Indians' Edwin Encarnacion: Joins Indians on three-year deal
Encarnacion agreed to a three-year, $65 million contract with the Indians on Thursday, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.
Analysis:
The deal includes a team option for a fourth year. Encarnacion will presumably replace Mike Napoli at first base for the American League champs and become the primary run-producing force in the heart of the batting order. He hit .263/.357/529 with 42 homers and 127 RBI in his final year with Toronto, earning his third All-Star selection. As he enters his age-34 season, Encarnacion continues to walk at an elite clip and his hard-contact rate has held steady, so there's little reason to expect a dramatic decline in production, especially since Progressive Field was the best park in the American League for runs last season.