With the emergence of shortstop Francisco Lindor and the genesis of one of baseball’s best starting rotations, many analysts expected the Cleveland Indians to make a run at the playoffs; some even picked them to win the American League pennant.
With the collection of low-profile pickups the Indians’ front office made over the offseason (Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, Marlon Byrd, Dan Otero, and later Juan Uribe), doubts were raised on whether or not the Indians had enough pieces to truly compete in the American League Central, especially since the division had won the last two AL pennants thanks to the Kansas City Royals.