Report: Blue Jays considering Encarnacion, Smoak for 1B opening

Free-agent sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Justin Smoak are getting consideration from the Toronto Blue Jays for the club's vacancy at first base, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

The Blue Jays are also intrigued by international free-agent Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, according to Nicholson-Smith. However, multiple American League Central teams are also reportedly interested in the 28-year-old Japanese first baseman/outfielder.

Smoak and Encarnacion were both fan favorites during their tenures with the Blue Jays, and they played key roles on the Toronto teams that made back-to-back ALCS appearances in 2015 and 2016. The former played with the club for the last five seasons, while the latter spent eight years with the team before signing with the Cleveland Indians in 2017.

Encarnacion has hit 30-plus home runs in eight straight campaigns and sits at 414 round-trippers for his career. A potential reunion with the Blue Jays could give him a shot to reach the vaunted 500-homer club with Toronto. The 36-year-old Dominican played for the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees last season.

Smoak, meanwhile, slashed .208/.342/.406 and went deep 22 times in 2019 while playing elite defense at first. The 33-year-old is just two years removed from an All-Star campaign in 2017 that saw him post a .883 OPS.