CLEVELAND: Yonder Alonso changed his swing last season and his statistics soared. The Indians hope they can rise even more. Alonso, who reached a career high in home runs and made the All-Star team for the first time, signed a two-year, $16 million contract on Saturday with Cleveland, which found a less expensive replacement for first baseman Carlos Santana.

Alonso’s deal, which includes a $9 million club option for 2020, was agreed to earlier in the week. He passed medical tests on Friday to finalize the package.

Last year, Alonso altered the “launch angle” in his swing and the ball began to jump off his bat. With a previous season high of nine homers in 2012 for San Diego, Alonso connected for 28 with Oakland and Seattle. Beyond tweaking his swing, Alonso, who hits left-handed, said a commitment to getting stronger pushed up his power numbers. “It started about two years ago,” he said. “A lot of times I’m in the weight room and I’m just a lot stronger than a lot of guys, and I feel healthier than I’ve ever been, and I felt like I needed to make some changes. I think for a baseball player, in itself to make changes is very hard, but I was able to get through that and realize that my body and my strength wasn’t the problem.”

Associated Press