The Yankees had until November 2nd to decide whether or not to pick up Encarnacion’s option, but they made up their minds pretty quickly because this was a rather easy decision. Despite his extreme struggles against the Astros in the ALCS, the 36-year-old is still a very dangerous hitter with a lot left in the tank but at this point in his career, he’s not worth a $20M salary.
Even if he was owed a lot less than $20M next season the Yankees still probably weren’t going to bring him back because there’s just not enough room for him on the 25-man roster.