Edwin Encarnacion is the second major free agent for the Toronto Blue Jays this season. Will they find a way to keep him?
The first reports of Edwin Encarnacion’s contract demands surfaced Monday. The first baseman/DH is seeking five years and $125 million. Encarnacion’s agent stated that “10 or 11” teams have already expressed interest in his client, and compared the slugger to Chris Davis who signed a seven-year deal for $161 million with the Baltimore Orioles last year.
Soon to be 34 years old, Encarnacion has a much better shot at a five-year deal than Bautista. He is coming off a .263/.357/.529 season with 42 home runs and 127 RBIs. Over the past five seasons, Encarnacion has hit 193 home runs and driven in 550 runs. For a slugger, he does not strike out often, and over those same five seasons, he has walked 392 times against 474 whiffs.
By the end of his contract, Encarnacion should make the transition to DH, but will his age and mediocre defense completely rule out National League teams from the free-agent chase? Here are the five teams that stand out as potential landing spots for the three-time All-Star.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays simply cannot afford to let both Encarnacion and Bautista walk in free agency. Of the two, look for Encarnacion to be the primary target. The front office is reportedly already making a push to re-sign the first baseman. The Blue Jays have not made a major re-signing since the massive Vernon Wells contract, which turned out to be a disaster. Mark Shapiro and the ownership group cannot allow that to influence this offseason.
The 2016-17 offseason is a crucial one for the Blue Jays. Baseball is relevant again in Canada’s biggest city, and 50,000 fans will not be streaming into the Rogers Centre to watch a team that does not include Bautista and Encarnacion. Losing both would leave a major hole in the middle of the lineup that cannot be easily filled with the remaining free agents on the market.
Toronto should have what it takes to re-sign Encarnacion, but the team’s budget remains unclear. With a massive population and a rabid fanbase, the city of Toronto should point to the Blue Jays spending like a big-market team to retain their own free agents, but little effort was made to keep David Price last offseason. Unless a bidding war begins, look for Encarnacion to stay with the Blue Jays.