Tigers, Royals, Twins and more: May bold predictions for every AL Central team

The American League Central is the most bland, unexceptional, and dissatisfying division in baseball, which is tremendously irritating to the entire division’s fandom. Four AL Central teams will triumphantly fail to make the playoffs, and one will win by default.

If your team competes in the AL Central, you’re used to this being the most turbulent division in baseball. For years, it was typically a battle between the two teams that fell apart the least after the All-Star break. No AL Central team has taken the division without a late September push, and it is always a down-to-the-wire fight, and 94 wins will almost guarantee the division.

As it currently stands, that looks like what will go down this September. The Opening Day projections had the Twins and Guardians taking it down to late September for a photo finish for the division. So let’s look at May’s bold prediction for each team in the AL Central, starting with the Royals.

Kansas City Royals bold prediction: Trades before the deadline

At 7-21, it is a dumpster fire at Kauffman Stadium every time the Royals take the field. Kansas City sits at the bottom of the MLB stat column in both batting average (.218) and OPS (.621), while lurking at second from the bottom in homers, runs, and RBI. They are in the bottom five in almost every statistical category.

While the Royals are building for the future and dwelling in the AL Central cellar, one thing is certain: They will be shopping their bullpen for young talent to add to Vinnie Pasquantino, Bobby Witt Jr., and MJ Melendez. That’s a bright, good-looking core three to build on.

The Royals will move Aroldis Chapman, Amir Garrett, and Brad Keller before the trade deadline. They are a prime shop for any contending team looking to bolster their bullpen. They will get a few young players in trade this year that, along with prospects Cayden Wallace, Beck Way and Gavin Cross, will go on to build a team that will dominate the AL Central in years to come.

In May, the bold prediction for the Royals is that their relief pitchers will yield Tampa Bay’s shortstop prospect Carson Williams and the Blue Jays left-hander Ricky Tiedemann in trades before the deadline. Also, they will be one of the three worst teams in baseball.

Better luck in the future, Royals.

Chicago White Sox bold prediction: A big trade coming

The Chicago White Sox are surprisingly pitiful this year as well. They share a .250 winning percentage with the Royals at the bottom of the division. We didn’t expect much for the Southsiders this year, but it is far worse than expected. Chicago’s apocalyptic April pretty much eliminated the team’s playoff hopes before the first game of May. In addition, the minus-58 run differential posted by the White Sox is exceptionally concerning.

The White Sox are sellers already, and we will see two big names moved from Chicago’s roster. The team’s commitments to Lynn, Grandal, Kelly, Clevinger, Diekman, Elvis Andrus, and Hanser Alberto are all up at the end of the season, and Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez are free agents as well.

At the same time, their star shortstop has a $1 million buyout on his 2024 club option. He is due $14 million from the White Sox, but if he exercises that buyout, he could be looking at a Xander Bogaerts-level payday of $25 million per year. Spoiler alert, he will; the White Sox know it and will move him this year.

In May’s bold prediction for the AL Central, the Chicago White Sox will trade Tim Anderson to the Los Angeles Angels to be reunited with USA World Baseball Classic teammate Mike Trout. Anderson will be one of the biggest free agents on the market next year.

Minnesota Twins bold prediction: Joey Gallo builds toward All-Star berth

The biggest and boldest May prediction is for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins will clinch the division in the last week of September with 93 total wins on the season. Of course, that’s not much of a “bold” prediction, but hold on Twins fans, I’ll feed you.

The Twins have a three-game lead in the AL Central going into May, primarily due to their pitching duo of Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan. The pair have the Twins leading the MLB in strikeouts through April with 275 while only allowing 73 walks. Watch this Sonny Gray strikeout and appreciate his resurgence.

Joey Gallo is finding his place in Minnesota and shaking off the two-year slump he has been in. He has improved his batting average by 85 points over last year, hitting a respectable .245. His OPS has also skyrocketed from .637 last year to an impressive 1.080. Joey Gallo is back and will be high on the list for the AL Comeback Player of the Year.

Check out his anti-Yankees beard as he blasted a revenge shot to center against his former team.

The Twins will be significant buyers at the trade deadline. They will look to make deals for players like the Rockies’ C.J. Cron and Charlie Blackmon, and Jose Leclerc of the Texas Rangers. These three players could help them in their playoff push later this summer.

My three bold predictions going into May for the Minnesota Twins are that we will see Joey Gallo continually building his resume to represent the Twins in the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby.