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Shapiro: No one could have predicted Encarnacion's market

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro admitted that he was as surprised as any with how the market for Edwin Encarnacion played out this offseason.

"I think there's not an expert, not an agent, and there's not a team that thought the market would go the way it did. Certainly not Edwin's agent, and certainly not Edwin," Shapiro said Friday on The Jeff Blair Show. "At the time we talked to Edwin, two weeks after we made that offer to Edwin, three weeks after we made that offer to Edwin, a month after we made that offer to Edwin, he still thought he was going to get far more dollars than what we offered and he ended up signing for less than what we offered."

The Blue Jays offered Encarnacion a four-year, $80-million deal at the start of free agency that was rejected by his agent. The team quickly responded by inking Kendrys Morales to a three-year, $33-million deal - a move that Encarnacion's agent Paul Kinzer said late last month surprised both he and his client.

With his market limited, Encarnacion chose the Cleveland Indians over the Oakland Athletics, eventually agreeing to a three-year, $60-million deal with the reigning American League champs. The slugger said that he was thankful to receive a multi-year deal, and hoped that he could help the Indians win a World Series.

Shapiro acknowledged that it was tough to watch the scenario play out with Encarnacion, given his ability and standing with the club. While an unfortunate set of circumstances led to his departure, he believes the front office did the best they could given their options.

"That's unfortunate for us, and to some extent - although he's in a great situation and a great place and I'm sure he's going to be very happy - somewhat unfortunate for him," Shapiro said of Encarnacion leaving for Cleveland. "It's circumstance and situation that no one could have forecast.

"So yes, we could have gambled, we could have waited, and I guess in hindsight given all the information now, if we knew it was going to do this - that's kind of a silly question - we would have done if differently. But we didn't have all the information and I think it was important for us to have a plan, and as you negotiate, it's always important to both have walkaways and have alternatives. If you don't have those two things, you're not going to have a successful outcome and so we went to an alternative."

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