Encarnacion: 'I want to stay on this team'

Earlier this winter, before going public Monday about his rigid approach to extension talks with the Blue Jays and scoffing at the notion of a hometown discount, Jose Bautista said "it would be an honor" to finish his career in Toronto.

On Friday, the team's second-most popular impending free agent, Edwin Encarnacion, also expressed his desire to spend the rest of his career in a Blue Jays uniform.

"I want to stay on this team, I love this team, I love this city but it (doesn't) depend on me," Encarnacion told reporters from Dunedin, Fla., ahead of the club's first full-squad workout. "It depends what they're thinking. I hope we get it done so I can stay here for the rest of my career."

Amid reports of Bautista's potentially massive (and non-negotiable) contract demands, which he submitted to Toronto's reconstituted front office roughly two weeks ago, Encarnacion's future with the club has indeed been overlooked of late - and not just by Blue Jays fans. No contract talks have taken place yet, Encarnacion said, though it's possible discussions with management could begin next week, or the week after.

Encarnacion reiterated, however, that he won't discuss an extension once the regular season begins.

"I want to concentrate on helping this team win games," Encarnacion said. "I don't want to talk anything about contracts throughout the season, because I want to be 100 percent focused on my game."

Given how productive he's been in recent years, the Blue Jays would presumably want their most underappreciated star to stay focused on baseball, too. Since 2012, Encarnacion has hit more homers than every player except Chris Davis. He's also one of two qualified hitters to post an OPS above .900 in each of the last four seasons; the other is Mike Trout. Despite providing value almost exclusively with his bat, Encarnacion has been the 22nd-best player in the majors since 2012, nearly a half-decade.

Like Bautista, Encarnacion appears destined to land a lucrative, long-term deal, but unlike his longtime teammate, he doesn't have a specific number in mind. Well, actually, he does have one number in mind.

"I want to hit 40 homers," he said.