Cleveland Indians ranked No. 5 in SI’s offseason power rankings

The Cleveland Indians are expected to be contenders once again in 2018, and that is reflected in SI’s MLB offseason power rankings.

The Cleveland Indians won’t play another game for a few months, but that doesn’t mean everyone isn’t already thinking about the 2018 season.

No offseason is complete without some power rankings, with the latest version courtesy of Jonah Keri at SI.com.

His top team is the Houston Astros, while the Los Angeles Dodgers come in second. Nothing surprising there. But some Indians fans may be surprised to see the Indians come in at No. 5, behind both the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees.

From the rankings:

"The winningest team in the American League last season is a good bet to steamroll the competition in 2018 too. Another year of experience for 2017 newcomers Yandy Diaz and Bradley Zimmer could be a boon for an already ultra-deep roster. The best rotation in the junior circuit brings everyone back for another run, and the bullpen should be similarly loaded."

The Indians being ranked fifth is fair given the way the season ended. The team will be returning most of its core, which will hopefully include Carlos Santana, and the expectation is another easy taking of the AL Central pennant.

But in reality, it is just fun to have something Indians-related to talk about in November. Free agency is always slow this time of year, with rumors being all we have to go off as news. However, if I hear another statement like “every team is interested in Carlos Santana,” I may go insane.

The No. 5 ranking shouldn’t change too much once the season begins at the end of March, with the only potential move being the Indians moving up a spot or two if the front office makes a big splash in free agency, although retaining Santana would be good enough.

Next: How a potential Bryan Shaw departure shakes up the ‘pen

Do you agree with this No. 5 overall ranking? Is it too low or is it just right?