Blue Jays GM reiterates stance on Edwin return

TORONTO — The Blue Jays haven’t ruled out the possibility of re-signing Edwin Encarnacion, but they certainly don’t sound like a team that’s going to announce his return any time soon.

Toronto general manager Ross Atkins reiterated Thursday afternoon that Kendrys Morales’ three-year deal worth $33 million does not eliminate the possibility of bringing back Encarnacion, but it does make a deal “less likely.”

Atkins’ comments came at a time when the free-agent market for Encarnacion appeared to be heating up. His agent Paul Kinzler went on record earlier this week saying there was a good chance Encarnacion would sign by the end of next week’s Winter Meetings, and there has been a seemingly endless number of rumors over the last 48 hours.

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“Two guys that do similar things is less than ideal for a team, and money has been spent,” Atkins said when asked if re-signing Encarnacion was less of a priority after adding Morales. “It doesn’t make it impossible, but it certainly made it less likely. We realized that the day we made the move, and we talked to Edwin about that as well.”

It’s possible there is a level of gamesmanship taking place on both sides throughout these negotiations, but there are a number of factors working against Encarnacion’s return. The most pressing issue is the uncertainty about his ability to become an everyday first baseman for the foreseeable future.

Encarnacion has plenty of experience, with 388 career games at first, and he may be a little underrated defensively at the …

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