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2026 AL CENTRAL PREVIEW
Tigers overwhelming favorite; did they do enough?

By MLB.com staff
03/21/2026

"Does anyone want to win this division?"

That was the question on the minds of most baseball writers when they looked over the AL Central, long one of the weaker divisions in baseball. True, they did have two teams come out of it for the post season a year ago, but Detroit and Cleveland both fell early on in the postseason. With Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, and other solid pitchers like Jack Flaherty and now Justin Verlander, back where it all started for him, who is beating the Tigers?

Well, despite adding two future HOF'ers (Verlander, Jensen) and one that could be down the road (Valdez) and being the overwhelming Vegas favorite to win the division, they didn't really add much of any consequence to the lineup. Sure, they have Riley Greene and a couple of B-tier bats in Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter, it's not a lineup with the depth to strike fear into the hearts of pitching coaches and managers on a nightly basis.

The main competitors to the Tigers are Kansas City and Cleveland, although the Guardians are going to be dealing with the fallout of the pitch-fixing scandal pretty much all season long, so the Royals might be the safer bet to do so. They did bring on some additional pitching help to try and compensate, but Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase are very, very good pitchers and it will be tough to replicate what they did a season ago. They also have one of the two best players in the division in Jose Ramirez (the other being the Royals' Bobby Witt, Jr.).

We'll go over the NL and AL West divisions tomorrow to wrap up this series.

1. DETROIT TIGERS

ADDED: LHP Framber Valdez, RHP Justin Verlander, RHP Kenley Jansen, RHP Drew Anderson
LOST: RHP Chris Paddack, RHP Rafael Montero, RHP Jose Urquidy, RHP Alex Lange, RHP Jason Foley, RHP Alex Cobb, RHP Tommy Kahnle, INF Andy Ibanez, OF Justyn-Henry Malloy

The Tigers should be the prohibitive favorites to win the AL Central, but they sit on the shakiest foundation of the predicted winners of each of the six divisions. Bringing in Valdez and Verlander to bolster the rotation, along with all-world lefty Tarik Skubal, they have not only one of the best rotations in the AL, but the entire league when you factor in Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize, who at one time in the not-so-distant past was the team's top starting pitcher. They'll miss Reese Olson, who is out for the season after shoulder surgery, but with Verlander back in the fold there shouldn't be a massive drop-off.

They have several pretty glaring weaknesses, however -- they don't have a lot of depth on the pitching staff, they don't defend well as a team, and they completely ignored improving the lineup in any way. They're banking quite a bit on Colt Keith taking the next step playing some combination of first base, third base, and taking at-bats as the DH when Spencer Torkelson is at first. Addressing center field with the light-hitting, slick-fielding Parker Meadows back as the presumed starter there was also something they didn't do.

What they do have are two elite starting pitchers, three other very good ones, and a fairly deep bullpen with new, but aging closer Kenley Jansen that can get strikeouts to negate the lackluster defense. However, injuries to key players could unravel their season pretty quickly and open the door for Kansas City or Cleveland to make a push for the division crown.

2. KANSAS CITY ROYALS

ADDED: OF Lane Thomas, OF Isaac Collins, RHP Nick Mears, LHP Matt Strahm, RHP Mitch Spence
LOST: LHP Angel Zerpa, OF Mike Yastrzemski, INF Adam Frazier, OF Randal Grichuk, RHP Taylor Clarke, OF MJ Melendez, RHP Hunter Harvey, RHP Michael Lorenzen, OF Dairon Blanco

With the Tigers really not doing a ton outside of losing a massive arbitration case to Skubal and bringing in Jansen and Valdez to strengthen the pitching staff, the Royals had a bit of a missed opportunity. Like Detroit, the Royals are banking on some young players breaking out (Jac Caglianone, Carter Jensen), but the Royals already have a younger, more dynamic infield than the Tigers do; and if even just one of Caglianone or Jensen hit, it will put them as easily the best offense in the division.

That said, while Collins is a fine player and Thomas has had some good years (and is still just heading into his age-30 season), there's going to be a 'what-if' of sorts if they end up in the same spot at the deadline again as they did last year, needing more offense. The long-talked-about trade for Jarren Duran never materialized, and they also flirted with the Cardinals on Brendan Donovan; but their farm system is so depleted at this point that they can't really go out and obtain those types of players on the trade market, and they don't spend a ton in free agency anyway.

They'll be a pitching and defensive-heavy team again in 2026, but with the fences being shortened all around, as well as being moved in down the foul lines ten feet, any homerun gains could end up being negated by more balls going out of the yard against their own guys. Perhaps the Royals and Sox could patch things up later regarding Duran if he ends up getting squeezed with Roman Anthony's emergence, but with Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Cole Ragans all getting up in years (or in Ragans' case, elbow issues), it might be best for K.C. to hang on to whatever depth they have in case injuries hit again like they did in '25.

3. CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

ADDED: RHP Frankie Montas, LHP Danny Coulombe, RHP Colin Holderman, RHP Shawn Armstrong
LOST: RHP Emmanuel Clase, RHP Luis Ortiz, OF Will Brennan, RHP Nic Enright, LHP Sam Hentges, OF Jhonkensy Noel

Obviously, the biggest story surrounding Cleveland heading into this year is a negative one -- the ongoing saga of pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase in the gambling/pitch-wasting scandal that is likely going to land them both in federal prison if convicted. On the positive side, they did extend star third baseman and franchise icon Jose Ramirez, but they did next to nothing to try and help him out.

In fact, they're in the toughest spot in the division. They're good enough to be dangerous in a playoff race (they've been in the postseason in back-to-back seasons!), but not bad enough to just sell everything off and start over. They have some nice pieces in the lineup outside of Ramirez with Steven Kwan and Kyle Manzardo with little else to speak of. They are very high on young outfielders like Angel Martinez, Chase DeLauter, and George Valera, but aside from Martinez there's little experience.

They did supplement the bullpen in front of new full-time closer Cade Smith with Coulombe and Armstrong, but overall it's still a thin unit. Despite being virtually a worthless hitter, having catcher Austin Hedges will nonetheless be well worth the $4 million to help bring along some of the younger pitchers in the system, like Daniel Espino, Slade Cecconi, and potentially Peyton Pallette if the Rule 5 pick ends up making the roster (which it appears he very well may).

Now, they're still better than both Minnesota and Chicago, but the gap isn't as wide as it was to end last season. Chicago and GM Chris Getz in particular addressed a multitude of needs; but have the weakest overall pitching depth in the division, which will ultimately hold them back from anything of note. The Guardians are in a pretty precarious position, though. If J-Ram and/or Bibee are out for any length of time over a few weeks, that's probably it for them. They have some solid young players in the minors, including Travis Bazzana and Juan Brito, but they are likely a year or so away from contributing still.

4. MINNESOTA TWINS

ADDED: C/1B Victor Caratini, C Alex Jackson, 1B/DH Josh Bell, RHP Jacob Webb, LHP Andrew Chafin, LHP Anthony Banda, LHP Taylor Rogers, LHP Nestor Cortes
LOST: INF Edouard Julien, C Christian Vazquez, INF Jose Miranda, LHP Genesis Cabrera

It's going to be a tough season in Minnesota. One of the few remaining standouts after last season's firesale, righty Pablo Lopez, is out after undergoing internal brace surgery and will miss the 2026 season. That leaves Joe Ryan as the unquestioned ace of the pitching staff, with a smattering of young-ish pitchers behind him. Bailey Ober, coming off an injury of his own that sapped him of a portion of 2025, is the likely number-two option now. They also banked the injured Cortes as depth for 2027; he was signed to a heavily back-loaded two-year deal in which he will rehab with the Twins in anticipation of joining the rotation for next year.

Taj Bradley and Simeon Woods-Richardson are expected to occupy two of the three remaining spots, with Zebby Matthews, David Festa, and Matt Canterino vying for the fifth spot. If things get really bad, top prospect Connor Prielipp could get another look, but he was rocked for a 32.60 ERA in just a handful of innings in 2025. Justin Topa, who served as one of the two closing options after they dealt Jhoan Duran away to the Phillies last year, is likely to get the first crack at saving games.

They do have the makings of a decent bullpen that should keep them in most games. Andrew Chafin was brought in on a minor-league pact, but is the most proven lefty option remaining as the league heads into the final cuts stage of the spring. Cole Sands, who saved ten games for the Twins last season, form a solid nucleus of late-inning guys along with Topa and signee Jacob Webb. Prielipp could also figure into the bullpen mix, but really needs starts more than anything. Anthony Banda, who had a 3.00 ERA in fifty-seven frames with the Dodgers a season ago, was a good get off the waiver wire.

The lineup should be okay with the additions of Bell and Caratini, along with returnees Byron Buxton, Kody Clemens, and Royce Lewis. Catcher Ryan Jeffers, who was the subject of trade talks most of the offseason, is back to take most of the reps behind the plate, but could also see some DH work when Bell is at first base or off for the day. With Luke Keaschall emerging as an option in the infield, they traded away the lefty-swinging Julien to Colorado as part of a package for pitching prospect Jace Kaminska.

5. CHICAGO WHITE SOX

ADDED: OF Austin Hays, OF Everson Pereira, 3B Munetaka Murakami, RHP Jordan Hicks, RHP Erick Fedde, LHP Anthony Kay, LHP Chris Murphy, LHP Sean Newcomb, RHP Seranthony Dominguez, INF Luisangel Acuna
LOST: OF Luis Robert Jr., RHP Miguel Castro, LHP Tyler Alexander, OF Michael A. Taylor, OF Mike Tauchman, LHP Cam Booser, RHP Steven Wilson

For the first time in a long time on the South Side, there's optimism. Guarded, sure, but optimism. They're out from under Luis Robert Jr's dud contract. They have some nice options in the rotation, most of them with multiple years of team control, along with some competent veteran bullpen arms. They signed the best Japanese free agent on the market, Munetaka Murakami, for Pete's sake!

Kyle Teel is a solid young backstop who will get to grow along with the young pitching staff, and they've also added some more youth in the position player mix, as well. Hays gives them a veteran presence in the lineup that is dominated by guys that are still in their pre-arb years. Colson Montgomery struggled in his first taste of MLB action, but should take the next step as the full-time shortstop going forward, giving the opportunity to move Chase Meidroth off short and back to second or over to third. Meidroth is also athletic enough to play center field, especially in Guaranteed Rate's dimensions.

Are they better than Minnesota? No. Despite losing righty Pablo Lopez for the season, the Twins still have some star power with Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton, and went out and obtained more established veteran depth in the lineup that will carry the day for them. But the South Side Sox will be a much improved outfit, enough to not be the automatic out that they've been for much of the last two or three seasons.