MLB Rumors: Edwin Encarnacion asks for 5-year, $125 million deal
By David Rouben
Knowing that he’s a high-end free agent in this year’s offseason, Edwin Encarnacion has set his price tag for the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Toronto Blue Jays came into this offseason knowing it would take a lot to retain their prized free agents Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. But at least the latter isn’t going to keep them in suspense over how much he wants.
TSN’s Rick Westhead spoke to Encarnacion’s agent, and outlined that the first baseman/designated hitter has set his price tag at $125 million over five seasons.
Despite that figure, he states that “10 or 11 teams” have expressed interest in him, based on preliminary phone calls. He also compared Encarnacion’s value to Chris Davis’, who plays the same position and recently earned himself a seven-year deal.
That comparison should make Blue Jays fans confident in their ability to re-sign Encarnacion. They know how important he is to the team, having come off a season where he hit 263/.357/.529 to go along with 42 home runs. His 127 RBIs also led the American League.
Davis had similar numbers heading into free agency last year, and it was widely thought that he would leave the Baltimore Orioles. Instead, he stayed on with the club, who forked over $161 million to keep him.
Along with the Blue Jays, expect the Boston Red Sox to be Encarnacion’s biggest suitor. They will go into next season with a David Ortiz-sized hole in their lineup, and the prospect of filling a legend’s shoes might be too much for him to turn away. Ortiz even tried to recruit Encarnacion to the Red Sox at the All-Star Game.
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Edwin hit a very memorable walk-off home run for Toronto in the Wild Card Game, but his numbers tailed off since then, and he only recorded two home runs over the next eight games. Bautista endured an injury-riddled campaign, which seriously diminished his free agent value. While he had some memorable moments, he was practically invisible in the postseason, hitting only .182 and two home runs.
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As such, it should be obvious which free agent they’re going to covet more, but it’s possible that they’ll end up with neither. Even in that worst-case scenario, it’s clear that Toronto’s front office knows how to build a championship contender. After all, they just lost to a Cleveland team that came within one game of a World Series.