Slugger Jose Bautista will sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, the team announced on Friday.
Bautista, 42, spent parts of 10 seasons with the Blue Jays from 2008-17. He belted 288 homers with Toronto, including a single-season franchise record of 54 in 2010.
"There aren't many names as synonymous with Blue Jays baseball as Jose 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. "On behalf of a generation of Blue Jays fans that had the privilege of watching his clutch moments on the field and inspiring work ethic -- thank you, Jose, for a mesmerizing decade representing the Toronto Blue Jays."
A six-time All-Star, Bautista batted .247 with 344 homers, 975 RBIs and 1,022 runs in 1,798 career games with the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.
More must-reads: