José Bautista to Retire with Blue Jays After Signing Contract; Was 2x MLB HR Leader

Two-time MLB home run leader José Bautista will officially retire from Major League Baseball as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays announced Bautista will sign a one-day contract to retire with the franchise.

Bautista became a superstar with the Blue Jays after bouncing around the league with six different teams in his first four seasons, including five as a rookie in 2004.

Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000, Bautista was a Rule 5 draft pick by the Baltimore Orioles after the 2003 season. He opened 2004 with the Orioles, was claimed on waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays midway through the year, got traded to the Kansas City Royals after 12 games.

The Royals traded Bautista to the New York Mets, who immediately dealt him to the Pirates. He was finally able to stick with the Pirates for a few years before Toronto acquired him in August 2008.

After a fairly modest 2009 season, Bautista had a breakout year in 2010 with a .260/.378/.617 slash line and an MLB-high 54 homers. He followed that up by leading the league with 43 homers and a .608 slugging percentage.

Bautista made six consecutive All-Star appearances from 2010 to '15. He helped the Blue Jays end the longest playoff drought in North American pro sports in 2015 when they won the AL East for the first time in 22 years.

The 2015 postseason also saw Bautista provide one of the most iconic moments in MLB history by flipping his bat upon hitting a three-run homer to break a 3-3 tie in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Texas Rangers.

Bautista and the Blue Jays made the ALCS in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016. His final year with the club was 2017 and he had stints with the Atlanta Braves, Mets and Philadelphia Phillies in 2018.

Despite not appearing in a game after the 2018 season, Bautista had yet to officially retire. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in 2020 that Bautista had some hopes of returning to the big leagues as a two-way player, though Bautista later dismissed the idea.

Bautista is Toronto's all-time leader in wins above replacement (38.3) and ranks second in homers (288).