What do Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson all have in common? They are the Toronto Blue Jays big three and should all be given contract extensions. They are offensively-gifted game changers. They are all fan favorites when it comes to the Blue Jays. Furthermore, fan favorites bring people to the stands and that makes money which is what ownership wants. And ownership knows you need to spend money to make money, especially in the business of baseball. Signing these three long term should be a priority.
Toronto Blue Jays Need to Sign the Big Three
First of all, each of these players are easy to market in Toronto. Bautista, also know as “Joey Bats”, has the bat flip and the tons of home runs he hits for the Jays. He’s been a big deal for years in Toronto. Donaldson is “The Bringer of Rain”, and was last year’s AL MVP. He helped change the team’s dynamic, and his play and personality had fans fall in love with him. Last, but definitely not least, Encarnacion, the “Edwing”, took sometime to find his true power, but when he did he unleashed his furry; hitting more than 30 home runs a year in the past four season.
Many of us who play baseball wish we could do that, or hit half, or heck just a few per season. Encarnacion lately has also torn it up for the Blue Jays, and is one of the reasons why the Blue Jays are only a few games back of first place.
It’s already known throughout the baseball world that Bautista and Encarnacion want to stay in Toronto. Considering the way they produce every season, they deserve to be paid properly. There is no reason why ownership shouldn’t give those two and Donaldson a fair deal. Can you imagine how bad it would look if Bautista and Encarnacion wound up in Boston next season?
Historical Precedents
How often do you get a team with three hitters like the big three? Not as often as you might think. The Blue Jays really lucked out with all three of these All-Stars and it would make no sense to let any of these guys walk. And if you are trading any of them away, it better be for the second coming of Roy Halladay with the second coming of Carlos Delgado.
If you were in the position where you could give two of the three players a long term deal, but had to one, which one would you pick? Donaldson is the youngest and is at the beginning of his prime. Additionally, Bautista has been in Toronto longer than any of them and still has a lot of power. Encarnacion is the most underrated of the three, but still has a lot of power and brings in a ton of runs. Tough choice right?
Let’s face it, no one wants to let any of these players go; and if ownership is smart they will not let them walk. Let’s hope ownership decides not to be cheap and understands the money they will make by keeping all three. Hopefully Shapiro and Atkins don’t screw this up, because unless they win a World Series soon, they will always be blamed for anything bad that happens to the Blue Jays.
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