Encarnacion, Blue Jays hit roadblock over contract length

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion didn't express optimism Tuesday when asked about his ongoing contract negotiations with the club.

The 33-year-old - who will become a free agent in the offseason if no deal is reached - said that the sticking point between the two sides in previous meetings has been contract length, not money.

"In the last meeting my lawyer had (with the Blue Jays) there was no agreement reached as to how many years," Encarnacion told ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas, as translated by theScore. "We haven't spoken about the amount (of money). What interests us most are the years and we haven't reached an agreement."

Encarnacion's negotiating style appears to be far different than that of his teammate Jose Bautista, who made waves last month by announcing that the unknown extension terms he proposed to the club were non-negotiable. While Encarnacion remained coy when asked about his preferred contract length, he suggested "four or five years" could be the magic number.

Encarnacion had previously stated he won't negotiate with the Blue Jays once the regular season begins.