Agent: Encarnacion expected to sign soon after 2 'serious' offers

With Yoenis Cespedes off the board, the Edwin Encarnacion market is heating up.

Paul Kinzer, the agent for the free-agent slugger, said Tuesday that Encarnacion will probably sign a contract later this week, or early next week.

The Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Toronto Blue Jays have all been linked to Encarnacion this winter.

"The Jays are showing Edwin the most love," Kinzer told Rick Westhead of TSN. "We're talking. They want him back. (GM) Ross (Atkins) has been talking to Edwin. They have a great relationship."

Kinzer added that two teams have made serious offers to Encarnacion, but did not disclose who they were. It was reported that the Blue Jays previously made an offer in the range of four years and $80 million earlier in November that had been rejected. Kinzer said the two sides haven't discussed money since the initial offer.

Multiple teams have been waiting until a new collective bargaining agreement was signed before pursuing any big-name free agents, but with reports Tuesday that MLB officials are optimistic a deal will be done before the Dec. 1 deadline, activity has started up again.

The reported luxury tax threshold in the new CBA is expected to remain at $189 million, giving high-payroll teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rangers a way to gauge what they can spend this winter before being assessed penalties.

With Cespedes agreeing to a reported four-year, $110-million deal Tuesday with the New York Mets, Kinzer said that's a strong comparable for the type of deal he's looking to land for his client.

"(Cespedes) is a great player," Kinzer told TSN. "Edwin is the biggest offensive force on the market, so it doesn't look like we we're out of line with our expectations."