Shapiro: Cleveland's success 'all about the people'

After 24 years assembling the Cleveland Indians, the team Mark Shapiro used to lead is moving on to the World Series without him.

Shapiro, the longtime Cleveland Indians executive who departed the only front office he's ever known in 2015 to become president of the Toronto Blue Jays, offered a bittersweet congratulations to his former team after they advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1997.

"That room is full of people I've known for 25 years," Shapiro told Richard Justice of MLB.com. "It's the relationships in this game. Anyone who has been in this game knows it's all about the people. It's really hard to articulate."

Shapiro's fingerprints are all over the Cleveland team that's won seven of eight postseason games, sweeping the Boston Red Sox and winning four of five against the Blue Jays. He was the catalyst behind drafting Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis, as well as trading for ace Corey Kluber in 2010. Current Cleveland team president Chris Antonetti said the team's success is largely owed to Shapiro's decision making.

"There is no classier person than Mark," Antonetti said. "I know it's really difficult for him in the moment because the team he works for ultimately didn't come out on the right end for him.

"We wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for Mark's efforts. I'm incredibly grateful to have worked alongside him for as long as we did, and his impact will be here for a long time."