Report: Mariners nearing a deal for All-Star Edwin Encarnacion

The Seattle Mariners might be blowing their roster up this offseason. In fact, they are in the midst of a fire sale we have not seen on the MLB stage in decades.

Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto and Co. changed that up a bit on Thursday. According to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports, Seattle has acquired All-Star infielder Edwin Encarnacion from the Cleveland Indians.

In return, the Indians will bring back first baseman Carlos Santana. Having played for the Indians from 2010-17, Santana signed a free agent contract with the Phillies last winter. He was ultimately dealt to Seattle in the blockbuster Jean Segura trade this offseason. The 32-year-old hit .229 with 24 homers and 86 RBI in Philadelphia this past season.

Though, the headliner in this deal has to be Encarnacion. The soon-to-be 36-year-old power bat has racked up 100-plus RBI in six of the past seven seasons. The only exception here is when he drove in 98 runs for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014.

Encarnacion posted a .246 average with 32 homers, 107 RBI and a lackluster .336 OBP in Cleveland last season.

Update: The Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly involved in the deal, making it a three-team trade. Infielder Jake Bauers heads from the Rays to Cleveland. Meanwhile, the Indians send  fellow infielder Yandy Diaz to Tampa.

By Vincent Frank

An editor here at Sportsnaut. Contributor at Forbes. Previous bylines include Bleacher Report, Yahoo!, SB Nation. Heard on ESPN ... More about Vincent Frank