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UPDATE: Deal is for four years, $25 million, with an $11M team option for 2018.
The Indians are on the verge of signing outfielder Michael Brantley to a long-term contract extension. This news comes via Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Hoynes says the deal "could" be for four years with an option. Brantley is eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason, with a hearing scheduled for next week.
Terms have not been reported, but will be added here as soon as they are.
A four-year deal would buy out all three of Brantley's arbitration-eligible seasons, along with his first year of free agency. The option would presumably belong to the team, and cover his second year of free agency. Brantley turns 27 in May, so the deal would cover his age-27 to 30 seasons, with the option covering age 31, which is a good timeframe for a team to have a player cost controlled
Brantley, the Tribe's left fielder, is coming off his second consecutive season with above average hitting, to go along with solid defense, making him worth 2 or 3 wins a season, and would likely cost $10-12 million a year, were he on the open market.
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