In the winter after a heart-stopping run to Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, the Cleveland Indians signed Edwin Encarnacion to a three-year contract worth $60 million.
This was unprecedented in Indians franchise history; Encarnacion’s deal was and remains the most sizable financial commitment the Indians have ever made to a single player. It was a seismic move, relatively speaking, that signified the once-not-taken-seriously Indians were planning to stick around for awhile.
The Encarnacion signing preceded one of the most exciting regular seasons in the Indians’ existence as a baseball team, a year that included 102 victories and a record-setting 22-game win streak in August and September.