Report: Indians agree to 3-year, $60M deal with Encarnacion

Christmas came early for the Edwing.

After weeks of drama, the Cleveland Indians came out victorious in the Edwin Encarnacion sweepstakes, agreeing to a three-year, $60-million deal with the designated hitter, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

According to ESPN, the Indians have a fourth-year team option for Encarnacion worth $20 million. He also has a $5-million buyout for the fourth year, giving him a guaranteed contract of $65 million, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

The deal isn't believed to include an opt-out, though Encarnacion was trying to get one after the first year.

Prior to the winter meetings, Encarnacion's agent, Paul Kinzer, took a lot of heat for rejecting the Toronto Blue Jays' initial four-year, $80-million offer. It was then believed the slugger wasn't going to get anywhere near that money.

But, considering how the market played against Encarnacion - with the Blue Jays signing Kendrys Morales, the Boston Red Sox signing Mitch Moreland, and the New York Yankees signing Matt Holliday, to name a few - the slugger ended up with a better-than-expected contract.

While at least 10 teams were linked with Encarnacion over the past month or so, eventually it came down to the Indians, the Oakland Athletics, and a third team that many believed to be the Texas Rangers.

The Athletics discussed a two-year deal with Encarnacion, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 33-year-old, though, didn't bite on a low-budget team with a massive ballpark.

Last season, Encarnacion had a big year, matching his career high with 42 home runs while recording 127 RBIs. He also proved his durability with 160 regular-season games played.