jays what it will take financially to re-sign him moving forward, adding he hoped to avoid having the negotiation be a distraction to his team.
"I don't want to make spring training or this season about my contract situation," Bautista said. "I have to be fair to everybody, including myself, and continue to focus on playing baseball and be as productive as I can be. Because of those reasons, I'm not going to continue to answer questions about (my contract) for a very long time. I've expressed my interest in the past, my desire to stay here and I don't think I need to continue to say it all the time."
Bautista hit 40 homers and drove in 114 runs in helping Toronto reach the playoffs for the first time in 22 years in 2015. He delivered a dramatic three-run, seventh-inning homer to lead the Jays past Texas 6-3 in the fifth and deciding game of the American League division series.
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