4 reasons the Red Sox haven't aggressively pursued Encarnacion

The thought of the Boston Red Sox being serious suitors for Edwin Encarnacion seemed like a no-brainer four short months ago when the soon-to-be retired David Ortiz anointed his countryman as the heir to his Beantown throne.

Fast forward to November and the connection between Encarnacion and the Red Sox hasn't been there, with serious discussions between Dave Dombrowski and Encarnacion's agent, Paul Kinzer, yet to take place.

What gives?

Well, there are a number of factors in the early weeks of the offseason that have thwarted a possible relationship and could lead to the Red Sox looking elsewhere:

Unwillingness to tie up the DH position

As spectacular as Ortiz was in 2016 - 38 home runs and an eye-popping 1.021 OPS as a 40-year-old - his monopoly over the designated hitter position wasn't always an easy thing for manager John Farrell to maneuver.

Ortiz's departure frees up the position to be rotated among players who could take a day off defensively while keeping their bats in the lineup. The Red Sox didn't use anyone other than Ortiz at DH a season ago, relying on Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Dustin Pedroia to appear in more than 150 games defensively.

Bogaerts' production took a nosedive in the second half due to possible fatigue, while keeping 33-year-old Pedroia off his feet at times will be integral for the Red Sox's future success. With Hanley Ramirez proving to be a capable defender at first base, adding Encarnacion would once again jam up the position, forcing Farrell to continue to overwork his star players over the course of a long season.

Luxury-tax uncertainty

Aside from Josh Reddick's $54-million deal with the Astros, the free-agent market has been at a crawl through the offseason's first month. The uncertainty of the new collective bargaining agreement has been a fundamental reason for the lack of player movement as high-payroll teams like the Red Sox wait to find out where the luxury tax threshold will be set.

The current luxury tax threshold sits at $189 million and, though it's expected to rise, the Red Sox want to know exactly where they stand before they start handing out contracts to prospective free agents.

With the deep pockets of ownership, the Red Sox have never had an issue with signing high-priced free agents, though the current uncertainty has at least delayed the process.

Which Pablo Sandoval will show up?

If Sandoval wasn't owed $59.8 million over the next three-plus years, things might be different, but the Red Sox are stuck with the rotund slugger, at least for now, and all indications have Sandoval in line to compete for the starting third base role come spring.

While Sandoval and Encarnacion aren't in competition at the hot corner, things could become rather dicey should Sandoval and his surgically repaired shoulder be unable to handle third base on a regular basis. If Sandoval struggles defensively, the Red Sox would be forced to either try to trade him (which could be impossible), eat the money and release him, or deploy him as the DH.

Locking up Encarnacion long-term would prevent any flexibility with the roster, especially if Sandoval continues to be a complete drain on the club, rather than the former World Series MVP they hoped they'd signed.

Abundance of options

The free-agent starting pitching market is abysmal, though the same can't be said for teams looking for a bat. Mike Napoli, Carlos Beltran, and Jose Bautista are all coming off 20-plus homer seasons and would take less financial commitment than Encarnacion, who reportedly turned down a four-year, $80-million offer from the Blue Jays. Encarnacion, would also cost the Red Sox a compensation draft pick, something Napoli and Beltran would not.

There's no doubting that adding Encarnacion's bat would make the Red Sox offense the envy of the American League, though they'll be fine without him. This is a team that scored an MLB-leading 878 runs a season ago - 33 more than the next highest team - and while losing Ortiz's bat is a significant loss, adding another slugger through free agency should help keep them among the game's elite.