The Yankees continued their long-running October dominance of the Twins on Friday, earning a 10-4 victory en route to a 1-0 advantage in the teams’ American League Division Series matchup. Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion factored into the Yankees’ blowout win, collecting two doubles and a run batted in across five at-bats. The accomplished Encarnacion obviously hopes to pick up his first World Series ring in the next few weeks, but no matter how the team’s season ends, the Yankees will soon face an interesting decision in regards to his future.
Encarnacion, whom the Yankees stunningly acquired from the Mariners back in June, slashed .249/.325/.531 with 13 home runs in 197 plate appearances after donning the pinstripes. Between the two teams, the 36-year-old concluded his regular season with a .244/.344/.531 line and 34 HRs over 456 trips to the plate. It’s all the more laudable that Encarnacion smacked 30-plus homers for the eighth straight year despite missing extended time with injuries (a fractured wrist and a strained oblique).
Youth isn’t on his side, but it’s clear Encarnacion is still a formidable presence at the plate. Nevertheless, he’s far from a lock to remain with the Yankees in 2020. They do control Encarnacion through next season, though retaining him would be costly. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will have to choose whether to exercise Encarnacion’s $20MM club option or buy him out for $5MM. For all we know, Encarnacion will go on a postseason rampage in the next few weeks, but that doesn’t mean it’ll influence Cashman’s thinking. He did, after all, allow aging stars Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon to walk in free agency after the franchise’s most recent World Series title in 2009. Even Matsui’s MVP honors in the Fall Classic weren’t enough for the Yankees to re-sign him.
New York certainly has the financial might to keep Encarnacion around, but it also possesses several in-house options who could fill the DH role in a year. First basemen Luke Voit and Mike Ford figure to stay in the fold at league-minimum sums, while anyone in the Yankees’ outfield surplus could also see a fair amount of time at the spot. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks seem likely to return as the club’s top three outfielders in 2020, but Clint Frazier and Mike Tauchman might also figure prominently into its plans. And the Yankees may choose to re-sign pending free agent Brett Gardner, quietly one of the most productive outfielders in franchise history, to remain a member of a crowded alignment in the grass.
Beyond the Yankees’ group of outfielders, let’s not forget about the presence of third baseman Miguel Andujar, who may be best served as a DH. Andujar thrived at the plate as a rookie in 2018 before missing almost all of this season because of a shoulder injury, but he was often maligned for his defense at the hot corner last year. With the emergence of low-cost replacement Gio Urshela at third this season, the Yankees could envision plenty of DH at-bats for Andujar in 2020.
Aside from Judge and Stanton, nobody from the abovementioned collection of names packs the punch Encarnacion does. However, the Yankees wouldn’t be unrealistic in expecting quality offensive production from any of them, and letting Encarnacion go would open up spending room elsewhere (Astros co-ace/potential $200MM free agent Gerrit Cole looks like a fit on paper, for example). As of now, what do you expect to happen with Encarnacion in the offseason?
(Poll link for app users)
He walks, n Cole, IMO will end up in the Bronx, escorted by Boras.
Buy him out and sign him to a Cruz like deal.
He’s on a Cruz-like deal if this article is accurate – it says the Yankees have a $15m decision on him…that is Cruz-like.
You can find 5 different 1B/DH guys who can provide a
.250/.350/.500 line, and 30 home runs. No need to pay him $20 million when you can sign Eric Thames, or just resign EE for half.
Not with his clutch hitting
Him being clutch doesn’t automatically make him worth $20 million Instead of $10 million. Sure it adds value, but not double of what he’s worth.
I like them to exercise the option, eat the 5 million and trade him next spring.
Where? Back to the Mariners, who flip him to the White Sox for international money.
Just pay the man the $20 million if you think you could get him on a Cruz like contract. After all you are going to buy him out for $5 million add on what $12 million as in a Cruz deal you are basically there anyway. Now if you can get him for only $7 million on top of the buyout then it’s a bargain but I don’t see that happening EE will get more from other teams on top of the buyout.
My guess is he walks because Minnesota can always sign him should Cruz leave and he probably still wants to play every day. Barring a repeat of injuries, it’s unlikely he’ll get that opportunity in NY.
Twins are goint to use the club option on Cruz
The way baseball is today there most likely will be a lot of injuries. And the yanks have injury prone guys. Judge, Sanchez, Hicks. Plus is Voit really the answer at 1B?
@Perksy Why COULDN’T he be the answer? His .280/.384/.515 slash with 35 homers, and 14% walk rate with 5 controllable years left says he’s proven enough. Now if he IS ever moved I’m sure his replacement would be someone already with the team like DJ, Ford or maybe even an Andujar experiment. I like EE but there’s no need for him with the depth they have and the need to pursue Cole and maybe one other guy.
Sign Castellanos or J.D. Martinez?
No thanks
The Yankees finally got to the point that they can play defense. Stanton should dh at least 75-80 times. Rotate the rest. EE is a great offensive player, but spend that money on starting pitching. This bullpenning should be out of emergency and not the routine.
The Stanton acquisition is really going to hamper them. To pay $30 m a year and we are talking about picking up an option on EE or having trouble signing a pitcher. The pitcher is a given. But I think he bigger question more than EE will they bring Didi back. Is Voit/Ford/Andujar the answer at 1B? If so Torres to SS and DJ to 2B. We know Didi will command 15m a year for 3 years.
Doesn’t really make sense to pick up his option or resign him. He was brought in because of injuries to others. Right now we have several guys who are some combination of a DH or 1B. Voit, Ford, DJ (if they keep Didi and Torres) and possibly Stanton (DH), Andujar or Frazier. Trades might address somewhat of the glut but I think we can fill those positions with similar offense that EE provides and for a lot less money.
I love EE. However, for the current version of the Yankees who play on a budget… he doesn’t make sense.
He was a low cost luxury, but the money is better served in pitching.
There will be other buy-low sluggers you can slot in the line-up that would benefit from not getting pitched around anymore for much less than 20m, or even 15m (the break even on retention minus buyout).
An exercise and trade doesn’t make sense here, at 1 season 20m there’s not much surplus value in a trade. Any cash thrown in to move him could’ve been spent acquiring the area of need – SP.
If EE keeps hitting doubles activate the option. so what if it’s for 20M.
He’s a nice addition for this year’s team, and as it turned out a necessary one with all the injuries. That said, no way the Yankees are going to spend $20M on him for next season. No room at the Yankee Inn. They’ll have Andujar back, they’ll want to DH Stanton 50-80 games, they’ll need to DH Sanchez 20-30 games, and then there’s Voit and Ford, and possibly even Frazier.
EE was a great addition for the 2020 team, but with the Yankees and all teams now operating under a salary cap (let’s call it what it is), they’ll spend that $20M elsewhere. They don’t need it at 1B/DH.
…a great addition for 2019.
you were right the first time. A great addition for 2020. Depth is why Yankees won 103. EE bombs 30+. Who is doing that at 1B right now? I don’t see a lux tax issue here.
I think the Yankees pick up EE’s option for 2020 for depth and veteran dependability and then flip him for pitching at the trade deadline.
Thing is, this year, 3 teams are paying EE’s salary, correct? Cleveland, Seattle and New York. So he has essentially been a $7.3M rental for the Yankees and its worked out beautifully. He’s been worth way more than $7.3M. Next year’s $20M option is essentially a $15M decision with the buyout, meaning the Yankees can have EE for half a season at $12.3M or so, or they can have him for a season and a half for $27.3M, or $13.65M AAV. He is worth $13.65M and could get that or more easily on the open market and the Yankees felt they needed him for reasons and he’s proven extremely valuable and reliable.
So if it’s ultimately a $13.65M decision for the Yankees and there’s a $5M “penalty” for not picking up EE’s option… seems like the Yankees’ most prudent move is picking up EE’s option and using him as trade bait before the trade deadline for a lighter hitting, pitching stacked team to give up great pitching for that stretch run, without giving up our long term core guys like Gleyber or even, yes, Clint Frazier, who I still believe in…for one more season, at least.
I know everybody hit a bazillion home runs this year, but everybody also acknowledges it was an over correction on the ball and they’ll be experiencing different results next season and beyond most likely, anyway, but EE’s a power hitter and professional hitter (like that bases clearing double last night) with a high on base percentage plus slugging, which is the most valuable offensive asset in baseball nowadays.
I’m pretty sure if it’s picked up it will be with some sort of NTC.
Why?
Stability for his family.
Then they work out a sign and trade to the Mets for Syndergaard lol.
I don’t see the Yankees bringing back Encarnacion, Gregorius and, if he opts out, Chapman. Not sure if they will bring back Betances, either.
Yanks will definitely acquire one of the free agent pitchers on the market. I think they go after Cole and if he doesn’t sign, then Wheeler. I also believe they’ll trade some of their depth for some more pitching.
Wheeler is the RH Rich Hill.
In 2020 Ellsbury finally comes off the books. Did the Yankees learn their lesson about big money free agents? Has the evil empire really become the genius empire too? In 2020, when that money is freed up, we will get the first real test to their prudence.
My bet is 2020, they get stupid again and give Betts all the money.
They don’t need to do that. Money should go to pitching. Stanton derailed them from that already. Shiny things distract them.