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Blue Jays, Edwin Encarnacion Begin Preliminary Extension Talks

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The Blue Jays and first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion met today to begin the process of exploring an extension, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. The Rep 1 Baseball client has gone on record recently to express his desire to remain with Toronto. The 33-year-old told the Toronto media last week that ideally, he would finish his career with the Blue Jays, as Davidi notes within his column.

Encarnacion is wrapping up a contract extension that guaranteed him $27MM from the 2013-15 seasons and included a $10MM club option for the upcoming 2016 campaign. That option “decision” was a no-brainer for the Blue Jays after Encarnacion batted .277/.372/.557 with 39 home runs in 146 games. That type of elite production has become par for the course for Encarnacion, who, like teammate Jose Bautista, experienced a late breakout in Toronto and has now blossomed into one of baseball’s premier power hitters. Dating back to the 2012 season, Encarnacion has batted .274/.371/.549, averaging 38 home runs and 28 doubles per season. And, unlike many prolific home run hitters, Encarnacion boasts one of the lowest strikeout rates in the league; across that four-year span, he’s punched out at just a 13.8 percent rate while walking in 12.5 percent of his plate appearances.

As such, despite his advanced age and limited defensive value, Encarnacion would be among the most in-demand free agents on next year’s open market were he to reach free agency. Defensively limited sluggers like Nelson Cruz and Victor Martinez have secured significant four-year extensions beginning with their age-34 and age-36 seasons, respectively, and Encarnacion’s camp would have an easy case to surpass those $57MM (Cruz) and $68MM (Martinez) contracts with ease. He’ll be two years younger than was Martinez at the time of his signing (without a recent knee surgery under his belt), and he has a considerably more consistent track record than Cruz did upon entering the open market (without a recent PED suspension on his record).

Encarnacion would be a lock to receive and reject a qualifying offer in the event that an extension cannot be brokered, and if the Jays endure an unexpected collapse and find themselves well out of the race come late July, Encarnacion could fetch a considerable haul on the summer trade market. All of that is to say that Toronto isn’t in danger of losing Encarnacion for nothing, but with him and Bautista both eligible for free agency following the season, there’s likely a sense of urgency to get something completed. Recent extension talks with Bautista may have increased the Jays’ motivation to work something out with Encarnacion, as Bautista reportedly sought a deal spanning more than five years and exceeding $150MM in total value (though his reported target in terms of annual value was under $30MM per year). Bautista plainly stated that he wasn’t interested in negotiating beyond the point of naming his asking price, making a long-term deal between the two sides seem unlikely.

Knowing that one of the cornerstones of their offense could very well be embarking on his final season with the team, the Blue Jays could feel some pressure to lock in a new deal with their other franchise slugger. Any talks between the two sides will need to be wrapped up before the conclusion of Spring Training, as Encarnacion has said that he doesn’t want talks to linger into the regular season.

Marco Estrada Discusses His Experience With The Qualifying Offer

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  • The qualifying offer had an impact not only on Fowler, but also on one player who never fully tested the market: Marco Estrada, who struck a two-year deal to remain with the Blue Jays. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca looks at the different experiences of Estrada and fellow Toronto signee J.A. Happ, who says he had interest from a dozen clubs on the first day of free agency. Estrada, meanwhile, says he “didn’t get a chance to really go through that process.” He added that he “probably should have done a better job of” assessing his market during his week-long consideration of the QO, and wishes he “could have gotten more years” in his deal, but ultimately says he’s happy to return to the Jays and was able to enjoy a more relaxing offseason after his early deal.

Blue Jays To Sign Rafael Soriano

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The Blue Jays announced that they have signed right-hander Rafael Soriano.  The reliever is represented by Octagon, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.  Soriano will earn $750K if he makes the major league roster, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.

Soriano, 36, was said to be pitching well in the Dominican League and drew attention from a few MLB teams.  The veteran missed most of the 2015 season, not signing until June and then dealing with shoulder troubles, and the Cubs released him in early September. Prior to that, however, he had two relatively successful seasons as the Nationals’ closer and was terrific in ninth-inning work for the Yankees in 2012.

Soriano has a 2.89 ERA, 9.1 K/9, and 2.8 BB/9 in 14 seasons spent with the Mariners, Braves, Rays, Yankees, Nationals, and Cubs.  Prior to the 2015 season, Soriano was drawing interest from the Blue Jays, but ultimately did not sign with them.  Now, he’ll try and crack the roster in Toronto for 2016.

AL Notes: Encarnacion, Coghlan, Trout

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Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion reiterates that remains open to an extension, but is setting an Opening Day deadline so that talks do not become a distraction, according to various reporters (including MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm). Via Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi (on Twitter), Encarnacion would like to finish his career in Toronto. “I love this team, I love this city,” he says. “But it (doesn’t) depend on me. It depends what they’re thinking.” It was reported earlier this month that the Blue Jays would explore extensions with Encarnacion and Jose Bautista, both of whom are eligible for free agency after the season. The 33-year-old Encarnacion has hit 34 or more homers in each of the last four years, and in response to a question about what figure he might have in mind for a new contract, he says (via Chisholm) the only number he’s thinking of right now is 40, for the number of dingers he’d like to hit this season. Here’s more from the American League.

  • GM David Forst says the Athletics see new acquisition Chris Coghlan as a “[Ben] Zobrist-type guy,” via a video from the Bay Area News Group’s John Hickey (on Twitter). Forst mentions that Coghlan has played second and third base in the past, along with left field and center field. Of course, Coghlan has mostly been a left fielder in his career, but it sounds like the Athletics could be preparing for him to take on a slightly different role this season. He did appear in 15 games at second base with the Cubs in 2015.
  • Angels star Mike Trout hopes to steal more bases in 2016, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times writes. “I gotta get my confidence back,” says Trout, referring to his base-stealing. Trout led the AL with 49 steals in 2012, but that number dropped to 11 (against seven caught stealings) in 2015. Trout is, obviously, plenty valuable whether he steals bases or not, and Moura notes that much of the Angels’ brain trust isn’t concerned about whether Trout racks up big base-stealing totals.

AL East Notes: Bautista, Gurriels, Bruce, Snell

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Blue Jays president of baseball operations Mark Shapiro spoke with the media for the first time since reports of Jose Bautista’s staggering asking price of move than five years and $150MM, and downplayed the story to some extent, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet writes. “Every spring training there are contractual situations that come up,” said Shapiro. “You manage them as effectively as possible, always maintaining the focus on what we’re out here to do as a team, and to win a championship.” Shapiro went on to explain that any comments he would have regarding Bautista’s contract would be made directly to Bautista himself or to Bautista’s representation. “For me, respecting the process and the player means you don’t comment on any of those things publicly,” the longtime executive continued. As Shapiro notes, difficult decisions on franchise players nearing the expiration of their contract aren’t exactly uncharted waters for him. In his time at the helm for the Indians, Shapiro dealt with similar situations with franchise legends like Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel, he points out.

Here’s more from the AL East…

  • The Red Sox will likely take a pass on Cuban brothers Yulieski Gurriel and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., reports Sean McAdam of CSN New England. The Red Sox, of course, are barred from signing the younger Gurriel, Lourdes Jr., for more than $300K after shattering their bonus pool on Yoan Moncada last offseason, but even in the absence of spending restrictions, McAdam’s source indicates that Boston wouldn’t be much of a player. The Sox have expensive veterans in the infield (Dustin Pedroia and Pablo Sandoval) plus a large array of controllable talent at shortstop (Xander Bogaerts) and in the outfield (Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley and the well-compensated but unproven Rusney Castillo). As such, the team doesn’t have much room on the roster for any sort of additions in the short- or long-term at the brothers’ respective positions.
  • Dexter Fowler’s late demand of an opt-out clause from the Orioles and his subsequent decision to sign a one-year deal with the Cubs could end up being a break for the Reds, tweets Jon Heyman, as Baltimore’s focus could turn back to Jay Bruce, whose trade to the Blue Jays recently fell through due to one of the other players involved in the would-be swap.
  • How would an extension work between Blake Snell – a player without service time – and the Rays?  Craig Edwards of Fangraphs looked at the different possibilities.
  • On Thursday, Orioles exec Dan Duquette and agent Casey Close both commented on the Fowler situation.

Blue Jays Sign Domonic Brown To Minors Deal

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The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league deal with former Phillies top prospect Domonic Brown, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. The Scott Boras client will receive an invitation to Spring Training.

Brown, 28, was an All Star in 2013 when he hit 12 home runs during the month of May as part of a .272/.324/.494 campaign with 27 home runs. Aside from that one fantastic month, Brown has generally offered below average offensive production. Injuries limited him to a .228/.284/.349 line in just 204 plate appearances last season. The outfielder has also graded poorly defensively.

The Blue Jays have a strong reputation for getting the most out of their hitters. Their biggest successes include Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, although they’ve also received value from lesser players like Danny Valencia and Justin Smoak. Brown is a potential platoon option with Chris Colabello if Michael Saunders fails to stay healthy and Dalton Pompey is deemed unready. He may also serve as minor league inventory with the likes of Junior Lake, Darrell Ceciliani, and others.

AL East Links: Teixeira, Orioles, Bautista

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Though Mark Teixeira has been plagued by injuries in recent years, the first baseman told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that he’s hoping to play for five more seasons.  “My body feels so good, why not play until I’m 40? Being the kind of hitter I am, I can be a DH the last few years of my career, which could really prolong it. I would love to play that long,” Teixeira said, also noting that he wants to remain with the Yankees after his contract expires this winter.  That could be somewhat of a tricky prospect given that New York has Greg Bird as its first baseman of the future and Alex Rodriguez in the DH role through the 2017 season.  Still, Teixeira hit .255/.357/.548 with 31 homers in a fine bounce-back campaign last year, so he can shown that he can still produce if he can remain healthy.  Here’s some more from around the AL East…

  • The holdup in Yovani Gallardo’s agreement has delivered a fresh round of criticism towards the Orioles and their high (perhaps overly high) standards in player physicals.  As MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko observes, however, avoiding some of these contracts has often been to the club’s benefit.  Many of the players the O’s opted not to sign due to health reasons proceeded to decline, either due to injury or simply subpar performance.
  • An Orioles staff member also defended the team’s stance on physicals to Peter Gammons, noting that after the O’s backed out of an agreement with Grant Balfour two years ago, Balfour has since badly struggled.  Despite the criticism, the Orioles “were right. Dan [Duquette] didn’t deserve the grief he took,” the staff member said.  “And if this is what the doctor thinks, why would we pay Gallardo half the amount? If he’s hurt, Peter [Angelos] and Dan don’t owe him anything.”  Gammons also hears from two Orioles pitchers that Gallardo’s issue is “really unfortunate” and “apparently pretty serious.”
  • By setting a high and seemingly inflexible price on a contract extension, Jose Bautista has made it easy for the Blue Jays to part ways with the slugger after the season, Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star opines.
  • Dave Dombrowski has shown a willingness to cut ties with underperforming players regardless of contract status, as the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier recalls the Tigers’ 2003 release of Damion Easley when Dombrowski was Detroit’s general manager.  Now that Dombrowski is in charge of the Red Sox, his presence could put added pressure on 2015 struggles such as Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Rick Porcello and Rusney Castillo to improve.  (Though with the obvious caveat that eating any of those contracts would cost Boston much more than it cost Detroit to part ways with Easley.)

Jose Bautista Reportedly Seeking More Than Five Years/$150MM

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Yesterday, Jose Bautista denied a report from TSN’s Rick Westhead that his apparently non-negotiable asking price was an extension of five years and $150MM.  What that figure raised eyebrows around the baseball world, it may actually have been too modest, as both the Toronto Star’s Richard Griffin and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman have reported that Bautista’s contract demand was actually higher.  Griffin suggested that the number could be higher if Bautista’s $14MM salary for the coming season was included as well, though Heyman says that Bautista is looking for both more years and more money.  FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal puts the dollar figure at less than $180MM, however, as the average annual value of a six-year deal wouldn’t have cracked the $30MM threshold.

Needless to say, this is high demand for any player and a stunning one coming from a player entering his age-35 season.  When I looked at Bautista as an extension candidate last November, I reasoned that he would certainly land at least a $20MM average annual value in a new contract, perhaps even something in the range of a four-year/$100MM deal for his age 36-39 seasons (2017-2020).  Only seven players in history have ever received an AAV north of $25MM per season, and six of those contracts began when the players were much younger than 36 years old.  (The exception was Roger Clemens’ one-year, $28MM deal with the Yankees when he was 44, an altogether unique situation.)

Given the size and unprecedented nature of this contract, it’s hard to see the Blue Jays meeting Bautista’s demand.  The Jays already have expensive commitments to Troy Tulowitzki and Russell Martin on the books, Edwin Encarnacion is also a free agent this winter and the club will certainly at least explore extending Josh Donaldson before he hits free agency after the 2018 season.  Bautista pointedly mentioned on Monday that Rogers Communications, the Jays’ parent company, has derived huge financial boosts from the team’s recent success, so he doesn’t seem willing to accept an argument that ownership couldn’t put more resources into re-signing him or into the club in general.

Payroll commitments aside, it could be argued that it would be unwise to sign any 36-year-old to such a massive deal.  While Bautista is universally considered to be an excellent athlete who keeps himself in prime shape, he’s also had some injury issues in his career and his defensive metrics in right field took a sharp decline in 2015.  If Bautista is already becoming the type of player who only provides value with his bat, then he’d have to keep his elite hitting numbers through his age-41 season to live up to the value of such a big contract.

Would Bautista land such a deal on the open market as a free agent?  At first glance it would seem unlikely that any team would make such a huge commitment to a 36-year-old, and yet the 2016-17 free agent class is notably thin.  Bautista’s performance in 2016 will obviously play a major factor in his next deal, and another superstar-level season would help boost his case.  Bautista told reporters on Monday that he wasn’t going to budge from his asking price, though it’s possible that this was a negotiating tactic and that he’d be willing to go lower if the Blue Jays or another suitor countered with something at least in the ballpark of the initial demand.

Reds Notes: Bruce, Trades, Rebuilding

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We published one set of Reds Notes last night, and now here’s some more news out of Cincinnati…

  • The Reds would like to trade Jay Bruce within the next week, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter link).  If a deal can’t be completed within that timeframe, the “odds increase that he’ll start [the] season in Cincinnati.”
  • The proposed and apparently abandoned three-team trade from Monday that would’ve sent Bruce to the Blue Jays and Michael Saunders to the Angels reportedly fell apart due to a medical issue with a prospect Toronto had ticketed to the Reds.  The prospect’s health, however, was just one of many issues that caused the trade to be scuttled, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets.  In his subscriber-only column today, Olney also noted that the prospects involved in the trade weren’t top-tier names and not major components in the deal, so injury concerns alone wouldn’t have been a big problem.
  • Also from Olney in his column from yesterday, the Reds are having some concerns that they won’t be able to trade Bruce at all.  The club has been shopping the outfielder for months, coming close on the Toronto trade and in a deadline deal that would’ve sent Bruce to the Mets, so there’s at least some interest in Bruce’s services.  Still, it has to be something of a tough sell given Bruce’s struggles over the last two seasons and the minimum $13.5MM ($12.5MM salary, $1MM buyout of his 2017 option) owed to him for 2016.
  • As Reds fans prepare for what could be a long year, Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown looks at how the team could approach its rebuild.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/23/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Padres signed right-hander Greg Reynolds to a minor league deal earlier this week, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports (Twitter link).  Reynolds was chosen by the Rockies with the second overall pick of the 2006 draft but he didn’t latch on the majors, posting a 7.01 ERA over 123 1/3 career innings with Colorado and Cincinnati.  Since his last MLB appearances (with the Reds in 2013), Reynolds has pitched in Japan in 2014 and didn’t pitch at all in 2015.
  • Former Major League infielder Donnie Murphy and former big league right-hander Juan Rincon have formally retired and have each signed on as minor league coaches with the Blue Jays, according to a press release from the team. Murphy, a career .212/.279/.395 hitter in 931 plate appearances between the Marlins, Royals, A’s, Rangers and Cubs, will be the new hitting coach at Class-A Lansing. Rincon, one of the Twins’ most consistent setup men from 2003-06, totaled 507 Major League innings between Minnesota, Colorado, Cleveland and Detroit, pitching to a combined 4.03 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9. He’ll serve as the pitching coach for the Blue Jays’ Gulf Coast League affiliate. Best of luck to each in their transition to the coaching side of the game.
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