The start of the 2019 MLB season is upon us and when most fanbases are excited about their recent acquisitions or promising farm system, the Indians are looking at a bare cupboard of players and memories of a window that may be closing shut.
The Indians start the season as the favorite to win the AL Central but that start is without star shortstop Francisco Lindor (ankle injury), without catcher Yan Gomes (traded to Nationals) and without Edwin Encarnacion (traded to Mariners). The lineup is full of young, yet promising players like central Ohio native Eric Stamets and Jake Bauers are filling in the holes. The Indians are prone to slow starts but this season will require their youth to provide the firepower unlike years past.
While it may feel like the Indians have had an underwhelming offseason and some might even say they have lost too much to replace, the absence of players like Yan Gomes, Michael Brantley and Edwin Encarnacion marks a good shift for a team looking to make it back to the World Series.
Since making the World Series and failing to bring home a championship, the Cleveland front office has been looking for a change to hopefully galvanize a return. Instead of buying their ticket, the Indians are hoping their youth can start strong on opening day and carry them to another AL Central title en route to a World Series championship.