Cleveland Indians: Remaining Expectations for 2015? Get ready for 2016

By Kristopher Grimes | Jul 19, 2015

With the All-Star break behind us, and the second half underway, I’m asking myself some questions about the Cleveland Indians. What kind of trades can help? Will we find a way to recover from the Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher deals? Then the biggest one of them all, what are the remaining expectations for the Cleveland Indians (43-47 overall) in 2015? The Indians are 11.5 games out of first place in the Central Division and 5.5 games out of the last Wildcard berth.

In a season that’s fallen short of expectations, with 72 games left, there’s still a realistic chance at the playoffs. I’m all about going all in, making some deals, and trying to contend. I want the Indians to do that. However, my gut tells me it’s a long shot.

That’s why I’m asking myself about what I should expect for the rest of 2015. My answer? Forget the 2015 playoffs, and lets set this team up for 2016 and beyond.

The Indians were a team that many analysts and even Sports Illustrated picked as a sleeper team to contend for a World Series title in 2015. Usually these so-called sports experts don’t get caught so far off base they can’t get back.

However, as I wrote in an article about the Curse of Expectations earlier this year, I didn’t think this team was ready for the spotlight. The slow start and current record show that perhaps this team really isn’t ready.

This team still has holes, and when exposed, those holes are glaring. Last season it was the defense and lack of power hitting that doomed the Indians. GM Chris Antonetti and his front office looked to solidify those needs with Jose Ramirez at short stop over Asdrubal Cabrera for defense, and signing free agent OF Brandon Moss for power.

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Ramirez has since been replaced by top prospect Francisco Lindor after he struggled in the field and at the plate, while Moss is providing some power but often finds himself in deep hitting slumps. This team still struggles to score runs, and it is one reason that the Indians have lost a lot of close games or even well pitched games.

The starting rotation led by Corey Kluber, was considered by many this team’s strongest focal point. However, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Danny Salazar, and even Zach McAllister had no proven track record. Almost all of them spent 2014 going up and down from the minors after shaky stretches of starts. The chances of all five staying at the Major League level was a long shot.

As it turns out, McAllister has found his way back to the bullpen this season, while Carrasco, Bauer, and Salazar have actually remained solid in the majority of their starts. The 2014 Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber is currently 5-10, but not for lack of effort on his part. He’s among the leaders in strikeouts (159), and ERA at 3.38, but at the bottom of the league in terms of run support at less than 2 runs per game.

Jul 18, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber throws a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

So if the Indians of 2015 aren’t significantly better than 2014, why do I think this team should build towards 2016? GM Chris Antonetti and team President Mark Shapiro keeps attesting that teams have a “window” to contend.

It was believed that this first window was around the 2007 season when the Indians took the Boston Red Sox to a 3-1 series lead in the American League Championship before collapsing. It turned out that window wasn’t open for long.

Guys like Fausto Carmona became Roberto Hernandez while Grady Sizemore‘s body and health began failing him. The next window? It was only 3 years ago when the Indians stormed into the wild card game against the Tampa Bay Rays by way of a second half of the season surge.

Now that window has become one that’s still slightly cracked but dragged down by the contracts of Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher, the prized free agents of the 2013 offseason who haven’t produced near the same since.

Luckily for the Indians, a lot of the pieces of that team are the core players of this franchise now. Thus the window is still cracked open, and the Indians are finally putting the pieces in place to open the window wide open again.

When the team promoted 3B Giovanny Urshela and prized top prospect SS Francisco Lindor, fans saw it as the team going for broke. The team was losing games, the playoffs were escaping them, and for fans it was a well why not move. For me though, I saw it as the beginning of truly establishing this team as a contender for years to come, much like the teams of the 90’s.

Why? First off, we were biding our time with an aging Cabrera, a mediocre player at best in Jose Ramirez, and Lonnie Chisenhall who wasn’t living up to his promise of being a power hitter. Meanwhile, Urshela and Lindor were biding their time in the minors, and tales of their promise were about as legendary tales as the Fountain of Youth or Black Beard’s treasure.

Now Lindor and Ursula are here at the major league level. They will spend the remainder of 2015 learning and growing at the major league level.

They join an already young and established lineup with the likes of Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, and Carlos Santana. If there was ever a window to go all in, this trade deadline and this offseason would be it. The Indians are perhaps one right handed power bat away from being a serious annual threat in the AL Central.

The Detroit Tigers are getting older and their payroll is going up, while the Royals are young and contending now, but they don’t play in a market conducive to keep players in KC for long.

Cleveland Indians fans should expect the sub par team of 2015 to grow into the contending team of 2016. Lindor and Urshela will find their way and mesh into the lineup, while pitchers like Salazar, Bauer, and new arrival Cody Anderson grow into consistent rotational pitchers.

Sure there will still be the burdens of Swisher and Bourn’s contracts for another season, but with the right moves this season and this offseason (like a trade for Carlos Gomez), those busts can be overlooked and hidden deep on the bench.

With more experience and more talented players in place, the new window for the Cleveland Indians will begin in 2016. Is that throwing another curse out there by expecting more in 2016? No, I don’t think so, because it should have been all about 2016 to begin with.

Next: Cleveland Indians Have Limited Options To Trade As A Buyer By Trade Deadline

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