The Jose Bautista Chronicles Continue: Long Term Deal in the Works?

Well, just when you thought things were finally going to get settled by putting the Jose Bautista questions to rest, everything gets flipped upside down. The Jays waited until the very last minute to make it known that they will at least attempt to come to terms with Jose Bautista and have asked for the arbitration hearing to be held on Friday instead of today. It’s said to be for a long-term, but who knows what long could mean in this case?

Something had to change in order for the Jays to go through the entire winter without any word and wait until now to make such a move. Unless they were simply trying to get Bautista under the most pressure possible so that he’d be easier to come to terms with, something had to change, didn’t it?

In “other news”, there is word that 2 teams are involved in Michael Young trade talks with the Texas Rangers. Could this change in strategy by the Jays be due to involvement in those dealings? I wouldn’t put it past Alex Anthopoulos.

Also, if the Jays do sign Bautista to a long-term deal, it doesn’t mean that he’ll remain in Toronto. It could simply be that he’s involved in trade talks and that the acquiring team wants him signed to a long-term deal. A 3-way deal including the Rangers and Young, and a third team…..it’s possible.

It’s also entirely possible and likely that the Jays will see what a deal would cost, give it their best shot, and try to retain Bautista for as long as possible. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that approach if the terms are right.

What are your thoughts on this change of events? Will a deal get done? Is it a prelude to a trade? Will the Jays be involved in the possible Michael Young deal?

– MG

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