The Cleveland Guardians won 92 games last year and took home the AL Central crown.
They went on to reach the American League Championship Series, where they lost to the New York Yankees.
It was, in many senses, a magical season.
But Cleveland wants more, as do fans.
They completed a divisive offseason: some think they lost too much talent after getting rid of Josh Naylor, Andres Giménez, Nick Sandlin, and others.
Others, however, believe the Guards did a marvelous job with the available resources: they extended Tanner Bibee, acquired controllable pitchers in Slade Cecconi and Luis Ortiz, brought back a steady veteran in Carlos Santana, and got rid of unwanted contracts among other moves.
The end result is a highly competitive team that should be viewed as the favorite to take the divisional crown once again.
That’s, at least, what Guardians Prospective believes.
“My 2025 AL Central predictions: 1) Guardians 91-71, 2) Royals 87-75, 3) Tigers 84-78, 4) Twins 81-81, 5) White Sox 50-112,” he posted on X.
My 2025 AL Central predictions:
1) Guardians 91-71
2) Royals 87-75
3) Tigers 84-78
4) Twins 81-81
5) White Sox 50-112— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) March 25, 2025
For the record, there are four different teams with legitimate chances of winning the Central: the Guardians, the Kansas City Royals, the Detroit Tigers, and the Minnesota Twins.
The Royals and Tigers are talented, up-and-coming squads with plenty of good players, while the Twins are always dangerous.
The Royals have Bobby Witt Jr., the runner-up in the AL MVP race last year, and the Tigers have the unanimous Cy Young winner in Tarik Skubal and a talented roster.
None of them are better than Cleveland until they prove it on the field, though.
Cleveland beat the Royals in the standings last year and bested the Tigers in the regular season and the playoffs, too.
It should be a close, exciting race for the division once again.
NEXT: Guardians Pitcher Looks Good In New Role
