Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reports that the Blue Jays have had preliminary talks of a contract extension with 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion on Wednesday. If a deal is to be struck, Encarnacion wants it done before the start of the season, saying, “I want to concentrate on helping this team win games.”
Encarnacion, 33, can become a free agent after the season. The Blue Jays exercised their club option for the 2016 season at $10 million, making this decision back in November. The slugger is one of several extension candidates the Blue Jays have, along with Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson. Donaldson reached an extension agreement last month.
This past season, Encarnacion put up outstanding offensive numbers over 624 plate appearances. He ripped 39 home runs, knocked in 111 runs, scored 94 runs, and compiled a .277/.372/.557 triple-slash line. His .929 OPS was eighth-best in baseball among qualified batters.
[graphiq id="fAnD2fhK5lX” title="Edwin Encarnacion Career Batting Triple Slash” width="640" height="523" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/fAnD2fhK5lX” link="http://baseball-players.pointafter.com/l/4745/Edwin-Encarnacion” link_text="Edwin Encarnacion Career Batting Triple Slash | PointAfter”]