7:30pm: Two teams that are no longer in the mix for Encarnacion tell Yahoo’s Jeff Passan that they believe Cleveland is the team to beat (Twitter link). Rosenthal tweets that Cleveland’s offer is indeed for three years with an option.
7:10pm: The Indians and Athletics are the two teams in “strongest” pursuit of Encarnacion, tweets FOX’s Ken Rosenthal. Cleveland has offered a three-year deal that may include an option, while Oakland has offered two years and an option. Heyman writes that neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox have jumped back into the Encarnacion sweepstakes even as his asking price has seemingly come down.
6:49pm: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland has not made a three-year offer to Encarnacion (Twitter link). The Athletics have discussed a two-year offer with Encarnacion’s camp, per Slusser, making a deal between the two sides seem unlikely (barring an increase from Oakland).
6:33pm: Encarnacion has “multiple strong three-year offers,” tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The Athletics and Indians are in the mix for Encarnacion, per Heyman, though he doesn’t specify that either club has made one of the offers he mentioned.
5:38pm: Edwin Encarnacion‘s representatives are signaling to some execs around the league that they’re “getting closer to pinning down a deal,” according to ESPN’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets that Encarnacion’s camp is hopeful of reaching an agreement before the weekend.
At last check, Encarnacion’s agent, Paul Kinzer, told Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair that he’d received three- and four-year offers from six clubs. Since that time, reports have suggested that the Blue Jays, Indians, Astros, Rangers and Athletics have all made offers, though Kinzer himself characterized the chances of returning to Toronto as somewhat slim. The Rockies are said to be “monitoring” Encarnacion’s market as well, though there haven’t been any reports of a firm offer being made on Colorado’s behalf.
Encarnacion’s market has been surprisingly slow this offseason, despite his status as one of the two top bats in free agency (along with Yoenis Cespedes). The soon-to-be 34-year-old is coming off an excellent 2016 season and a brilliant five-year platform with the Jays, but he’s also attached to a draft pick and comes with some defensive limitations. Those factors, plus uncertainty about the collective bargaining agreement in the month of November and Encarnacion’s age, have all likely played some factor in his lack of a market. The Blue Jays reportedly made him an offer of roughly $80MM over four years back in November, though MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm notes that said offer was taken off the table around the time the GM Meetings concluded on Nov. 10. (Toronto signed Kendrys Morales the next day.)
There’ve been some suggestions that Encarnacion could follow Cespedes’ path and sign a three-year deal with a lofty annual value and an opt-out clause after the first year of the deal. That type of arrangement could potentially make him more affordable to low-revenue teams (i.e. Cleveland), although the risk associated with that type of deal is also more significant for a low-payroll club like the Indians, as the only scenario in which Encarnacion would stick around would be if he suffered a massive injury or experienced a marked decline in 2017.
Oakland 5 years 92 mill
They can’t afford Donaldson but they’re going to sign EE?
Love to see him in STL but my money is on the Indians or Astros (maybe Rangers).
Got a feeling he will end up somewhere in Texas… hoping Stros. It just feels as though the opportunity to pick up a top end bat for less than max value (or max estimated value) while making the current line up a potential best in the bigs will be too good to pass up. Especially with looking at the pitching/trade market.
Seems to fit what they typically do. Didn’t they give EE
Away for virtaullly nothing earlier in his career?
Indians have signed EE to 3yr/around$60M deal.
Google no one close to signing EE yet if any one has a chance it’s Cleveland.
Boston 3 yr 75 million opt out after the first year
No way. I’m a huge Red Sox fan but Boston doesn’t get him.
We just dumped bulcholtz to get under the luxury tax, and also signed a gold glover in Moreland for 5 mill. How does that make you think they’ll sign EE?
I agree
I’d love that but the draft pick attached kind of kills it In my opinion.
Teams like Cleveland value the draft pick too much to allow him to walk after one season. Without a first round pick you wait way too long to choose after all the extra sandwich compensatory picks.
Yes and they would get two the year after. Short window to win it. Draft pick will not get you there.
theyd give up pick #27 which is basically a 2nd round pick so they can afford it and that pick wouldn’t be on the big league roster in their current window of opportunity anyway …indians need to sign ee
Pick #25 and the second round doesn’t start until #37, so Cleveland cant wait until #64 for their first pick of the draft.
They gave up #25 which studies have shown a value of $10-20 mil, most likely $16mil. BTW, Mike Trout was a 25th pick years ago…
Trout was a #25 because of signability concerns. Reportedly the Mariners scouts had him #2 on their draft board and Jack Z went against them with Dustin Ackley. Ackley was more a sure thing..he was a legit top of the round bat. Angels had back to back picks and took Trout with the second of them to help suppress his bonus. Yankees were set to take him with the next pick.
Any other non-news on him? I desire as much EE non-news as you can dish out.
Agreed. Why so much hype around EE? He’s a free agent, he has not signed yet, teams are interested – we get it. I feel this story has been presented several times this week with limited (if any) new information.
I think it’s MLBTradeRumors way of being able to basically say “I told you so” since EE and the A’s are working on a deal right now.
once again, youve yet to provide a source
I don’t see how you think that needs a source. Especially considering I started the paragraph with “I think”
Zero proof EE is finalizing a deal with the A’s
My apologies. I see which section of the comment you were referring to. My source? Google search Edwin Encarnacion and see the headlines. (Some of them you have to did a bit deeper for)
**dig
Ive googled it but youre talking numbers and figures, I see absolutely nothing that indicates any of those specifics
Astros for 1 year. Value is $124.93 and three hot dogs. See, I can make up stuff too!
Ok. I’ll look. If I see what I saw earlier, I’ll let you know. Unfortunately, more recent updates are taking the place. (I saw the figures info earlier this evening). Again, if I can find that link I’ll let you know.
As codylg would say, please site your sources LOL
Edwin’s favorite color is green
That’s wonderful…?
rumor has it Cleveland’s offer was in the 1 year $3m range…seems accurate
This Just In: Encarnacion, A’s finalizing 4yr deal. Price tag is in the $100M area.
It looks like 4yr/$90M-$100M. Of course, this is rumored – and the rumor is that they’re nearing a deal, not officially done – just as clarification.
There is no source for this
See my reply to one of your other comments (basically says do a google search)
See my reply to one of your earlier comments (basically says google search)
I just realized the first comment is backing up my statement.
Would make them the laughing stock of baseball to spend 130 million on Butler/EE instead of keeping one of Cespedes or Donaldson long term.
100% agree!
Definitely a big risk. We’ll see if what I’m hearing is true or if it’s a bunch of baloney.
What you’re hearing? So you found a source? Lol
Seeing. Sorry about that. Just a classic reporter term. And yes I found a source.
classic reporter term. Hah. You’re not a reporter. you read nonsense on twitter and repost it here (for some reason).
Your source was google news…thats not any more source than mlbtraderumors uses. These guys read the feeds too. Posing as a “reporter” just isn’t cool. A reporter by NATURE will cite his sources…and sources aren’t cribbed reports from other reporters.
There are actually people around these comment sections that know people in the game….and you wont probably see them say much…no one wants that stuff coming back on them.
I think you sir are the one that “rumored” it in the first place.
I don’t want this to sound snobby— but I just realized that the first comment basically backs up what I’m saying.
The only thing I found on Google was that the Rangers are emerging as the favorites. No Athletics talk whatsoever.
I saw it earlier this evening.
Might have been a California Sports site. Don’t believe it was something big like CBS or SI or ESPN, etc
You have reported ZERO sources and are just running the mouth at this point. Basically, either list an actual LINK or stop trying so hard to troll
Was the SF Chronicle. I believe the article has been removed after their very own Susan Slusser reported there were no strong offers.
Not a source…that’s published information. Just say…”Slusser is saying on the SF Gate page that there’s no deal involving the A’s” That would be info….the only reason to hide that is to prop yourself up….its actually stealing someone elses work if you dont cite. Sure….there’s things ive read and heard in the past that I cant either recall the exact article….or the source really was someone in the game that probably wouldnt appreciate having the info out. People talk to people without the assumption their info will be reported or blabbed on some comment section. Actual reporters will indicate to people in the game when they are “working” basically…its the only way to build any kind of trust…and its just plain ethical.
Red Sox are crazy for not trying to sign EE. If the bats go quiet like they did in the ALDS and Bogaerts, Betts, or Bradley regress in anyway, there’s a good chance that they have only one 30 homerun hitter in Hanley. Most, if not all, of last year’s playoff teams had power and pitching. Give the man his money, go over the threshold. If Texas or Cleveland scoop him up, the AL is up for grabs.
I thought that they would definitely get EE. Until they went out and signed an overrated veteran in Moreland.
I thought that Moreland was basically a 5 million dollar insurance policy in the event that they couldn’t sign EE. But now Dumbrowski has pretty much all but closed the door on major free agent signings. Lets hope that Panda, Benintendi, and the rest of the bench can contribute some RBIs. Fingers crossed that EE is signed by Astros or A’s and the sox save their 29 million space for a mid-season acquisition.
I think they should’ve gone for Moreland after they missed out on EE (if they did)
baseball is 90 per cent pitching. Red Sox do not have a lot to worry about.
Multiple websites and individuals are reporting EE had an offer for a single digit figure per year in Cleveland. Not sure how many years.
So like 5 dollars over the next 10 years?
Astros on a 1,000,000 year deal for $9 per year.
Not exactly.
(Laughing emoticon was supposed to be at the end of that reply)
More like the first billion dollar contract: $1MM per year for the next thousand years.
Think it should’ve been more clear in the post that the opt-out path taken by Cespedes was following ’15 season. Obviously, but just saying..makes it sounds like Cespedes has another opt-out after ’17.
Rumor around St. Louis and it seems like it’s only in St. Louis, that the Cardinals are trying to land EE. Any truth to that? I figure The Cardinals are through. Even though they’ve promised more to come.
There has been some recent rumor of that. STL, OAK, TEX, CLE, and possibly TOR
Reports out of MLB saying rSox in on EE
I’m sorry I couldn’t completely understand your comment. If I’m correct, you said Reports that Red Sox are in on EE? (This is good news if it’s true… where are you seeing this?)
As many of you have stated, the rumor of EE in Oakland for 4yr/$90-$100M may be false. I believe I saw the rumor about an hour or two ago on a Los Angeles sports site – not an internationally known site. I apologize for my quick believing that the deal was being finalized. I wouldn’t rule OAK out, but STL, TEX, CLE have better chances of signing EE than OAK. (Now I guess I can be more excited with the possibility of him still possibly going to Boston.) again my apologies.
@LetsGoDallas_ on Twitter saying Rangers and EE finalizing deal. That was announced right around when MLBTR posted this story.
Is this a legit source? Doesn’t seem to be
I’ve looked into their acc. Lots of crying Jordan memes so I’m thinking not too legit. Although it did make trending twitter updates for EE….
EE is going to Cleveland. I’m not an Indians fan that’s just what I see actually happening.
Rangers 3/$58 million
Calling it now.
Insight
Do you read palms for a living?
If the Tribe is serious about returning to the Series they NEED to since Encarnacion. Most of their other stars are young, controllable guys. Step up Tribe!!!!
Oakland just stop.
It makes zero sense for you to shell out this much money to finish in last place.
If they make this move then all respect for their ownership and front office will be exhausted.
The Samardzija trade (gave away future All-Star A.Russell), the Lester trade (got rid of Cespedes in the middle of a playoff race), the Donaldson trade (didn’t get enough in return), the Butler signing (idiotic), then if this were to be the case.
You already have enough going on with your inability to build a stadium that isn’t a dump and is at the bottom of all MLB with the Rays, and this is the last thing you need.
Hate seeing any MLB team run this way. It’s embarrassing.
Susan Slusser saying A’s made weak 2yr and 3yr offers.
Theres some major issues if a team with a rich history is competing for the floor with that dome in St. Pete. Oddly..if you’ve ever been to agame down there….the fans are interesting…one of the few places that hasnt gone corporate.
I wonder if Baltimore could sign him for Trumbo money?
No way. No Baltimore.
How the Yankees and Red Sox are not involved is beyond me. Just backload the contract and call it day.
Both were but aren’t frontrunners.
Morosi thinks the Rangers have snuck in.
I sure hope it is front loaded with an opt out after one year. The Rangers are going to have a mess on their hands next offseason if they sign him to a long term high dollar contract. They will have a quasi ace hitting free agency, a top notch catcher hitting free agency, a weakened minor league system, high payroll, an aging HOF 3rd baseman, etc… Signing him will mean that the Rangers are making 2017 a last major push.
I just dont see him taking a one year deal. He has some longer ones on the table it appears. People seem to think it’s down to Cleveland and Texas. He makes all kinds of sense for Texas. I dont buy the finance part much anymore…now its more about not crashing the luxury tax. That Morosi piece said if they miss on Encarnacion they’ll move quick on Trumbo.
Part of me thinks the Rockies are sitting there with a checkbook telling Encarnacion they’ll top any offer. That’s what “monitoring” means.
His agent blew it with the Jays. Imagine going back to the DR and telling his family I just turned down $80 million USD. I wonder how far that would get him in the DR. Totally brilliant.
his agent would have gotten ripped for taking the first offer without playing the market and would have been accused of leaving more money on the table.
Indians need him the most. He changes that team.
But, I also can see the Rangers getting him. The Jays have ended too many of their promising seasons in a row now.
BREAKING: Cleveland Indians sign Edwin Encarnacion, via Jon Heyman.
Deal is around 3yr/$60M. Option involved. Via Jon Heyman
Why the hell would Oakland be pursuing Encarnacion? Made no sense at all.
Mlb ownership is pressing them for crying poverty over the stadium issue. They might try and add value so ownership can sell. It also might alert some free agents that they are serious. Swing and miss on Encarnacion might be a HR on Chris Carter or even Mark Trumbo.
Thanks for the explanation. I was talking more in terms of on the field performance, which Encarnacion wouldn’t have made much of a difference since the A’s would’ve finished in last place with or without him. It does, however, make sense if the league is pressuring them to spend more money.
I cant explain the field performance nature of it. A quick one or two year deal could have meant a trade to a contender at the deadline for prospects. Oakland still needs the on field product to be interesting. Encarnacion could have been a block to something. Oaklands mo is getting stale though….could have kept Donaldson atleast. They were interesting to watch…probably more than almost any team. Good weird team vibe…crazy fans. I think their owner wants out
Sequel to Moneyball, Moneyball II where they waste all sorts of money
Moneyball II where Paul Giamatti plays a frazzled A’s exec who rambles incoherently in hotel lobbies. Id pay to see that dude in anything.
Seriously though that moneyball thing was a writers narrative gimmick….front me those big 3 aces and ill win some games myself…that and the original concept was to be about the Minnesota Twins.
Haha Oakland offered a 2 year lmao! I’m a Oakland fan and sad to say what were they thinking? They really thought they had a shot on a 2 year with and option for a 3rd? They were in the mix just so they can say we tried!! Don’t take part of their revenue sharing take it all away!!!! That’ll make them sell for sure!!
More like they offered 4 months and shipment to a sure contender at the deadline.
Every legitimate news outlet that I could find only states that EE’s agent called the Rangers. According to these articles the Rangers told him they weren’t interested. So it sounds like his agent is trying to get more teams to bid on him. Obviously reports are just that, and until he signs anyone can keep playing the guessing game.