Well, Desmond signed a one year deal because no team wanted to lose a pick for him, so he didn't have the options that Fowler has, but I'll give you that.
I guess my point is, unless the player is on board, it's pointless to say "well he just has to shift over". Some players may not mind, while others might. It's not as simple as "he's not Mike Trout, Jesus, so he will do what we say, dammit!". Fowler has options and can find a job playing his natural position. Unless the Jays overpay him, I think it's fair to say he'd value the CF jobs more than the LF/RF jobs.