Toronto Blue Jays: Edwin Encarnacion’s Agent Needs to Stop Talking
By Paul Taylor
The more Edwin Encarnacion’s agent Paul Kinzer speaks, with the latest example being his appearance on “The Jeff Blair Show”, the more foolish he’s sounding.
Paul Kinzer has a job to do – I get that. However, the more Edwin Encarnacion‘s agent opens his mouth, the more embarrassing it’s becoming.
One prime example came just a couple of weeks ago, when Kinzer claimed his client would get a deal done by the end of the Winter Meetings. Well, as of today, this has still not happened.
However, rather than being humbled and learning by what did — or more to the point didn’t happen — the Head of REP1 Baseball continues to shoot his mouth off. The latest example came when he spoke to The Fan 590’s Jeff Blair on Wednesday.
Kinzer said: “Edwin has turned down multi-year offers (most in the three-year range) from six different teams (since the winter meetings). I talked to two teams already this morning.”
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So if this is the case, then why has Encarnacion not signed for anyone yet? Kinzer said: “It’s not that there isn’t interest in him, but we made it clear from the start that Edwin wanted to return to Toronto.”
This is more than likely the case – the three-time All-Star has said all along, that his preference is to remain in Southern Ontario. However, another big reason is because no other team has matched the Toronto Blue Jays‘ original four-year, $80 million offer.
This has led to some people believing Kinzer overplayed his hand. However, the agent said: “That was not the case – It was a case of, we had no idea the Jays would move that fast.”
In fairness, there is some truth to this, with the Blue Jays signing Kendry Morales just a couple of days after making their offer to Encarnacion. However, this doesn’t change the fact his camp rejected their proposal.
As a result, the 33-year old still finds himself without a team, less than two months before players report for spring training. His agent admits he is surprised by this turn of events.
Kinzer said: “We did think he would definitely be signed by now. … We never envisioned it stretching out this long.”
Just to be clear, Encarnacion shouldn’t be blamed for turning down the Blue Jays’ offer, after leading the Majors with a career-high 127 RBIs in 2016. He wanted to see what the market would be for him, before signing what will arguably be his last major contract.
Unfortunately though, the 2000 ninth round draft pick has in the process likely cost himself the chance to finish his career in Toronto. As Kinzer told Blair: “The only thing is the realization he isn’t going to be a Blue Jay.
“That’s frustrating. He wanted to finish strong there, put up numbers and (have) his name on the wall.”
Overall, things should still work out okay for Encarnacion – we’re still talking about one of the best hitters in all of baseball. However — even though he should — don’t count on Kinzer keeping quiet, as the process plays itself out.
Next: Jose Bautista wants to return to Toronto
What’s your opinion on Kinzer? Do you think he’s just doing his job, or do you agree he is talking too much to the media? In addition, where do you believe Encarnacion is going to end up, given how things currently stand? Share your thoughts in the comments section.