Edwin Encarnacion is not a Cleveland Indians type of player.
It’s not that Indians don’t deserve nice things, it’s that they generally can’t afford them. Last season the club ran a payroll of $83.7 million, good for 26th in baseball. Signing a brand-name slugger isn’t generally what they do.
Expensive veterans aren’t typically good investments for teams with so many financial restraints, and Encarnacion will be the Indians’ highest-paid player by a whopping $8 million next year after reportedly agreeing to a three-year, $60-million deal on Thursday. It’s a contract sure to surprise many around the baseball world as Cleveland was not seen as a serious suitor for the 33-year-old slugger when the off-season began.
Even so, as Toronto Blue Jays fans know, the Indians just got themselves a hell of a player. Encarnacion has hit no fewer than 34 home runs in five consecutive seasons and hasn’t seen his WAR drop below 3.6 in any of those campaigns. He’s been as steady as they come with a batting average staying between .263 and .280 and a slugging percentage never wavering from the .529 to .557 range. For the first time since Travis Hafner was in top “Pronk” form, the Indians have a 40 home run threat.
Not only is Encarnacion an enormously productive player, he’s an outstanding fit with his new squad. Many of Cleveland’s top offensive contributors like Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, Tyler Naquin and Francisco Lindor are left-handed batters or switch hitters better from the left side, so Encarnacion’s presence should help bring balance as well as thump to that lineup. The Indians are also watching 34 home runs in the form of right-handed slugger Mike Napoli walk out the door, making their need for a power bat all the more pressing.
Despite the fit from a baseball standpoint, signing a brand-name slugger to a deal worth $20 million a year is still a gamble for a team like the Indians. It’s exceedingly risky for a small-market franchise to sink that much money into one player, and losing a first-round draft pick is a tough pill to swallow for a club that needs to build through the draft.
However, Encarnacion to Cleveland is a special case. A slugger surplus made him surprisingly affordable and kept his term within reason. A trip to the World Series has the Indians a little wealthier than usual and the team has such a strong need at the first base/designated hitter slot that Carlos Santana is listed as the starter at both positions on the club’s website with no backups in sight.
With a stellar rotation and an Andrew Miller-led bullpen, the Indians were already set as AL Central favourites prior to Encarnacion’s arrival. Now that they’ve added a little muscle in the form of the former Blue Jays slugger, they look equipped (on paper) to battle the Boston Red Sox for American League supremacy.
With a little luck, the defending AL champions had one of the best hitters in the game fall into their lap. It’s certainly an unusual move by the Indians, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a great one.
