Blue Jays: Shapiro speaks on options, Encarnacion, Bautista

The Blue Jays president isn’t panicking about negotiations with pending free agents Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion

Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro joined the Jeff Blair Show on The Fan 590 this morning and was surprisingly candid about several issues facing the organization.

On the issue of Edwin Encarnacion’s contract status, which has emerged as the hot topic of the week, Shapiro stayed in the same lane as general manager Ross Atkins earlier in the week.

He said the Blue Jays and Encarnacion are speaking “constructively as far as rough outlines”, which aligns with the reports that the two sides have yet to discuss dollars as they disagree on term. 

Not surprisingly, Shapiro hasn’t been a fan of the public nature in which these negotiations have played out.

When discussing some potential creativity in the Bautista and Encarnacion deals, Shapiro struck down any possibility of player options. This does go against the grain of current MLB trends, which are seeing more options and opt-outs.

Shapiro also did not sound afraid of losing the two stars, noting the great core that would still remain in Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, and Russell Martin. (Not to mention the young and affordable Marcus Stroman, Roberto Osuna, Kevin Pillar, etc.).

Under the category of “logic you’re not going to like”, Shapiro highlighted the draft pick compensation and financial flexibility that would come with losing the two players. It’s still not the goal, of course, but he suggests that all would not be lost.

With both players surely declining a qualifying offer and signing elsewhere, the Blue Jays would earn two first-round picks. To Shaprio and Atkins, who are looking at a farm system thinned by 2015, that’s appealing.

Moving from the star sluggers, Shapiro also suggested that Gavin Floyd could have the inside track on the Blue Jays 5th starter’s job. He noted that Sanchez has yet to pitch more than 130 innings while recognizing Floyd’s history of success when healthy.