AL Tertiary Division
Teams that left the division: HOU+
Teams that joined the division: CLE-
Cleveland Guardians:
2032 Review:
CLE lost 87 games in 2032, while having a league average pitching staff they ranked in the bottom 1/3rd of the league in runs scored.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: LF Rodriguez, SP Gallegos, C Michaels, 2B Morales, 1B Casiano, and 3B Pantoja. All more supplemental players than all-stars.
Players Acquired: CLE signed replacements for the backups in 2B Bowser & CF Beck, a C tandem in Quintero & Espinoza, and 2B Lewis to a big contract. They also traded for RF Davis, 3B Carlson, and SP Padilla. That is some major upgrades at 2B, 3B, RF, and C.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: A lot of interesting guys to spotlight, but I am going with the veteran 1B Rivera. Rivera came over from HOU in 2029 and put up 3 years of MVP level stats before a down season in 2032. He will be looking in his expiring contract season to show the player he is, especially with promising 1B prospect Uriostegui in the wings.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Hitchcock has the talent and the 2031 season proved he is a CY Young caliber pitcher. Like Rivera, he had a down season in 2032 with a 4.54 ERA. He will look to bounce back and show he is worth the recently signed $232M contract.
Expectation: The pieces are here to make a playoff run with guys like Hitchcock, Rivera, Carlson, Davis, Rivera, and Ardister. There is also a lot of young talent ready to made an impact in the minors including Uriostegui and LF Diamond. The WAR gained this offseason was 6.9, most in the league. This should be a fun team to watch, and probably have a better shot at the division than any other team. With an easier division schedule I would not be shocked to see 90 wins.
Texas Rangers:
2032 Review:
TEX won 78 games in 2032 powered by a strong offense, but a league worst pitching staff and a 5.03 ERA.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: RF Bleday and C Bailey were the two regulars they lost in FA, along with supplemental players RP Releford, RP Gambrel, 3B Fatorini, and 2B Cobos.
Players Acquired: TEX added some SP to their rotation in Wangerin, Alcala, and Winn – all buy low candidates they are hoping can improve on last years rotation. They also added 3B Bregman and 2B Gil.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: SS Bokor is a top SS prospect who put up solid rookie season numbers. He should continue to improve and could find himself in MVP discussions if he trajectory continues.
Pitcher to Watch: TEX is hoping for some better pitching than they got last season, if TEX contends Winn will be a big reason why. Coming off a 5.58 ERA season, TEX is banking on him still being the 2028-2031 mid-rotation starter he was.
Expectation: There is some space for optimism from a team that was just below .500 last season and with improved season from Bokor and the improvements at 2B and 3B and potential debut of C Morales. But the OF is weaker with the loss of Bleday, C production will be down, and I’m not sure how much better the starting pitching will be, even if there is some upside. This team could sneak into a final WC spot, but I think it is more probable that they lose 85 games this season.
Toronto Blue Jays:
2032 Review
TOR had a 81-81 record in 2032 and had league average offense and pitching.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: The big loss for TOR was C Miller who signed in PHI. They also lost RP Saucedo.
Players Acquired: TOR brought in C Cicale through the Rule 5 from LAA, likely to be a backup.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: RF Nwogu is probably the most intriguing bat TOR has left, and put up a career high .900 OPS last season, could be a hot trade candidate in July.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Petersen is still a top SP in the league, and in his FA season will be no doubt a hot trade name in July as well.
Expectation: TOR looks to be clearly in a rebuild, shedding some big contracts. This will enable them to play some under the radar guys and looks for gems in the rough, but they will also probably be a rough team to follow. The ceiling on this team is probably 75 wins, and 100 losses is not off the table depending on who gets traded away.
Minnesota Twins:
2032 Review:
MIN lost 96 games last season, ranking in the bottom 1/3rd in pitching and offense.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: MIN lost a couple role players in RP Sheller, SP Brown, and 2B Sanquintin.
Players Acquired: Likewise they gained a few marginal players in SP Baz, SP Lambert, and RP Espino – all buy low pitchers.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: While MIN does have some exciting young players in 3B Garza and LF Dupuy, C Plant is just starting to blossom, and could very well become a top C in the league as soon as this season.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Villegas is the #67 ranked prospect and looks to have nabbed a starting spot this season. He brings some young blood to a veteran staff that looks to improve on last year.
Expectation: MIN is interesting, they have some really talented young players who make a difference, but there are still too many empty positions. I think MIN takes a step forward this year and gets around to .500 on the season, giving fans hope for 2034.
Detroit Tigers:
2032 Review:
DET lost 103 games last season, ranking dead last in runs scored and near the bottom in pitching ERA.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: DET let a lot of role players go in FA – 1B Espingrada, C Wells, and DH Beer to name a few, but no player that contributed more than 1 WAR last season.
Players Acquired: They added several players they hope to provide some value in 2033 for DET, including RP Marquez, RP Nixon, C Altuve, C Rutschman, and LF Cisneros.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: DET have a couple of young players that have all-star potential in their lineup. But 3B Slaymaker has a chance to an MVP candidate at peak. His rookie season will be something to watch with his career trajectory.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Silva put up a 3.10 ERA, 6.1 WAR season last year to everyone’s surprise. The 27 year-old lefty is hoping to cement his place among the top starters in the AL this season.
Expectation: Although they haven’t changed their starting rotation too much, they have improved their RP depth. And the offense has the potential to be league average with the budding stars they have. This team may not make the playoffs this season, but they will be a fun team to watch, and may be contending sooner than others may realize. A .500 season maybe be within their sights, which would be a building block for 2034.
Summary: A lot of these teams are rebuilding, either giving playing time to young players to develop, or watching aging stars fade out. I would expect CLE to win this division after dropping from the Professional and adding lots of solid talent. But there are some fun young teams here that may surprise such as TEX, or even MIN and DET if everything breaks their way. While most teams will be watching for trade targets, the AL may want to keep an eye on some of these rising teams.
For the GMs of the AL Tertiary Division:
What was your biggest perceived weakness in the offseason, and what did you do to fix it?
What is your record prediction for your team this season?
Who is the most underrated player on your club?
What needs to happen for you to consider 2033 a successful season?
Who wins the AL Tertiary division this year?
2033 AL Tertiary Division Preview
Re: 2033 AL Tertiary Division Preview
What was your biggest perceived weakness in the offseason, and what did you do to fix it?
My biggest weakness was a subpar offense. I brought in key veteran hitters like 3B Carlson, RF Davis, 2B Lewis, and a platoon of C that should dramatically lift that production.
What is your record prediction for your team this season?
My goal is 90 wins, but I would be happy with a winning record and a late season playoff push.
Who is the most underrated player on your club?
3B Carlson. He only has one season about 2 WAR in his career, but he has the talent to be much better. It his FA season we will see what he can do.
What needs to happen for you to consider 2033 a successful season?
Make the playoffs, or at least be in the running late into the season. With an easier division schedule and improvement on offense, there is no reason for this team to not compete this year. Another losing season would mean a major shakeup.
Who wins the AL Tertiary division this year?
I hate to be the homer, but I don't see any other team seriously pushing for the playoffs this year, so CLE it is.
My biggest weakness was a subpar offense. I brought in key veteran hitters like 3B Carlson, RF Davis, 2B Lewis, and a platoon of C that should dramatically lift that production.
What is your record prediction for your team this season?
My goal is 90 wins, but I would be happy with a winning record and a late season playoff push.
Who is the most underrated player on your club?
3B Carlson. He only has one season about 2 WAR in his career, but he has the talent to be much better. It his FA season we will see what he can do.
What needs to happen for you to consider 2033 a successful season?
Make the playoffs, or at least be in the running late into the season. With an easier division schedule and improvement on offense, there is no reason for this team to not compete this year. Another losing season would mean a major shakeup.
Who wins the AL Tertiary division this year?
I hate to be the homer, but I don't see any other team seriously pushing for the playoffs this year, so CLE it is.