Royals Earn 'Most Improved' Title Among AL Central Contenders From MLB Insider
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The American League Central might not be Major League Baseball's best division in 2025, but it could be the most hotly-contested.
Entering the season, four of the five teams in the division--the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, and Minnesota Twins--could all reasonably believe they have a shot to win the division title. The Chicago White Sox, of course, are just hoping to lose less than 121 games.
The Royals didn't make the splashiest moves this offseason, but they quietly got better in a lot of areas. They landed a new leadoff hitter in Jonathan India, re-signed two free agents to solidify their rotation, and brought in a new high-leverage reliever in Carlos Estévez.
How did those moves position the Royals to compete with the rest of the AL Central? According to one insider, mission accomplished.
On Wednesday, The Athletic's Jim Bowden rated the Royals as the "most improved" team in the Central based on each team's respective offseason moves, though he gave all four contending teams a "B" for their overall transactions.
"The Royals had an effective offseason, addressing two of their biggest needs: leadoff hitter and closer. They traded for infielder/outfielder Jonathan India, who will provide much-needed traffic for the middle of the lineup (Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino)," Bowden wrote.
"They signed Carlos Estévez to close, which allows them to put Lucas Erceg back in the high-leverage set-up role that fits him best."
Picking a favorite in the Central these days is an act of splitting hairs. The Guardians are the incumbent division winners, but they lost a middle-of-the-order bat in Josh Naylor. The Royals and Tigers both made the playoffs, but it could be tricky to repeat the feat with the rest of the AL looking improved across the board.
But if the Royals find their way into October, they could have their offseason tweaks to thank. The smart bet is that if Kansas City does find itself making the playoffs, India will have had a big season leading off in front of Bobby Witt Jr.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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