One Move For Every AL Central Team

Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians took the New York Yankees to five games in the 2024 ALCS behind their solid offense and a bullpen that was widely considered to be one of the best in baseball. Going into 2025 the team has a major need to improve a starting rotation that ranked 23rd in the MLB in ERA. Currently the Guardians have Ben Lively, Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee on their major league roster with Matthew Boyd, Alex Cobb and Shane Bieber hitting free agency. Tristan MacKenzie or Logan Allen can filI in a spot at the bottom of the rotation, but the hole at the top remains open. In order for the Guardians to stay competitive in a very tough AL Central they will need to make resigning Shane Bieber a top priority. Cleveland is not a team known for spending big money on free agents or retaining top talent but if the team wants to keep winning it will be essential for owners Paul and Larry Dolan to open their wallets this offseason.

Kansas City Royals

Kansas City was the league's most improved team in 2024 and made their first playoff appearance since 2015. The team has gotten off to a hot start this offseason by sending Brady Singer to the Reds in exchange for second baseman Jonathan India. India will immediately slot in as the team's everyday leadoff hitter, but the roster still needs a legitimate power hitter in the middle of the lineup. With the outfield needing the most help, Anthony Santander would be a perfect match in free agency. Santander is coming off an All-Star 2024 campaign in which he hit 40 home runs and drove in 102 runs, numbers that the Royals would love to have behind Bobby Witt Jr. The Royals have shown a willingness to spend in recent years, so the $100 million deal that Santander is likely seeking would not necessarily be outside the team's budget.

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers are a team with plenty of young talent to build on after a brilliant second half propelled them to the playoffs. In 2024 the third base position delivered very little offense for the Tigers with Gio Urshela and Matt Vierling manning the spot for the majority of the regular season. While the team could look to move Colt Keith back to his natural position it would be far more logical for the team to reunite A.J. Hinch and Alex Bregman in Detroit. The pair have found success together in the past and could look to bring a winning culture to Detroit. Bregman is coming off of an age 30 season where he produced solid numbers and should command a multi-year deal with an average annual value of $22 million or more. A major upgrade to the offense could put the Tigers in a position to compete for the AL Central for the next few seasons.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins ended the 2024 campaign on a major slide that cost them a wildcard spot in the American League. Much of the Twins core is returning to the team, so the organization will be looking to plug some holes to improve the roster. Their bullpen, which ranked 19th in the MLB with a 4.12 ERA, is losing their primary left-handed option Caleb Thielbar. The Twins will likely be in the market for an affordable option to plug into the bullpen in place of Thielbar, and could find that in Brent Suter. Not only would Suter give the Twins a lefty out of the bullpen, but he would be an upgrade in that role given Theilbar’s subpar numbers in 2024. Suter tossed 65.2 innings for the Red in 2024 to the tune of a 3.15 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a respectable 4.17 strikeout to walk ratio. The Twins are another team that tends to shy away from making major moves, so an affordable upgrade to a bullpen that is currently league average should be a priority.

Chicago White Sox

Across the entire MLB, there is no team that needs more help than the Chicago White Sox. After coming off a historically bad 2024 season it is clearly time to tear this thing down to the studs and completely start over. The only strength of this team is the top of their farm system, which holds four players in the MLB’s top 100 prospects, including two MLB ready position players in Colson Montgomery and Edgar Quero. Currently the AL Central is shaping up to be a tough division to compete for in 2025, so the White Sox should look to develop their young talent and rebuild to compete in a few seasons. The best way to begin this process is to deal virtually every desirable piece on their roster, starting with Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert. Crochet could command one or two top tier prospects that would drastically improve their farm system. While Luis Robert has struggled to stay on the field throughout his career, he is entering his age 27 season and is capable of playing at an All-Star level when healthy. He may not bring in as much in return as Crochet, but he is not going to be a piece this team builds around going forward.

John Siebels is the owner of Springhill Sports Cards, he collects and sells sports cards on Ebay, you can find him on Instagram and his Ebay store here