Report: Bautista got free-agency offer worth 'well over' $50M

Jose Bautista's decision to return to the Toronto Blue Jays made sense for both sides and kept a fan base happy, but it seems the 36-year-old turned down a ton of guaranteed money to make the reunion a reality.

Although Bautista's market was slow to develop this offseason, he was reportedly offered a contract worth "well over" $50 million in mid-January, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

He was also presented with a three-year deal, two sources told Passan.

Bautista said that waiting to receive interest took a toll.

"Of course (the market) bothered me," he said. "I’m human. And anybody that knows what they can bring to the table will be frustrated. And I’m sure I was not the only one."

Around the same time he was reportedly presented with the aforementioned offers, the Blue Jays circled back to Bautista. He ultimately signed a one-year, $18-million deal to stay with the team.

The veteran enters 2017 looking to rebound after a down season in which he combined to hit .234/.366/.452 with 22 home runs and 66 RBIs. The storied slugger is second on the Blue Jays' all-time home runs list (265), third in slugging percentage (.528), and fifth in RBIs (701).