Cleveland Indians still at No. 6 overall in ESPN power rankings

The Cleveland Indians made some moves last week and had a solid weekend, keeping the team near the top of ESPN’s MLB power rankings.

I cringed when Brad Hand gave up a home run in his Cleveland Indians debut. Not because I was angry, but because I knew the Twitter outrage would be annoying to sort through.

Hand came to Cleveland along with Adam Cimber in a deal that fans will think about for a long time depending how Francisco Mejia does in San Diego. But if the relievers help the team win a World Series, no one should care too much.

The Indians enter this week with a record of 54-44 and a 9.5-game lead in the AL Central thanks to a Minnesota Twins team that is allergic to winning baseball. This comfortable situation, along with the new additions, has the Indians in the No. 6 overall spot in ESPN’s MLB power rankings.

The Indians are still clearly behind the Astros, Red Sox and Yankees in terms of being considered a legit contender to win the American League.

Getting Hand and Cimber took care of one need. The next most glaring need is getting some outfield help now that Bradley Zimmer is out until next season and Lonnie Chisenhall is still over a month away from returning. Even then, no one knows if he can stay healthy.

Melky Cabrera is not the outfield savior this team needs so making a move before the deadline seems likely. If that is done, the Indians will move one step closer to patching the holes on the team and entering the postseason without any major worries about the makeup of the roster.

Next: Previewing the homestand against the Pirates

October remains the focus as the rest of the division withers away throughout the rest of the summer. That is why what the front office does, or doesn’t do, over the next week will determine the likelihood for success this fall.