José Bautista signed a one-day contract to retire with the Blue Jays, the team announced on Friday.
Bautista, 42, signed the one-day contract ahead of him being inducted to the Blue Jays’ Level of Excellence, which honors the franchise’s most impactful players.
“There aren’t many names as synonymous with Blue Jays baseball as José Bautista, and it is our great honor that he will officially retire in a Blue Jays jersey,” Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro said in a statement on Friday. “… Thank you, José, for a mesmerizing decade representing the Toronto Blue Jays.”
Bautista spent 10 of his 15-year MLB career in Toronto. The six-time All-Star came to Toronto in August 2008 when the Pirates traded him for Robinson Díaz.
Bautista reached the highest peaks of his MLB career in Toronto. Aside from earning the first of his All-Star selections and home run distinctions, the longtime slugger was a three-time Silver Slugger recipient in 2010, ’11 and ‘14 and a two-time recipient of the Henry Aaron Award in ’10 and ’11.
Bautista once led the league in home runs twice in 2010 and ’11, total bases in ‘10, walks twice in ’11 and ‘15 and posted a .608 slugging percentage in ’11. His 54 home runs in 2010 still stands as the franchise’s single-season record.
José Bautista: Blue Jay For Life 👑 🐐 #JoeyBats pic.twitter.com/jD2tvUl0RL
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 11, 2023
“Joey Bats” finished his Blue Jays’ stint with 1,103 hits, 219 doubles, 12 triples, 288 home runs (second most in franchise history), 766 RBIs, 803 walks while slashing .253/.372/.506. Bautista finished his career with 344 total home runs, and ranked in Toronto’s top five in every major offensive statistical category.
Prior to the Blue Jays, Bautista spent time with the Orioles, Rays and Royals in 2004 before spending nearly four seasons in Pittsburgh.
After spending a decade in Toronto, Bautista signed a free agent deal with the Braves in ’18. However, due to his struggles in Atlanta that season, Bautista went on to play for the Mets and the Phillies, marking his last appearances in MLB.
