As the players finish their preparations at their Spring Training camps, the 30 Major League baseball clubs are looking forward to opening day on Thurs. March 20. There is plenty of excitement around each fanbase as they look forward to their fresh slate in their march towards October.
In this article, each American League team will be ranked within their division from best to worst based on their promise for the upcoming season. Within these rankings, there will be an overview of each team and what can lead them to that spot.
AL East
1.) Boston Red Sox
After missing out of the playoffs last season, the Red Sox had an impressive offseason where they added some big stars to the lineup and pitching staff. Alex Bregman was one of the most notable pickups as he is one of the best defensive third basemen in the league and has been great offensively throughout his career with the Astros. Garrett Crochet and Walker Beuhler were great additions to the starting rotation after having great seasons in 2024. Boston has some other stars in their lineup with Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers and Trevor Story who have been pure hitters in their time in the league. Duran is a staple to this lineup as he hits for power and causes chaos on the base paths with his speed and aggressiveness. Boston also has some very talented players coming through the farm system including Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell. They also picked up some solid arms for their bullpen with Aroldis Chapman and Liam Hendricks. After a very solid offseason and some development out of their top prospects, there is a lot to be excited about for the Red Sox this year.
2.) New York Yankees
Following a heartbreaking end of their 2024 season with a loss in the World Series, the Yankees continued their ways of making big moves over the offseason. The biggest loss to the Yankees over the offseason was Juan Soto, who was one of the best hitters in baseball last season and one of the key pieces in their deep Postseason run. The Yankees helped filled that void by bringing in Cody Bellinger, the star outfielder that is great defensively and will fit in well at Yankee Stadium with the short porch in right field. They were also able to bring in a great arm for the rotation with the signing of Max Fried, the lefty starting pitcher who was great in his time with the Braves. Following the loss of Gerrit Cole to Tommy John Surgery this spring, Fried will be alongside Carlos Rodon as the top pitcher in the rotation. The Yankees also brought in a dominant arm to their bullpen with the addition of Devin Williams, yet another shutdown closer coming out of Milwaukee. Aaron Judge will look to continue his offensive prowess after putting up yet another incredible season earning him his second MVP award. After some big pickups this offseason, it is likely the Yankees will continue their dominance in the regular season.
3.) Baltimore Orioles
After a very impressive regular season that ended with 91 wins in 2024, the Orioles didn’t make many significant moves in the offseason. Baltimore even lost Corbin Burnes, their ace in the rotation last season, to free agency. This will be a huge loss to the Orioles as a dominant starter is usually the recipe for success for teams that are looking to make a push to the World Series. The Orioles did end up signing veteran starter Charlie Morton, who might see a little regression in his 18th season in the league. Even though they might have some struggles in their pitching staff, the Orioles have some of the top young talent in the league in their lineup with Adley Rutschman, Cedric Mullens, Colten Couser and Ryan Mountcastle. Baltimore also has Jackson Holliday, who was one of the top prospects in the league before having some offensive struggles in his first season last year. However, the 21-year-old started to show some flashes of being one of the next stars in the league as he settled in closer to the end of the season. The Orioles will have to do without superstar shortstop Gunnar Henderson to start the season after he suffered a mild right intercostal strain in Spring Training, sidelining him for the final three weeks of camp. When Henderson returns to the lineup, the Orioles will have one of the top batting orders in the league. Baltimore will also see the return of Felix Bautista, who has been one of the best closing pitchers in the league when he is healthy. If the Orioles can have a good season going into the trade deadline and pick up an elite starter, they could be heavy contenders for a good playoff push this season.
4.) Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays will look forward to their fresh start this season after having a very disappointing year in 2024, landing them the last seed in the American League East. Even though they had that bad year, Toronto still has some great players in their lineup and rotation that could bounce back this year. Bo Bichette and Vladamir Guerrero Jr. will look to bounce back from their worst seasons in their careers as they are the glue to this lineup and are vital to the team’s success. Guerrero can be someone to look for early in the MVP race as he is also going into a contract year, where players typically perform their best to try and earn the best contract they can. George Springer is another veteran in this lineup that can be a sneaky player this season as he has had some great offensive production earlier in his career with the Astros. The biggest pickup for the Blue Jays this offseason was Anthony Santander, who was great in his time with the Orioles ending with 44 home runs in 2024. Toronto also picked up Max Scherzer, the veteran starting pitcher that has been great even late in his career before having some injury problems lately. The Blue Jays also have some other solid arms in the rotation with Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt. The Blue Jays will be an interesting team to watch this season as they have the pieces in their roster to sneak back into playoff contention this year.
5.) Tampa Bay Rays
After a mediocre season in 2024 where they ended with just below a .500 record, the Rays continued to be quiet in the offseason with no big pickups. The biggest problem on the Tampa Bay team this year could be their starting rotation, with their ace Shane McClanahan suffering nerve irritation in his arm following his return from Tommy John surgery in Spring Training. Even though they will likely have some struggles with their pitching staff, the Rays have some solid bats in the lineup that can help battle the weakness. Junior Caminero, Christopher Morel, Yandy Diaz, and the Lowe brothers have been solid in their time with the Rays where they have hit for good power and decent average. Even though they might not have any of the biggest names in the sport, the Rays have proven in the past to be the sneaky team that competes consistently for a Wild Card spot.
AL Central
1.) Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians will look to continue their success under Steven Vogt as the manager after having one of the best records in baseball and making it all the way to the ALCS in just his first season as the coach. The Guardians ended up losing Josh Naylor, who was one of their best bats in the lineup over the past few seasons, in a trade that gave them Slade Cecconi, a promising arm for their pitching rotation that is in need of help. Even with the loss of Naylor, Cleveland still has some solid bats in the lineup with Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan being the anchors of the lineup. The Guardians also have a history of playing small ball really well, which is pivotal to their success with a lack of some of the bigger names in the league throughout their lineup. Shane Bieber will look to have a bounce-back season with the Guardians this year after being one of the top pitchers years ago. Even though their lineup might not look like the flashiest in the league, the Guardians have proven to be one of the top teams in the league with similar rosters before.
2.) Detroit Tigers
Following a productive season in 2024 where they saw great development out of their promising young players, the Tigers made a couple moves that could make them a sleeper in the upcoming season. The biggest addition to the Tigers over the offseason was Jack Flaherty, who will be a great second pitcher in the rotation after spending the end of last season with the Dodgers. They also picked up Gleyber Torres, who showed flashes of great offensive production in his time with the Yankees. Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene are the most promising young hitters in the lineup as they will each look to have breakout seasons after spending a couple years in the league. The Tigers hope to get the same production out of their lefty ace Tarik Skubal, who was dominant in 2024 and ended up winning the AL Cy Young Award. With some solid pickups and development out of their young players, the Tigers could surprise some people this season if they are able to stay healthy.
3.) Kansas City Royals
The Royals will look to continue their success from last season where they saw a lot of development out of the young stars in their lineup. The biggest pickup for the Royals over the offseason was Jonathon India, who has been pretty solid in his first four seasons in the league with the Reds. Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is the leader of this team after having the best season of his young career in 2024 with 32 home runs, 31 stolen bases and 109 runs batted in. Veteran catcher Salvador Perez will be the veteran presence on the team after continuing to be dominant late in his career with 27 home runs and 104 runs batted in last season. Vinnie Pasquantino is another young player in this lineup to watch for after having good production in 2024. Cole Raegans is the number one starter in the rotation after being pretty solid in his first three seasons in the league. If the Royals can get better production out of their rotation than expected, they can easily be one of the teams fighting for one of the American League Wild Card spots.
4.) Minnesota Twins
After finishing just above .500 in 2024, the Twins look they are headed towards the same direction after being pretty quiet in the offseason. The top bats in the lineup for the Twins will be the veteran presence of Carlos Correa at shortstop and Byron Buxton at center field. Correa and Buxton will try to stay healthy after being riddled with injuries in their time at Minnesota. When they are healthy, they can be a real problem for other teams offensively. Matt Walner could be another player to look out for with a breakout season in his fourth year in the league. Even though he has shown flashes of being a pure hitter, Walner is yet another player on this lineup that has had a lot of injury struggles in the past. Veteran pitcher Pablo Lopez will be the number one starter in the rotation and will try to bounce back from a couple mediocre seasons recently. Even though the Twins may not look the best going into the upcoming season, they can possibly take advantage of their weak division.
5.) Chicago White Sox
The White Sox look like an early favorite to be the worst team in baseball this year after having one of the worst seasons in baseball history last year. Chicago continued to frustrate their fans in the offseason as they did almost nothing in the offseason, with their biggest pickup being Austin Slater, who was released last year by the Giants. Luis Robert is the best hitter returning to this lackluster lineup. When he was healthy Robert was one of the top young hitters in the league. The White Sox also lost Garret Crochet. their top starting pitcher, to free agency in the offseason. Overall, there is not much to write home about for this White Sox team that is almost certainly going to be the worst team in the division yet again.
AL West
1.) Houston Astros
After they ended last year as the top seed in the division yet again, the Astros look like they can do the same. The Astros may take a little bit of a step back after losing some key players and some aging out of their top players. The biggest loss to the team over the offseason was Kyle Tucker, the star corner outfielder who was one of the best hitters in the Houston lineup over the past few seasons. Houston also lost veteran starting pitcher Justin Verlander to free agency after a season that showed some signs of regression. The Astros were able to add a great bat to their lineup with the signing of veteran first baseman Christian Walker, who has hit for over 20 home runs in each of his last three seasons. Veteran Jose Altuve will find himself in a new spot this season as he made the move to left field in Spring Training. Altuve and Yordan Alvarez will likely be the best bats in the lineup and have the veteran presence in the clubhouse. Even though this might not look like the best team the Astros have had compared to the past, it is very hard to bet against this team making the playoffs.
2.) Texas Rangers
The Rangers will look forward to a fresh start this year after following up their World Series win with a disappointing season that left them out of the playoffs completely. If they are able to keep some of the stars on their roster healthy, the Rangers could be a heavy contender to take control of their division. Jacob deGrom is the key to the starting rotation after losing some important pieces to the rotation. Injuries have been the biggest problem for him throughout his career but when he’s been healthy, he’s been completely dominant. Nathan Eovaldi is a solid second starter in the rotation and was great in their World Series run in 2023. They also have some great hitters in their lineup including Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia, who have a lot of experience at the highest level and were the anchors to the lineup in their World Series run in 2023. If they are able to get some good production out of their pitching staff that has some questions, the Rangers are in a good position to have a bounce-back year.
3.) Seattle Mariners
After barely missing out of the playoffs last season, the Mariners didn’t have that great of an offseason, where they didn’t add anything notable offensively. Young phenom Julio Rodriguez will be the leader of this lineup yet again with Randy Arozarena returning for his first full season with Seattle. Even though they might not get the greatest offensive production out of their lineup, the Mariners have a very solid pitching rotation with Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller as the top three arms. This is a good sign for the future of this Mariners team as a good starting rotation is usually a recipe for success. However, the Seattle lineup doesn’t seem like it is in shape to compete against some of the top teams in the league.
4.) The Athletics
The biggest change to this Athletics team this season wasn’t to the roster, but to their home field as they will be playing in Sacramento at Sutter Health Park. The Athletics made an aggressive move in free agency as they signed starting pitcher Luis Severino to a three-year, 67-million-dollar deal, the biggest contract in team history. They also have some great young talent on their roster with Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker being the leaders of this lineup with Mason Miller being the dominant closer in the bullpen. Even though they might not be favorites to compete for a playoff spot this year, there is some young talent coming through the system that can be fun to watch for the future of the team.
5.) Los Angeles Angels
After being the last seed in the American League West in 2024, the Angels might be headed towards the same direction this season. The biggest names returning to the lineup are Taylor Ward and Mike Trout, who will likely be the best hitters in the lineup. Angels fans hope that Trout can stay healthy after he has missed a lot of games to injuries over the past couple years. However, when Trout is healthy, he has been one of the best hitters in the league. The Angels also added middle infielder Tim Anderson, who was one of the top hitters in the league before having some very disappointing seasons as of late. They also added veteran Jorge Soler, who has consistently been a power hitter throughout his career. With plenty of questions around this pitching staff, it is likely that the Angels will have yet another disappointing season.
