CLEVELAND — Like their neighbors across Gateway Plaza, the Cleveland Indians experienced nothing short of a roller coaster ride through the decade that was.
At its highest point, the Tribe came within inches of winning their first World Series since 1948, playing a postseason for the ages in 2016 and winning division titles in three straight seasons. The Indians also put together a remarkable stretch of winning baseball in 2017, setting an American League record with 22 consecutive victories. New stars emerged and an old friend returned home to help lead the franchise back to glory.
The lows saw the Indians in baseball's realm of irrelevance as they struggled to piece together any form of consistency for the first few years of the decade. Popular players had been traded away and the returns were slow in coming. There seemed to be no direction in the front office or in the dugout.
Here we are now at the end of the decade and the questions surrounding the future of the Cleveland Indians outnumber the answers. One of the team's superstars has already been dealt away this offseason with more likely to follow. It's all a part of this wild ride we call the Cleveland Indians in the 2010s.
Baseball Oblivion
It was hard to be positive about the state of the Cleveland Indians when the decade began. Cy Young Award winners C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee had both been dealt, along with popular catcher Victor Martinez. Former All-Stars Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner couldn't seem to ever stay healthy. Manny Acta replaced Eric Wedge as manager, with little success.
After one game in 2011 when Detroit's Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the 8th inning against the Indians' slumping offense and wound up pitching a two-hitter, Acta snapped at a reporter who asked about the team almost being no-hit. "We didn't almost get no-hit, we got two hits," he shouted.
The Indians won 69, 80, and 68 games during Acta's three years in Cleveland. Good early-season starts were almost always followed by late-season collapses.
The Indians were irrelevant. There was little reason to go down to the ballpark on a summer evening anymore.
There was one moment that stood out during the first three years of the decade for the Indians. Before the 2011 MLB trading deadline, the team dealt their top two prospects, pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. It was the first major move by new-GM Chris Antonetti, who was promoted when Mark Shapiro was elevated to Indians president.
I hated that trade at the time. The Indians were only a game-and-a-half behind Detroit in the American League Central at the time and while you appreciated the boldness, Jimenez never showed the form that made him the National League's All-Star starter in 2010. The Tribe quickly faded from contention and looked about as far as you can be from the postseason at the end of 2012.
An Old Friend Comes Home
Two things worked to change the fortunes of the Indians: Better drafting/player development and the arrival of Terry Francona as manager.
Francona had many ties to the Indians and Cleveland before becoming the team's skipper on October 6, 2012. His father Terry played for the Indians from 1959-64. Terry himself spent a year with the Tribe in 1988. Between managing stops in Philadelphia and Boston, Tito spent 2001 as a special assistant to Indians general manager John Hart and worked closely with both Shapiro and Antonetti in the Tribe's front office. He never forgot the bond that he shared with the duo.
By 2011, Terry Francona had won two World Series as the manager of the Red Sox. But a late season collapse and controversy about players eating fried chicken and drinking beer in the clubhouse during games caused Boston not to renew his contract. Tito spent a year working as an analyst for ESPN and once Acta was let go, it became a perfect match for him to join the Tribe.
The Indians went from 68 wins to 92 victories in just one season. They won their final ten games and went 21-6 in September to earn an American League Wild Card berth. 42-year-old Jason Giambi put an exclamation point on the furious finish with a walk-off homer against the Chicago White Sox on September 24.
And remember that Ubaldo Jimenez guy? He was the American League's pitcher of the month for September, going 4-0 with a 1.09 ERA.
For his efforts in turning around the dormant Indians team, Francona was honored with the American League's Manager of the Year award. It was the first of two he would win with the Tribe in the decade.
The Indians didn't advance in the playoffs in 2013, losing their Wild Card game to the Rays at Progressive Field. But that dramatic September was a sign of things to come.
Cy Kluber
When the Indians dealt away starter Jake Westbrook in 2010, not many people paid attention to what the team got in return as part of the three-team trade with the Cardinals and Padres. A shy, soft-spoken 24-year-old right-hander from Birmingham, Alabama named Corey Kluber.
When the deal was made, Kluber's minor league record was 18–24, and he was not ranked among the top thirty prospects in San Diego's farm system.
He would turn out to be one of the finest pitchers the Cleveland Indians have ever had.
Kluber went 98–58 from 2011-2019. He is third all-time in Indians history in strikeouts and second in walks/hits per innings pitched. Kluber was selected to three American League All-Star teams, was named American League pitcher of the month five times, and won two Cy Young awards.
On May 13, 2015, Kluber tied Bob Feller's franchise record for strikeouts in a game when he fanned 18 St. Louis Cardinals at Progressive Field.
Kluber might not have been the life of the party. In fact, some reporters referred to him as 'Klubot' for his robotic nature on and off the field. But he was an integral part of the success of the Cleveland Indians in the second half of the decade.
Frankie comes to Cleveland
The symbol of the Indians' improvement in their scouting and drafting in the early 2010s was a native of Puerto Rico taken with the eighth overall pick in the 2011 draft.
Francisco Lindor arrived in Cleveland in 2015 with an effervescent personality and five-tool talent to match on the field. He has been selected to four American League All-Star teams, has won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards twice, and has finished in the top 10 for American League MVP twice.
My favorite Frankie moment of the decade came in Game 2 of the 2017 ALDS against the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers got to Corey Kluber early and staked themselves to an 8-3 lead, until Lindor hit a massive grand slam off of the right field foul pole.
Lindor would team with other young Tribe stars like Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Jason Kipnis, and Yan Gomes to form a new core of position-player talent that the team would build around to success.
Cleveland versus The World
When the Indians marched into the 2016 postseason, not many national pundits gave them much of a chance to go far. Despite the fact that they had won 94 games, both Boston and Toronto were favored in their respective playoff series.
The Indians made a huge deal at the trading deadline that season, acquiring left-handed power reliever Andrew Miller from the New York Yankees. Miller would team with Bryan Shaw and closer Cody Allen to form a dominant back end of the bullpen.
The tone of the playoffs was set before Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Red Sox, when then-Cavs star LeBron James addressed the sold-out Progressive Field crowd fresh off the Wine and Gold winning the NBA Finals a few months earlier:
The Indians swept the Red Sox, beat Toronto in five games, and were matched up against the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series. It would prove to be one of the most memorable Fall Classics in MLB history.
The Tribe jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, thanks to a pair of dominant starts by Kluber and lights-out relief pitching by Miller, Shaw, and Allen.
But all was not well with the Indians roster during the World Series. The Tribe was dangerously shorthanded in the starting rotation. Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar had been injured prior to the postseason. Then, in a moment that could be classified in the 'Only in Cleveland' category, Trevor Bauer injured his finger while repairing one of his drones during the American League Championship Series.
Bauer was never the same for the rest of the postseason.
The Cubs rallied from the 3-1 deficit as Kluber and Josh Tomlin were both forced to pitch on three-days rest for the remainder of the World Series and were out of gas.
It looked like the Indians were out of time.
Chicago led Game 7 of the Series at Progressive Field 6-3 in the 8th inning with closer Aroldis Chapman on to get the final four outs. But Chapman had been worked extensively in the previous two games. Brandon Guyer's RBI double brought veteran outfielder Rajai Davis to the plate, ushering in the top moment of the decade for the Cleveland Indians.
It was a moment of pure joy. A moment of hope. A moment when we all felt like LeBron James did.
Unfortunately, the moment wouldn't last.
A rain delay helped to shift the momentum back to Chicago, who would go on to win 8-7 in 10 innings for their first World Series title since 1908.
The Indians continue to wait....
22
The Indians continued their run of success in 2017, winning 102 games and taking the American League Central Division title by mid-September.
From August 24th to September 15th, the Tribe would go on a run of historic proportions, winning an American League record 22 straight games. Newly-acquired outfielder Jay Bruce provided the game-winning RBI in exciting fashion in Win No. 22 in a row, with a walk-off line shot down the right field line.
However, by the time the Indians got to the postseason, they seemed like they had expended all of their energy in the streak. Kluber, who would win his second Cy Young Award that season, was a shell of himself in the ALDS against the Yankees. After his grand slam in Game 2, Lindor couldn't come up with any more magic. Nor could Ramirez, who was a finalist for the American League's MVP. New York rallied from an 0-2 deficit to beat the Tribe in five games.
The All-Star Game returns to Cleveland
After another early exit in the ALDS in 2018, the Indians came into the final year of the decade determined to find a way to make another deep playoff run. Two things would stand in their way: Injuries and the surprise emergence of the Minnesota Twins.
Just about every key player on the roster spent time on the disabled list in 2019. Kluber's arm was fractured by a line drive, Lindor dealt with an ankle sprain, Mike Clevinger had back and ankle injuries, Ramirez broke a bone in his hand.
Worst of all, Carrasco revealed in June that he had been diagnosed with leukemia.
RELATED: Cleveland Indians SP Carlos Carrasco reveals leukemia diagnonsis; condition 'under control'
Yet, Francona found a way to get the most out of his ballclub, mustering 93 wins. It was unfortunately not enough as the Tribe finished three games out of the Wild Card chase and eight games behind Minnesota.
The highlight of the season was the return of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game to Cleveland in July. But it was more than just one game.
From a thrill ride over the mall on the PLAY BALL PARK zipline to former stars Jim Thome and Travis Hafner participating in the MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game, the MLB All-Star Parade down East 9th Street, a wild semifinal showdown in the Home Run Derby, a touching show of support for Carrasco, and a hometown hero performance, there were a myriad of memorable moments at the 90th Midsummer Classic.
The most poignant moment of the 2019 MLB All-Star Game came after the fifth inning, during which fans and players alike participated in the “Stand Up 2 Cancer” ceremony.
Carlos Carrasco took the field with a sign that said “I Stand” and was flanked by his four American League teammates, Lindor, closer Brad Hand, pitcher Shane Bieber and first baseman Carlos Santana, all of whom held up signs of support barring Carrasco’s nickname “Cookie.”
The moment was emotional for Carrasco, his teammates and the fans, many of whom had tears in their eyes after he was shown on the videoboard.
RELATED: 'I stand': Carlos Carrasco honored at MLB All-Star Game during 'Stand Up to Cancer' ceremony
Inspired by his teammate's dramatic return to Progressive Field, Tribe pitcher Shane Bieber would go on to win the All-Star Game MVP award after striking out the side during a perfect inning of work for the American League. Bieber won the MVP honors 22 years after former Indians catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. became the first player ever to win the All-Star Game MVP Award in his home ballpark.
As the crowd chanted “Let’s go, Bieber” with great passion and at deafening decibel levels, Bieber wound up and struck out Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. looking for the final out of the top of the fifth inning.
What's next for the Indians?
The seeds for this uncertain offseason were planted back in March. After tightening the team's payroll, which resulted in popular players like Brantley and Gomes departing, owner Paul Dolan gave an interview with The Athletic's Zack Meisel and was asked about the future of Francisco Lindor in Cleveland.
“Enjoy him,” Paul Dolan told The Athletic earlier this spring. “We control him for three more years. Enjoy him, and then, we’ll see what happens.”
The comment did not go over well with fans.
RELATED: Fans concerned by Paul Dolan saying ‘enjoy him’ in reference to Indians SS Francisco Lindor
The Indians then traded Bauer to the Reds as part of a three-team deal prior to the deadline in July. It wasn't much of a surprise. Bauer's arbitration salary for 2020 will be around $20 million and then he will be able to test free agency.
Since the end of the World Series, it feels like there has been a Francisco Lindor trade rumor out there every day. The Dodgers are interested. Maybe the Reds. Maybe Mike Clevinger will be part of the package.
Yet it wasn't Lindor dealt first. It was Corey Kluber.
On December 15, the two-time Cy Young winner was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. and right-handed pitcher Emmanuel Clase.
Fans scratched their heads about what the Tribe got in return for Kluber. The 27-year-old DeShields amassed a .249 batting average (.672 OPS) to go along with 4 home runs, 32 RBIs and 24 stolen bases in 2019. Clase, meanwhile, ranks as Texas' No. 30 prospect, per MLB.com, and appeared in 21 games (1 start) at the big league level last season, tallying a 2-3 record, 2.31 ERA and 21 strikeouts.
Yes, the Tribe will be out from under Kluber's $17.5 million club option for 2020, but did they get enough in return? We'll find out when we see Clase and DeShields in an Indians uniform.
As of Christmas Eve, Lindor is still an Indian. Clevinger is still here. The team has a new second baseman to replace Jason Kipnis.
But clearly changes are ahead. The Indians are going to try to replenish their pool of young talent, yet hope to still have enough to be a contending team in 2020. Only time will tell if they're able to get the best of both worlds.
One thing is for certain: Indians fans should be ready for another roller coaster of a decade to come.
OTHER DECADE-IN-REVIEW COVERAGE: