Good? Bad? Ugly?
There are going to be opinions all over the place on this one, and the truth is we're not going to know if this was a good or bad deal for a little while yet. That doesn't mean everyone, including me, isn't going to speculate.
So far the Jay's GM, Alex Anthopoulos, has done a fine job. He's restocked the team's prospects, gotten rid of a couple of hefty salaries, and he's made the team a contender in the toughest division in baseball.
Few people thought Bautista would hit 54 home runs last year, setting a Blue Jays record and winning the Hank Arron Award in the process, and the bigger question is can he do it again. The frank answer is no. He's probably not going to hit 54 home runs this year, he probably won't even break 50. But that's not because he was a one-hit-wonder (or maybe 54-hit-wonder). Teams are aware of him now, they're gong to pitch him outside, walk him, throw at him, and generally try to avoid throwing him fast balls down the middle of the plate. That doesn't mean he can't hit 30 or 40 home runs. He may not match last year's success in the long ball, but he's going to earn his paycheck, that you can count on.
Not only is Bautista reputed to be one of the hardest working players on the team, he's well liked by management and the players around him. Anthopoulos has earned my respect and, aside from what I already know about Bautista, if the Jay's GM says he's good enough to earn 64 million dollars over five years, I believe him.
Critics will say that one year does not make a player, and they're right, but those with a close eye could have predicted a break out year for Bautista last year. Firstly, he had finally settled down and was given consistent playing time in 2010. Between 2004 and 2010 Bautista played for five different teams. Secondly, his success started at the end of the 2009 season.
At the start of 2009, Bautista was on the bench, but during the season Alex Rios was claimed off waivers, Adam Lind move to the DH role, and Marco Scutaro was injured. By the end of the campaign, Bautista was a regular player.
Many fans are moving onto football by September since two of, Boston, New York, and sometimes Tampa Bay, have often clinched the playoff spots available to the Jays by fall, so it's no wonder that many didn't see Bautista hit 10 home runs in September of '09.
Consider also that the Jay's staff was pretty good about helping hitters find their swing in 2009. This year the coaches may be a bit more capable helping out pitchers than hitters, with Cito Gaston moving on and John Farrell coming in, but Bautista has already profited from Gaston and his crew's hitting advice. A couple adjustments to his swing and Bautista is putting up numbers that may see him considered for MVP this year.
If his numbers do decrease, how far do they have to drop before he's not worth his pay? He's not in the top 25 paid players in MLB, and he still makes less than Vernon Wells (now with the California, Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem). If he hits 30 home runs, keeps his great attitude, and keeps working hard he'll be well worth his pay. If he hits another 50 home runs, he'll be the best bargin in baseball.
This deal has worked out in both the player and the club's favour. Now Anthopoulos needs to get back at it and finish building a team around Bautista (and a few others already with the team of course) that can challenge the likes of the Yankees, Red Sox, and those rhyming bastards, the Rays.
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