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Encarnacion's agent not panicking: 'He and I are patient'

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

The winter meetings officially concluded Thursday morning after the completion of Major League Baseball's Rule 5 Draft, and free-agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion is still without a job for next season.

Despite being unable to find employment for his client, Encarnacion's agent Paul Kinzer isn't panicking.

"Not only is he the best player in this class, he's one of the best in baseball," Kinzer explained to Jon Heyman of FanRagSports. "We're going to be fine. He and I are patient. He's good."

The Toronto Blue Jays, where Encarnacion made his home over the past eight seasons, are at least monitoring the 33-year-old slugger and remain in touch, Heyman adds, and although the Dominican would love to return, he's speaking with other clubs more than Toronto at present.

After rejecting a four-year, $80-million offer from the Blue Jays, things have been quiet for Encarnacion, who belted 42 home runs and drove in 127 runs last season.

No team is currently willing to offer Encarnacion three years and $60 million at this point, according to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.

The Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees have all been linked to Encarnacion at points throughout the offseason, but with the exception of the Indians and Rangers (and the latter reportedly don't have the money to acquire him), these teams have already added pieces that fill Encarnacion's potential roles.

Encarnacion slashed .263/.357/.529 last season while becoming an All-Star for a third time.

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