Four solid teams, and then the White Sox

The American League Central was a surprisingly strong division last season, with four teams finishing above .500.

Then there was the Chicago White Sox — who racked up 121 losses for the most defeats in modern Major League Baseball history.

Expect more of the same in 2025. The defending champion Cleveland Guardians, along with the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals all have reason to believe they’ll emerge at the top of the division.

As for the White Sox, there’s pretty much nowhere to go but up, though it still looks like another tough season for Chicago’s South Side.

How they project

1. Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are aiming to pick up where they did last season, keeping the key players that put together a late-season surge to end a decade-long playoff drought. Detroit’s rotation is led by AL Cy Young and Triple Crown winner Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty, who returned as a free agent after being dealt at the last trade deadline. Two-time All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres was signed, shifting 23-year-old Colt Keith to first base. The Tigers had four banged-up outfielders in spring training and will possibly start the season without Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Perez and Akil Baddoo. Spencer Torkelson, the No. 1 pick overall in 2020, is getting a chance to revive his career as a designated hitter and is a potentially pivotal player in a lineup that could get a boost with his bat.

2. Kansas City Royals. The long-suffering club nearly went from worst-to-first last year, earning a wild card and beating the Orioles in the playoffs before losing to the Yankees in four games in the Division Series. They re-signed Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen to keep intact the majority of a stellar rotation that includes All-Stars Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo. Their biggest move of the offseason came when they dealt homegrown starter Brady Singer to Cincinnati to land infielder Jonathan India, whom they hope can improve their on-base percentage at the top of the lineup. Kansas City was unable to land the outfield bat that it coveted in free agency, so it will be important for MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe to show improvement for the offense to take a step forward. If they can stay as healthy as last year, and All-Star SS Bobby Witt Jr. comes close to matching his near-MVP season, the Royals should be in the mix for their first AL Central title since 2015.

3. Cleveland Guardians. What can Stephen Vogt do for an encore? In his first season, Vogt took the Guardians to the ALCS and won AL Manager of the Year honors. Vogt has one of the best bullpens in the majors led by closer Emmanuel Clase, who was second the majors with 47 saves. The top of the lineup is strong with third baseman José Ramírez, outfielder Steven Kwan and first baseman Carlos Santana back for a third stint in Cleveland. The rotation has some questions until Shane Bieber returns possibly after the All-Star break after having Tommy John surgery last year. The bottom of the lineup also lacks power. Catcher Bo Naylor needs to bounce back after batting only .201 with 13 home runs last season.

4. Minnesota Twins. The Twins had another quiet winter with their payroll in a holding pattern after it was slashed last year in response to the loss of regional television revenue that several of their peers across the game have been grappling with. That raised the collective angst within the fan base following a 12-27 finish to the 2024 season that cost them a spot in the postseason. While they’ll roll out largely the same lineup as last year, banking on better health for stars Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis — the latter was dealing with a hamstring issue in spring training — they did overhaul their entire hitting staff. Matt Borgschulte was hired away from the Baltimore Orioles to be the new hitting coach. The Twins were 10th in the major leagues in runs in each of the last two years despite the series of injuries to several of their key hitters, and their flame-throwing pitching staff that ranked second in baseball in strikeouts in 2024 and first in 2023 features a potentially dominant late-inning trio with Cole Sands and Griffin Jax setting up Jhoan Durán.

5. Chicago White Sox. The team has new leadership in the dugout with Will Venable taking over for Pedro Grifol, who was fired last August in the midst of a brutal 41-121 season. Venable was an associate manager under Bruce Bochy in Texas for the past two years. Chicago dealt pitcher Garrett Crochet to Boston, but the White Sox hung onto Luis Robert Jr. for now coming off an injury-riddled season. Outfielder Andrew Benintendi was expected to miss four to six weeks after breaking his right hand when he was hit by a pitch during a spring training game in late February. It’s going to be another rebuilding year for the franchise. Chicago has restocked its minor league system, but help still appears to be a couple years away.

Skubal’s encore

Detroit’s Skubal emerged as one of the game’s elite pitchers with a brilliant season in 2024, going 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts. The 28-year-old should just be entering his prime years, boasting a 100 mph fastball that’s tough to square up.

If spring training is any indication, he’s primed for another great season. He had a 2.70 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings through his first four Grapefruit League outings.

Lewis hurt again

Lewis’ quest for a healthy season in Minnesota is not off to a good start. The third baseman strained his left hamstring on March 16, which could affect his ability for opening day.

The 25-year-old Lewis made his big league debut in 2022, but his development has been slowed by injuries. He missed the 2021 season after he tore his right ACL when he slipped on ice during a winter storm at his Texas home and had ACL surgery on the same knee on June 21, 2022.

He opened the 2023 season on the 60-day injured list while he recovered from his June knee surgery. He also had IL stints that year with a strained left oblique and a left hamstring strain.

Lewis hit .233 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs last year, but played in just 82 games. He had IL stints for a strained right quad and a right adductor strain.

AP Sports Writers Larry Lage, Dave Skretta, Dave Campbell, Joe Reedy and Andrew Seligman contributed to this story.

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