End of the line?

TORONTO – Sitting in the left-field bullpen this week, Shawn Camp found himself looking around the Rogers Centre, taking it all in. Later, he did the same thing while walking across the field en route to the dugout.

Like many other players eligible for free agency next month, the veteran Toronto Blue Jays reliever is feeling a touch nostalgic in what may be the last days with his current club. Only two more home games remain for Camp after Tuesday’s 10-6 loss to the Los Angeles Angels before a six-game road trip wraps up the season.

The closer the end comes, the more it hits him that this could be it with the Blue Jays.

"It really does," he says in the clubhouse. "I love it here, like I tell guys, this is my home. I’ve sat back and looked at all the places I’ve been and nobody has ever made me feel as home as they have here, front office, coaching staff, I’ve grown close to certain guys.

"Yeah, it is nostalgic because it could be my last year here. Hopefully it’s not. If it’s a situation that I move on, I move on, but I’ll always have good things to say about this organization."

Camp is the longest serving Blue Jay with the potential to hit the open market, but is far from the only one.

Edwin Encarnacion, first acquired from Cincinnati at the 2009 trade deadline, has an US$3.5-million option for 2012, while reliever Jon Rauch, who underwent surgery to repair torn right knee cartilage Monday, has a team option worth US$3.75 million. Both will be free agents if the options are declined.

Meanwhile, second baseman Kelly Johnson, the latter acquired from Arizona last month in a trial run for both team and player, closer Frank Francisco and catcher Jose Molina are each in their walk year.

It’s an uncertain time for them all.

"I’d like to stay here," says Encarnacion. "It’s great here, it’s a great town, I’ve enjoyed the two-plus years I’ve had here, I’ve enjoyed all my teammates, they’re great teammates, and this is a great town to play baseball in."

Encarnacion seems the surest bet to return, as the Blue Jays are enamoured by his latent power and growing versatility. The option is also reasonably priced, especially since it would cost the club US$500,000 to buy out his option, reducing his actual 2012 price to US$3 million.

Regardless of all that the 28-year-old Encarnacion, who leads the team with 35 doubles and is fourth with 16 home runs, believes his best is yet to come.

"I think can get more from my talent," he says. "I know I can do more than what I’ve been doing the last two years. That maybe can come if I stay here, they’re going to see maybe a big difference if I stay here next year because I know I can do more than that."

The decisions on Johnson, Rauch, Francisco and Molina are less straightforward, as the Blue Jays may be tempted by the compensatory draft picks they would receive if those players signed elsewhere. The foursome currently project as Type B free agents, returning a supplemental first-round selection upon their departure provided they have been offered arbitration by the team.

Johnson, 29, is a particularly interesting case, as he would be one of the top free agent options among second baseman on the open market despite a down year in which his power numbers were near his career norms, while his average and on-base percentage both dipped sharply.

Much like the Blue Jays have used his stint with the club to get an up-close look at a player GM Alex Anthopoulos tried to sign two off-seasons ago, Johnson, who made US$5.85 million in 2011, has been considering what life would be like for him in Toronto.

"Absolutely," he says. "When I got traded, you’ve got to find the good things you can get out of it being a free agent. This team probably has a hole at second after the year and I have a chance to see it firsthand and be here and play in the American League for the first time and see what life in the AL East is all about. Everything has been good, it’s been easy, and fun."

Though barely with the Blue Jays a month, Johnson feels he’s developed a strong relationship with hitting coach Dwayne Murphy and likes the work they’ve done together. A part of him wishes there was more season to continue honing his swing, although he’s managed to identify some things he wants to work on during the winter to gain more consistency.

"Getting ready, being ready to hit early, and timing," he says of his focal points. "Instead of making it something that can be up and down and inconsistent, I want to make it part of who I am as a hitter to where I don’t have to think about it so much."

Rauch’s option is likely to be declined after a difficult season in which he struggled with knee problems and also underwent an emergency appendectomy. At issue is if the Blue Jays do offer the 32-year-old arbitration, would he accept? Given his numbers, it’s possible since whether or not he could do better financially on the open market is debatable.

Francisco, who earned US$4 million this year, is a different story as his dominant second half should make the 32-year-old fairly attractive to teams looking for a power arm in their bullpen. Count the Blue Jays among those clubs, but they are likelier to see more value in an equivalent player making similar money plus the draft pick.

The 36-year-old Molina has been very productive in a backup role behind the plate, but the possibility of a draft pick for him may be too enticing for the Blue Jays to pass up. They’ve spoken of prospect Brian Jeroloman being the backup of the future, but he’s been up from the minors for about a month and has yet to see any action, and it’s uncertain if the team is willing to rely on him in tandem with J.P. Arencibia next year.

Camp, who does not rank high enough to return a compensatory draft pick should he leave, may or may not be let go in the bullpen renovation the Blue Jays will undergo this winter. A reliable, team-first innings eater, the 35-year-old right-hander should draw interest from several clubs.

He’s appeared in 231 games since joining the Blue Jays in 2008 on a minor-league deal extended to him by Anthopoulos, the assistant GM at the time, and views Toronto as the place where he established himself as a big-leaguer after stops with four other organizations beforehand.

Camp credits much of the success he’s had to the sinker he learned from Mike Butcher, his pitching coach with Tampa Bay in 2006, and the development of his changeup with Blue Jays pitching coach Bruce (Papi) Walton.

"There are certain people that touch you in your career and certain things that stick out to you," says Camp. "I can remember the day, there was a rain delay, me, Papi and (Jason Frasor) were sitting down in the bullpen in Philadelphia, and Papi was saying if he could do it all over again, he would have established his fastball and his changeup more, and that really stuck out to me.

"It’s something I’ve based my gameplan on here the past four years, at times it hasn’t worked, but I haven’t veered away from that."

Clearly, that approach has allowed Camp to find success.

The last time he was a free agent, Tampa Bay had cut ties with him and he simply wanted an opportunity somewhere. This time, he’ll have teams coming to him.

"It’s exciting, a little nerve-wracking," he says. "Absolutely, I’ve learned a lot here and I love it here. I think the direction the team’s going is without a doubt the right direction.

"There are some superstars on this team, I’d love to be a part of it, but at the same time I have to be fair to my career and find out what’s out there."

Shi Davidi is the MLB Insider for sportsnet.ca. Come back to read his insight and opinion regularly.