The Chicago White Sox dominated the American League Central in 2021. They were the winner by a total of 13 games and it wasn’t really close at any point in the second half. They might be this good for a long time as their roster is set up for now and the future.
The Detroit Tigers are coming. They came in third place in 2021 but they were probably the second-best team in the division based on how they played in the second half after an abysmal start. They have made some big moves this offseason so far as well which should be great for their young roster. With that said, they are not the only up-and-coming team that is a problem.
There is one AL East and one AL West team that is making noise right now. The Texas Rangers are a little bit behind the Toronto Blue Jays but they are each heavily involved in free agency so far this offseason.
The big one is the fact that the Toronto Blue Jays lost Marcus Semien. He was an MVP nominee in 2021 because he was so good but now he is gone. He is, however, headed to the aforementioned Texas Rangers. Semien is, as of now, slated to play shortstop for them but they are in on a few of the other shortstops available. Semien played second for the Jays because of Bo Bichette so he is familiar.
Rangers are open to signing another of the big shortstops even after landing Marcus Semien. They have been in contact with Story, Baez, Seager and Correa, and will maintain contact, in case there’s a $ fit.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 29, 2021
The Rangers weren’t done with Semien (and the possibility of another shortstop) either. They have also signed Jon Gray to come in and join their rotation. He is a great pitcher who should be very good for them as they begin trying to win baseball games.
Kole Calhoun is on his way to the Rangers as well for some veteran depth. They are also in the mix for Corey Seager which would be so great as the other shortstop to pair with Semien. If they continue making big moves, the teams ahead of them in the West should start to panic.
Jon Gray has deal with Rangers. @ByRobertMurray 1st $56M, 4 years via @JeffPassan
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 29, 2021
Possible Dodgers could lose both Max Scherzer and Corey Seager. Rangers remain in mix for Seager, sources tell @TheAthletic. Already have reached agreements today with Marcus Semien, Kole Calhoun and Jon Gray. Trevor Story also possible if Rangers cannot get Seager.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2021
The Blue Jays are going to miss Semien but they will be just fine. In addition to having one of the best offenses in baseball, they already locked up Jose Berrios earlier last week to a contract worth 131 million dollars. Then, on Sunday, they agreed to a five-year deal worth 110 million with Kevin Gausman.
These became the second and third contracts north of 100 million that they signed in the year 2021 (George Springer). As a result of these moves, they should have some really good pitching to complement that offense. Don’t be surprised if they aren’t done either because they saved a lot of money on Semien. Robbie Ray’s next move is very interesting.
Source confirms: Blue Jays, Gausman in agreement: Five years, $110M. First: @JeffPassan.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2021
The Chicago White Sox should be scared of the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers.
Both of these teams are clearly interested in trying to win games. In order to do that, sometimes you need to spend some money. Both the Blue Jays and Rangers have done that so far and probably aren’t done. The White Sox are going to have to play against these teams a lot being a fellow American League squad so it would be nice to see them keep up.
The White Sox are still better than both of them but they, especially the Blue Jays, are coming for the top teams in the AL. With a lot of moves still left to be made this offseason by everyone, it would be nice to see this get the White Sox going.