On Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays sent third baseman Edwin Encarnacion to AAA. On Monday, they may have cut ties, as Encarnacion has been DFA'd:
Blue Jays Designate Edwin Encarnacion For Assignment
3B EDWIN ENCARNACION has been designated for assignment. SCOTT RICHMOND has been reinstated from the 60-day DL and optioned to Dunedin(A).
The Blue Jays now have ten days to trade Encarnacion, waive him, or release him. The 27 year old, who came over in last July's Scott Rolen deal, hasn't built off of the success he had earlier in his career, and batted just .223 for Toronto with a .302 OBP and poor defense over parts of two seasons. Though Encarnacion has appealing power, his inconsistency elsewhere has kept him from becoming a complete player.
Encarnacion will be eligible for arbitration in the winter, as 2011 is his final year of team control. He will make a total of $4.75m in 2010 as the second year of a two-year contract.
Richard Griffin suggests that Encarnacion and his agent may have requested a trade following the demotion:
Following the move, Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters Encarnacion accepted the move like a gentleman and shook hands. The Jays said Encarnacion was being sent to the minors to work on his swing, and actually told him the duration of his demotion “wouldn’t be long.”
Encarnacion asked not to talk to reporters afterwards, and it now appears he spoke to his agent and came back to the Blue Jays demanding a ticket out of town.
Whatever the case may have been, though, what matters is that Encarnacion’s time in Toronto could very well be through, unless nobody else wants to take him on. You can read more at Bluebird Banter.
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