Cleveland Indians: Edwin Encarnacion Could Become Greatest FA Signing

A recent article declared a former Cleveland Indian to be the greatest free agent signing in team history, but the newest signee could take that spot one day.

The Cleveland Indians made a splash in free agency at the end of 2016 by signing Edwin Encarnacion. And while he has yet to play a game with the club, fans are excited for what his future in Cleveland holds.

A recent article on Indians.com evaluated past deals handed out by the Indians to free agents, declaring the deal given to Roberto Alomar to be the best in team history.

Alomar was a key piece for the Indians in his three seasons in Cleveland from 1999-2001. It came at the end of a career that culminated in him eventually being elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011, although he is inducted as a Toronto Blue Jay.

After recent deals to players such as Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn have not worked out well, fans can remember the deal given to Alomar with fond memories. He was a star in the league who decided to come to Cleveland, and helped the team in what was the final window of a competitive stretch that made baseball in Cleveland fun again.

Now in 2017, the Indians are once again in a competitive window that began last season with a trip to the World Series. And instead of just sticking with the same players and hoping for the best, the Indians made it clear that winning a World Series is the only goal when the team gave Edwin Encarnacion a record contract.

It is obviously too early to declare his deal a success or a failure, but it is comforting knowing that the entire organization is on board with competing for another title in 2017.

Encarnacion’s recent success and durability bodes well for his chances of a great 2017 season, so there is no reason to expect any sort of drop-off in production.

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And hopefully, we can all look back in a decade and declare Encarnacion to be the greatest free agent signing in team history. Helping this team win a World Series would surely make him the unanimous choice.