30 IN 30 - AL CENTRAL PREVIEW

Matteo Ruiz

No deal! As of last week, the MLB and its players failed once again to negotiate a new CBA. This time, games have officially been cancelled and it doesn’t look like we’ll be heading down to the ballpark again anytime soon. Since we’ve got the time, why not brush up on the landscape of the league before the season starts up again and read about what you can expect from the AL Central.

THE TIME IS NOW IN CHI-TOWN

Last season, the Chicago White Sox were the diamond in the rough that was the AL Central. In a division that didn’t have much to offer outside of this team, the Chi Sox capitalized by winning 93 games – 13 more than the second-place Guardians. Though they won the division easily, their season was by no means perfect. Inconsistency on the part of pitchers and the offence resulted in quite a few winnable games that slipped away. It’s no stretch to say that this team on paper, especially considering the division they’re in, could have easily won north of 97 games. Though this season ended in disappointment at the hands of the Houston Astros in the ALDS, the White Sox are a young team who expect to be back in the pennant race this October.

In one of this offseason’s most under-the-radar signings, the White Sox brought in Kendall Graveman, a relief pitcher coming off a fantastic season split between the Mariners and Astros. With experience and success in high leverage innings, Graveman should bolster an already loaded bullpen alongside closer Liam Hendriks. This move could also spell the end of Craig Kimbrell’s stint in the South Side. Having little success in the setup role, the White Sox may look to move on from Kimbrell via trade this offseason. As a premium relief arm, there would be plenty of teams willing to trade significant prospect capital to acquire his services.

Another concern for this team is the imminent departure of Carlos Rodon in free agency. Though no deal is officially in place, some insiders believe that Rodon’s time in Chicago has come to an end. His breakout 2021 season included a no-hitter and cemented Rodon as a pitcher who can be a meaningful contributor to a championship-level rotation. With starting pitching always coming at a premium, it’s hard to imagine that there won’t be plenty of other teams looking to spend big money in an attempt to pry him away from the White Sox.

The White Sox are in position to take the AL Central easily once again this year. With no other team in the division getting much better, the Sox and their army of young talent should match up well against their competition as they develop into more complete and consistent players en route to another playoff berth.

DECISION TIME FOR THE GUARDIANS

The newly rebranded Cleveland Guardians were the epitome of mediocre in the 2021 season. With a run differential of -10 and an exceptionally average record of 80-82, this season was about as close as a team can get to middle-of-the-road. The only problem for this Guardians team is that they’ve reached a fork and now must pick a direction for their future. Will they sell off valuable MLB talent on expiring deals and look to acquire younger, developmental players? Or will they stay the course and try to add to a core that is thin but features some franchise cornerstones.

With MVP calibre 3rd baseman Jose Ramirez’s contract coming to an end after the 2022 season, it’s difficult to imagine that he’ll consider a return to Cleveland if he hits the open market. Whatever they decide to do with Ramirez will be a major signifier of how they view the future of this team. If this team is looking to contend in the near future, their top priority should be to extend Ramirez before his contract expires. If that proves difficult, it might be time to consider moving him for some young talent. While they could prolong the decision until the trade deadline and have a better idea of how competitive they really are, Ramirez’s value will have taken a massive hit by then and the return will be much less.

With an impressive, young rotation that includes the likes of Cy Young winner Shane Bieber, Zac Plesac, Triston McKenzie, and Canadian Cal Quantrill, the Guardians are poised to build around a promising young pitching core. While it’s safe to say that these pieces are staying put in Cleveland for the time being, it might be prudent to reset the ‘championship window’ and trade for younger offensive talent that aligns more closely with the timelines of their young arms.

THINGS ARE REVVING UP IN MOTOR CITY

The Detroit Tigers are off to the races thanks to the help of General Manager Al Avila and his bold offseason additions. Headlining the newest crop of Tigers is one of the most polarizing players in the sport, Javier Baez. With the nickname ‘El Mago’, or ‘The Magician’ in English, it’s no surprise that the Puerto Rican middle infielder is one of the most electric players in all of Baseball. When he’s at his best, Baez is an incredible player, but his lows are abysmal. For every home run or incredible defensive play he makes, there’s a strikeout or costly error to follow. Despite the risk, the Tigers have committed to building a championship team around the wickedly talented and always entertaining Baez. Signing Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez to be their ace and adding a quality catcher in Tucker Barnhart through trade allowed the Tigers to accelerate their rebuild drastically this offseason.

Their newly acquired talent pairs rather nicely with the existing players on this roster. The first overall pick of the 2020 draft, Spencer Torkelson looks to be the heir to the Tiger’s first base position as former MVP Miguel Cabrera manages his injured knee and approaches his retirement. Though Torkelson may not break spring training with the club, the ASU alumn will likely be called up sometime in April. His power bat will slot nicely into the middle of this Tigers order as he vies for a potential Rookie of the Year campaign and hopes to snag a wildcard spot in a competitive American League.

A ROYAL REBUILD

It might not feel like 2015 was 7 years ago, but ask any Royals fan and they’ll tell you it’s been an eternity. Though they were once the American League’s best team, taking their rightful place on the throne as the world champions of baseball, their fall from grace has been… well, royal. After a few middling seasons immediately following their World Series win, where their ageing core was able to hang around at the .500 mark, the Royals were bad. Thankfully, they committed to a proper rebuild and are now beginning to reap the rewards as a wave of young, incoming talent looks to take Kauffman Stadium by storm.

Third-year shortstop Nicky Lopez might be the most talented young player on this team. At the age of 26, Lopez provides world-class defence at a premium position while reaching base at a .365 clip this past season. The one thing he won’t do is hit home runs, amassing a total of 5 over the course of his 3 years in the MLB. Despite this, his OPS still sits around the .750 mark making him an above average offensive player with room to grow as he matures. Tack on another top prospect in the AL Central as Baseball Prospectus’ highest rated minor-leaguer, Bobby Witt, looks to join a productive and youthful Royals offence. Expect him to be called up in April, around the same time that fellow corner-infielder Torkelson could see his first ABs in the majors. The 21-year-old has waited in the wings for a few years now and is ready to make his mark on the league while helping the Royals begin their slow climb to relevancy once again.

One thing is for certain, if this team has any aspirations of being competitive, they’ll have to add pitchers. With a barren bullpen and a young rotation that leaves much to be desired in the ERA department, the Royals might be playing the waiting game for a while. Top draft pick Asa Lacy should provide some much-needed support to a struggling rotation in the near future, but until then all the Royals can do is watch and wait as their promising young talent learns how to succeed at the major league level.

TROUBLE IN THE TWIN CITIES

The most notable move to come out of Minnesota this offseason wasn’t a trade or signing. It was the extension of their franchise centerfielder Byron Buxton. Though 7 years and $100 million might sound like a lot of money to commit to an injury prone speedster, Buxton demonstrated that he’s well worth the risk. Coming off the best season of his career, Buxton only played 61 games in 2021 – his fourth straight year in which he played less than 90. If Minnesota has any hope of returning to the top of the AL Central, it will have to be with a healthy Byron Buxton as the catalyst for this team, both on offence and defence.

At last year’s trade deadline, the Twins shipped off their ace Jose Berrios to Toronto for top prospects Austin Martin and Simeon Woods-Richardson. In a rare trade that has satisfied both teams thus far, the Twins are ecstatic with their return. Both Martin and Woods-Richardson have impressed coaches and management alike at all levels of the minor leagues and the Twins have taken notice. While their major league debuts may still be a few years away, there appears to be some hope for the future brewing in Minneapolis.

One issue that will undoubtedly haunt the Twins this season is their lack of pitching. With a rotation led by overpaid, ageing veterans nearing the end of their careers and a bullpen that is at its best incomplete, there isn’t much to look forward to in the way of arm talent. It’s tough to win games without pitching, but if there’s any team that’s been able to do it recently, it’s the Twins. Their best seasons in recent years are all thanks to the high-powered offences they’ve been able to build. This season, the remaining pieces of that slugging core will hope to regain their dominance as they attempt to compensate for shotty pitching. Hang in there, Twins fans. It gets better!