It feels more than safe to say that the Detroit Tigers have a massive chip on their shoulders going into the 2026 season after not only losing the AL Central title, but being sent home during the American League Division Series. Again.
Now, the Cleveland Guardians came through in a massive comeback to take the AL Central after finding themselves behind by double-digit games to the Tigers. Detroit impressively took care of the Guardians during the wild-card round, but the postseason was still disappointing.
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This season, theTigers are not looking to make it into October through the wild card, but would rather be not just the AL Central winners, but the No.1 seed in the AL. That is a daunting task, but the first order of business is the division.
Framber Valdez warms up during spring training for his new team | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
Their division consists of the Guardians, the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox, and the Minnesota Twins. With the additions of both Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander, the Tigers are the obvious frontrunners, but who could give them the most run for their money?
At the end of 2025 both the White Sox and Twins finished well below .500. One offseason isn’t going to make them a 90+ win ballclub. Ultimately, it is going to be a race between the Tigers, Royals, and Guardians when the summer is coming to a close.
2026 AL Central Standings
Jack Flaherty, Justin Verlander, and Tarik Skubal talking amongst one another during spring training | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Guardians had a run of their lives last season as they won 34 games in August and September, 20 in the final month alone. Not only that, but they took down the Tigers in five of their last six matchups that came in the last couple of weeks of the season.
While their historic comeback was impressive, the momentum didn’t carry on into the postseason, and it won’t roll into this season. The Tigers will not only take back the AL Central title, but the ballclub will be the lone team to cross the 90-win threshold. Our projection:
1. Tigers: 95-67
2. Guardians: 87-75
3. Royals: 86-76
4. Twins: 72-90
5. White Sox: 58-104
Let’s get Justin Verlander a World Series ring in a Detroit Tigers uniform 💍 pic.twitter.com/oMskVG7wqn
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) February 13, 2026
Both the Guardians and Royals could ultimately end up in a battle for the last wild card spot, but it will be a close finish. Cleveland secured star third baseman José Ramírez in a long-term deal this offseason and added Shawn Armstrong to their bullpen. These moves won’t be enough to take down Detroit, but they should get them into the postseason.
Maikel Garcia will be returning for Kansas City, but their offseason has been fairly quiet. However, with Gold Glove Award finalist Lane Thomas now in the outfield, the organization can be expected to win more games than in 2025.
At the end of the day, this is all how it could shake up hypothetically. The Tigers have built a roster that looks superior, but everyone saw how that played out last year. Hopefully, with Verlander their is a different outcome as they look to get back into the Fall Classic.
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