The Toronto Blue Jays 29-year-old slugger, Jose Bautista, is on the verge of hitting 50 home runs in season. He’s currently sitting at 49 home runs, and he has about two weeks left in the season to accomplish that feat. So after the season is done, and the likelihood that Bautista will be apart of the 50-homer club, what will the Blue Jays do about keeping him up north for the long-term?

The Canadian Press says that Bautista’s $2.4 million salary this season will likely rise to $6-8 million in his final year of arbitration. Bautista can become a free agent after the 2011 season, and that will be his first opportunity to bring home a big paycheck. The questions that The Canadian Press has, is what is Bautista worth given his out-of-nowhere power that appeared this season?

Bautista never hit more than 16 home runs, and that was in 117 games for the 2006 Pittsburgh Pirates, so do the Blue Jays give him a contract that is worthy of someone that can hit 30-50 home runs per season?  Or do the Blue Jays consider this season a fluke and try to sign him on the cheap?

There was also a rumor last month that suggested Bautista was taking performance enhancing drugs. Bautista denied the claim, but with the microscope on his every move, could he lead the Majors again in home runs next season?

The Canadian Press says the team will likely let Bautista play in 2011 before making a decision. The last thing the team wants is to have another overpaid player that can’t live up to the paycheck, such Vernon Wells.