After advancing to the World Series this year, the Indians have bolstered their offense ahead of the 2017 season.
The Indians landed one of the bigger named free agents still available when they agreed to a three-year deal with slugger Edwin Encarnacion. Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan has details on the contract.
Source: The three-year deal for Edwin Encarnacion includes a club option for $20M. The buyout is $5M, which is part of the $60M guarantee.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 23, 2016
Source: Edwin Encarnacion's deal is actually $65M guaranteed. The $5M option buyout is on top of $20M a year he's getting for three years.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 23, 2016
Encarnacion posted a .263/.357/.529 batting line last season for the Blue Jays to go along with 42 home runs and an American League leading 127 RBI. Over the past five seasons, he’s averaged 39 home runs and 110 RBI.
Encarnacion is expected to fill the void at first base as Mike Napoli, who played the most games at the position for Cleveland last season, is currently a free agent. He will join a talented infield that includes second baseman Jason Kipnis and promising young shortstop Francisco Lindor.
