Indians set in the middle of ESPN’s early 2020 power rankings

The Cleveland Indians are a team with several unknowns heading into 2020. That has the squad in the middle of the pack in some early power rankings.

The 2019 MLB season ended just a few days ago which means it is time to look ahead to 2020.

The Cleveland Indians entered 2019 as favorites to win the division and, of course, failed to do that. Things may be a bit different heading into next year if improvements aren’t made this offseason. Right now, the Minnesota Twins should be favorites to reclaim their division crown. Even if only by a small margin.

ESPN’s David Schoenfield wasted no time in making his early predictions as he recently published some early 2020 MLB power rankings.

There are a few surprises on his list including the No. 9 overall New York Mets and the No. 13 overall San Diego Padres. He also has the defending champion Washington Nationals just one spot ahead of the Mets at No. 8.

The Indians don’t show up until the No. 15 spot and the final sentence of his explanation makes perfect sense.

"If you knew for sure that Lindor was going to anchor the lineup, you’d move Cleveland up a few spots."

There you go. The greatest unknown of all. Francisco Lindor‘s status remains up in the air as his value is sky-high as we speak. A trade would have some fans crying, but it could benefit the organization greatly moving forward.

Aside from Lindor, the Indians need to fill a spot in the infield and figure out what to do with Yasiel Puig. I’d hope for at least a fair offer out of the team. There is no reason to just let him walk without trying to bring him back.

This team is always tough to project. They always seem to be one player away and yet that one player is rarely added in the offseason. The pesky payroll always stands in the way.

This is a crucial offseason for the team and the future is up in the air with Lindor’s current status. Bringing him back on any sort of extension could galvanize the organization and show that the commitment to winning a World Series isn’t going anywhere.