Baseball

American League Central

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* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. Minnesota Twins

They are the clear cut best team with their overall roster construction in the division. If Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton stay healthy for a full season, look out.

2. Cleveland Guardians

They continue to doll out solid starting pitchers and their bullpen is among the best in baseball. Their lineup outside of Jose Ramirez has a lot of holes in it.

3. Detroit Tigers

They are poised to make a gigantic leap this season. The additions they made in the rotation could be the reason they make that leap in a weak division.

4. Kansas City Royals

A lot of moves were made that on the surface should result in them competing for a top spot in the Central. Yet, outside of Bobby Witt Jr. and Cole Ragans, we’ll have to wait and see what their teammates do before putting them any higher than fourth.

5. Chicago White Sox

It’s going to be a painful rebuild with a few more players likely to be dealt at some point this season.

Player to Watch: SS Bobby Witt Jr. – Kansas City Royals

Best Acquisition: P Kenta Maeda – Detroit Tigers

New Kid on the Block: SS Colson Montgomery – Chicago White Sox

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American League East

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* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. Baltimore Orioles

The acquisition of Corbin Burnes is a gigantic step for this franchise to show that they won’t be going away anytime soon.

2. Toronto Blue Jays

Their rotation is the best in the division and they’ll need bounce back seasons from Vlad Jr. and Bo Bichette.

3. Tampa Bay Rays

It’s possible they will still be in contention for another Postseason berth, but with the amount of injuries in their rotation that could be their downfall.

4. New York Yankees

If Gerrit Cole didn’t have arm issues, they would be higher up in the standings. Trading away Michael King in order to get Juan Soto doesn’t look like the right call.

5. Boston Red Sox

There’s a new leader in the front office in Craig Breslow. Time will tell if there is a clear direction for this franchise and how much patience ownership or the fanbase for that matter will have.

Player to Watch: P Kevin Gausman – Toronto Blue Jays

Best Acquisition: P Corbin Burnes – Baltimore Orioles

New Kid on the Block: INF Jackson Holliday – Baltimore Orioles

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2023 World Series Champions

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We kind of got an inkling of what to expect after Game 1 of the World Series. Arizona had the early 5-1 lead to start the game. A Corey Seager game tying 2-run home run in the 9th inning took the game into extra innings where ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia hit a walk-off home run in the 11th. The Texas Rangers were not going to go away that easily.

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2023 World Series Preview

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It has been the Postseason of the Wild Card teams. Three out of the four teams in the League Championship Series’ were Wild Card teams. Yet, the last time both teams in the World Series were Wild Cards was in 2014 between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants. Both teams in this year’s Fall Classic lost over 100 games just two seasons ago. The last time the Arizona Diamondbacks were in the World Series was in 2001. One of the most memorable World Series matchups of all time. The last time the Texas Rangers were in the World Series was in 2011. Also another memorable matchup, but it wasn’t in the Rangers favor as they lost their second consecutive World Series. One team is looking for their first championship, while the other is going for their second. Both teams went the distance in the Championship Series. Let’s see if this World Series ends up going the same route.

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