ShaneFalco
Registered User
What's happened to the market for Edwin Encarnacion?
Part of it is that the market is flooded with hitters. Part of it also is that the Jays made Encarnacion a qualifying offer, attaching him to a first-round pick for all but the top 10 teams of the draft -- and under the new collective-bargaining agreement, teams cannot lose first rounders after this off-season.
New teams could jump in as Encarnacion’s market dwindles, or previous suitors could re-emerge. The Astros, for example, still could sign Encarnacion to play first, use Beltran strictly as a DH and move Gurriel to left. The Rockies could divert their attention from Mark Trumbo and push for Encarnacion, a better hitter. The Rangers could grow more interested.
Will Encarnacion land the four- or five-year contract he is seeking? At this point, it seems doubtful. A shorter term at a high average annual value might be more realistic -- and securing even that type of contract won’t be easy.