Spring is here and so is baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers spent the most money a year ago and they walked away with a World Series crown. Much of the same happened this past offseason, but baseball is a funny sport. Having the best team in baseball doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to win the title. That’s more important than ever to remember as we enter a new year with exciting new rosters and a bounty of young talent rising to the top. Here is our 2026 AL Central preview.
What Happened in 2025:
Epic collapse. That’s the best way to describe what happened in the AL Central a year ago. The Tigers held a massive lead in the division heading into the final month of the season. The Guardians pulled off the largest September comeback in history, erasing an 11-game deficit to steal the crown. However, they still went head-to-head with the Tigers in the first series and Detroit got the best of them, advancing to the ALDS where the Mariners were too much for them. Kansas City was just a few games from first place while the Twins and White Sox struggled all season long.
Best Players to Watch:
White Sox – Kyle Teel – The main return in the Garrett Crochet trade, Teel is quickly becoming one of the best young catchers in the game with Chicago.
Twins – Luke Keaschall – The Twins don’t have much going for them, but Keaschall is a legit Rookie of the Year candidate who can mash when he is in the lineup.
Guardians – Jose Ramirez – He is Mr. Reliable. Ramirez has been a Top 5 player in baseball for years and just took a massively team friendly deal.
Royals – Bobby Witt Jr. – Bobby Witt Jr. continues his meteoric rise and should be thick in the conversation to win this year’s MVP. He needs a bit more power added to his game.
Tigers – Riley Greene – At just 25, he is the Tigers best young position player who belted 36 home runs a year ago and looks to add on.
Biggest Addition and Subtraction:
Addition – The AL Central was very quiet in big moves this offseason which isn’t necessarily a massive surprise with the history of these teams and most of them playing in small markets. But the Tigers did go all-in on pitching, signing Framber Valdez while also bringing back legend Justin Verlander to end his career where it started.
Subtraction – Again, not a ton of major moves happening despite there being speculation that Cleveland could deal Steven Kwan. The biggest loss is Luis Robert Jr. The Sox sent him to the Mets, ending what everyone thought would be a massively successful career in ChiTown.
Division Winner
Detroit Tigers: 95-67 – The Tigers proved a year ago that they have the talent and pitching to go deep in the postseason. They are hungry for that division title and will get it done this time around.