Brantley's health, fast start key to Tribe's 2016 By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | December 28th, 2015 + 222 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- There was a spotlight on the Indians last spring. They knew the expectations were high both inside the clubhouse and around baseball and, following a slow start to the season, the weight of crumbling confidence hurt Cleveland's chances as the summer turned to fall. The Tribe wants 2016 to be different. "We're going to be a little more cautiously optimistic next year," Indians All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis said at the end of last season. "We're not going to read into anything. We're not going to expect anything. I think that's how it should be. We're going to go out and play hard. That's the best way to go about things." Coming off a disappointing showing last season, Cleveland hopes to right the ship in the upcoming campaign. The Indians do not want to settle for a winning season -- they want to challenge for a World Series. It will take a powerful rotation and an improved offensive showing to accomplish that lofty feat. Here are five questions facing the Indians in 2016. 1. How long will Michael Brantley be sidelined? Brantley underwent surgery on his right shoulder in November and the likelihood of him returning in April is slim. A May return seems more realistic, but the Tribe's star left fielder will need to complete a personal Spring Training and will need to be at full strength before activation. A conservative approach could make a June return possible. Losing Brantley for any amount of time is a big blow for a Cleveland team that ranked 11th in the American League in runs scored last season. 2. Can the Indians change their April fortunes? The loss of Brantley for at least some of the first month makes April success a daunting challenge once again. Aprils in Cleveland do not typically result in an abundance of offense. Maybe it will help that the Indians have more road games (14) than home games (nine) in April 2016. In manager Terry Francona's three years at the helm, the Indians have played .397 (29-44) ball in April, compared to .556 (229-183) ball the rest of the way. That has necessitated draining, late-season surges for the Tribe. 3. Has Lonnie Chisenhall turned a corner? By June of last season, it was fair to wonder if Chisenhall had a future with the Indians. Then, he made a midseason switch to right field from third base, heated up at the plate and looked like a formidable option as an outfielder for 2016. Chisenhall did not only hold his own in right field, a multitude of defensive metrics painted a picture of him as an elite defender in the corner. Francona also got the most out of Chisenhall's bat by limiting his exposure to left-handed pitching. The Indians are hoping Chisenhall's second-half career renaissance means big things for the coming season. 4. Will Francisco Lindor repeat his rookie success? It is not uncommon for a young player to reach the Majors, excel for a while and then struggle as the league makes adjustments to the player. It was the opposite for Lindor last year. The rookie hit .223 (.568 OPS) in his first 103 at-bats before putting the pedal to the metal. The shortstop hit .345 (.930 OPS) in his final 287 at-bats and ended as the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up. Lindor's overall offensive numbers were better than any season he had posted in the Minors. It will be interesting to see where the young switch-hitter goes from here as a batter in the big leagues. 5. Will the rotation lead the way to October? The Indians were rendered spectators for the 2015 World Series, but perhaps Cleveland saw a glimmer of hope while watching the Royals take on the Mets. New York reached the Fall Classic behind the strength of a young, talented starting rotation. The Tribe has a similar starting cast in terms of age, controllability and production. If Cleveland wants to make the playoffs and enjoy a run to the World Series, it will likely take a stellar combined effort from the club's highly touted rotation. A year of top performances for Indians in 2015 By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | December 26th, 2015 + 173 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The Indians entered last season as a popular pick as a breakout team. Some prognosticators went as far as pegging Cleveland as a possible World Series contender, but the club fell far short of that. When the tickets to October were punched, the Indians did not receive an invitation. A tough first half created an uphill climb that Cleveland could not overcome. The Tribe finished with an 81-80 record, turning in a third straight winning season, but that was not the idea when the season began. "We set out at the start of the season to be playing postseason baseball," said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations, "with the goal of ultimately winning the World Series. ... I do think there are a lot of very positive stories. We've grown a lot as an organization and as a Major League team, too." The biggest development of the 2015 campaign was the rise of rookie sensation Francisco Lindor, who helped spark a strong second half that briefly pulled the Indians back into the postseason discussion. Cleveland's starting rotation also formed a dynamic group that provided hope that better results are not too far off for the team. Here is a look at the Tribe's top five storylines from this past year: 5. Pair of aces In the first week of the season, the Indians continued their recent trend of securing their core players, locking up Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco with long-term extensions. On April 5, Kluber inked a five-year, $38.5 million deal that included a pair of team options and had a maximum value of $77 million. Two days later, Carrasco signed a four-year, $22 million contract that also included two team options and had a maximum value of $48 million. Antonetti, Carrasco on extension Antonetti, Carrasco on extension Chris Antonetti and Carlos Carrasco talk about the Indians signing the right-handed pitcher to a four-year contract extension "What these deals do is they allow us to plan for how we build our roster," Antonetti said at the time of the signings. "It takes out the uncertainty of what players may earn throughout the arbitration process, and that certianly allows us to plan better. But, it's only helpful if we end up betting on the right guys." Carrasco went on to win 14 games, striking out 216 in 183 2/3 innings in a breakout showing. Kluber, who won the American League Cy Young Award in 2014, dealt with low run support in '15 (evidenced by his 9-16 record), but piled up 245 strikeouts and logged a 3.49 ERA in 222 innings. 4. Overpowering tribute In the hours leading up to the Indians' game against the Cardinals on May 13, Anne Feller walked slowly through the new exhibit honoring her late husband, Hall of Famer Bob Feller, at Progressive Field. Mementos from Feller's incredible life and career were on full display. With Anne and two of Feller's sons in the stands, Kluber then turned in a historic performance, mirroring many of Rapid Robert's long-ago efforts. Over eight brilliant innings, Kluber piled up 18 strikeouts against one of baseball's top lineups, tying Feller's 1938 club record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game. The ace of Cleveland's current staff ended with only one hit allowed and no walks issued in one of the greatest pitching displays in the long, storied history of the franchise. "I've said it before," Kluber said, "any time that you throw your name in there with Bob Feller, that's obviously very humbling and a great accomplishment." Kluber joined Hall of Famer Randy Johnson (Sept. 27, 1992) as the only pitchers since at least 1914 to register at least 18 strikeouts in an outing consisting of no more than eight innings. Kluber's Game Score of 98 marked the highest for an eight-inning performance in recorded history. 3. A Brave trade The Indians surprised the baseball world prior to the 2013 season when they were able to reel in big-ticket free-agents Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn with lucrative contracts. That year, both players played key roles in helping Cleveland capture the top American League Wild Card for the team's first postseason experience since 2007. On Aug. 7 last season, the Tribe shocked the baseball world again. This time, however, it was because the team was able to find a trading partner for Swisher and Bourn, who regressed with age and injuries over the past two years. The Indians sent both veterans and cash to the Braves in exchange for corner infielder Chris Johnson. "It gives us some roster flexibility," Antonetti said at the time. "It gives us an opportunity to play some young players here in the second half and learn more about ourselves and, as importantly, it gives us a little more clarity heading into the offseason as we look to build a championship team moving forward. And we feel this move helps us along that path." Following the franchise-altering trade, the Indians took off and pulled themselves back into Wild Card contention until the final week of the season.