There wasn’t much to say about the Rays losing out on trading for American League homerun leader Edwin Encarnación when the Yankees first swept in to nab the player who seemed destined to join the Rays and bolster the team’s roster.
But now that the dust has settled, Joel Sherman has some reflection from his conversation with Yankees GM Brian Cashman, with this standing out the most:
— Did the Yankees block the Rays from acquiring Encarnación? Very possibly. But Cashman insisted that was not the motivation. The Yankees owe roughly $8 million to Encarnación between his salary this year and the buyout on his 2020 option minus the $8.