Report: Red Sox 'probably' not finalists for Encarnacion
Edwin Encarnacion's next swings at the Green Monster are very likely going to come as a visitor.
The free-agent slugger has been linked to the Boston Red Sox throughout his time on the open market, but the odds of Encarnacion in Beantown are very low at best.
On Tuesday, sources told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that the Red Sox are "probably" not one of finalists for the 33-year-old's services.
Bradford's report comes on the heels of comments made earlier Tuesday by Encarnacion's agent, Paul Kinzer, who told TSN's Rick Westhead that his client has a pair of "serious" offers and plans to sign at some point either this week or next.
Related: Encarnacion expected to sign soon after 2 'serious' offers
While Encarnacion and the Red Sox were repeatedly connected due to the team's status as a big spender, the retirement of David Ortiz, and Encarnacion's monster career numbers at Fenway Park - he owns a career .286/.369/.524 line with 14 homers in 217 plate appearances at the legendary stadium - a union between the two sides seemed unlikely from the start.
Early on in the winter, president Dave Dombrowski made it clear that he wasn't looking to replace Ortiz with another full-time DH on a long-term contract. In addition, the team already possesses several players on big-money deals who could rotate between first base and DH in Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, the latter of whom is also expected to spend time at third base. Travis Shaw could also find himself in the mix as a left-handed DH/first base option for Boston.
A few weeks ago, another report out of Boston poured even more cold water on a potential Red Sox-Encarnacion union by suggesting the sides had yet to engage in serious discussions at that point in time.
The finalists for Encarnacion's services aren't known, though Kinzer did mention to Westhead that the Toronto Blue Jays have been "showing Edwin the most love" of late.
Encarnacion has also reportedly received interest from the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.