Bautista had better FA offers, wanted to return to Blue Jays

For the first time since the Toronto Blue Jays signed Jose Bautista to a new contract, the outfielder spoke with media at a press conference on Saturday at Rogers Centre, where he addressed offseason rumors - among other topics - that suggested the two sides may not have been able to work out a deal.

"Desire was mutual, it was there all along," Bautista said, according to Sportsnet's Mike Wilner. "I'm ecstatic to be back and looking forward to next season."

The Blue Jays officially inked Bautista to a one-year, $18-million contract with two options that could keep him with the team until the end of 2019 on Wednesday, despite the slugger apparently having better free-agent offers from other clubs.

"I had other opportunities, but I wanted to be here," Bautista explained, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

Bautista's agent, Jay Alou, confirmed to The Athletic's John Lott that his client did reject better offers elsewhere to stay with the Blue Jays, where he's racked up 265 home runs and 701 RBIs during his nine years with the organization.

Bautista said talks between his side and the Blue Jays picked up after the new year, and despite not being able to come to an agreement on a long-term deal, Toronto is where he wanted to play.

"Everybody would want a long-term (contract), but you get what you get," he explained. "I'm happy that I'm here, hopefully for a long time."

The 36-year-old Bautista is among the franchise leaders in a number of offensive categories, including home runs, RBIs, and OPS.