Detroit Tigers: 2 AL Central teams fans should fear and 1 who is a fraud

Who is a contender and who is a pretender in the AL Central this season?

The Detroit Tigers probably aren't going to contend for the American League Central title this season. They don't have a lot of talent and new president of baseball operations Scott Harris is trying to clean up the mess left for him by the previous regime. However, like most of recent history, they aren't the only team in this division that won't be very good this season.

Most people can agree that the Tigers and the Kansas City Royals are the two worst teams in the division. I personally think the Royals are destined for a last place and potentially a 100-loss season, but some may beg to differ. Neither team has a lot of talent. There's another team that I'm not sold on in this division, but let's get to the two teams that will compete for the crown first.

Here are two AL Central teams that Tigers fans should fear and one who is a fraud.

Two AL Central teams that Tigers fans should fear: Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians surprised some people by winning the AL Central a year ago. They built their team around strong pitching and contact hitting, and it got them one win away from the ALCS. Now they look to replicate that performance and possibly get to the ALCS, and maybe even further than that.

One thing the team really lacked last season was power. Other than Jose Ramirez, they didn't really have someone that could take pitchers deep if they weren't careful. They signed 1B Josh Bell this offseason to help aleviate that, and I think that could be a really nice signing for them.

They also have a really nice farm system—one of the best in the league, in fact. They've always been really good at developing pitchers, but it looks like they're starting to catch up on the hitting side of things. OF George Valera, C Bo Naylor, and INF Gabriel Arias are all expected to come up and make an impact this season. This is in addition to young arms like Daniel Espino and Gavin Williams.

The Guardians may be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. They are really starting to become a model organization, much to the chagrin of Tigers fans. Now if only they would spend some more money...Anyway, Cleveland looks primed to repeat as division champs this season. But they will have one challenger that will look to dethrone them.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins were one of the favorites to win the division last year. With all the talent they had, who could blame people for picking them. Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco, Luis Arraez, and a late offseason addition of Carlos Correa had them primed for greatness...or so we all thought.

Virtually the entire team got injured and they didn't have the depth to overcome them, especially on the pitching side of things. With Correa opting out of his deal at the end of the year, it seemed like their window was closing.

Then, in a seemingly impossible series of events, Correa re-signed with the team on a six-year deal. That saga was wild to follow, but the Tigers may have to deal with him for the next six years. The Twins also traded 2022 AL batting champion Luis Arraez to the Marlins for SP Pablo Lopez, which gives them a really solid mid-rotation option. Other additions include catcher Christian Vasquez and a one-year prove-it deal for Joey Gallo.

The Twins seem prime for a run. If they don't do something this year, they likely never will. They really just have to stay healthy. I still have questions about their pitching depth, but that top three of Lopez, Sonny Gray, and Tiger-killer Joe Ryan is really nice.

I think the Twins will make the playoffs this year. It would be incredibly disappointing for them if they didn't. They could easily steamroll through this division except for Cleveland. They are easily a team Tigers fans should fear.