Report: Astros going hard after Encarnacion, Beltran

After the Houston Astros' efforts to land outfielder Yoenis Cespedes fell short, the team has set its sights on two other big-name free agents.

The Astros are aggressively pursuing sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Beltran, and the team believes it will be able to sign one of them, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

In addition to the Astros, a handful of teams remain in the mix for both free agents, according to Nightengale, including the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Texas Rangers. The Blue Jays reportedly offered Encarnacion a four-year, $80-million deal earlier this offseason, and remain in talks to re-sign the slugger.

There have been conflicting reports recently regarding Encarnacion signing with Houston, though his agent, Paul Kinzer, refuted those claims, admitting his client was still talking to teams and hadn't yet made a decision, according to TSN's Rick Westhead.

It's unclear where the Astros would slot in either Encarnacion or Beltran, as they have Evan Gattis, Brian McCann, and Yulieski Gurriel as options at first base and designated hitter.

The club has been busy this offseason, trading for the veteran catcher McCann, adding outfielder Josh Reddick on a four-year, $52-million deal, and signing starting pitcher Charlie Morton to a two-year, $12-million contract.