ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.—With his self-imposed, opening-day deadline for extension talks come and gone, Blue Jays’ designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion confirmed Monday he is no longer interested in negotiating with the club until after the season.

“Like I said, I don’t want to talk any more about that,” the 33-year-old pending free agent said in the visiting clubhouse on Monday afternoon before the Jays’ second game of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays. “I want to concentrate on this season and concentrate on helping my team win games.”

Despite working out his last contract extension midway through the 2012 season, Encarnacion said he didn’t want to deal with the distraction this year.

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He and the Jays didn’t make much headway in negotiations, but he said he didn’t take the lack of progress personally.

“It’s business. I’m a little disappointed because I want to stay here for a long time, but it’s not my decision. I can’t control that. I can only control how I play and try to help my team win games.”

The soft-spoken slugger, who has the second-most homers in the majors since 2012, will make a team-friendly $10 million this season in the final year of a four-year, $37-million deal.

The Jays’ new-look front office, led by president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins, are also dealing with the pending free agency of Jose Bautista. They will have an exclusive negotiating window with both players in the five days after the World Series before free agents are eligible to sign with a new team.

But given the finances the club has already committed to Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and Russell Martin in upcoming seasons, the Jays are unlikely to be able to re-sign both sluggers.

Encarnacion said he’s not thinking about that right now. “I’m just going to enjoy this season and have fun.”

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