Edwin Encarnacion will not discuss extension with Blue Jays until after season

If Edwin Encarnacion stays with the Blue Jays, the deal won’t be done until after the season is over.

Encarnacion’s agent told Jon Heyman that there would be no negotiations on a long-term extension until the season ended.

“Once the season started, we were not going to negotiate,” agent Paul Kinzer told Heyman, writing for Today’s Knuckleball. “He thought it was a distraction last time. He’s the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. Why mess with the guy? He’s content. He’s happy.”

Kinzer made clear that Encarnacion’s lack of willingness to negotiate now should not be taken as a sign that he wants to leave Toronto.

“This doesn’t mean Toronto’s out,” Kinzer said. “This was the plan all along. We were going to play this thing out.”

Encarnacion said as much before the season started, so this is not a surprise. With another Blue Jays star being much more hardline in negotiations, Toronto may want to work hard to retain Encarnacion.