Agent: No 'serious' talks yet between Blue Jays, Encarnacion

The Toronto Blue Jays have yet to make significant progress in their efforts to re-sign free agent Edwin Encarnacion, as his agent, Paul Kinzer, said he hasn't advanced beyond preliminary discussions with the club regarding his taciturn client.

"We haven't gotten into anything serious yet," Kinzer told Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun.

The Blue Jays have exclusive rights to negotiate with Encarnacion until 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, at which point the soon-to-be 34-year-old will be free to sign with any team he chooses. Though the Blue Jays were reportedly planning earlier this month to make Encarnacion a long-term offer, for now, Kinzer said, there isn't much to report.

"We're talking. There's nothing imminent," he said. "That's all I can tell you right now. We're continuing to talk."

During spring training, as Encarnacion repeatedly expressed his desire to stay with Toronto beyond 2016, the Blue Jays reportedly offered him a two-year deal that included a vesting option for a third season, according to MLB's Jon Heyman. That proposal was rejected, though, as the three-time All-Star - who took home an average annual salary of $9.25 million over the course of the four-year extension he signed in 2012 - was looking for a deal of four or five years in length.

Last month, after his club was ousted from the American League Championship Series for a second year in a row, Encarnacion admitted feeling "really sad" as the uncertainty of the offseason loomed. Encarnacion, who arrived in Toronto in 2009, boasts one of the most impressive offensive resumes in Blue Jays history, managing a .912 OPS while averaging 39 homers and 29 doubles per season from 2012 through 2016.

"To be honest, I’m really sad because I don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Encarnacion said with help of an interpreter. “Overall, I feel really proud about what the fans and the organization have done for me … I’m really proud to be the face of this franchise with Jose (Bautista)."