Can Somebody Wake Up the AL Central?

[Matt Braun]

This division does know that the off-season started, right?

Image courtesy of © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

 

Royals
The Royals have remained deadly quiet this off-season, not even venturing into “well, maybe he has some potential” waters like they’ve done so often in years past. They’ll likely sign a few low-tier players—they are seldom entirely stuck in neutral—but none of their moves will be of the impact variety. Zack Greinke is Kansas City’s lone free agent of note.

The Royals are stuck in an endless rebuild, one that hasn’t seen a season above .500 since their small-ball 2015 team shockingly dominated MLB. They recently cleaned house in the front office; long-time executive and pornography hater Dayton Moore received the boot, and J.J. Piccolo took over the reins as GM in September. Bobby Witt Jr. spearheads a youth movement more promising than any of their previous engagements with young talent, but they are probably still years away from seriously competing for a division title. 

Tigers
The Tigers, fresh off a disappointing 2022 season, have made a few periphery moves. The team reunited with their prodigal son, LHP Matthew Boyd, as this might be the season where his immense swing-and-miss stuff meets home run results that aren’t faint-worthy. The team also traded stalwart reliever Joe Jiménez to the Braves. The return was what you would expect for one year of a solid bullpen arm, perhaps illuminating that Detroit is unsure of its potential.

The Tigers also cleaned house recently; Al Avila—the kind of guy to trade his own son—packed his bags, and the team handed control to Giants product Scott Harris. A.J. Hinch is still an excellent manager, but the team’s porous depth and perpetually underperforming farm system left the team out to dry when they needed help the most. As it turns out, Javier Báez and Eduardo Rodriguez are excellent complimentary pieces, not stand-out stars themselves. When there’s no one to compliment, you get the 2022 Tigers. It's unlikely that they will compete in 2023, but they did win a not-embarrassing total of 77 games in 2021, so maybe some potential exists for Detroit. 

White Sox

Guardians

Cleveland—the incumbent AL Central champions—have made the most substantial move of any team in the division, inking Josh Bell to a two-year contract worth $33 million. The Guardians aren’t hiding their philosophy; they’ll spend on an occasional luxury piece (Edwin Encarnación, anyone?) but will otherwise stick to internally developing the sickest pitchers you’ve ever seen while hitting just enough to win some ballgames. Michael Baumann covered Bell perfectly on Fangraphs, and I have nothing to add to his analysis, so read his piece if you want to learn more about that signing. 

The good news is that Cleveland is probably done with their off-season; it would be genuinely shocking if they made another move of a similar caliber, as quality-over-quantity tends to be their modus operandi. They rarely stray from that blueprint. 

The Twins have work to do—like signing a single free agent—but the rest of the division doesn’t offer much of a threat. The Guardians are the only real competitors, and while they’ve made a significant move, the Twins possess the talent to challenge their authority in 2023.

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[Doctor Gast]

Let sleeping lions lie. as far as our competition goes. Watching our camp is kind of boring

[LewFordLives]

Will the White Sox be playing their games at the Gothic Castle this year?

[mikelink45]

So much excitement.  The Central will be a great threat now that the schedule has every team playing every team.

[KirbyDome89]

Died seeing the Sox & The Alliance of Magicians comp. Chef's kiss. 

[tony&rodney]

Cleveland has some top talent itching for an opportunity and had the youngest team in baseball last year. They are very athletic. If the sophomore slump doesn't affect the Guardians, there may not be much of a race in the AL Central. This especially true if they manage to acquire Sean Murphy or get another power bat. Sometimes a young team regresses before moving forward but with Terry Francona at the wheel I would not bet against Cleveland.

[mikelink45]

The Mets just signed Senga.  He would have been viable for the Twins - another one leaves the pack - FA pickings are getting slim.