CLEVELAND — The AL’s best team is set to start the new year with a power surge.
One win from a World Series title last season, the Cleveland Indians finalized a $65 million, three-year contract with free agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion on Thursday.
Cleveland aggressively pursued Encarnacion, who has averaged 39 homers over the past five seasons. Encarnacion hit 42 homers and drove in 127 runs last season for the Toronto Blue Jays, who lost to the Indians in the AL Championship Series.
Encarnacion’s agreement is the largest in club history, surpassing a 2007 deal with Travis Hafner that added $57 million in guaranteed money through 2012 and a $56 million, four-year contract with free agent Nick Swisher ahead of the 2013 season.