Report: Bautista willing to accept 1-year deal, with a catch

Jose Bautista appears to be coming to terms with his collapsed market.

The free-agent slugger, who last spring was believed to be seeking a five-year deal, is reportedly willing to accept a one-year offer, sources tell Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. The catch, however, is the value of the deal needs to be higher than the $17.2-million qualifying offer Bautista rejected at the start of the offseason.

The six-time All-Star is coming off a down season with the Toronto Blue Jays in which injuries limited him to just 116 games. He hit .234/.366/.452 with 22 home runs, 24 doubles, and 69 RBIs while striking out 103 times.

Related: 5 teams that should make a 1-year offer to Bautista

The market, which was once thought to be robust, apparently has little to no suitors. The Boston Red Sox already told Bautista's agent they don't have the money, while Baltimore Orioles general manager Dan Duquette openly said he wouldn't sign Bautista because the fan base strongly dislikes him.

It was reported earlier this week that Bautista has rejected solid offers in order to re-sign in Toronto. The Blue Jays, however, have reportedly not presented a deal to Bautista that exceeds the qualifying offer they previously extended.

The Blue Jays have already lost one franchise icon in Edwin Encarnacion this winter, after he accepted a three-year, $60-million deal Thursday from the Cleveland Indians. For their loss, Toronto will receive a draft pick as compensation.

While the match between the Blue Jays and Bautista seems perfect - the team needs a corner outfielder with power and Bautista wants to return - the front office has put a high value on building up the minor-league system after big trades in recent years moved several top prospects out. While the Blue Jays wouldn't have to surrender a draft pick to sign Bautista, they would, however, cost themselves the opportunity of receiving compensation that would come once he signs somewhere else.

The incentive for Bautista accepting a one-year deal is he has the opportunity to re-establish his value in hope of securing a multi-year deal next offseason. With changes to the CBA, he'll no longer be eligible to receive a qualifying offer, which should make him a more attractive option next winter.

In addition to Bautista, there are a number of impact bats remaining on the market, including Mike Napoli, Mark Trumbo, Brandon Moss, Colby Rasmus, and Chris Carter.