The 2016 World Series was the series of a lifetime. After 68 years, the Cleveland Indians will have to wait at least one more year to celebrate the break of the curse. This year we will have to settle for a ALDS championship and ALCS championship, one thriller of a post season ride and one heck of a World Series Game 7. The Indians defied all odds and it was truly Cleveland against the world. I want to make a point; the Indians got themselves to the World Series not the Cleveland Cavaliers.
No one expected this team to get past the Boston Red Sox or the Toronto Blue Jays. No one expected the World Series to reach a legendary Game 7 in which a lot of history was made. As a die hard Indians fan, I did truly believe that this was our year and hoped that they would show the world that Cleveland is a wonderful place. Cleveland is not the "mistake on the lake" that most believe. It is a city and surrounding area that is full of life and has the best fans that the world has to offer.
Believeland, there is still hope in the future and the future looks promising. Most of our team is controllable through the 2018 and 2020 seasons. We have a few players that are questionable like the most notable, Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis. The Indians have expressed the desire to keep Napoli around and I hope they do. I wish the same for Davis. We have talented players that will be around for years to come.
Twenty players are controllable through 2018, thirteen players are controllable through 2019 and twelve players are controllable through 2020. With those listed below, I like our odds of returning to the fall classic. I like the way life looks after the 2016 World Series. Hopefully 69 years is our magic number.
- Players Controllable through at least 2020
- Kluber
- Kipnis
- Lindor
- Carrasco
- Gomes
- Bauer
- Salazar
- Ramirez
- Perez
- Naquin
- Clevinger
- Almonte
- Players Controllable through 2019
- Otero
- Players Controllable through 2018
- Allen
- Miller
- Brantley
- Tomlin
- Chisenhall
- Guyer
- McAllister
- Players Controllable through 2017
- Santana (exercised option for 2017)
- Shaw