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Spring training games start later this week, and the team's offseason moves are coming to a close. Looking around the AL Central, who are the most improved teams? Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Spring training's start is a time to reflect on the off-season and look ahead to the upcoming campaign. The Twins' off-season plan included a whirlwind of moves, including signing the biggest free-agent contract in team history. Other AL Central teams were less active, so that begs the question: Are the Twins the AL Central's Most Improved Team? Last Friday, The Athletic's Jayson Stark surveyed 29 executives, former executives, coaches, and scouts for their opinions on the upcoming season. The Twins ranked as the sixth most-improved team in the American League. All the remaining AL Central teams ranked in the top five among the least-improved teams in the AL. The Tigers ranked as the overall least-improved team with 19 votes. Let's recap what happened in the AL Central this winter. 5. Tigers Off-Season Recap: Traded Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens for Nick Maton, Matt Vierling, and Donny Sands; Signed Michael Lorenzen; Signed Matthew Boyd; Traded Joe Jimenez for Justyn-Henry Malloy and Jake Higginbotham In 2021, the Tigers surprised many on the way to a third-place finish in the AL Central. Last season, there was even more anticipation surrounding the team, with many of their top prospects expected to impact the big-league roster. Their season failed to get off the ground for Detroit as the club struggled to a 66-96 record. The team's offseason moves will minimally impact the roster, and that's why the club projects to lose 90 games. Tigers fans can hope that Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Spencer Torkelson, and Riley Greene improve at the big-league level, but Detroit's season looks bleak. 4. White Sox Off-Season Recap: Lost Jose Abreu and Johnny Cueto to free agency; Signed Mike Clevinger; Signed Andrew Benintendi; Signed Elvis Andrus; Traded Theo Denlinger for Franklin German Many expected the White Sox to run away with the AL Central in 2021, but the club finished with a .500 record. Pedro Grifol, the former Royals bench coach, is stepping into the managerial role. Like the Twins, Chicago was hit hard by the injury bug last season. Jose Abreu has been a team leader on and off the field, so it will be interesting to see how the team adjusts to not having him in the lineup. Mike Clevinger is under investigation for domestic violence, so there is no guarantee of how much he will pitch for the club this season. Andrew Benintendi is a solid addition to the club, but there are other holes on the roster. Elvis Andrus was still on the market and agreed to a deal over the weekend. The White Sox had room to make plenty of other moves but decided to put their faith in a healthier club in 2023. 3. Royals Off-Season Recap: Signed Jordan Lyles; Traded Wyatt Mills for Jacob Wallace; Signed Ryan Yarbrough; Signed Aroldis Chapman; Traded Adalberto Mondesi for Josh Taylor; Traded Michael A. Taylor for Evan Sisk and Steven Cruz; Signed Zack Greinke Kansas City seems stuck in rebuilding mode with some high-end young players and a farm system ranking in the middle of the pack. The Royals aren't going to contend in the near future, but some exciting players are on the roster. Their place on this list is related more to what the other AL Central teams did or didn't do this winter. Aroldis Chapman is an all-time great relief pitcher, but it's hard to know what he has left in the tank. Kansas City can hope he has a great first half, and they can deal him before the trade deadline. Royals fans can pin their hopes on watching Zack Greinke join the 3,000 strikeout club with 108 Ks in 2023. 2. Guardians Off-Season Recap: Traded Carlos Vargas for Ross Carver; Traded Nolan Jones for Juan Brito; Signed Mike Zunino; Signed Josh Bell; Traded Owen Miller for a PTBNL; Traded Will Benson for Justin Boyd Cleveland didn't need to add much to their roster to be projected near the top of the AL Central. Last season, projections didn't have the Guardians running away with the division, but Minnesota and Chicago fell apart. Many experts will pick Cleveland to win the division again, but they must prove that 2022 wasn't a fluke. The Guardians had a couple of offseason needs, which the team filled with Mike Zunino and Josh Bell. Those aren't big-name free agents, but the club was already considered the most complete in the AL Central. Their organization continues to pump out big-league-caliber pitchers, and Jose Ramirez is one of the game's best hitters. Cleveland fans can look to the future when David Blitzer takes full ownership of the club, which could increase the team's payroll. 1. Twins Off-Season Recap: Signed Carlos Correa; Signed Christian Vazquez; Signed Joey Gallo; Trade Casey Legumina for Kyle Farmer, Trade Evan Sisk and Steven Cruz for Michael A. Taylor; Trade Luis Arraez for Pablo Lopez, Jose Salas, and Byron Chourio; Trade Gio Urshela for Alejandro Hidalgo Minnesota's whirlwind winter has been full of ups and downs. Correa seemed headed to multiple other organizations before returning to the Twins. Vazquez adds depth behind the plate, which was one of the team's most significant needs this winter. The front office also upgraded the rotation by trading for Pablo Lopez, even though it cost Luis Arraez. On paper, the Twins have tremendous depth throughout the roster, which can help if/when injuries impact the team in 2023. Some of the moves will help the team more than others, but the team's leaders have set high goals. Can this roster meet expectations? How would you rank the moves made by the AL Central teams this offseason? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

The Minnesota Twins have remained largely quiet thus far through the offseason, but things are starting to heat up and there could be some relatively significant shuffling of the Major League roster. Max Kepler, who has spent his entire professional career with Minnesota, may find himself as one of the dominoes that falls. Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports For years there has been discussion as to whether the Twins may move on from Max Kepler. The German-born outfielder was signed to a five-year contract extension before the 2019 Major League season, and that was coming off a season in which he posted a 97 OPS+. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine had seen enough consistency offensively, albeit to a mediocre level, and a substantial defensive contribution to lock him into a cost-certain deal. Rather than going to arbitration with Kepler, the Twins now knew where they would stand with their blossoming right fielder. He immediately paid off. Kepler was a key cog of the 2019 Bomba Squad that blasted a single-season record amount of home runs. His .855 OPS was a career-high, and his 36 dingers came out of nowhere. In the three years since, he has regressed to the average offensive player, he was previously while still playing Gold Glove defense. With the emergence of corner outfield types such as Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, and Matt Wallner, Minnesota finds themselves at a point where offensive production could be the greater goal. Though the Winter Meetings are over, the front office has been laying the groundwork for a deal. The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman noted that multiple teams have reached out to the Twins regarding their left-handed hitting outfielder. He’s not going to bring back a big piece, especially as the centerpiece of any deal, but the most recent Gleeman and the Geek episode featured a deeper dive into the conversation. Gleeman went on to note that there does seem to be a substantial amount of interest out there. While Kepler’s offensive deficiencies are well documented, he still has plenty of value overall. Given the multiple avenues they could explore, it seemed as though a Kepler deal may get pushed to the back burner from a timing perspective but could be considered more likely than not to happen. On Monday, Joel Sherman reported that the New York Yankees had had conversations with the Twins regarding Kepler. They employed both Joey Gallo and Andrew Benintendi at points last season. They are intrigued by a reunion with the former Royals outfielder, but his price tag could touch $100 million after a strong 2022. Kepler is only owed $8.5 million this season and has a $10 million team option for 2024 or a $1 million buyout. If the Yankees, or anyone else, were more inclined to go with a cheaper option and bet on Kepler providing a bit extra value without the shift, that’s where the intrigue comes in. Minnesota and New York have teamed up for trades previously, and they did send outfielder Aaron Hicks to the Bronx after John Ryan Murphy wowed them with a home run off of closer Glen Perkins. The market for Kepler seems vast, and while we haven’t heard many different teams reported yet, Minnesota is likely keeping options close to the vest until they’re ultimately ready to move him. Nick Nelson recently wrote about the Seattle Mariners being a fit and their general manager Jerry Dipoto loving to make deals. Mitch Haniger is no longer there, and while they did acquire Teoscar Hernandez, Kepler could be a great bridge guy until prospects Jarred Kelenic or Taylor Trammell have proven they’re ready to take over. Playing alongside star centerfielder Julio Rodriguez would give the Mariners a similar defensive pairing to what Minnesota currently has with Byron Buxton in center. No matter who emerges as the favorite to land Minnesota’s fan-favorite, it does seem like this continues to trend more towards a “when” and not “if” situation that Kepler is dealt. View full article

In the final update before we hit the All-Star Break, we saw the AL Central become the only division with just a single team above .500 following a Guardians loss on Wednesday. It’s been a weird year for the division, and competitiveness may be interesting when we get to October. The Standings: Minnesota 49-41 Cleveland 43-44 (4.5 GB, 3.0 GB of 2nd Wild Card) Chicago 43-45 (5.0 GB) Detroit 37-52 (11.5 GB) Kansas City 35-53 (13.0 GB) Chicago again continues to get in their own way while they have gained ground on Cleveland thanks to a horrid stretch from Terry Francona’s club. Detroit and Kansas City haven’t figured to be in play even before Opening Day and the question now is just how far they’ll fall by season’s end. The Stories: After a strong first-half performance by more than a few Minnesota Twins players, both Byron Buxton and Luis Arraez were named to the American League All-Star team. Buxton has a slugging-heavy OPS while Arraez looks like the second coming of Rod Carew. Kenta Maeda has thrown 85 mph in a recent bullpen and looks toward a return later this season. Following his most recent outing, Josh Winder was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. It appears starter Chris Archer will rejoin the rotation and take the final turn against Chicago before the break. Just days after returning to the lineup for Chicago, Eloy Jimenez exited Wednesday with leg tightness. Yasmani Grandal is inching closer towards a return for the White Sox and is expected to rejoin the club following the All-Star break. He has been sidelined dealing with back spasms. Tony La Russa continues to be the gift that keeps on giving in terms of mind-boggling decisions. This week he had his pitcher walk Guardians star Jose Ramirez after getting behind 0-1 in a count while Chicago was trailing by 4. A couple of less than ideal contributors have their status currently up in the air for Francona’s club. Luke Maile took a foul tip to the catcher’s mask and it didn’t look good. Starter Aaron Civale has also been sent for an MRI after dealing with right wrist pain during his latest start. Jose Ramirez did make waves this week when he announced that he would participate in the Home Run Derby during the All-Star game festivities in Los Angeles. It’s been an up and down year for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. Overall though, he’s nearly hit 100 mph and while he owns a 4.11 ERA the 3.02 FIP suggests he’s been even better. In a year lost for much of the team, he’s been a bright spot. Miguel Cabrera has been selected to participate in the All-Star game by way of Commissioner Rob Manfred. Very little has gone right for Kansas City this season and now they’ve entered the territory of self-inflicted wounds. Heading to Toronto for a final series prior to the All-Star break, Kansas City placed nearly 50% of their 26-man roster on the restricted list. That also includes key trade chip, Andrew Benintendi, who Jon Heyman now reports is not of interest to the Yankees because of the inability to compete. The Week Ahead: A fitting end to the first half for Minnesota, they’ll tangle with the Chicago White Sox. Despite expecting to battle with one another, the Twins own a 5-1 record with a +18 run differential against Chicago this season. After playing the Tigers in Detroit four times over three days last week, Cleveland closes out by welcoming them four a traditional four-game series. Mike Matheny’s Royals club goes north of the border to play the Blue Jays in Toronto. As mentioned, they’ll do so needing to replace a whopping 10 players on their active roster. For a team that’s already one of the worst in baseball, they’ll be a skeleton crew in Canada to close it out. What are you looking forward to this week? What’s your favorite part of the All-Star festivities? View full article

If you’re a casual follower of the draft, there is a pretty good chance that you’ve heard the big names, but the name Andrew Benintendi doesn’t ring a bell. Heck, some people that follow the draft pretty closely are only starting to learn about him. But it’s time to take note. This guy is for real.Who is this guy? The 5-10, 180-pound lefty/lefty Arkansas outfielder is an interesting story. He started 60 of the team’s 61 games last year and put up only OK stats for a college freshman. He was certainly on teams’ draft radars - he was drafted by the Reds out of high school in the 31st round - but so are thousands of other kids. Things started to change this spring when he got off to a blistering start and scouts realized that his early July birthday made him the rare draft-eligible true sophomore. They checked him out and even as recently as one month ago Benintendi still wasn’t knocking down draft doors. Could go in the 2nd round? Not exactly compelling for a team drafting at #6. But after that hot start, he has yet to slow down. Hitting only one home run all of last year, Benintendi is now tied for third in the nation with 18. His .391 batting average (14th), .492 on-base percentage (9th), .738 slugging percentage (3rd) all rank among the best in all of Division 1 baseball. And he happens to be getting it done in the best conference of them all (while striking out in only around 10% of his at-bats). He was recently named SEC’s Player of the Year. Why the Twins will pick him Benintendi checks almost all the boxes. Before this year, he was known for his plus athleticism, his ability to steal bases - on the clock he was scoring plus run-times - and for his ability to play a plus defense in center field. That alone isn’t going to get anyone drafted on the first day. This year he’s added serious strength (which is showing up as usable game-power) and Baseball America recently called him one of the best three “pure hitters” in college baseball. While his arm keeps him from being a true “five-tool” player, he is as close as you can come. During a recent conversation with Seth Stohs, the guru of all things Twins, he made the comment that Benintendi sounds “a lot like Byron Buxton”. It’s because he does and that type of ability gets you drafted really high. Why the Twins will not pick him The Rockies are rumored to be interested in Benintendi with the third overall choice. Obviously that would be a reason the for the Twins not to take him. The universal knocks on Benintendi are, quite literally, the only things he can’t control: He’s not the prototypical outfielder in that, he’s small. The other knock is that he doesn’t have a long track-record of success. After his ho-hum initial season at Arkansas, he didn’t play any summer ball. This success that he’s having is nearing 60 games, but for some teams that’s just not enough. The Twins currently have an abundance of outfield talent: Arcia, Rosario and Hicks are all on the big-league roster. Buxton, Kepler, Walker and Harrison are in Chattanooga. And that doesn’t include the guys further away (in A-ball or lower) or the fact that both Trevor Plouffe and Miguel Sano are going to, eventually, both need a spot in the lineup and a popular rumor is moving one of them to the already-crowded outfield. But Benintendi is special and he could very easily be the Best Player Available at the sixth pick. If he’s still available. Not bad for a guy who many said “Who?” about merely a few weeks ago. --- Check out the other profiles: The Big Three (Swanson, Rodgers, Tate) Walker Buehler Get all the info with the Draft Kickoff and Mock Click here to view the article