Edwin Encarnacion, Indians agree to deal

— -- Free-agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion has agreed to a deal with the? Cleveland Indians, according to multiple reports.

The deal is for three years and $60 million, with a fourth-year club option of $20 million or a $5 million buyout.

Encarnacion is likely to take the place of Mike Napoli as the Indians' primary designated hitter.

Encarnacion, 33, tied with David Ortiz for the American League lead with 127 RBIs last season while hitting a career-matching best 42 home runs and batting .263. A first baseman and designated hitter, he was an All-Star this past year for the third time.

Encarnacion is the only player in the majors with at least 30 homers in each of the past five seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Earlier this week, Encarnacion's agent, Paul Kinzer, said in a radio interview with Sportsnet 590 The Fan that Encarnacion had multiyear offers from six teams, but that it was starting to sink in that he wouldn't return to Toronto, which was his goal entering free agency.

"It's not that there isn't interest in him, but we made it clear that Edwin wanted to return to Toronto, that's where he felt his home was," Kinzer said.

Kinzer said most of the offers Encarnacion had received were in the three-year range.

Kinzer said the Blue Jays did make an offer, but that wasn't until a day before the beginning of free agency and Encarnacion wanted to become a free agent and see which teams were interested in him.

Kinzer said the Blue Jays' signing of first baseman Kendrys Morales to a three-year, $33 million contract "came as a surprise."

"We weren't expecting them to move so quickly," he said, adding later that "we weren't going to make a move without talking to the Blue Jays."

Kinzer said his first meeting was going to be with the Blue Jays on behalf of Encarnacion, but when Toronto signed first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce to a two-year, $12.5 million deal at the start of the winter meetings, "we felt like the door was pretty much closed."

"Nobody's mad at anybody. It's business," Kinzer said. "They saw an opportunity, and they pursued it."

After arriving in Toronto by trade from Cincinnati in 2009, Encarnacion signed a three-year, $29 million extension in 2013 and is coming off a team option at $10 million. Encarnacion averaged 39 homers and 110 RBIs since 2012 and helped slug the Blue Jays to back-to-back appearances in the ALCS. His 239 homers in Toronto rank third behind Carlos Delgado (336) and Jose Bautista (265) on the Blue Jays' career home run list.

Encarnacion's three-run drive in the 11th inning to beat Baltimore in the wild-card game this year gave Toronto one of its most indelible moments since Joe Carter's World Series walk-off gave the Blue Jays a second straight title in 1993.

Through his 12th season, Encarnacion has a career .266 average with 310 home runs and 942 RBIs for Cincinnati and Toronto.