Lincoln Zdunich
Detroit Tigers
- Tarik Skubal
- Framber Valdez
- Jack Flaherty
- Casey Mize
- Justin Verlander
With one of the most lethal 1-2 combos in the majors, the Tigers landed top free agent Framber Valdez in order to prepare for the increasing likelihood that ace Tarik Skubal will wear a different uniform next year. The two will anchor a rotation that, in the past, was viewed as Skubal and “pitching chaos.”
It feels like 2011 again with Verlander in a Tigers jersey. It’ll be nice to see the veteran finish out his career with the team that started it all. How much he’ll be able to contribute remains to be seen. Mize will return after putting up a stellar year for Detroit, helping anchor the rotation behind Skubal. After exercising his player option for 2026, Flaherty will look to bounce back from a ’25 campaign that hurt his upcoming free agency.
The Tigers are in win-now mode. With Skubal departing after this season, they need to utilize the window of opportunity they have for the first time since they bested the San Diego Padres in the 1984 Fall Classic. If they don’t manage it this year, they could fall out of contention fast.
Cleveland Guardians
- Tanner Bibee
- Gavin Williams
- Slade Cecconi
- Logan Allen
- Parker Messick
The Guardians have quietly put together an incredibly solid pitching staff. There’s no obvious Cy Young winners on here, but they produce some of the most quality starts you’ll see day in and day out, always giving the offense a chance.
Bibee seems likely to get the Opening Day start, but Williams has been formidable as well. Top prospect Parker Messick debuted last year to fantastic results. Granted, it was only across a seven-game sample size but he impressed enough to, hopefully, earn a back end spot.
After stunning Detroit last season, they have an opportunity to run the AL Central this season. If the pitching staff can stay the course, they’ll stay in contention all year long.
Kansas City Royals
- Cole Ragans
- Seth Lugo
- Michael Wacha
- Kris Bubic
- Noah Cameron
- Ryan Bergert
Kansas City, on the other hand, has not been quiet about its rotation strength. The pitching staff for the Royals is made up of ace after ace after ace. Ragans was one of the best starters in MLB in 2024 but struggled through injury last year. Lugo and Wacha offer a veteran presence that still manages to be dominant on the mound. Bubic is seeking to build on his first All-Star season from last year.
The Royals have been thinking about a six-man rotation, with Cameron and Bergert pitching wonderfully in their rookie campaigns last season. If each earns a spot this spring, it seems possible they’ll carry all six.
As a fun side note, Kauffman Stadium underwent some updates this offseason, with Kansas City shortening the outfield dimensions. Plenty of projections have come out showing how many more home runs would have been hit last year had these new dimensions been in place, but it’ll be up to these pitchers to work around that as the ballpark gets increasingly hitter-friendly.
Minnesota Twins
- Joe Ryan
- Bailey Ober
- Simeon Woods Richardson
- Taj Bradley
- Mick Abel
Despite Minnesota shipping off a ton of players at the 2025 Trade Deadline, they held onto most of their pitchers. Thankfully ace Joe Ryan will return to top this rotation. Unfortunately, co-ace Pablo López will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last month.
That being said, Ober and Woods Richardson will return after serviceable seasons last year. They’ll seek to improve on a subpar performance. The same goes for Bradley and Abel, as both pitched much better for their former teams (Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively) before struggling once they were traded to the Twins.
If they can eat serviceable innings, it’ll go a long way for Minnesota in taking the onus off of Ryan as the lone ace pitcher of this staff.
Chicago White Sox
- Shane Smith
- Davis Martin
- Erick Fedde
- Sean Burke
- Anthony Kay
With Shane Smith tabbed as the Opening Day starter for the Sox, the rest is really up for grabs. It’s likely Martin, Fedde, Burke, and Kay make up the rest but Chicago has some other options. They markedly improved from the historically bad 2024 season, but still struggled. Hopefully they can continue to improve this year.
Three of the five are returners, with only Fedde and Kay being free-agent pickups this offseason. Kay will be seeking to prove himself after dominating overseas. He has not pitched in MLB since 2023. If this staff can do a better job at limiting runs, it’ll go a long way to keeping Chicago competitive.
