Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians officially introduced prized free-agent signing Edwin Encarnacion on Thursday.

The Cleveland Indians left the rest of the American League in their dust in the 2016 MLB playoffs. After winning 94 games in the regular season, they won seven of eight games en route to a near miss in the World Series.      

Terry Francona would surely trade his American League Manager of the Year award—and presumably every other piece of hardware in his trophy case—for another crack at the 2016 World Series.

His Cleveland Indians got to Game 7. They could taste it. Their first championship since 1948. 

Instead, it was "wait until next year."

With the Cleveland Indians looking to get over the World Series hump in 2017, trading star reliever Andrew Miller could make their task more difficult.

Continue for updates.

As Milli Vanilli once sang, "Blame It On the Rain."

Manager Terry Francona led the Cleveland Indians to the 2016 World Series, where they lost a dramatic Game 7 to the Chicago Cubs in extra innings, 8-7. The organization announced Friday it elected to exercise the 2019 and 2020 club options on his contract.

The day Mike Hargrove was traded to the Cleveland Indians, the team was 8.5 games out of first place and the drought was 31 years old. It was 1979, and while no one thought of the Indians as winners, there were many other cities and organizations that had waited much longer since last winning a World Series.

Cleveland picked up its $12 million club option on slugger Carlos Santana on Friday after its crushing defeat in Game 7 of the World Series at the hands of the Chicago Cubs, the team announced. 

In sports, there is no greater crucible than Game 7.

It's the mother of all small samples. On such a limited, glaring stage, peons can rise and the great sometimes wilt.

On Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field, Cleveland Indians right-hander Corey Kluber will have a chance to ascend from great to legendary.

Game 7. In combination, those two words stand as the greatest in the lexicon of sport. So they're worth repeating: Game 7.

That's what the 2016 MLB season will come down to: one final game.

Every pitch will be scrutinized. Every ground ball will mean something. Every hit will be followed by unparalleled emotion.