Perhaps the most sought after free agent this offseason has officially announced that he will join the Cleveland Indians for the 2017 Major League Baseball season. After almost eight seasons with the Blue Jays, Edwin Encarnacion leaves a strong legacy in Toronto and has been crucial to the Blue Jays’ recent success.
The deal, worth 60 million dollars, will reportedly last 3 years with an option. The official announcement comes from Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports via Twitter.
Source confirms: Encarnacion to #Indians, three years, $60M plus option. First reported: @JeffPassan and @JonHeyman.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 23, 2016
Source: If #Indians exercise option, Edwin can match original four-year, $80M offer from #BlueJays.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 23, 2016
Second correction (apologies): Sources say Edwin with #Indians is three years, $60M, including $5M buyout. Option valued at $25M. Max: $80M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 23, 2016
Encarnacion most notably hit a towering, game winning homerun in the fourteenth inning off of Ubaldo Jimenez to defeat the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Wild Card game last season. Encarnacion’s power and consistency contributed to his dominance in recent years, and the thirty three year old does not seem to be slowing down. Encarnacion batted in 127 runs last year, leading the league, plus 42 home runs in 160 games, fourth most in the MLB. He has also hit at least 34 home runs the last five seasons with at least 98 RBIs in each.
As one of the best power hitters in baseball, one can only imagine a successful future with the Indians, who lost the 2016 World Series to the Cubs in seven games. The Indians, under skipper Terry Francona, came out of no where in the middle of their 2016 showing and continued to shock everyone throughout their season. After sweeping the red hot Red Sox in the divisional playoff series, they beat the Blue Jays in five games to advance to the World Series. After leading the series 3 games to 1, they fell in their last three games to the Cubs, but not without controversy. The Indians struggled with injuries, specifically to pitchers, throughout the 2016 season and playoffs, and were forced to use a 3 man rotation during the World Series.
With Encarnacion in an Indians uniform for the 2017 season, expect the Indians to be among the top contenders for a playoff spot in the preseason predictions.
