Inbox: Is there a chance Encarnacion returns?

Why would Toronto sign Kendrys Morales so early and reduce chances of signing Edwin Encarnacion? EE clearly has wanted to come back … why would they not work towards EE and then go after someone like Morales later? — Matthew P., Kitchener, Ontario

I asked myself a similar question after news first broke of Morales’ three-year deal, but it’s clear Toronto believed it was necessary to strike early. The goal was to re-sign Encarnacion, and according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Toronto offered four years and $80 million. When that was turned down, and with no guarantee that a deal could be reached, the Blue Jays moved quickly.

The biggest factor is that Toronto had nine free agents and holes to fill at the corner outfield spots, DH, in the bullpen and potentially at first base. General manager Ross Atkins was comfortable with $33 million over three years, and the fear was that the asking price would either go up over time or Morales would go elsewhere and leave the Blue Jays out in the cold if they missed out on Encarnacion.

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What role do you think we’ll see Morales playing if the Blue Jays re-sign Encarnacion? Conversely, where can we expect Morales in the batting order if neither Encarnacion nor Jose Bautista return? — Carter, Salt Lake City

In theory, having Encarnacion and Morales on the same team is doable, but to keep them together for three years sounds like a risky proposition. Atkins recently mentioned possibly using Morales at first base and in the outfield, but he’s played there sparingly and a lack of speed is going to cause some major issues with his range. Morales in the field can be a short-term solution to give Encarnacion an occasional start at DH, but he’ll likely need more than that.

The batting order is impossible to predict at this point because there are too many moving parts. I’d expect to see Morales hitting either fourth or fifth in the long term, but if the season started today, I think it would look something like this: Devon Travis, Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, Morales, Russell Martin, Justin Smoak, Melvin Upton Jr., Kevin Pillar, Ezequiel Carrera. But it won’t stay that way, …

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