It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. And a new AL Central Season Preview is ready to hit the shelves before the start of the 2025 season.
The AL Central looks to have the most intrigue surrounding its squads ahead of the new campaign. Three of the five teams made the playoffs last year, and one even made it as far as the ALCS.
However, this division was fairly quiet in terms of offseason moves. To put it generally, there weren’t any major splashes of note. For more on another division, go check out the latest post on the American League East.
So, let’s break down the AL Central, and see who could be hot, and who could be not.
Cleveland Guardians
Leading off is last year’s division champion and ALCS combatant Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians were one of the biggest surprises in 2024, as their youth helped catapult them to an unexpected trip to the League Championship Series. Now, the roster has seen a bit of a shake-up heading into 2025. Out are 1B Josh Naylor, 2B Andres Gimenez, and in is 1B Carlos Santana. Now, Santana is back for a third stint in Cleveland, and the team will expect him to be the veteran leader of a young group.
Key Moves for the Guardians
-Signed Carlos Santana to a one-year contract on Dec. 23.
-Traded Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks for SP Slade Cecconi and a draft pick.
-Signed RP Paul Sewald to a two-year contract on Jan. 22.
Guardians Projected Opening Day Lineup
C Bo Naylor
1B Carlos Santana
2B Gabriel Arias
SS Brayan Rocchio
3B Jose Ramirez
LF Steven Kwan
CF Lane Thomas
RF Will Brennan
DH Jhonkensy Noel
Guardians Projected Rotation
Tanner Bibee
Ben Lively
Luis L. Ortiz
Logan T. Allen
Slade Cecconi
Prediction
I think the Guardians will probably take a step back this year, but they will finish with anywhere between 85 and 88 wins. They also will be in the hunt for one of the last two wild card spots. Regardless, it should be another fun summer ahead at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
Detroit Tigers
Similarly to the Guardians, the Detroit Tigers were another surprise story in 2024. In fact, there are a lot of similarities between Cleveland and Detroit. However, 2024 was the first full year for the Tigers without 1B Miguel Cabrera. Furthermore, it was a major step forward. The Tigers made a move and ended up tied for second place in the AL Central with 86 wins.
Key Moves for the Tigers
-Signed 2B Gleyber Torres to a one-year, $15 million contract on Dec. 27.
-Signed SP Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract on Dec. 10.
-Signed SP Jack Flaherty to a two-year, $35 million contract on Feb. 7.
Tigers Projections for Opening Day Lineup
2B Gleyber Torres
LF Riley Greene
1B Spencer Torkelson
CF Wenceel Perez
C Jake Rogers
RF Kerry Carpenter
DH Matt Vierling
3B Colt Keith
SS Zach McKinstry
Projections for the Rotation
Tarik Skubal
Kenta Maeda
Jack Flaherty
Alex Cobb
Casey Mize
Prediction
All things considered, the Tigers made a couple of big moves that provided some pretty good boosts to their squad. For this reason, I see this young squad taking another step forward. Presently, I could even be persuaded to seeing the Tigers eclipse the 90-win mark this year and winning their first division title since 2014.
Kansas City Royals
After making their first playoff appearance in nine years, the Kansas City Royals could certainly be another surprise story heading into 2025. While they did finish with the same number of wins as the Tigers, they did not have as big of an offseason, moves wise. But that should not discredit this team from being a competitor for a playoff spot.
Key Move for the Royals
-Acquired 2B Jonathan India and OF Joey Wiemer from the Cincinnati Reds for SP Brady Singer.
Firstly, the Projections for KC’s Opening Day Lineup
SS Bobby Witt Jr.
2B Jonathan India
LF MJ Melendez
C Salvador Perez
1B Vinnie Pasquantino
RF Hunter Renfroe
3B Maikel Garcia
CF Joey Wiemer
DH Freddy Fermin
Opening Day Rotation Projection
Cole Ragans
Seth Lugo
Michael Wacha
Daniel Lynch
Michael Lorenzen
Prediction for the Royals
This one, I feel like, could go either way. Does Kansas City have momentum off of a playoff appearance? Yes. Consequently, their lack of outreach in the offseason could spell some trouble. I think this is a team, that, contrary to early looks, may finish north of 85 wins and be in playoff contention until the end of the season.
Minnesota Twins
Fourthly on the list, and fourth in the 2024 Central standings, are the Minnesota Twins. Now, the Twins are an interesting case study heading into 2025. It should also be worth mentioning that Minnesota finished just barely above the .500-mark last season at 82-80. This was, most likely, the quietest offseason team heading into 2025. Concurrently, the prediction may be a little bit on the harsher side this year.
Key Move for the Twins
-Signed OF Harrison Bader to a two-year, $14.75 million contract on Feb. 7.
Opening Day Lineup Projections
CF Byron Buxton
SS Carlos Correa
3B Jose Miranda
LF Harrison Bader
C Ryan Jeffers
2B Willi Castro
RF Trevor Larnach
1B Ty France
DH Matt Wallner
Opening Day Rotation Projection
Pablo Lopez
Bailey Ober
Chris Paddack
Joe Ryan
Louie Varland
Finally, the Prediction
I think the Twins are going to regress a bit this year. By regress, I mean they will fall back to approximately… 77, 78 wins? They will be comparable to the meh teams from last year.
Chicago White Sox
Oooooh boy… where to even begin with the comedy of errors that was the Chicago White Sox in 2024? From setting a modern-day record with 121 losses in a season, to the firing of Pedro Grifol, everything fell apart on the South Side. This team looks to be headed for full rebuild mode. But they did make a couple of noteworthy moves in the offseason. And while one was more costly, it could very well provide a boost for the future.
Key Moves for the White Sox
-Traded SP Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox for a couple of high-potential prospects, including outfielder Braden Montgomery.
-Also boosted their rotation with a two-year, $13.5 million contract for SP Martin Perez.
White Sox Opening Day Lineup Projections
CF Luis Robert Jr.
1B Andrew Vaughn
LF Andrew Benintendi
C Korey Lee
RF Michael A. Taylor
3B Josh Rojas
SS Miguel Vargas
DH Austin Slater
Lenyn Sosa
Rotation Projections
Martin Perez
Drew Thorpe
Jonathan Cannon
Tyler Gilbert
Gus Varland
Lastly, the prediction
Surely, the only way to go for the White Sox is up, right? They certainly won’t be as bad as last year, but I don’t see them competing for the division, either. Consequently, they should be penciled in for another triple-digit loss season.
And, at last, this piece comes to a close. The AL Central may not be as competitive of a division as it was last year, but there are still plenty of fireworks to be seen. It should be very fun to see what happens in the AL Central this year.
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Nate Powalie is a contributor for Back Sports Page. A 2022 graduate of Ashland University, Nate has five years of sports writing experience and has gotten the chance to call sporting events for radio and live stream. Nate also works as a cashier and can be found on Twitter (@PNate22) and Facebook (Nate Powalie).
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