This is what the Cleveland Indians paid for.
At least one of Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff will likely have to be out of the organization before we know exactly what orders were handed down from their bosses prior to the winter of 2018-19. What ensued from then on was probably the best the pair could do under the circumstances.
They dealt from perceived positions of strength in order to lessen their load in the present, while gathering more controllable talent for the future. Reshuffling the decks, hoping they weren’t deck chairs on the Titanic.
If money truly bought World Series titles, the Indians would not bother to play the game.