Report: Tribe making serious run at Encarnacion
CLEVELAND -- The Indians continue to wait out the market for power hitters, hoping one of the available premier sluggers will fall into their price range. The club has targeted free-agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion, but it may have to wander outside its monetary comfort zone to get a deal done.
Along those lines, the Indians have been "pulling out all the stops" in their pursuit of Encarnacion, according to a report by MLB Network's Jon Heyman, citing multiple sources. There is a logjam of first basemen on the open market with only a handful of teams having a clear need at that position. Cleveland is one of those clubs, considering its first baseman from last year, Mike Napoli, is also a free agent.
Last season, Napoli provided leadership off the field and power on it, slugging 34 homers with a team-high 101 RBIs for the American League champions. The Tribe has maintained an interest in bringing back Napoli on a short-term contract, but has also looked at alternatives. Among the free agents, Encarnacion fits a need perfectly, should the financial aspect align with the club's payroll parameters.
Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti declined to comment on Wednesday night.
During the Winter Meetings earlier this month, Antonetti said: "We are being exhaustive in exploring options to improve our position-player club. That is where we are spending most of our energy."
Per Heyman's report, Encarnacion's agent, Paul Kinzer, noted that his client has three- and four-year offers from at least five teams, with two clubs being "very aggressive" in talks. Kinzer reportedly indicated that both AL and National League teams are in play, though Encarnacion's preference remains to re-sign with the Blue Jays. The A's, Rockies, Astros, Cardinals and Rangers have also been linked to Encarnacion this offseason.
Part of the issue is that Encarnacion is not alone on the open market. Besides Napoli, sluggers Mark Trumbo, Jose Bautista and Chris Carter remain unsigned. Cleveland has reportedly checked in with the representatives for each of those players, along with other free agents such as Michael Saunders and Adam Lind.
The majority of the Indians' roster returns intact for 2017, but there is a hole at first base and designated hitter. Last year, that role was filled by Napoli, who split time at both spots with switch-hitting Carlos Santana. Next season, Santana will again play first and log some time at DH, though the Indians want to add another power bat.
Encarnacion, 33, hit .263 with 42 home runs, 127 RBIs and an .886 OPS last season for the Blue Jays, who lost to the Indians in the AL Championship Series. Over the past five seasons combined, Encarnacion has hit .272 with an average of 39 homers and 110 RBIs in 145 games per year. The first baseman has a .912 OPS over that time period.
The problem for the Indians is the potential asking price.
Encarnacion turned down a reported four-year, $80-million offer from the Blue Jays earlier this offseason, but Kinzer said they did not expect Toronto to move so swiftly with other signings (Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce). The Indians would be extremely unlikely to match that type of offer, though a shorter deal is not out of the realm.
As things stand, the Indians project to begin the season with a payroll north of $100 million, and that is before any major additions. In the wake of its deep playoff run, the club has some financial wiggle room (taking in roughly $10-15 million in profits from its home games), but not a ton. The Tribe remains on the hook for $10 million this year for Chris Johnson, who is no longer with the team.
While the rest of the AL Central appears to be in various states of transition, the core of the Tribe's division-winning roster is under contract through the 2018-20 window. The club could have a handful of notable free agents next year (Santana) and after 2018 (Cody Allen, Michael Brantley and Andrew Miller), so a multi-year deal for Encarnacion might be workable if the price continues to drop given the shape of the market.
The Indians must also take into account that signing Encarnacion would result in losing the 27th pick in the Draft.
"Part of what we try to do," Antonetti said at the Winter Meetings, "is frame for ownership what the value that the respective player or combination of players could bring to our team, and what impact that might have. And then try to estimate what that cost might be. But, in the end, we have to work with the parameters that we have to work with financially."
Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, follow him on Twitter @MLBastian and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét