1 – If he does it again, he may price himself out of the Jays range or cost a lot more;
2 – An extension with Jose would likely be over 3-4 years, not more than that, so it’s not really that big a risk overall, bith in length and in total salary;
3 – He broke the all-time HR record for the Jays and hit more Hrs than anyone else in MLB….when was the last time a Jays player did that? Never;
3 – Since he’s become a known commodity, he’s the most marketable player currently on the Jays roster and sells tickets;
4 – Other teams had all of 2010 to figure his “holes” out but couldn’t. The Red Sox even tried to trade for him because they also think he’ll continue to bash. that’s enough for me to believe that he could easily hit 40+ HRs in 2011 and 2012. How much does a 40 HR hitter cost on the open market? $10-$30 million per season depending on if it’s Adam Dunn or Albert Pujols. So, agreeing to terms with a player like Bautista at the low end of that spectrum makes perfect sense;
5 – If they don’t sign him to an extension during the pre-season, the jays could lose all leverage and be stuck with nothing more than picks in return for Jose (if he’s rated as a Type A or B FA), and that would be a crying shame; and
6 – With Vernon Wells now gone, and his role as a leader established as he was charged with leadership roles such as helping Yunel Escobar get acclimatized in 2010, Jose is now one of the few leaders on the squad. The Jays need him in that role over the next few years, even if he doesn’t repeat the 54 HR output.

That’s just my take on it Robert. If they want to sign him to an extension and trade him if they fall out of the race, I’m on board with that. But to let him walk in 2011 because he wants to test FA, or to let him become even pricier because he proved himself in 2011 just doesn’t seem to make much sense to me at all.