Report: Jose Bautista will not accept qualifying offer from Blue Jays

Jose Bautista has played some of his best baseball in Toronto and recently turned 36, so there has been some speculation that he could consider accepting the one-year qualifying offer he received from the Blue Jays.

That remains unlikely.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports is reporting that Bautista has no intention of accepting the $17.2 million offer. While he is open to remaining with the Blue Jays, several teams have already expressed interest in Bautista and he is still hoping to sign a long-term deal.

Bautista is just two seasons removed from belting 40 homers and driving in 114 runs, but he hit just .234 in 116 games last season. There has to be some concern that Bautista’s skills are declining, especially from teams who are considering offering him a long-term contract.

Even if Bautista can’t find a team to sign him for more than one year, he will almost certainly get a contract higher than $17.2 million for one season. And if he decides he wants to remain in Toronto, reports like this make you wonder if the feeling will be mutual.