I think you have it wrong jayswin. Firstly regarding Price, when he signed with BOS for $35M or whatever amount it was, there was no way the Jays would've come close to that. Even $25M was a stretch, so why bother even making an offer if it's going to be insulting? Better to just walk away, which the Jays were right to do then, and in hindsight even now it worked out, so I don't know what could be the problem.
As for Donaldson and this negotiation, the first stage will be to feel out the length that Donaldson is looking for, then they'll ballpark the price. Given that the initial meeting wasn't great, that likely tells you that JD is looking for a longer term deal, which depending on the length he may be requesting, would require the Jays to offer less money if it doesn't fit their internal risk assessment. It likely hasn't got to the point of discussing dollar value.
I don't think there's a single thing to worry about at this point though. Initial discussions are just feeling out the lay of the land. Both sides will play various games leading up to any decision, in hopes to pressure the other side to make a deal. No doubt Donaldson is marketable and plays a desirable position, so he'll likely get a 6 year deal for $27M (if I were to guess). If I were the Jays I wouldn't feel comfortable going beyond 4 years, and give a larger front loaded contract. Who knows what JD would want, but I'm sure you'll hear back and forth using the media a lot over the next few months.
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