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BREAKING NEWS: PHILLIES TO EXTEND JESUS LUZARDO

Alrighty, time for the AL Central. This division is a hot mess. It's practically The Office meets the MLB at this point. Anyway, here we go.
Last Place: Minnesota Twins
Poor Minnesota. In every facet, this city just cannot catch a break. And the Twins aren't helping the cause, either. They sold big-time at the deadline dealing their three biggest bullpen pieces: Duran, Jax, and Coulombe, dealt Chris Paddack to Tampa (although they did get Taj Bradley in return) and shipped off Bader to Phillies, a move that drastically helped Philadelphia in the short-term. They didn't do much of note this offseason. They siged Josh Bell to a one-year deal and platoon catcher Victor Caratini to two years while also bringing back familiar faces like Taylor Rogers, Liam Hendriks, and Gio Urshela on short-term contracts, but that's about it. Pablo Lopez is injured again leaving Joe Ryan as the only consistent arm in this rotation. Guys like Bailey Ober, Taj Bradley, Simeon Woods Richardson have all had good years in the past but some stinkers too - the former two both had ERAs over 5.00. The lineup isn't all that great outside of Byron Buxton (if he can stay healthy of course), youngster Luke Keaschall, and maybe Ryan Jeffers who isn't coming off a great year production-wise. Matt Wallner's coming off a nice 20+ homer season, but everybody else isn't that notable. Larnach had a middling season with a mere .724 OPS. Brooks Lee is coming off a negative WAR season, Royce Lewis can't stay healthy although his ceiling is high, former ROY finalist James Outman has struggled in the last two seasons, and while Bell and Caratini offer some decent production, it's not great. The bullpen consists mainly of Rogers, Topa, Chafin, Cole Sands, Banda, and others. Not terrible but definitely not enough to compete unless they all decide to cosplay Randy Rodriguez.
4th Place - Chicago White Sox
There is a ton of potential in Chicago. In all honesty, I can see them either finishing 4th or 2nd and I wouldn't be shocked. They improved dramatically over the offseason. They brought in none other than Munetaka Murakami who's already having a great Spring Training, they added Seranthony Dominguez and Sean Newcomb to the bullpen, brought in former prospect Anthony Kay who dominated overseas while also adding low-risk guys like Jordan Hicks and Erick Fedde to the rotation. They bolstered the lineup a bit with underrated outfielder Austin Hays and bringing in Luisangel Acuna after dealing away Luis Robert Jr. to New York. The real kicker though is how much potential there is in the youngsters. Colson Montgomery is coming off a huge rookie season, slugging 21 homers in only 255 ABs, Kyle Teel put up a 121 OPS+ in only 78 games, Chase Meidroth has potential to be an above-average everyday infielder, if Edgar Quero can cut down his chase rate he can turn into a solid hitting catcher, and Wikelman Gonzalez was extremely effective in 16 relief appearances. Plus, Shane Smith is coming off an All-Star season, Drew Thorpe should be healthy this year, Grant Taylor showed some flashes of effectiveness, this team can be really scrappy and if everything clicks, hypothetically, they can go on a Cinderella run.
3rd Place - Cleveland Guardians
This team always finds a way to exceed expectations and I wouldn't be surprised if this prediction blows up in my face and they win the division. On paper though, they only made 3 moves of note in the offseason - Shawn Armstrong, Rhys Hoskins, and Colin Holderman, and lost more than they gained such as Lane Thomas, Sam Hentges, Jakob Junis, John Means (wasn't healthy anyway), and others. Their lineup isn't top tier but it's enough to compete. J-Ram, Steven Kwan, Manzardo, and hopefully a healthy David Fry are all fine but outside of them there's Nolan Jones who struggled mightily, Brayan Rocchio who is defense-first, Gabriel Arias has never had a productive bat, Hoskins should make the team out of camp and will either pop off or bat .183 - no in-between. George Valera, Chase De Lauter, and Angel Martinez are all young and have potential, plus Travis Bazzana should be coming up at some point (he is raking for Team Australia right now). The rotation isn't all that great outside of Bibee, Williams, and Messick (let's see how he does with most likely more than just 7 starts). Cecconi and Allen were okay in 2025, not dominant but serviceable at least. The bullpen is very solid - Cade Smith, Gaddis, Sabrowski, Armstrong, and Festa provide a very stable core. Right now I have them slotted third but that can very well change very soon. Like I said, this division is chaotic.
2nd Place - Kansas City Royals
I think it's going to be a fight between Detroit and KC for the division. I can see either winning it, but I think the Royals will likely finish second. Their rotation is one of the most underrated in baseball with Ragans, a healthy Bubic, Lugo, Wacha, Noah Cameron, Kolek, and Ryan Berget all as viable options. The bullpen has plenty of stability given definitely one of the aforementioned starters will take a long-reliever role, but outside of that Matt Strahm, Schreiber, Mears, Lynch, Lange, Erceg, and Estevez isn't flashy but secretly dominant. The lineup only improved with additions like Isaac Collins, Lane Thomas, Starling Marte, and Kameron Misner, all of which outfielders so maybe that god-awful Royals outfield we've seen the last couple of years improves a bit. Bobby Witt Jr. is Bobby Witt Jr., Salvy is immortal, Maikel Garcia is coming off a breakout year, Carter Jensen was great in a small sample size, Pasquatch is one of the more underrated run-producers in baseball, Caglianone stunk but he has a high ceiling and he's 23 - there's plenty of time for him to figure it out. The playoff race in the AL is very tight - the entirety of the AL East can all contend plus the Guardians, Tigers, Astros, Mariners and Rangers all in the running as well, but I think KC has a very good shot.
1st Place - Detroit Tigers
One word - pitching. This team has a TON of it. Skubal, Valdez, Flaherty, Mize, Verlander, Drew Anderson (Olson is out for the season), this rotation is top-3 in baseball. The bullpen is also very effective with Finnegan, Vest, Jansen, Holton (had a good postseason), Hanifee, Hurter, and others. They did very little to add to an already productive lineup either then bringing back Gleyber but with Spencer Torkelson finally remembering he went first overall and is supposed to be good, Dillon Dingler popping off, Riley Greene having a monster year, Kerry Carpenter always being a dangerous power bat, Javier Baez having flashes of El Mago for 15 minutes for the first time in what felt like centuries, and Zach McKinstry getting an All-Star nod, this team should most likely be a playoff team (hopefully not run it back with yet another Game 5 L in the Division Series). The Royals and Guardians won't make it easy, but with THAT rotation, it's going to be a tough time for everyone.
AL West coming soon.

@akapaco159_PSN

@akapaco159_PSN said:
It’s not freakin hard to listen to the fans.

Guess corporate logic is foreign to you:

Given that opening day is just a bit over 2 weeks away and that free agency is all but over (whenever will Giolito find a team), here are my AL predictions for the upcoming season:
American League East
Last Place - Tampa Bay Rays
In such a competitive division it's safe to say the Rays will indeed finish last. But the Rays do specialize in shocking everyone and their mother and competing with such a low payroll so at this point you never know. They had an interesting offseason. They made hefty subtractions like dealing Brandon Lowe, Shane Baz, Josh Lowe, Jake Mangum, Kameron Misner and Mason Montgomery, while also losing Adrian Houser, Pete Fairbanks, and Christopher Morel to free agency. The Fairbanks and Lowe losses definitely sting the most given that Fairbanks was their dominant closer and Lowe was their big lefty power bat, but they did add Steven Matz and Steven Wilson to the bullpen, Nick Martinez and Yoendrys Gomez to the rotation, youngster Ben Williamson to the infield, and Cedric Mullins, utilityman Gavin Lux Jake Fraley, and Jacob Melton to the outfield. Junior Caminero had a huge breakout season, Yandy Diaz is still the same consistent Yandy Diaz, and Jonathan Aranda was an All-Star last year. With McClanahan hopefully actually healthy this year, and compliment him with Rasmussen, Martinez, Pepiot, and Ian Seymour, that's a high-upside rotation. The bullpen is also still solid for the most part even with the loss of Fairbanks - they still have Jax, Uceta, Cleavinger, Bryan Baker, and Kevin Kelly, and now with the additions of Matz and Wilson, it's not flashy but it's table, and that's all that really matters. But once again, this division is too competitive to place them any higher on paper.
4th Place - Boston Red Sox
I have a decent feeling that all three AL Wild Cards will be from this division, because all of these teams will contend and at least three, maybe four, will make the playoffs. But Boston is an interesting case. They traded away Devers to make room for Alex Bregman...only to lose Bregman anyway. They practically traded away half of their minor league pitching depth to the Cardinals, and also lost lefty platoon Rob Refsnyder, former top prospect Dustin May, Steven Matz, and most likely Lucas Giolito as well. They did extend Aroldis Chapman in August for another year, and they filled most holes in free agency by signing Ranger Suarez to a massive five-year deal, acquiring Sonny Gray from St. Louis and Johan Oviedo from the Pirates (they dealt The Password so we'll see how that goes) - they also made some additions to the lineup like Willson Contreras, Caleb Durbin, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and former top prospect Brendan Rodgers on a minors deal. We'll see if that outfield cluster remains by the time Opening Day comes around - I wouldn't be surprised if Masataka Yoshida was dealt or even released, but otherwise this is a team that can very well easily make the playoffs. I mean that rotation of Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bello, and Oviedo, and hopefully Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval returning to health, is absolutely disgusting. The only "weakness" is their bullpen. They still have Chapman and Whitlock but outside of him there's maybe Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert, but that's really it. The lineup is still dominant even with the loss of Bregman. Jarren Duran, a healthy Trevor Story, Carlos Narvaez after a breakout year, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Contreras, maybe a healthy Triston Casas, this team can very well finish second.
3rd Place - Baltimore Orioles
You can definitely flip the Orioles and Red Sox around and I would be fine with it. They're both on similar skill levels but I do think the Orioles will finish above them and most likely make the playoffs because they're due. They made the playoffs twice in a row, winning the AL East and having the best record in the MLB with 101 wins (only to get swept in the ALDS by the future champs the Rangers) and followed that with a 91 win season as a Wild Card (only to get swept by the Royals). 2025 was a stinker year, let's be real. They finished last in the AL East, went 75-87, fired Brandon Hyde, sold at the deadline, and their two young superstars fell off production-wise - Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. However, this team improved a ton over the offseason. They made multiple splashes including the signing of Pete Alonso to a five-year deal (let's hope he isn't the next Chris Davis) and bringing in Ryan Helsley to fill in for the injured Felix Bautista - thank God Helsley's gone. They also acquired Taylor Ward and Shane Baz in two separate trades, re-signed Zach Eflin and added Chris Bassitt on a one-year deal as well, re-acquired Andrew Kittredge, and made some solid depth moves like bringing in Leody Taveras, Blaze Alexander, and bringing back Dietrich Enns and Albert Suarez. Their only major subtraction was Grayson Rodriguez who they dealt for Ward but they solidified their rotation anyway. Assuming Gunnar returns to form which I'm sure he will, and hopefully Adley remembers how to hit a baseball, this team should be dangerous. That rotation is filthy, especially with Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish coming off breakout years. Compliment that with Eflin, Bassitt, Baz, and Dean Kremer, and that's a [censored]-good front. The bullpen looks stable with Helsley as the closer and Tyler Wells, Enns, Yennier Cano, Keegan Akin, Kittredge, and others poised ahead of him. The lineup was very iffy last year but the talent is there - Henderson, Westburg, Rutschman, Alonso, Ward, Cowser, and O'Neill, plus youngsters like Mayo, Basallo, and Alexander, are going to give pitchers a lot of trouble. Given everything clicks, this team is well-positioned to make a run.
2nd Place - New York Yankees
The Yankees quite literally decided to just run it back. There are practically zero new faces of note in this clubhouse if you exclude Ryan Weathers and even that's a stretch. While their re-acquisitions are nothing short of significant, such as bringing back Bellinger, Grisham, Goldschmidt, and Amed Rosario on the hitting side and Yarbrough and Blackburn on the pitching side, their bullpen took a hit with the losses of both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, both ironically to the Mets. While they still should be stable with Bednar, Doval, Cruz, Yarbrough as a swingman, and others, you have to second-guess whether a team that got clobbered in the ALDS who decides to make practically zero offseason additions is going to go deep into the postseason. The Yankees are still dominant of course - the lineup is still strong with Judge, hopefully a healthy Stanton, Chisholm, Bellinger, Grisham, Rice, McMahon, etc., and that rotation is one of the best in baseball with Cole returning at some point, plus Fried, Rodon, Gil, Schlittler, and Clarke Schmidt behind him. This is definitely the sketchiest "juggernaut" we've seen in a long time. Unless everybody drops like flies and gets injured, there's most likely no doubt they'll compete for the division, but with their recent track record and current roster status, their chances of going deep into the postseason aren't necessarily bright. This division is as competitive as it's been in years and it's not any easier for the Bombers. I do like their farm system however - Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr., Duke Ellis, the youngsters look bright.
1st Place - Toronto Blue Jays
This one's a no-brainer for me. They spent the most money this offseason, took LA to Game 7 last year, almost beat them, and only got so much better this offseason. Cease, Ponce, Okamoto, Rogers, Scherzer (re-signed), Jesus Sanchez, this team is unreal. Sure, they lost Bo Bichette, Chris Bassitt, and Seranthony Dominguez but look at how talented this team still is without them. Vladdy is Vladdy, Springer is coming off a monster season, Ernie Clement finally broke out, Daulton Varsho had a great year, Addison Barger broke out, Kirk had a great year, Nathan Lukes and Davis Schneider are two solid platoon outfielders, Andres Gimenez adds a ton of value on the defensive side, plus now with slugger Okamoto and righty-killer Jesus Sanchez, this is one of the best lineups in baseball. Same goes for the rotation, which honestly might be even better. They took a massive gamble on Dylan Cease who's coming off a down year run-prevention-wise but his ceiling is Cy Young-caliber (see 2022). They signed Cody Ponce who's coming off an MVP season in Korea, brought back MadMax, and still have Gausman, Bieber, Berrios, Lauer, and highly-touted youngster Trey Yesavage who is coming off an incredible postseason. The bullpen is also strong with Yariel Rodriguez, Tommy Nance, the most annoying reliever in baseball in Tyler Rogers, Louis Varland, Brendon Little, a healthy Yimi Garcia, and Jeff Hoffman (technically he's supposed to be good). The team has practically no weaknesses, are coming off a thrilling World Series run, and again only improved substantially. The division is insanely competitive, but with this much talent it's hard to bet against Toronto.
AL Central coming soon.

Weren't Chipper, Griffey Jr., and Halladay the same three guys in that one XP Path from '24? Interesting.

Zack Littell to the Nationals

Indeed I forgot to report a move - the Reds acquired solid middle-reliever Kyle Nicolas from the Buccos. The 27-year-old put up a measly 4.74 ERA in 31 appearances this year, but losing environments tend to have an effect on a player's performance for the worse unless your name is Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, or Ernie Banks. However, his 3.95 FIP shows that may have been a bit of bad luck on his side. I think this is a solid move.

@Christuffer_NSW
Not sure what living in Colorado has to do with it but Shazam is great at picking up literally any hint of music no matter how muffled so just try it.

Ever heard of Shazam?

How is Bo not a diamond?

@Christuffer_NSW
I mean lust for money is the root of all evil as they say.

Let’s be real you can use a dumbbell as a PCI at the end of the day it’s all about comfort. I do recommend strike zone hitting view, and watch for the pitcher’s arm action. I’ve noticed the arm action often gives away what pitch is coming.

@Jacob151167_XBL
Are you talking about Diamond Dynasty or offline gameplay. To be honest both stink (veteran has you get dotted by Antonio Senzatela 2/3 times while Tarik Skubal might hang 4 heaters in a row on Hall of Fame).

The reason for no requested music = money. The reason for no updated graphics = laziness.

Gameplay is good? Yeah I checked out after that

Anywhere between June-July.

My reasoning: it's the only baseball sim on the market (OOTP is not playable). This is how SDS has been coasting for years.

@GoozeFn_PSN
I claim cultural appropriation!

@Teak2112_MLBTS
We have Seaver (did I miss something did they remove him)?

How am I less excited for 26 after watching this than before I watched it? [censored], they really need some big-time competition.