”American League Champions 2016,” it says.

The Indians have some unfinished business.

One swing away from beating the Chicago Cubs in an epic World Series last year, the Indians, who pumped up their payroll to nearly $130 million by winning baseball’s offseason with the surprise signing of free-agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion this winter, have their sights set on a return to the postseason – and this time winning it all.

”Everyone is very proud of what we accomplished last year, but everybody wants that one more run,” Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said Sunday. ”Everybody wants to get back. We finally got a taste of that fruit, and we want to be there and we want to stay there.”

With one of baseball’s best starting rotations, deepest bullpens and a lineup counting on the return of All-Star Michael Brantley from injury, the Indians, who lost 94 games in 2012, are positioned to make another run at ending a World Series title drought stretching to 1948 – now the majors’ longest.

Cleveland has vaulted from powderpuff to powerhouse.

The Indians are determined to erase the memory of last year’s Series when they gave away a 3-1 lead to the Cubs, who completed their comeback by winning an unforgettable Game 7 on Nov. 2 in extra innings. Chicago’s victory not only triggered a celebration on the soggy grass in Progressive Field, but a national outpouring of affection for the lovable Cubbies and their fans, who waited 108 years to sip championship champagne.

There was obvious heartache in Cleveland. But also hope.

By going so far in the postseason despite not having Brantley, missing starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar and losing starter Trevor Bauer in the AL Championship Series when he sliced open his right pinkie while repairing a drone at home, the Indians showed resiliency, confidence and a glimpse of their potential.

They were one step away, and this year the Indians are better prepared to take it.

Kipnis pointed to the Kansas City Royals, who bounced back from losing Game 7 of the World Series in 2014 to winning it the following year, as a model for the Indians.

”They knew they wanted to be right back there,” he said. ”They knew what it might take or fill in the hole from what they were missing the year before and they went out and did it. We’re kind of hoping to follow that path and there are guys who now know what it takes and what they need to work on and what they need to kind of fix to get back there. It gives you that past experience that now you don’t have to ask any questions. You have that experience yourself.”

With a light rain falling and the nearby Estrella Mountains shrouded in low clouds, manager Terry Francona laid out his expectations during a team meeting on Sunday. Francona said he spent the past week stressing over how to deliver the proper message – ”cutting and pasting the old-fashioned way, erasing” – as he felt he owed his players a clear outlook for 2017.

Francona wants his players to be proud of what they accomplished, but not to dwell upon the success or be satisfied. He reminded them not to cut corners or to take anything for granted.

As great as it was, last season is over.

”Our players have with their talent, and with the way they have played, people think they have a chance of doing some pretty good things,” he said. ”Now you gotta go out and do it and there’s a way to do it. … if you got rewarded for last year, we would do it. Like if (baseball) said, `Hey, man, you went to the World Series last year, you get five extra wins.’ We’d take them. But that’s not how it’s going to be.”

The Indians were attentive while Francona spoke, and Kipnis said without being disrespectful, most off the players knew the message already.

”Guys were almost not like, `We know,”’ he said. ”But was like, `Hey, we know. Let’s get-this-going-kind-of-thing.’ It wasn’t like we’re too good for it by any means. It was we’re right there with you, and let’s get back to work – right now. You could get that sense around the room, and I think it’s a real good thing.”

NOTES: Francona isn’t ready to name ace Corey Kluber his opening-day starter, and said the club is ”slowing” the right-hander down early in camp. Kluber pitched 215 innings during the regular season and another 34 1/3 in the postseason, making three starts on short rest. ”If he’s not ready for Game 1, we can adjust,” Francona said. ”We’re more than willing to, because there’s a lot at stake over the course of the year. We know opening day is a big deal, but we want him to position himself where he’s ready to log as many innings as we need.” The Indians open at Texas on April 3.

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Batting fourth as the designated hitter, Encarnacion was removed in the eighth inning of Kansas City’s 5-0 win on Friday night when his left middle finger swelled up again. Gibbons said Encarnacion underwent an MRI before deciding to play on Saturday.

”A normal game, he wouldn’t be in there,” Gibbons said. ”But we need him, so he’s in there. He’ll battle through it.”

Encarnacion, who hit 39 home runs and had 111 RBIs for the East champs, has struggled with the finger much of the year, missing games in August and September. Justin Smoak pinch hit in the eighth inning and popped out with two runners on base.

”Edwin’s a big part of our team,” said Toronto outfielder Kevin Pillar. ”Any time he’s in the lineup we’re a better team. It’s something he’s dealt with throughout the year. He probably wouldn’t be playing if it wasn’t a postseason game. But Edwin is truly passionate and wants to win and he’s going to do whatever it takes to get ready to play today.”

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The Jays’ 16th victory in 19 games, coupled with the Yankees’ 4-3 loss to Cleveland, put Toronto atop the division for the first time since Aug. 13.

The Blue Jays, who lead the majors by far with 670 runs, set a franchise record for a three-game series with 36. They totaled 48 hits against a vanquished Angels pitching staff that has surrendered 44 runs, 60 hits and 15 walks over their last four games.

Cleveland slugger Francisco Lindor homered off Dellin Betances in the eighth and Trevor Bauer threw 6 1/3 strong innings as the Indians beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Andy Pettitte Day in the Bronx.

Carlos Santana homered off Sabathia for the Indians, who have won five of their last six games at Yankee Stadium. CC Sabathia departed in the third inning with right knee pain.

In San Diego, Michael Wacha pitched six solid innings and Stephen Piscotty homered twice and drove in five runs to help the St. Louis Cardinals down the Padres 10-3 and avoid a three-game sweep.

Jason Heyward had three hits as St. Louis averted getting swept for the first time this season.

The Seattle Mariners also avoided a three-game sweep after Robinson Cano had a two-run homer and Nelson Cruz doubled in two runs for an 8-6 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Seattle built a 7-1 lead through five innings, but the White Sox cut it to 7-6 with five runs in the sixth behind a pair of two-run homers.

The Oakland Athletics defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 8-2 after Eric Sogard hit a tiebreaking two-run single as part of a seven-run seventh inning.

Mark Canha tripled and drove in four runs while Billy Burns added three hits for the A’s, who won for just the third time in 12 games.

New York’s Logan Verrett stepped into Matt Harvey’s spot and earned his first major league win in his first start, pitching eight impressive innings to lead the Mets past the Colorado Rockies 5-1, while Trevor Plouffe hit a tying single with two outs in the ninth inning as the Minnesota Twins edged the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 over 12 innings.

In other games, Kris Bryant homered twice as the Chicago Cubs downed the Atlanta Braves 9-3, the Houston Astros completed a 10th-inning 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Kansas City Royals defeated the Boston Red Sox 8-6 and the Washington Nationals trounced the Milwaukee Brewers 9-5.

The Texas Rangers held onto the second AL wild-card spot with a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers, the Arizona Diamondbacks blanked the Cincinnati Reds 4-0, the Philadelphia Phillies shut out the Miami Marlins 2-0 and the Pittsburgh Pirates were 5-2 winners over the San Francisco Giants.

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