Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista tosses his bat after hitting a fly ball in the fourth inning of game five of the ALCS in Toronto.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista delivered two of the most celebrated moments of the past 20 years of Blue Jays baseball. Yet now that the team's season has sputtered to a close, both sluggers may have just taken their last swings as Blue Jays.
Bautista's dramatic three-run shot in the 2015 ALDS was iconic, complete with the bat-flip – either the most beloved or reviled gesture of that season, depending on who you ask. Then there was Encarnacion's spine-tingling 11th-inning walk-off homer earlier this month to win the wild-card game. Those will live on in Blue Jays lore, but fans are bracing for the possibility that they'll see the two stars in different uniforms next season.
But one Blue Jay who is certain to come back for the final year of his contract in 2017 is manager John Gibbons, team president Mark Shapiro told Sportsnet. "There's a level of consistency with him in approach that is unflappable and I think that translates into toughness," Shapiro said.
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The situation is less certain for Bautista and Encarnacion. Both have expiring contracts. Both were soft-spoken in a sombre Jays clubhouse after the team was eliminated Wednesday. One after another, they were encircled by enormous packs of reporters, asked to reflect on their time in Toronto, from the small crowds and losing seasons of a few years ago to the recent winning and stardom.
"I used to see specks of it here and there an on opening days – the potential was there, but nobody wanted to root for a loser," recalled Bautista in reflection. "Then we started playing better."
Bautista, a six-time all-star, told media when he arrived for spring training that he didn't think there should be negotiation, that he gave the Jays a figure they must hit to keep him – reportedly something like $150-million (U.S.) over five years. The 36-year-old right-fielder made $14-million in 2016.
During his eight seasons in Toronto, he's become one of the club's most iconic home-run hitters. In 2010, he hit 54 to become the franchise single-season leader and is today its second all-time (265) behind only Carlos Delgado. He's fifth on the team's list of runs batted in (701).
But injuries limited Bautista to 116 games this year and he hit 22 homers – the least he's slugged since his 13 in 2009, his first season as a Blue Jay. He was 6-of-33 in these playoffs with two homers early on, but got hits in just three of his 18 at-bats in the ALDS.
"I don't want you guys to think I'm being stubborn, but I don't think I'm in the right state of mind to talk about those things," Bautista said after Wednesday's loss.
He admitted his 2016 performance wasn't at all what he had envisioned.
"It wasn't the ideal season I had planned out leaving spring training," Bautista said. "With the toe and the knee injuries … but I think I adjusted."
The Jays have 14 other players scheduled to enter free agency, including Michael Saunders, Darwin Barney, Dioner Navarro, Jason Grilli, Brett Cecil and R.A. Dickey.
The 33-year-old Encarnacion made $10-million this season – his seventh as a Blue Jay. He's third all-time in franchise homers (239) and sixth all-time RBIs (679). The big man had made his third all-star appearance and had career bests in games played (160), home runs (42) and RBIs (127). His RBIs tied for an AL best with David Ortiz – fitting since many predict Encarnacion could replace the just-retired star on the Boston Red Sox roster.
Encarnacion was 10-of-35 at the plate in the postseason with three homers, but just 4-of-19 in the series with Cleveland. His final at-bat was a strikeout.
The player famous for rounding the bases as if parading an invisible parrot on his elbow led all players in the postseason with three playoff home runs. His four career playoff homers place him behind only Bautista and Carter (both have six) in club history.
"I like the team, the fans, everything about the city. Of course it's my first choice [to stay]," Encarnacion said. "It was really hard for me at the beginning in my first years here, but I thank the fans and the organization for being patient with me. To be honest I'm really sad because I don't know what's going to happen next."
Rachel Brady