The American League’s Detroit Tigers Division, formerly known as the American League Central, has been becoming increasingly competitive over the past few seasons. When the Tigers won the first of their three straight division titles in 2011, it was by a 15-game margin over the Indians. A year later, it was just three games over the White Sox. And last season, they edged the Indians by only a game. Detroit will once again enter the season as division favorites, but two other teams are hoping they have done enough to dethrone them, while the remaining two continue to rebuild.
Chicago White Sox
Key Additions: Jose Abreu, Ronald Belisario, Matt Davidson, Scott Downs, Adam Eaton
Key Subtractions: Addison Reed, Hector Santiago
Biggest Strength: Top-of-the-Rotation Pitching
Biggest Weakness: Offense
Beyond Chris Sale, there wasn’t a whole lot to be excited about with the White Sox last season. The team lacked star presence and general all-around talent en route to baseball’s third-worst record. While Chicago’s ceiling is still limited, things should be a little better this year. Alexei Ramirez, Gordon Beckham, and Adam Dunn will still be around, as will young star Avisail Garcia, who will get his first full year in the Majors. But they have added a few potential impact players, including Abreu. One of the more intriguing players available this offseason, the White Sox won the bidding war for the Cuban first baseman with a six-year, $68 million dollar deal. He has a ton of power, but his ability is raw. Eaton and Davidson, added in separate trades with the Diamondbacks, are young players with good skills who figure to be starters going forward. All three should still improve what was the American League’s worst offense.
The pitching staff, which finished in the middle of the American League pack, will once again be led by Sale, who finished fifth in last year’s Cy Young Award voting. Jose Quintana will return as a serviceable number two, and John Danks will try to bounce back from a couple of down years. The four and five spots in the rotation will be manned by new pitchers this year, likely some combination of Erik Johnson, Felipe Paulino, Andre Rienzo, and Eric Surkamp. The bullpen will feature several returnees, but a different closer. Addison Reed was dealt away to bring in Davidson. Nate Jones is the most likely heir to the job. He is a hard thrower and a strikeout pitcher, owning a 10.3 K/9 rate, but has yet to save a game in his Major League career. Chances are, the White Sox will be in a lot of close games and they will need Jones to be able to hold on to leads if they will improve on last year’s record.
