With spring training winding down and the regular season just days away, it’s time to examine the state of the American League and where the Royals fit in what is sure to be a loaded league in 2024.
15- Oakland Athletics
Sorry, A’s fans, the torture was only just beginning last year. Coming off an abysmal 112-loss season, the Athletics front office did very little to help turn things around this winter. Former Royal Brent Rooker is coming off a career year that saw him hit 30 home runs, but other than him, this lineup is a disaster. Don’t be shocked when the 2024 A’s find a way to lose more games than they did last year.
14- Los Angeles Angels
Remember when LeBron left Cleveland for the first time, and the franchise completely fell apart? Take that with the Angels after losing Shohei Ohtani—except they don’t have much further to fall. This team has squandered two of the most extraordinary talents baseball has ever seen. Now that Ohtani is a Dodger and Mike Trout is on the north side of 30, nobody can mask the Angels’ complete lack of talent.
13- Chicago White Sox
If Pedro Grifol’s first two years as manager were poker hands, they’d be a seven and a two. After a disastrous 2023 campaign that saw the team lose over 100 games, the White Sox fired long-time General Manager Rick Hahn in what was the franchise’s white flag on their failed rebuild. There are pieces such as Luis Robert Jr. who could be significant trade deadline bait, but that’s about as exciting as this season will be for Chicago.
12- Detroit Tigers
Why do the Tigers always generate pre-season buzz? I see people arguing they are the Twins’ biggest threat to steal the division this year, and I could not disagree more. The lineup is average at best, with little upside outside Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene. The pitching staff is the strong suit for Detroit heading into 2024, but I worry if Kenta Maeda has another entire season in his arm at 36. With the questionable bullpen and horrendous Javier Baez contract, I have too many question marks with the Tigers heading into the season.
11- Kansas City Royals
It can’t get worse than 2023. Surely by now, I would be smart enough to listen to former manager Buddy Bell’s iconic quote, “I never say it can’t get worse,” but here I am again. In one of the most active off-seasons in franchise history, the Royals spent north of 100 million dollars in an attempt to turn around what has become an eight-year playoff drought. I predict the Royals see massive improvements this year, especially in starting pitching. Grabbing Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha to solidify the rotation was huge, and if Cole Ragans continues what he started last season, you’re looking at a solid rotation.
10- Boston Red Sox
Everything points to 2024 being a bridge year for the Red Sox. After trading Chris Sale and Lucas Giolito, who suffered a significant arm injury, I don’t see a world where Boston competes in a brutal AL East. Rafael Devers and Trevor Story will make up one of the better infield-hitting duos in the league, but no amount of hitting will be able to overcome how poor the pitching staff is.
9- Cleveland Guardians
It’s a new era in Cleveland. After bringing them as close as one win away from a championship back in 2016, Terry Francona called it quits after 11 years with the club and 23 as a manager in the big leagues. First-year manager Stephen Vogt inherits one of the best pitching staffs in the league, which former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber headlines. The lineup is decent, but nothing is better than that of the top teams in the league. Everything about this roster screams 81-81 to me. Nothing special, nothing terrible.
8- Minnesota Twins
Yes, I have the top team in the AL Central ranked eighth in their own league. Similar to the Guardians, I see very little here to make me think they can be much more than a team hovering around .500. Not only do the Twins retain most of their 2023 roster, but they add to it with young star Royce Lewis. Solid lineup, solid rotation, and a solid bullpen.
7- Seattle Mariners
I don’t understand this franchise. After breaking their playoff drought in 2022, the Mariners looked prime to make another run in 2023. Finding themselves at 55-51 on the day of the trade deadline, upper management decided to sell rather than go all in with one of the most talented rosters in the AL. We head into 2024 with the Mariners looking prime to compete again, but can I trust them to? The pieces are in place, and management needs to buy in if they want a chance at dethroning the Astros or Rangers.
6- Tampa Bay Rays
It feels wrong to place the Rays this low. The “experts” predict Tampa will finish in the middle of the pack every year, and they completely shatter expectations. I’m not predicting the Rays will fall off a cliff, but I think we will see noticeable regression from their 99-win season a year ago. The Wander Franco situation is almost impossible to overcome. Franco led the team in WAR last season and only played in 112 games. If any franchise can utilize a next-man-up mentality, it’s Tampa, but in a loaded division, I see them taking a step back in 2024.
5- Toronto Blue Jays
Could this be the year Toronto breaks out of the AL? The Blue Jays have a loaded young core headlined by superstars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, yet they have no playoff series wins to show for it. If they want to break out in October, they must worry about the pitching. While Kevin Gausman was top three in Cy Young voting last year, Alek Manoah had one of the biggest single-season fall-offs the sport has ever seen. If they can get half of 2022 Manoah this season, the Blue Jays could contend for the AL East and AL Pennant.
4- New York Yankees
The good news? Juan Soto is coming to town. The bad news? Gerrit Cole is injured. That said, I still think this Yankees team will be tough to beat in 2024. Bringing in Marcus Stroman is excellent insurance for any time Cole might miss to begin the season, and with the lineup, the Yankees have assembled a squad that may not need much pitching anyway. If there’s anything I know about the Yankees, it’s that when they miss the postseason, they go all in to fix it, and after the off-season they had, they should be right back in the playoffs.
3- Houston Astros
After falling just one game shy of the World Series in 2023, Houston is back and primed to make their seventh consecutive ALCS. Houston has a lethal lineup featuring what may be the best hitter in baseball with Yordan Alvarez. The pitching and bullpen were already set up nicely, but adding Josh Hader? At this point, it’s not even fair. No part of me will be surprised if they end up with the best record in the American League in 2024; this team is loaded.
2- Texas Rangers
The reigning world champions come in just shy of the top spot. I love everything about this team. The lineup features guys who hit for average and power, and the starting rotation has veteran pieces who have proven they can get it done when the lights are brightest. The only concern with Texas is a shaky bullpen. The bullpen was the Rangers’ weak link a year ago, and now that they’ve lost Aroldis Chapman, Will Smith, and Chris Stratton the pressure is on.
1- Baltimore Orioles
Remember the days when the Royals and the Orioles were battling it out for the bottom of the league? While the Royals haven’t found themselves out of that spot, the Orioles have just escaped the basement and reached the attic. Coming off a 101-win season and adding the top prospect in baseball feels unfair, but Baltimore is about to make that a reality with Jackson Holiday (yes the son of Matt Holiday, we’re old now).
