When Edwin Encarnacion became a free agent this offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays offered the designated hitter and third baseman a four-year, $80 million deal, according to TSN’s Rick Westhead.
Encarnacion declined the offer, countering with a four-year, $100 million deal. The Blue Jays instead signed designated hitter Kendrys Morales to a three-year, $33 million deal, forcing Encarnacion to look elsewhere.
“With the Blue Jays, this was all about timing and that was the only thing,” Encarnacion’s agent Paul Kinzer said. “We weren’t upset with the offer or anything else. It was just timing.”
The 33-year-old finally worked things out, signing a three-year, $60 million deal with the Cleveland Indians on Thursday.
With the Blue Jays, Encarnacion finished with 239 home runs over eight seasons. In the last five years, Encarnacion hit at least 34 home runs in every season and finished in the top-15 in MVP votes four times. He was also an All Star in three of his last four seasons.
• Tommy Chalk can be reached at tchalk@washingtontimes.com.
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