Major Additions: Edwin Encarnacion, Boone Logan, Austin Jackson
Major Losses: Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, Coco Crisp, Joba Chamberlain
Strengths: Offense, Bullpen, Rotation
Weaknesses: Catching Depth
Potential Breakout Stars: Mike Clevinger, Ryan Merritt
If I were to put my money on any team winning the AL pennant this year, it would be the Cleveland Indians. This is a team that came out of the offseason stronger than it went in, despite having come one victory away from a World Series Championship in 2016. Their dynamic offense upgraded Mike Napoli (.239/.335/.465, 1.0 fWAR) to Edwin Encarnacion (.263/.357/.529, 3.9 fWAR) and will be bringing back Michael Brantley, one of the best hitters in baseball from 2014-2015 who missed all but eleven games in 2016 to shoulder surgery. On top of Encarnacion and Brantley, returning will be the all around baseball show that is Francisco Lindor, lineup anchors Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana, dynamic producer Jose Ramirez, and Tyler Naquin, who slashed .296/.372/.514 in a surprisingly successful rookie campaign in 2016. After seeing his production suffer due to nagging injuries, Yan Gomes will hopefully be back and healthy, but the catching corps is probably the biggest weakness for the Indians. Behind the questionable Gomes is Roberto Perez and his career .220/.318/.355 line, and behind him, there is Erik Kratz and his career .200/.248/.362 line. The rotation begins with perennial AL Cy Young candidate (and 2014 winner) Corey Kluber, followed by the trio of young guns in Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, and Trevor Bauer. Josh Tomlin rounds out the front five, coming off a season where he walked just 20 batters in 174 innings. There's depth here, too, with guys like Mike Clevinger, Cody Anderson, Ryan Merritt, Chris Narveson, Adam Plutko, Shawn Morimando, Rob Kaminsky, and Julian Merryweather all ready to step up in the case of injury. Merritt proved his worth on the big stage last season by dominating the Blue Jays in Game Five of the ALCS, allowing just two baserunners in 4.1 shutout innings. The bullpen is as strong as any in baseball, led by arguably baseball's best reliever in Andrew Miller (1.45 ERA, 0.69 WHIP) and the dominant Cody Allen (2.51 ERA, 1.00 WHIP). Bryan Shaw (3.24 ERA, 1.26 WHIP), Dan Otero (1.53 ERA, 0.91 WHIP), and Zach McAllister (3.44 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) were assets last season, and the new addition of lefty Boone Logan (3.69 ERA, 1.01 WHIP in Colorado) only makes them stronger. For me, there's no reason not to think the Indians can repeat as AL champions. If Gomes can't hold down the starting catcher's job, they'll likely add another catcher at the deadline, leaving them with no holes whatsoever.
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