5 players Blue Jays should pursue if Bautista, Encarnacion depart

The deadline for players to accept qualifying offers is Monday at 5 p.m. ET, and two players expected to decline the $17.2-million option for next season are Toronto Blue Jays sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista.

Encarnacion and Bautista have reportedly received interest from clubs other than the Blue Jays with them expected to decline the offers. If they depart, Toronto will be forced to find suitable replacements - even after reportedly agreeing to a three-year deal with Kendrys Morales - for the pair who drove in a combined 1,380 runs during their time with the club.

Here are five players the Blue Jays should look to sign if both Encarnacion and Bautista say goodbye.

Josh Reddick

If Bautista were to depart for greener pastures, the Blue Jays would be left with Melvin Upton Jr. and Ezequiel Carrera as their starting corner outfielders. Outfielder Josh Reddick, 29, would be an upgrade over both, even after producing his lowest home run (10) and RBI (37) totals since 2011. Toronto has already reportedly shown interest in the 2012 Gold Glove winner, although they appear to have competition from the division-rival Baltimore Orioles.

Brandon Moss

With the departures of Encarnacion and Bautista potentially on the horizon, 33-year-old free agent Brandon Moss could be an affordable power-hitting replacement for Toronto who could play both first base and corner outfield. He wouldn't be an ideal platoon partner for Justin Smoak, because he hits left-handed, but Moss still smashed 28 homers and posted a .784 OPS for the Cardinals last season. He struck out 30.4 percent of the time, though, which could dissuade the Blue Jays, who finished fourth in the AL in strikeouts.

Carlos Gomez

Following a disastrous 126-game stint with the Houston Astros that ended with his release last August, 30-year-old Carlos Gomez finished the regular season strong after signing a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers, slugging .543 and driving in 24 runs. The two-time All-Star can still energize the top of a lineup, hitting .328/.386/.672 out of the leadoff spot last season, and can still play the field (last season was the only one of his career in the minus column of defensive runs saved in the outfield). He could move into the corner outfield spot if Bautista departs, and also give Kevin Pillar a breather in center.

Steve Pearce

If the Blue Jays were looking for a more ideal platoon fit for Smoak, and both Encarnacion and Bautista walked via free agency, Steve Pearce, who Toronto has reportedly shown an interest in, could be a fit. The 33-year-old, who was almost a member of the Toronto organization in 2014 before declining a deal, can play both the outfield and first base, and posted a .867 OPS split between the Tampa Bay Rays and Orioles last season while making just $4.75 million. The 10-year MLB veteran has averaged 16 home runs and 41 RBIs over the past three seasons, and was worth 2.0 WAR last year.

Dexter Fowler

One of the more promising free-agent outfielders available this offseason is Dexter Fowler, who turned down a multi-year offer from the Orioles last season to re-sign with the Chicago Cubs, helping them win their first World Series since 1908. Fowler will reportedly reject his qualifying offer before Monday's deadline, and Toronto could be a fit. Like Gomez, he was a spark plug out of the leadoff spot, getting on base at a .393 clip, but he also finished in the top 10 among NL outfielders last season in runs scored (84), OPS (.840), and triples (7), despite only playing in 125 games.