Spring training games are underway across Florida and Arizona. Regular-season games will begin before March concludes. There may be no better time than now to recap what teams did this offseason and preview some of what’s ahead for them in 2026.

Hitting fifth, the AL Central.

Chicago finished the 2025 season with a 60-102 record (5th place in the AL Central, 28.0 GB). It’s hard to call such a season a success, but it marked a 19-win improvement from the year prior. The club has shown little progress in its rebuild, spending most of the offseason waiting to make moves rather than being aggressive about change.

General manager Chris Getz’s biggest gamble over the winter was securing Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami on a two-year deal after the 26-year-old entered the offseason potentially looking at a long-term, lucrative contract. Murakami, who hit 56 home runs in 2022 to set the NPB record for a Japan-born player, will play first base for the White Sox this season.

Given the organization’s recent history, there may not be a huge rush to lock anyone to long-term deals. There may be internal sentiment wanting to see more evidence before the club, which could feasibly undergo a shift in ownership in the near future (if rumors are to be believed, minority owner Matt Ishiba has an agreement in place to take control from Jerry Reinsdorf), commits to a significant and costly extension.

23-year-old shortstop Colson Montgomery could be a prime candidate to change that. The former 1st-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2021 Draft made his debut this past July and hit .239/.311/.529 (130 OPS+) with 9 2B, 21 HR, and 55 RBI in 284 PA over the remainder of the season. He won't reach arbitration eligibility until after the 2028 season. If Montgomery can continue to develop and looks like a potential cornerstone of the next competitive White Sox team, an extension offer could come his way soon.

Like any team in the midst of a total overhaul, there was reason to expect the White Sox to bring in at least one veteran arm during the offseason who could help provide leadership to a youthful rotation. Left-hander Anthony Kay signed on with the team in free agency after a two-year stint in Japan’s NPB, but it is the veteran right-hander Erick Fedde who will be the real aged leader of the staff.

The 33-year-old Fedde returns to Chicago for a second stint with the White Sox (he made 21 starts for the team in 2024 after spending a season pitching in Korea), agreeing to a modest $1.5 million salary for the 2026 season. Over eight seasons in the majors, Fedde is 34-55 with a 4.94 ERA (84 ERA+) over 772.2 IP.

Attentive fans of the White Sox already know about Noah Schultz. It’s hard not to take notice when your team selects a 6’10” left-hander with the 26th-overall pick in the 2022 Draft. White Sox fans have been waiting for the hard-throwing southpaw to arrive in Chicago ever since he joined the organization out of high school instead of following through on a commitment to pitch at Vanderbilt University.

A forearm strain delayed the start of Schultz’s pro career until midway through the 2023 season. He’s since posted a 3.06 ERA with 229 SO (10.9 K/9) and 75 BB (3.6 BB/9) over 188.1 IP (50 games started) in the minor leagues, making a handful of starts at Triple-A late last season. The 22-year-old was named as the No. 49 prospect in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 heading into the 2026 season (making the list for a third straight season) and could make his debut with the White Sox this summer.

Minnesota finished the 2025 season with a 70-92 record (4th in the AL Central, 18.0 GB). It was the second straight season the club finished near the division’s bottom, though the season was marked by much more uncertainty within the organization. The Twins spent much of 2025 facing a potential sale, including a trade deadline that saw the club shed more than a third of the active roster in several trades.

Since the chaotic summer months, the Twins have pulled the club off the market, changed managing partners, and watched president of baseball operations Derek Falvey resign abruptly. It has largely been a quiet offseason in Minnesota, with little activity.

After all of Minnesota’s trades last summer, the only player remaining on the roster with a guaranteed contract beyond the 2027 season is center fielder Byron Buxton. In fact, just two others right now — right-hander Pablo López and catcher Victor Caratini — have deals covering beyond 2026. This should give the Twins some financial flexibility.

If the team plans to approach any of its young players about a long-term deal to remain with the club, Royce Lewis may be a prime candidate. Lewis will earn $2.85 million this season, his second trip through arbitration as a Super Two (he’ll have two more years of arbitration after the season). Injuries have been a concern early in Lewis’ career (he missed significant time in each of his first three seasons), but he’s batted .255/.310/.453 (109 OPS+) in 1008 PA when healthy.

Minnesota first signed Liam Hendriks as an international amateur free agent out of Australia in February 2007. He’d reach the majors in 2013 and spent the first three seasons of his now 14-year career with the Twins, where he was actually used primarily as a starter. The Blue Jays shifted him to the bullpen full-time in 2015, and Hendriks’ career took off, starting a nine-year stretch with a 2.97 ERA (142 ERA+) and 604 SO (11.8 K/9) while collecting 116 saves.

Hendriks was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma following the 2022 season and immediately started treatment. He’d finally get back on the mound in late May 2023, but after just five outings, the White Sox would shut him down due to elbow discomfort. He’d undergo Tommy John surgery days later, which would force him to miss the entire 2024 season. The Red Sox had taken a gamble on Hendriks bouncing back following the injury, signing him to a two-year deal ahead of 2024, and he’d throw just 13.2 IP for the team last season before injuries struck again (first hip inflammation, then a second procedure on his elbow). The Twins are taking a gamble bringing Hendriks to camp, but if he’s healthy, he’s likely a lock ot make the team out of spring training. If he can make it through the season healthy, Hendriks may be able to walk away on his own terms.

Paul Skenes was an obvious candidate for the first overall pick in the 2023 Draft, but the group of players immediately behind him — a mix that included Dylan Crews, Max Clark, Wyatt Langford, Chase Dollander, and Walker Jenkins — was closely rated among draft pundits, who felt that the year’s class of prospects was particularly strong. It was Jenkins whom the Twins grabbed with the 5th overall pick. He’s done little to make them regret the choice since.

The 21-year-old outfielder has hit .295/.399/.464 in 854 PA over the last three seasons, including 102 PA at Triple-A to end last year. In 192 career minor league games, he’s totaled 44 2B, 10 3B, 19 HR, 114 RBI, and 40 SB. Minnesota won’t rush him to the big leagues, and it’s possible another outfielder prospect (Emmanuel Rodriguez) in their system gets a look first, but Jenkins should be patrolling the outfield for the Twins before much longer.

Kansas City finished the 2025 season with an 82-80 record (3rd in the AL Central, 6.0 GB). It was the second year in a row the team finished above .500 after seven straight losing seasons.

KC’s offseason wasn’t very active. Much of the attention centered around speculation that the team could trade left-hander Kris Bubic to address the outfield, their biggest area of need on the roster. Bubic remains with the Royals heading into the season, but the club has still mostly failed to address the outfield, only adding Isaac Collins, who finished 4th in NL Rookie of the Year voting a season ago, and Starling Marte, who is 37 years old (and has a 96 OPS+ over the last three seasons).

The Royals and Pasquatch already have some sense of security in place, as the two sides agreed on a two-year deal this offseason to avoid arbitration (he’ll earn $4.2M in 2026 and $6.9M in 2027). Vinnie Pasquantino will still have one more year of arbitration eligibility before he reaches free agency.

The 28-year-old first baseman was an 11th-round pick in 2019 out of Old Dominion University. In his four years in the big leagues, he’s hit .266/.330/.456 (119 OPS+) with 90 2B and 70 HR. Pasquantino still has room for improvement in his game (a 55 OPS+ versus left-handed pitching last season), but the Royals don’t have many players locked into long-term deals. He’s been an important piece of their lineup and one that may be worth keeping.

Okay, we know that Salvador Perez just agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Royals, and he is technically under contract for the 2027 season. Realistically, though, it’s possible that Perez could decide at any point that his body can no longer handle the wear and tear of a long baseball season. There is little the 35-year-old (36 in May) has left to accomplish in the league. Eventually, it’ll be time to transition into some kind of post-playing role in the game (don’t be surprised to see him coaching or in a player development role with the Royals).

Perez heads into his 15th season with Kansas City. The nine-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger winner, and five-time Gold Glove winner has hit .264/.301/.457 (105 OPS+) with 320 2B, 303 HR, and 1016 RBI over that stretch. He’s been a fan favorite in KC for much of that tenure and helped the Royals win the 2015 World Series.

KC didn’t do much to address the outfield this offseason, but with some luck, there may be an internal option to work into the mix (other than Jac Caglianone). Gavin Cross just needs to take the next step in his development.

Drafted 9th overall in 2022 out of Virginia Tech, Cross rose quickly through the Royals’ system before stalling at Double-A. He repeated the level last season, showing better power numbers but a higher strikeout rate, and still carries questions. The 25-year-old may be feeling pressure to produce this season, hopefully with a bump to Triple-A, but if he does, it could open a door to some playing time in KC.

Detroit finished the 2025 season with an 87-75 record (2nd in the NL Central, 1.0 GB). Detroit won the final Wild Card spot in the American League thanks to a tiebreaker with the Astros. The Tigers got past the Guardians in the Wild Card Series (2 games to 1) before losing the Division Series to the Mariners (3 games to 2). It was the second straight season the Tigers reached the playoffs only to be knocked out in the Division Series.

The Tigers were quietly aggressive this offseason, setting themselves up for another run at the AL Central division title. Framber Valdez and a Justin Verlander homecoming boost an already deep starting staff, while the team brought in Kenley Jansen and brought back Kyle Finnegan to deepen the bullpen. The only question is, did the club do enough to help its lineup?

Detroit has tried at least once to lock Riley Greene up to a long-term extension. There is some argument for the two sides to re-approach a deal, especially when you consider that Greene has just two years of arbitration eligibility remaining after 2026 before he reaches free agency. He’ll earn $5 million this year.

The 5th overall pick in 2019, Greene has steadily improved since arriving in the big leagues, hitting a combined .264/.332/.453 (118 OPS+) over four seasons. He put up career highs in 2025 with 31 2B, 36 HR, 111 RBI, and a league-leading 201 strikeouts, but still took home his first Silver Slugger Award.

It’s quite easy to see this being the final season of Justin Verlander’s likely Hall of Fame career. 2026 will be the right-hander’s 21st season in the big leagues. He just turned 43. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is baseball’s active career leader in wins (266), losses (158), IP (3567.2), and strikeouts (3553).

Verlander spent the first 13 seasons of his career in Detroit after the club drafted him with the 2nd overall pick in 2004.

Plenty has been said about Kevin McGonigle over the last two years. The 21-year-old infielder has developed into one of the top contact hitters in the minor leagues, which has scouting pundits salivating at the prospect of seeing him atop the Tigers’ lineup. All three of the major Top 100 rankings (MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and Baseball Prospectus) ranked him as the No. 2 prospect in the sport heading into the 2026 season (behind Konnor Griffin).

McGonigle was the 37th overall pick in the 2023 Draft. He’s slashed .308/.410/.512 with 51 2B, 25 HR, and 40 SB in the three seasons since, while seeing time at second base, shortstop, and third base.

Cleveland finished the 2025 season with an 88-74 record, winning the AL Central by just a single game over Detroit. The Guardians then lost to those Tigers in the Wild Card Series (2 games to 1). Losing two pitchers, including its long-time closer Emmanuel Clase, midseason to allegations of “pitch-fixing” and gambling didn’t slow the Guardians down enough for anyone else in the AL Central to catch them.

The offseason proved to be quiet for the Guardians. The club’s biggest move proved to be renegotiating José Ramirez’s contract, extending him for another three seasons in the process.

It almost seems odd to suggest this, but Steven Kwan might be one of the more underrated players in the sport. Guardians players are often somewhat overlooked on a national stage to begin with (outside of the “top third baseman” love showered on José Ramirez each spring). The 28-year-old Kwan deserves more recognition.

Kwan has hit .281/.351/.390 (109 OPS+) over his four seasons in Cleveland, while averaging 29 2B, 5 3B, 10 HR, 20 SB, and 4.6 bWAR a year. Kwan has also won four straight Gold Glove Awards in left field and made a pair of All-Star Games. He’ll earn a modest $7.725 million this season, with one more year of arbitration eligibility before free agency. He’s as much a cornerstone of the lineup as Ramirez, and it’s time the Guardians extend him.

A 2nd-round pick in 2011, Austin Hedges has fashioned himself a decent career in the big leagues despite never hitting at a league-average mark. Hedges heads into his 12th season in the majors, with a .185/.244/.313 (52 OPS+) career line in more than 2,500 PA.

Cleveland brought Hedges back for one more season (his third in a row and sixth overall with the team, having previously played in Cleveland from 2020-22) at a reasonable $4 million to serve as Bo Naylor’s backup. Should Cooper Ingle (or potentially even Jacob Cozart) take a step forward this season, perhaps he’s in line for that job in 2027 instead of Hedges.

One of the best prospects to come out of Australia in decades, Travis Bazzana wasted little time making a name for himself even before he landed at Oregon State University. That promise continued in college, making him an easy choice as the first overall pick in the 2024 Draft. Bazzana has continued to hit in the pros and finds himself on the doorstep of joining the Guardians’ infield.

The 23-year-old second baseman has slashed .234/.384/.417 in 496 PA since joining the Guardians’ organization, with 24 2B, 5 3B, 12 HR, 51 RBI, and 17 SB. He’s likely ticketed to start the year at Triple-A, but it’s not out of the question to think he’s setting the table atop the Guardians lineup later this summer.