Jose Bautista signs 1-day contract to retire with Blue Jays

Jose Bautista officially retired as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, signing a one-day contract with the team on Friday.

"I think everybody knew for a while that I had been retired but this is a way to make it official," Bautista said during a news conference at Rogers Centre. "What better way to make it official than just coming back here to Toronto and signing this one-day contract and making it official-official."

The 42-year-old spent 10 seasons in Toronto, making the All-Star team six times and winning three Silver Slugger awards. He hit .253 with an .878 OPS in 1,235 games with the club, blasting 288 home runs along the way. The outfielder led the majors in long balls in both 2010 and 2011.

Bautista authored one of the most memorable moments in franchise history in the 2015 American League Division Series when he hit a go-ahead, three-run homer against the Texas Rangers and delivered a bat flip for the ages.

When asked his favourite moment in a Blue Jays uniform, however, Bautista couldn't pick just one.

"Ten years is a long time, so there are a lot of memories," said Bautista. "A lot of great memories, a lot of great relationships and connections made here. It’s hard to pick just one. There were plenty.

"Everybody seems to go back to obviously the playoff series and the bat flip and those games but for me it’s hard to pick just one so I don’t know if I have a favourite."

The Blue Jays are adding Bautista's name to the Level of Excellence in a pre-game ceremony at the Rogers Centre on Saturday.

Bautista had struggled to find his footing in the majors prior to joining the Blue Jays, which made his star turn an even more compelling story. Toronto acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008 in exchange for catching prospect Robinzon Diaz. Two years later, Bautista was MLB's home run king.

The Dominican Republic native's final year with the Blue Jays came in 2017, as the club began rebuilding its competitive window around then-prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Bautista would play just one more year in the majors, bouncing between the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies in 2018.

He finishes his career with a .247/.361/.475 batting line with 344 home runs in 1,798 games. He also found a way to rise to the occasion in the biggest moments, producing a .904 OPS with six homers during his 20 career playoff games.