Picking two of the four horsemen for the Tigers isn’t difficult at all. The lineup boasts the reigning two-time AL MVP. The starting rotation features an AL Cy Young Award winner. Actually, there are two Cy Young Award winners among Detroit’s starting five, including last year’s honoree. But one is more important to the Tigers’ […]

We covered the Tigers' question marks — or weaknesses — in left field and the bullpen in an earlier post, and thus won't repeat them here. (What kind of blogging would that be?) But despite an overall roster that appears relatively solid, there are some underlying questions that Detroit will have to answer affirmatively if the team […]

Since 2006, two of the consistent trouble spots on the Tigers roster have been left field and the bullpen. Who could’ve guessed that Craig Monroe would be so difficult to replace? While Todd Jones wasn’t a dominant closer (and was often frustrating to watch), Detroit hasn’t been able to find a setup tandem close to […]

The Tigers were close to a second consecutive trip to the World Series, but couldn't overcome their subpar bullpen and a deep Red Sox lineup and relief corps. That led to rather significant changes, Manager Jim Leyland retired, Prince Fielder and Doug Fister were traded and more strikeout arms were added to the bullpen. Additionally, […]

The Indians scored the fourth-most runs in the AL last season. For the Tribe's offense to be as productive as it was last year, and keep them competitive in the AL Central and wild-card races, the lineup's three best sluggers will need to continue swinging big bats. Of course, no club wins without good pitching. […]

Who the Indians' fifth starter will be appears to be their biggest question during the spring. But the team has covered itself with five to six options to consider. While the everyday lineup looks solid, it does carry some underlying concerns. Will one of last year's breakouts turn out to be a one-year fluke? Will […]

One of the main reasons for the Indians' turnaround from 68 wins in 2012 to 92 victories last season was ownership giving general manager Chris Antonetti the financial resources to improve the roster. Cleveland showed its ambition to challenge the Tigers in the AL Central by signing free agents like Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn. […]

The Indians made major investments in their manager and everyday lineup before last season, and those changes paid off with the franchise's first postseason bid since 2007. Terry Francona provided a new voice and direction for a team that was no longer listening to Manny Acta, and his presence in the dugout made a significant […]

The Royals may not have many (any?) household names on their roster, but they are coming off of an 86-win season and have positioned themselves to be a dark horse coming out of the AL Central. They managed to avoid any controversial big trades this winter, but did manage to make a few very solid […]

As it turns out, Ian Kinsler's comments about the Rangers and general manager Jon Daniels was not the only issue making news with the Tigers on Tuesday. Later in the afternoon, the team learned that outfielder Andy Dirks needs back surgery and is expected to be out for 12 weeks. Dirks was tabbed as the […]

The Royals made some big, showy moves two offseasons ago to finally allow themselves to return to the land of the winning, but this last winter their machinations were much less flashy. If they really want to complete their master plan and achieve a post-season berth they are going to have make sure those moves […]

2013 was a great season for the Kansas City Royals, at least relative to what their standards have been over the last few two decades. With a young roster coming off the most successful season for the franchise in over 20 years, the Royals have the look of a team on the rise. However, if […]

They say there are no moral victories in sports, but the Royals finally finishing over .500 and somewhat justifying some of the more maligned moves they made the previous offseason is about as close as you can get. Of course, they won't have that same kind of leeway this year. Whether they've done enough to […]