It feels like the Cleveland Indians invented the long-term deal for young players, signing players like Albert Belle and Carlos Baerga to extensions before they could reach free agency. They also repeated the practice for their next wave of talent, locking up Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore for a lot of money. That one didn't work out quite as well.

That doesn't mean they're going to stop locking up their good young talent when they get a chance, and the Indians have reportedly come to terms with catcher Carlos Santana on a multi-year extension. From Jordan Bastian of MLB.com:

On Monday night, MLB.com learned that Cleveland has reached an agreement with Santana on a multiyear contract that will likely cover his arbitration years and possibly his first year of free-agent eligibility. The specific terms of the catcher's new deal were not immediately available.

The 26-year-old Santana was not eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season, and he was not eligible for arbitration until after 2013. He slugged 27 home runs last year, hitting .239 with a .351 on-base percentage.