In the latest flurry of MLB rumors, Edwin Encarnacion has been linked to the Texas Rangers. After passing on an offer from the Toronto Blue Jays before free agency started, worth $80M over four years, Encarnacion has still not signed with a baseball club. The Rangers could certainly use his talent, as the team has lost a few of the key hitters they finished the 2016 season with.
[embedit snippet=”2″]
Ian Desmond, Carlos Beltran, and Mitch Moreland are all no longer with Texas. While Encarnacion could aid in filling this gap, the Rangers are most likely not going to move forward with a deal.
Turning 34 years old this coming January, Edwin Encarnacion is well past the prime of his playing career. Almost no team would be willing to sign a player at that age to a contract longer than four years. In addition to that, almost no team would be willing to pay the $20M+ that Encarnacion thought he would get when he rejected the offer from Toronto.
A few factors are likely to have prevented Encarnacion from finding a home so far. In addition to his age, there are a handful of other 1B/DH types available. His biggest competition at the moment is Mike Napoli. If the Cleveland Indians fail to re-sign Napoli, all of Encarnacion’s current options will almost assuredly lean towards Napoli. However, if the Indians can’t reach an agreement with Napoli, they could be the best potential landing spot for Encarnacion.
His attachment to a draft pick could be another reason that teams aren’t exactly jumping on the Encarnacion train.
Last year was average for the Dominican star, batting .263 with 42 home runs, and knocking in 127 RBIs in 160 games.