Over the course of the regular season, we kept tabs on both the Yankees’ divisional foes and non-divisional contenders. Now that the offseason is just about getting underway and we begin to look ahead, let’s take one last look back at the 2019 season.
Despite winning two more games than they had in 2018, the Cleveland Indians were a disappointment in 2019. Expecting to easily coast to a fourth straight AL Central title, Cleveland opted to focus on cutting payroll last winter instead of plugging holes, banking on the theory “the playoffs are a crapshoot.” This left the team lacking at multiple positions, as they relied on younger and unproven talent to carry a lot of the load, alongside Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, and the strong pitching staff.