The dream lineup and rotation for every AL Central team

The AL Central is a rather unique division in the MLB landscape: four small-market clubs (Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins) and one large-market club that pretends to be dirt poor (Chicago White Sox). None of these teams will profile as a top-shelf contender in 2026, but there is plenty of opportunity for the AL Central to assert its relevance nonetheless. After all, someone has to make the postseason.

Detroit was the best team in MLB at the All-Star break last year, only for Cleveland put together an all-time second half rally to win the division. Kansas City, Minnesota and Chicago all feature plenty of exciting, young talent. With small-market clubs league-wide preparing to spend more this winter in anticipation of 2027 CBA negotiations, here are the dream (but realistic) lineups and rotations for each AL Central team in 2026.

Chicago White Sox

Dream lineup

The Chicago White Sox are aiming for patient, incremental improvement. This team won't jump into World Series contention overnight. That said, with enough internal growth and the right calculated swings, Chris Getz and the front office can make the South Siders a lot more relevant and interesting than the average MLB fan might expect.

The youth movement stays locked atop the lineup, with Chicago banking on Chase Meidroth's promising contact skills in front of the more slug-heavy Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery. Alec Bohm inherits cleanup duties, coming over via trade with the Philadelphia Phillies. Bohm isn't a huge home run threat, but he generates consistent, quality contact into the outfield gaps and can drive in runs that way. A move from third base to first base should mitigate his defensive shortcomings.

Chicago also dips into the free agent pool to add another former Phillie in Harrison Bader, whose production completely changed the calculus of Philadelphia's lineup after the trade deadline. Over his final 50 games of the season, Bader logged an .824 OPS and 122 OPS+, all while providing airtight defense in center field. Is that sustainable? History tells us no, but Bader is a well-rounded contributor with a high enough floor and a certain swagger that this White Sox team needs more of.

Dream rotation

Chicago is probably a seller, not a buyer, but if the Nationals float MacKenzie Gore on the trade market, the White Sox need to place their bid. The hard-throwing lefty is under team control through 2027, giving Chicago a full year (at least) before worrying about what the future holds. Get Gore in the building, see if he can take a Cy Young-ish leap and maybe even try to extend him. If the White Sox want to act serious and earn back the trust of a broken fan base, this sort of move might do the trick.

The White Sox can also dip back into the free agent pool to sign Zach Eflin at a discount. Last season was nothing short of disastrous for Eflin as he battled through injuries in Baltimore, but he recorded a sub-4.00 ERA in three of his five prior seasons — including a sixth-place AL Cy Young finish in 2023 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. He's worth the gamble as a reclamation project.

Add in Noah Schultz — Chicago's No. 1 prospect, an electric 6-foot-10 southpaw — and this White Sox rotation has the potential to take a huge leap in 2026.

Minnesota Twins

Dream lineup

The Minnesota Twins went on a selling spree for the ages at the trade deadline, essentially tearing the roster down to the studs. Still, plenty of talent remains, and the Twins aren't all that far from contention. If ownership decides to get back in the saddle and spend, Minnesota can easily climb the standings in a winnable AL Central.

It might not take much. One of the few positions of need is first base, as expecting another offensive explosion from Kody Clemens is ill-advised. Rhys Hoskins has dealt with his share of injuries in recent years, but the former postseason hero in Philadelphia can still generate consistent power at the plate. He should come at a relative discount, perhaps even on a tradable one- or two-year contract. It's a low-risk, high-reward signing.

Minnesota can angle to take the next step by calling up No. 1 prospect Walker Jenkins and planting the 20-year-old in left field. It's unclear just how much Jenkins can offer at this stage, but he made the rapid ascent from Single-A to Triple-A in 2025. If the Twins keep the rest of their core pieces and commit to a postseason push, Jenkins is worth an early look. If Minnesota opts for a "safer" option, Clemens (or a middle-tier free agent) can probably get the job done for the short term.

Dream rotation

Minnesota already has arguably the best one-two punch in the division with Pablo López and Joe Ryan. Both are expected to be prominent fixtures in the rumor mill this offseason, but again, the Twins can quite easily flip the script and commit to building a winner.

That leads us to Jordan Montgomery, who missed the entire 2025 campaign as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. A disastrous 2024 in Arizona is still fresh on the mind — and it should keep his value in Minnesota's wheelhouse — but when healthy, the southpaw has an extended track record of quality production. Remove him from the spotlight a bit, and Montgomery ought to settle in nicely as a serviceable, mid-tier arm who balances out a rotation that skews right-handed.

If Zebby Matthews and Simeon Woods Richardson can take a leap, the Twins are on a winning path.

Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals fell apart last season, especially on offense. The bottom half of the lineup was an unmitigated disaster — perhaps the worst 5-through-9 in MLB. It will require a bit of spending to move the needle back in the right direction, but the Royals typically burn through more cash than your average small-market club. This is an offseason to really pull some levers.

The top of the lineup remains potent enough, with Bobby Witt Jr. due for an MVP campaign one of these days. But the Royals need help, particularly in the outfield. The Red Sox appear destined to trade one of their corner outfielders. Jarren Duran can get a little lax on defense, but he's a potent slugger with plenty of speed on the base paths. And re-signing Mike Yastrzemski would give the Royals adequate pop in both corners.

Coming over via trade with the aimless Rockies is Brenton Doyle. His bat has declined in recent years, but the 27-year-old remains a compelling talent. Plus, he's one of the best defensive center fielders in the sport, which becomes extra valuable when Kansas City has weaker gloves in both corners. Toss in Jorge Polanco and his .821 OPS at second base, and factor in a second-year leap from Jac Caglianone, and the Royals can vault to the top of the division in no time.

Dream rotation

Kansas City's rotation already has lots of talent and experience, which was offset by mixed results in 2025. The regression of Seth Lugo after signing his extension was, for lack of a better term, disappointing (if entirely predictable). The Royals aren't going to spend on the top aces, but adding Merrill Kelly is entirely reasonable. He can come in on a one-year contract, offering the stability of a seven-year vet who has consistently posted sub-4.00 ERAs — and whose underlying metrics remained solid at 37 years old, finishing with a chase rate in the 91st percentile last year. Historically, Kelly is quite durable, and he should be up to the task if called upon in October.

If Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo can return to even 90 percent of what we knew them to be prior to 2025, the Royals are in a solid position. Kris Bubic made the transition to starter look easy and Michael Wacha was one of the most underrated arms in MLB in 2025.

Detroit Tigers

Dream lineup

Gleyber Torres picked up his qualifying offer after an impressive bounce-back campaign for the Detroit Tigers in 2025. That leaves Detroit with a lot of quality, almost interchangable infield bats. But that shouldn't dissuade the Tigers from firing up their pursuit of Alex Bregman once again after a near-miss last offseason.

Bregman is the All-Star bat this Detroit lineup is missing. He has a strong relationship with A.J. Hinch and a robust postseason résumé, all of which should appeal to the Tigers at this point. If Torres moves to DH, that can allow Colt Keith to move to second base, thus opening up shortstop for No. 1 prospect Kevin McGonigle. The Tigers are expected to operate a bit more patiently with McGonigle, but the 20-year-old is a supremely talented hitter — and the Tigers need to load up on offensive firepower. Detroit should at least give McGonigle a proper audition in Spring Training.

Bumping Kerry Carpenter out of the DH slot is not ideal, but he should handle right field duties well enough. It affords them the flexibility to keep all their best bats in the lineup, with Bregman moving the needle and 2025 All-Star Zach McKinstry leaning on his versatility to spend more time in the outfield. This lineup offers a compelling blend of contact, base-running chops and raw power, with very few holes.

Dream rotation

Tarik Skubal's name continues to pop up in trade rumors, but the Tigers simply cannot move him. There needs to be a massive internal effort to extend him (or eventually re-sign him). Skubal is the sort of talent who can define an entire generation of Tigers baseball. Detroit typically cheaps out in these situations — and that is the most likely outcome — but the two-time reigning Cy Young winner should be headlining the rotation in 2026.

If Detroit wants to express the seriousness of its convictions to Skubal, a trade for Freddy Peralta might do the trick. Peralta is due only $8 million in the final year of his contract and Detroit has the farm system depth to bolster Milwaukee's long-term plans. The odds of re-signing both Skubal and Peralta next winter are effectively zilch, but that's one hell of a duo for 2026 — and it massively increases Detroit's World Series odds in a winnable American League.

Cleveland Guardians

Dream lineup

The Cleveland Guardians are able to grind out wins on pure fundamentals and creativity, but it's time to add some thump to the lineup. The best source of thump is probably Cleveland's loaded farm system, as Chase DeLauter made his MLB debut in the postseason and should take on full-time center field duties in 2026. Don't be shocked if he's joined by two of Cleveland's other top prospects, Travis Bazzana and Cooper Ingle.

Absent is Steven Kwan. His leadership and defense have made Kwan a beloved fixture in Cleveland, but his bat has sharply regressed over the past two seasons. Now might be the time for the Guards to sell high and reload the farm system, especially with multiple top prospects expected to debut in 2026.

Eugenio Suárez hit 49 home runs last season and should come at an affordable price. He's a flawed player, to be clear, but he can drive in runs and add a much-needed explosive element to the Guardians lineup. If Cleveland can replace Kwan with Wilyer Abreu, a 22-homer slugger and above-average defender at the beginning of his prime, via trade ... watch out for Cleveland.

Dream rotation

Gavin Williams came into his own as a frontline ace last season, but Cleveland could use a bit more support after the Shane Bieber trade. Enter Zac Gallen, whose value plummeted with a rocky 2025 campaign. That's something Cleveland can capitalize. Gallen still finished the season strong and we've seen him reach All-Star heights as recently as 2023, when he finished third in NL Cy Young voting. A return to form could give Cleveland one of the best starting duos in MLB.

Paul Messick made a strong first impression last season, finishing with a 2.72 ERA in his first seven career starts. Some of the underlying metrics were a bit less impressive, but if Messick can solidify his approach as an MLB sophomore, this Guardians rotation shapes up nicely. Tanner Bibee is due for a bounce back and Slade Cecconi is a rock-solid No. 5.