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Duquette reiterates Orioles fans' dislike for 'villain' Bautista

Dan Hamilton / USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Orioles general manager Dan Duquette sees the humor in his offseason comments about his club's fan base not liking Jose Bautista, but remains adamant that the Toronto Blue Jays right fielder is public enemy No. 1 around Camden Yards.

"Our fans just don't like Jose. We play those guys 25 times a year and he's the face of the Blue Jays," Duquette told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. "He's the villain in the play whenever we play the Blue Jays."

Despite needing help in the corner outfield, Duquette said in December that he told Bautista's agent the Orioles weren't interested in signing him because their fans don't like him. Instead, they opted to re-sign slugger Mark Trumbo to a three-year, $37.5-million deal.

Trumbo enjoyed a successful first year in Baltimore, leading the majors with 47 homers while also hitting .256/.316/.533 in 159 games. Duquette said re-signing him wasn't only a move meant to improve his club, but he was also a player the fan base could relate with more.

"I like our guys. Our guys are good. Trumbo is like a working-class-type baseball player. If he was going to work every day on a construction site, you would understand that he brings that kind of work ethic every day," Duquette said. "That's the kind of player that our fans identify with. We try to get gritty players that work hard every day and give their best effort every day. Our fans seem to like that and respond to it."

Duquette and Orioles fans certainly have good reason not to want to play against Bautista. The six-time All-Star has hit 28 home runs in 134 career games against Baltimore.

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