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Beane On Athletics’ Pursuit Of Edwin Encarnacion

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Before Edwin Encarnacion agreed to a three-year deal with the Indians, the Athletics made a surprisingly strong push to acquire him, offering Encarnacion a higher average annual value of $25MM, although at a shorter term. Top A’s exec Billy Beane shares the details of his team’s pursuit of Encarnacion, courtesy of Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area.

“We just lost out at the end,” says Beane. “The process was a lot of fun because those are not guys we’ve been in on the last few years.”

Encarnacion preferred to play in Cleveland rather than Oakland, since Cleveland would be a closer trip for his family to visit from the Dominican Republic. Beane says the Athletics were aware of the difficulty of signing Encarnacion, but says he represented too good an opportunity to pass up.

“We knew we’d face some headwinds going in,” says Beane. “But again, we saw this as a unique player. … [W]e thought was that type of player who would have served as a real good anchor point with our young pitching and some of our other young players.”

One factor behind the Athletics’ pursuit of Encarnacion, Beane says, was the franchise’s ownership situation. Last month, Lew Wolff sold much of his ownership stake, and John Fisher took over as managing partner.

It appears the team’s play for a big-name free agent in Encarnacion could be its last for a time, however. Stiglich emphasizes that the team’s biggest need right now is in center field, and there aren’t currently any free agents at that position who would justify a large expenditure. Instead, the team will likely look to the trade market as well as the free agent market to find a center fielder.

Details On And Reactions To Edwin Encarnacion’s Deal With The Indians

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Last night, Edwin Encarnacion agreed to a three-year, $60MM contract with the Indians that contains a club option for a fourth year which would bring the deal to a total of $80MM over four years. The contract fell shy of expectations for Encarnacion, whose free-agent stock was damaged due to his age, draft pick compensation and a market flooded with sluggers capable of splitting time between first base and designated hitter. In the hours since that pact was reached, Cleveland has drawn widespread praise for the deal, and agent Paul Kinzer has publicly given some insight into the final stages of negotiations that led up to the deal. Here’s a roundup of some context on the signing, reactions to the deal and the impact it’ll have on the remainder of the first base/DH market…

  • In an appearance with Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio, Kinzer stated that both the Athletics and Rangers remained in the mix for Encarnacion’s services until the final decision to take Cleveland’s offer (audio link). According to Kinzer, A’s president of baseball ops Billy Beane got creative and made offers with a high average annual value over a short term. Kinzer says that Encarnacion turned down more money from Oakland, though prior reports suggest that Oakland was only willing to offer two years. It’s quite possible, of course, that Kinzer was simply referring to “more money” on an annual basis. Indeed, the AAV in the A’s offer was $25MM at what is believed to be a shorter (presumably, two-year) term, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). The agent also noted that Cleveland’s proximity to the Dominican Republic (relative to Oakland) was enticing for Encarnacion, who wanted to limit travel obligations for his family as best he could.
  • The Rangers’ final proposal was “well within the Indians’ neighborhood,” according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, though precise details remain unknown. Texas long presented a public stance that downplayed the likelihood of landing Encarnacion, though it certainly seems that the organization put together a competitive effort. Interestingly, Passan adds that, by the end of the Winter Meetings, the market for the veteran slugger had slowed to the point that some (unidentified) team felt it reasonable enough to dangle a three-year, $42MM offer.
  • Clearly, the market rebounded from that point, but Encarnacion never saw the kind of cash that the Blue Jays had initially put on the table. Toronto’s reported four-year, $80MM offer to Encarnacion earlier in the offseason may well have had an additional wrinkle, per Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi (video link via Twitter). Though the guarantee was indeed $80MM, the Jays were also interested in including a fifth-year option that could have brought the total value up to $100MM. Depending upon the structure of the deal — including how the option could be exercised and what portion of the guarantee would have been included as a buyout — the presence of such a provision could conceivably have slightly improved or reduced the value of the overall potential contract from Encarnacion’s perspective.
  • The Cardinals explored Encarnacion’s market and had “mild” interest in the slugger, one source tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). The P-D’s Jeff Gordon, though, opines that Encarnacion was never a good fit in St. Louis due to the team’s pre-existing infield logjam. St. Louis already has Matt Carpenter at first base, Kolten Wong at second, Aledmys Diaz at shortstop and Jhonny Peralta at third base, while Jedd Gyorko figures to function as a super-utility option. Matt Adams currently projects as a bench player. Adding Encarnacion into that mix would’ve only resulted in further complications and forced what could possibly have been multiple trades, none of which would’ve necessarily been easy to facilitate.
  • ESPN’s Keith Law calls the signing a “colossal coup” for the Indians (ESPN Insider subscription required and strongly recommended), opining that Encarnacion will be worth an extra two to three wins during the regular season over the player he is effectively replacing: Mike Napoli. Returning to the postseason in the first year of the deal would recoup much of the $60MM guarantee Encarnacion received, and that’s worth the risk that Encarnacion won’t be a $20MM player in the third year of the deal, Law continues. He calls the Blue Jays the biggest losers in this situation, noting that the team paid more than half of Encarnacion’s guarantee for a player (Kendrys Morales) that may not be one-quarter as productive, citing Morales’ recent struggles in 2014 and the early portion of the 2016 season.
  • Law’s colleague Buster Olney argues differently from the Blue Jays’ vantage point (Insider also required), writing that Toronto president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins weren’t in position to expect Encarnacion’s market to collapse in this fashion. Olney adds that among agents and teams around the league, the three-year, $33MM contract the Jays issued to Morales is viewed as a “solid move,” though it goes without saying that a number of teams likely feel differently. (Toronto, after all, outbid all other interested parties, suggesting that plenty of teams wouldn’t be comfortable at that rate.) Still, I agree with Olney’s take that Encarnacion’s market collapse was surprising; few projected that high-payroll fits like the Yankees, Red Sox and (to some extent) Rangers would all balk at a long-term investment for a player of Encarnacion’s caliber. And Olney rightly points out that the new Jays’ front office has made some nice value adds since taking over, citing the reasonable contracts given to J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada.
  • The agreement is good for both Encarnacion and the sport, argues FOX’s Ken Rosenthal, who notes that it’s refreshing to see a pair of low-payroll clubs like the Athletics and Indians as finalists for one of the market’s top free agents. While he’s quick to note that he’s not suggesting the new CBA has leveled the playing field between high-revenue and low-revenue clubs, the fairly minimal increases to the luxury tax threshold (and boosted penalties) do appear to have impacted clubs like the Yankees and Red Sox and the way in which they’ve approached their offseason dealings — though, perhaps, that was driven largely by both organizations’ preexisting motivations to reset their base tax rate by dipping under the luxury line for at least one year. Then again, the Red Sox in particular never seemed likely to pursue a long-term commitment at the DH spot, based on myriad reports out of Boston. And another suitor that went a different direction, the Astros, aren’t near the current luxury tax threshold, so the CBA’s impact on them probably wasn’t much of a factor.

Indians, Athletics Making Biggest Pushes For Edwin Encarnacion

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7:30pm: Two teams that are no longer in the mix for Encarnacion tell Yahoo’s Jeff Passan that they believe Cleveland is the team to beat (Twitter link). Rosenthal tweets that Cleveland’s offer is indeed for three years with an option.

7:10pm: The Indians and Athletics are the two teams in “strongest” pursuit of Encarnacion, tweets FOX’s Ken Rosenthal. Cleveland has offered a three-year deal that may include an option, while Oakland has offered two years and an option. Heyman writes that neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox have jumped back into the Encarnacion sweepstakes even as his asking price has seemingly come down.

6:49pm: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland has not made a three-year offer to Encarnacion (Twitter link). The Athletics have discussed a two-year offer with Encarnacion’s camp, per Slusser, making a deal between the two sides seem unlikely (barring an increase from Oakland).

6:33pm: Encarnacion has “multiple strong three-year offers,” tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The Athletics and Indians are in the mix for Encarnacion, per Heyman, though he doesn’t specify that either club has made one of the offers he mentioned.

5:38pm: Edwin Encarnacion’s representatives are signaling to some execs around the league that they’re “getting closer to pinning down a deal,” according to ESPN’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets that Encarnacion’s camp is hopeful of reaching an agreement before the weekend.

At last check, Encarnacion’s agent, Paul Kinzer, told Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair that he’d received three- and four-year offers from six clubs. Since that time, reports have suggested that the Blue Jays, Indians, Astros, Rangers and Athletics have all made offers, though Kinzer himself characterized the chances of returning to Toronto as somewhat slim. The Rockies are said to be “monitoring” Encarnacion’s market as well, though there haven’t been any reports of a firm offer being made on Colorado’s behalf.

Encarnacion’s market has been surprisingly slow this offseason, despite his status as one of the two top bats in free agency (along with Yoenis Cespedes). The soon-to-be 34-year-old is coming off an excellent 2016 season and a brilliant five-year platform with the Jays, but he’s also attached to a draft pick and comes with some defensive limitations. Those factors, plus uncertainty about the collective bargaining agreement in the month of November and Encarnacion’s age, have all likely played some factor in his lack of a market. The Blue Jays reportedly made him an offer of roughly $80MM over four years back in November, though MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm notes that said offer was taken off the table around the time the GM Meetings concluded on Nov. 10. (Toronto signed Kendrys Morales the next day.)

There’ve been some suggestions that Encarnacion could follow Cespedes’ path and sign a three-year deal with a lofty annual value and an opt-out clause after the first year of the deal. That type of arrangement could potentially make him more affordable to low-revenue teams (i.e. Cleveland), although the risk associated with that type of deal is also more significant for a low-payroll club like the Indians, as the only scenario in which Encarnacion would stick around would be if he suffered a massive injury or experienced a marked decline in 2017.

Free Agent Notes: Encarnacion, Carter, Cahill

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The latest on some notable names on the open market…

  • A “perfect storm” of both a qualifying offer and the uncertainty around the new collective bargaining agreement has led to Edwin Encarnacion’s extended stay on the open market, agent Paul Kinzer tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  When asked if Encarnacion could pursue a contract like Yoenis Cespedes’ deal with the Mets last winter (a big first-year salary but with the ability to opt out after the first season), Kinzer said “that can happen with a team not picking with a premium draft pick,” i.e. a team with a protected top-10 draft pick.  Most of the teams with protected picks are either rebuilding or have entrenched first basemen, though the Athletics have reportedly offered Encarnacion a contract.  The Rays also stand out to me as possible candidates for a creative deal.  The Rockies already gave up their first-rounder to sign Ian Desmond, and thus would “only” be surrendering a second-rounder if they were to land Encarnacion.  Kinzer further discussed Encarnacion’s market in other interviews yesterday.
  • With Encarnacion’s market somewhat in flux, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal wonders if some teams could end up kicking themselves for not making a push to land the slugger while he may be available at a lesser-than-expected price.  Teams that are still looking for value in a rather busy first base market could find themselves saving money but missing out on an established star who could help a club win the World Series.
  • The market for first baseman Chris Carter seems to be held up by Encarnacion’s status, Carter’s agent Dave Stewart tells ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). “We’ve had calls from multiple teams, but no real commitment,” says Stewart, who has returned to his agency work after losing his seat as the Diamondbacks GM.  The Encarnacion-driven delay has probably also impacted other free-agent sluggers, though it may have particularly concerned Cater, who is also a right-handed hitter limited to first base and DH duties.  Carter hit the open market when the Brewers non-tendered him, both in spite of and because of his 41 long balls in 2016 — which drove his expected arbitration price tag to upwards of $8MM.
  • Half a dozen teams are currently pursuing veteran righty Trevor Cahill, Crasnick adds (Twitter links). Three of those organizations (none of which are named) view the 28-year-old as a potential rotation option, which is said to be his preference. Though he hasn’t seen regular work as a starter since 2014, Cahill has taken the hill to open a big league game 174 times and performed well as a member of the Cubs bullpen following his mid-2015 acquisition. Over 82 2/3 IP across 61 appearances with Chicago, Cahill put up a 2.61 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. Though he continues to pile up strong groundball numbers, he is prone to allowing home runs when opposing hitters put the ball in the air.

MLBTR Poll: Where Will Edwin Encarnacion End Up?

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With negotiations seemingly taking place in earnest for free-agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion, let’s see where the MLBTR readership sees things heading. These are the reported suitors that are still trying to land him (in alphabetical order):

Astros: Houston long seemed like a clear possibility, but various other moves made a big strike for Encarnacion appear unlikely. But the ’Stros could still clear the way for a big bat, especially if the team ends up dealing other pieces to add a starter.

Athletics: A true dark horse, the A’s have always had the need for a big bat, but were a questionable fit in terms of budget. Just how high Oakland is willing to bid isn’t known, but it now seems clear that the team is firmly in the hunt.

Blue Jays: The incumbent Jays are said to be fading as a destination, but Encarnacion’s camp has long suggested its his preference to stay in Toronto, and it’s still possible that he could fit.

Indians: Fresh off a World Series appearance, Cleveland has a bit more budget flexibility than usual and could certainly stand to add a significant hitter to the middle of its order. We’ve heard varying suggestions of the organization’s willingness to spend, but the latest indication is that the Indians are pushing to land EE.

Rangers: Texas remains arguably the best fit on paper, even if its front office has repeatedly poured cold water on the likelihood of such a big signing for the past several weeks.

Other: Encarnacion’s agent, Paul Kinzer, says that there are at least six teams to have made three or four-year offers, noting that National League clubs have been involved as well. The Rockies and Cardinals appear to be the most sensible N.L. possibilities, with Colorado acknowledging that it’s at least monitoring the market and reports suggesting that St. Louis may take a look as well.

While at least five American League teams are now known to be in pursuit, it’s imaginable that others, too, have entered the bidding (or, perhaps, still will). The Mariners, Orioles, and Red Sox are among the organizations that could conceivably still be involved (though Boston has quite recently downplayed that possibility).

So, now’s the time to enter your bets: which team is most likely to land the best remaining free agent? (Order randomized; link for app users.)

6 Teams Have Made Offers To Edwin Encarnacion

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6:56pm: Cleveland, Texas, and Oakland appear to be the three most likely destinations at present, Bowden adds. On the N.L. side, the Rockies are said still to be “monitoring” the developments while the Marlins aren’t involved.

6:13pm: In addition to the Indians and Blue Jays, the Rangers, Astros, and Athletics have all made offers to Encarnacion, according to ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden (who cites team sources for each organization). As noted below, there’s apparently at least one other organization that has dangled a proposal as well.

Each of those five clubs have put multiple years on the table, per Bowden, who notes that some of the offers include opt-outs following the 2017 campaign. Two suitors, in particular, are said to be engaged in negotiations “at a rapid pace” with Encarnacion’s reps. It’s not known which of the five organizations are pushing hardest at present.

2:35pm: The Indians are “pulling out all the stops” to land Encarnacion, although they might ultimately not be able to afford him, a source tells Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman. Kinzer tells Heyman that two teams have been especially enthusiastic in their pursuit of Encarnacion, although he doesn’t say who.

11:14am: Here’s the latest from Edwin Encarnacion’s agent Paul Kinzer, via an interview with Jeff Blair of Sportsnet590:

  • Kinzer says he is surprised Encarnacion isn’t yet signed. He acknowledges the “glut” of power hitters remaining on the free agent market (presumably including players like Mark Trumbo, Mike Napoli, Jose Bautista and Chris Carter) but says he felt Encarnacion and Yoenis Cespedes stood above that group.
  • Encarnacion has gotten three- to four-year offers from six teams, Kinzer says. Most of those offers were for three years. National League teams have been involved in Encarnacion’s market as well as American League teams.
  • Encarnacion’s priority, though, has been to return to the Blue Jays. The Jays, of course, made a significant offer to Encarnacion, but that offer came right around the opening of free agency, and Kinzer says the timing wasn’t quite right for Encarnacion, who wanted to assess other teams’ interest. After the Jays signed Kendrys Morales and then Steve Pearce, Kinzer and Encarnacion felt it wasn’t likely Encarnacion would return to Toronto. “We never had any idea that the Blue Jays were going to move that fast,” Kinzer says. He acknowledges the two sides have spoken recently, but says Encarnacion is coming to grips with the fact that he probably won’t be a Blue Jay next season.
  • Kinzer says he expected significant offers from teams like the Red Sox and Yankees early in free agency. Those apparently didn’t materialize, and Kinzer says he believes the threat of a lost draft pick had an impact on Encarnacion’s market. The absence of a new CBA early in the offseason was a factor as well, he adds.
  • Kinzer feels it wasn’t a mistake that Encarnacion didn’t discuss an extension with the Jays once the 2016 season started. He says that when he negotiated Starlin Castro’s extension with the Cubs, it was a significant distraction for Castro, affecting his eating and sleeping habits. Encarnacion, meanwhile, was very productive in his final year before free agency.

Latest On The Rangers’ Offseason

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Here’s the latest on the Rangers’ progress this offseason, via ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links).

  • The Rangers have asked the White Sox about Jose Quintana, Crasnick writes. The Rangers likely won’t be significant bidders for Quintana, however, unless the White Sox’ price comes down. The two teams discussed Quintana at the trade deadline during the season, and the White Sox asked for Jurickson Profar plus “a lot more.” The Rangers thought that price was too high. There would, of course, be little reason for the White Sox not to ask for a lot in return for Quintana, who is controllable for the next four seasons. While it’s not surprising that the White Sox wanted more than Profar in exchange for Quintana, the basic framework of the deal makes sense — the Rangers reportedly targeted another controllable starter, Joe Ross, when the Nationals asked about Profar.
  • The Rangers are still pursuing potential trades for starting pitchers, Crasnick writes. The Rangers’ rotation is strong at the top with Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish, and Martin Perez makes a decent third option. But they’re weak after that, with wild-card new signee Andrew Cashner topping a list of possible fourth and fifth starters.
  • The Rangers also continue to linger on the periphery of Edwin Encarnacion’s market. Encarnacion’s agent said earlier today that several teams had made offers to Encarnacion of three or four years, although it’s unclear if the Rangers are one of those teams. GM Jon Daniels has said that it’s “highly unlikely” the Rangers will sign Encarnacion, despite a clear opening for a bat to play first base and/or DH.

Rockies “Keeping Track” Of Edwin Encarnacion, Mark Trumbo

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The Rockies have a full cast of position players on their hands after signing Ian Desmond, but they’re continuing to keep an eye on high-profile free agent sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo, according to general manager Jeff Bridich.

“It would be stupid of us not to keep track,” Bridich told MLB Network Radio on Tuesday (Twitter link).

Encarnacion and Trumbo have been connected to the Rockies throughout the offseason, but their odds of signing either seemingly decreased significantly with the addition of Desmond. Although the 31-year-old Desmond has spent his entire career in either the middle infield or the outfield, Colorado handed him a five-year, $70MM deal with the intention of deploying him at first base. The Rockies would presumably send Desmond to the outfield if they were to further increase their payroll by inking either Encarnacion or Trumbo, the former of whom would be a first base-only option in the National League. Trumbo has experience in the outfield, where he spent most of 2016 as a member of the Orioles, though he’s clearly better suited at first.

The Rockies already have a full complement of starting outfielders in Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and David Dahl, and an expensive reserve in $8MM man Gerardo Parra. Blackmon’s name has been especially popular in the rumor mill since the club picked up Desmond; however, if the Rockies were to trade him, they would reportedly require a return similar to the haul the Nationals sent the White Sox for fellow outielder Adam Eaton earlier this month. While Blackmon is coming off a career year, having slashed .324/.381/.552 with 29 home runs, 17 steals and a personal-best 3.9 fWAR across 641 plate appearances, expecting him to bring back an Eaton-type package would likely be unrealistic. Blackmon is a couple years older (30 to 28), for starters, and is only under team control for two more seasons. He’ll make an estimated $9MM in 2017, his penultimate year of arbitration, while Eaton is controllable through 2021 (including two club options) at just $38.4MM.

Regardless of what it would mean for Blackmon or Gonzalez, who’s due $20MM in the final year of his contract and doesn’t seem likely to land an extension, pairing Encarnacion or Trumbo with hitter-friendly Coors Field would be an enticing proposition. It would also only cost the Rockies a second-round pick instead of a first, which they surrendered when they signed Desmond.

Trumbo, who will turn 31 in January, led the majors with 47 home runs last season, though his track record pales in comparison to Encarnacion’s. Since his 2012 breakout, Encarnacion is second in the majors in homers (193) and third in ISO (.273). The soon-to-be 34-year-old has also posted a .272/.367/.544 line, good for a robust 146 wRC+, along with an impressive BB/K ratio of .83. The longtime Blue Jay’s overall production took a step backward last season (.263/.357/.529 in 702 PAs), but he remained among the majors’ top hitters and tied a career high with 42 long balls.

Trumbo’s plate discipline is nowhere near that of Encarnacion, evidenced by both the subpar BB/K ratio (.27) and below-average on-base percentage (.303) he has put up in his career. Trumbo should cost less than Encarnacion as a result, which could make him a likelier target for Colorado. At last check, Trumbo’s best offer was from the Orioles – four years, $52MM – but they pulled that proposal off the table over the weekend. Encarnacion, meanwhile, is in long-term discussions with several teams, agent Paul Kinzer revealed last week.

Orioles Notes: Machado, Wieters, Rasmus, Free Agents

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In his latest column, ESPN’s Buster Olney argues that the Orioles need to begin preparing for the possibility of trading superstar third baseman Manny Machado (Insider subscription required and highly recommended). Olney is careful to report that sources in the organization tell him no such talks have taken place, but he also lays out a compelling argument for dealing Machado this coming summer if the O’s aren’t in contention. Machado’s $11.2MM arbitration projection will take his career earnings north of $20MM, so he can afford to wait for free agency two years from now, financially speaking. And the Orioles have what is generally regarded as one of the game’s weaker farm systems, so moving Machado and other top-tier MLB assets (i.e. Zach Britton, Adam Jones) could net GM Dan Duquette the type of prospect bounty that would make for an accelerated rebuilding process.

O’s fans undoubtedly would prefer to see Machado extended, but I agree with Olney’s assessment that the window for that has likely closed. At this juncture, it’s hard to envision Machado signing anything less than a record-setting contract. He’s a better all-around player than Giancarlo Stanton, whose 13-year, $325MM contract is the current benchmark. Hitting the open market at age 26, Machado should shatter Stanton’s record contract barring some form of devastating injury. Of course, if Baltimore is in contention in 2017, then it’s all a moot point for a bit longer, as there’s no way the Orioles would (nor should they) consider dealing Machado and others if a potential postseason berth is in the cards.

A few more notes on the Orioles…

  • Agent Scott Boras reached out to Orioles owner Peter Angelos one last time to try to get the O’s back into the Matt Wieters bidding before Baltimore signed Welington Castillo, reports MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko. The Orioles were simply far more comfortable committing a modest $6MM salary in 2017 (and possibly $7MM in 2018) to Castillo than they were with considering the price levels that Boras is seeking for Wieters. Kubatko notes that Wieters’ situation may not be resolved before the calendar flips to 2017.
  • Within that same piece, Kubatko reports that Colby Rasmus’ agents have reached out to the Orioles, but the team considers his current asking price to be too high. If the O’s do end up with Rasmus, a deal would have to be reached closer to Spring Training once his asking price drops a bit further. Rasmus struggled to a .206/.286/.355 batting line last year but played through myriad physical issues over the course of the season. Rasmus had a cyst surgically removed from his ear this past summer — an issue that very likely could’ve impacted his balance and all-around skill set — and underwent surgeries to repair his hip and a sports hernia following the 2016 season. A healthier Rasmus could be a nice rebound candidate, though the O’s likely aren’t alone in expressing some trepidation about committing a significant guarantee to a player coming off Rasmus’ recent injuries.
  • Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun writes that the O’s are still looking for a defensive upgrade in the corner outfield and depth in the bullpen, but he casts some doubt on the team’s ability to squeeze in another acquisition prior to the holidays. The team’s talks with Mark Trumbo have been lagging a bit, and while the O’s haven’t pivoted to similar players like Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Chris Carter yet, Encina adds that they’ll eventually go that route if talks with Trumbo’s camp don’t intensify.

AL East Notes: Encarnacion, Red Sox, Yankees

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Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

  • After Edwin Encarnacion didn’t immediately accept the Blue Jays’ initial four-year, $80MM offer, Toronto quickly pivoted to sign Kendrys Morales.  With Encarnacion still unsigned as we move into late December, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi opines that the Jays could have re-signed the slugger at around that price had they been a bit more patient.  By contrast, as Davidi notes, the Dodgers were able to re-sign Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner and Rich Hill after expressing their interest in the players but giving them time to test the market before circling back with an offer.  “Given how much common ground there was [between Encarnacion and the Jays], it’s an awful, awful way to part with a franchise icon,” Davidi writes.  The door isn’t yet totally closed on an Encarnacion return to Toronto, though with Morales and Steve Pearce both joining Justin Smoak in the first base/DH mix, it seems like the Blue Jays have already moved on.
  • The Red Sox have positioned themselves for a three-year window as World Series contenders, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes, with a potential for a longer-term run of contention if current top prospects develop or if the Sox decide to lock up current young stars like Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley or Xander Bogaerts to extensions.
  • As part of a reader mailbag, Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog posits that Masahiro Tanaka, Dellin Betances and/or Tyler Clippard are logical deadline trade chips for the Yankees if New York is only on the fringes of the postseason race (as in 2016) or out of it altogether.  Tanaka (if he exercises his opt-out) and Clippard will both be free agents next winter, and Axisa feels the Yankees should probably be listening to offers for Betances right now, given the current high demand for elite relief pitching.  Tanaka’s opt-out looms as one of the major subplots of the Yankees’ season, and while Tanaka could arguably be shopped now if the team doesn’t feel he’ll stay beyond 2017, Axisa doesn’t think it makes sense for the Yankees to trade their best pitcher after spending big to re-sign Aroldis Chapman.  It’s not out of the question that the Yankees trade Tanaka for prospects at the deadline and then look to re-sign him, as they did with Chapman this past year.

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