Cleveland Indians
Key Additions: John Axford, David Murphy
Key Subtractions: Matt Albers, Scott Kazmir, Chris Perez, Joe Smith, Drew Stubbs Potential: Ubaldo Jimenez
Biggest Strength: Run Production
Biggest Weakness: Starting Pitching
After five straight seasons of failing to break the .500 mark, the Indians responded in a big way in 2013. Under the new direction of Terry Francona, who would go on to win the A.L. Manager of the Year Award, Cleveland went on to a 92-win season, a Wild Card berth, and finished just a game back of the Tigers in the division. While the Indians were expected to be better in 2013, it was the overachievement of the starting pitching staff that was a big reason why they were so good. There were a lot of question marks among the front five, but Francona and Co. got the most out of them. The team had five starters who made at least 24 starts, none of whom was under .500, and Kazmir had the highest ERA of them all at 4.04. He’s now gone. All-star Justin Masterson will be back at the top of the rotation, as will Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister. Jimenez could also re-sign, but Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco are ready to take on full-time spots, too. The rotation will have to prove that last year was not a fluke, while Axford was brought in to shore up the closing duties.
Not much will change for the A.L.’s fifth-best offense. The only swap will be in right field where Stubbs will be replaced by Murphy, which isn’t exactly a downgrade. The Indians were still able to score 745 runs last year, even when their two big offseason additions, Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher, didn’t fully meet expectations. If Bourn and Swisher improve upon last year, that should bode well for 2014. The lineup is full of good, though not great, hitters with upside. Michael Brantley, Asdrubal Cabrera, Lonnie Chisenhall, Yan Gomes, Jason Kipnis, and Carlos Santana will all be 28 or younger this season, so the potential for growth is there as they gain more experience.
