American League: Stacking Up the Main Contenders for the 2012 Season

In case you missed it, the Detroit Tigers landed the final prize of the 2011-12 MLB offseason on Tuesday, inking first baseman Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract. Fielder will join a lineup that already includes Miguel Cabrera (who will be moving to third base to accommodate Fielder), obviously giving Detroit one of the most formidable-looking offenses in all of baseball.

So, what does this move mean in terms of the American League landscape?

Well, first and foremost, I don't think this makes the Tigers the favorite in the American League. It certainly makes them the favorite in the AL Central, but as far as the entire league is concerned, the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox all have a leg up on Detroit.

That said, just because they aren't the odds-on favorite does not mean that they are not contenders or that they cannot get to the World Series.

How do the chief contenders in the American League stack up, then? Let's rank them.

1. New York Yankees - They were having an incredibly unusually silent offseason until they made two big moves in the same day, bolstering their pitching staff by acquiring Michael Pineda from Seattle and signing Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year deal.

Yes, New York did have to give up its prized young catcher in Jesus Montero to pry away Pineda, but I say it was worth it, as the 23-year-old Pineda has outstanding stuff and may very well end up being the Yankees' ace within a few years. As far as Kuroda goes, he was a consistently reliable pitcher with the Dodgers, and I expect him to continue that trend in the Bronx.

We already know how strong New York's offense is, as it ranked second in baseball in runs last season and boasted two MVP candidates in Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. It was the team's starting pitching staff that needed to be addressed, and Brian Cashman and the front office certainly did that.

The moves the Yankees made late in the offseason have pushed them to the top of the food chain, not just in the AL, but in all of baseball. They have an extraordinary amount of depth in their starting rotation, a lethal lineup and the best bullpen in the bigs. As of right now, they are my pick to represent the American League in the World Series.

2. Los Angeles Angels - Perhaps the only team that made a bigger splash than the Miami Marlins this offseason was the Angels, landing the winter's most prized pitcher in C.J. Wilson and, of course, the most prized player overall in Albert Pujols.

Wilson joins a rotation that was already very good to begin with, and his presence may very well catapult it to the top of the totem pole in baseball. Los Angeles is not exactly a world-beater offensively, but its starting pitching should consistently keep the ballclub in games throughout the season. Also, just as it seems they always do, the Halos have a very strong bullpen to back up their starters.

The Angels shouldn't face much resistance in the AL West, especially with Wilson jumping ship from Texas. The Rangers remain strong offensively, but they just don't have enough pitching to seriously push Los Angeles. Their starting five isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but they lack a true ace, whereas the Angels may have three ace-caliber pitchers in their rotation (Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Wilson).

All of that said, I think L.A.'s overall lack of hitting will be its ultimate downfall in what I think will end up being a Yankees/Angels ALCS in October.

3. Boston Red Sox - After enduring one of the most monumental collapses in MLB history in 2011, the Red Sox didn't really do much in the offseason in terms of their roster. That is not to say there was no news surrounding the organization, however, as long-time general manager Theo Epstein bolted for the Cubs' job and Terry Francona was fired and replaced by Bobby Valentine.

Make no mistake about Boston: this team is still very, very talented and I am still very perplexed at how it did not make the postseason in 2011.

The Red Sox have a solid starting pitching staff headlined by Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz. They don't exactly have much depth behind that big three, though, as John Lackey has been a huge disappointment since he signed, and Daisuke Matsuzaka has not lit the world on fire, either. It seems that Boston recognized this weakness, however, as it moved setup man extraordinaire Daniel Bard to the rotation.

If there is one thing we do know about the Red Sox, it is that they will score. They led the league in runs this past season, and looking at some of the players in that lineup, that comes as no surprise. The biggest questions will be how the back end of their starting rotation holds up and how well new closer Andrew Bailey fills the shoes once occupied by Jonathan Papelbon, who signed with Philadelphia.

I think the hated Yankees are a step ahead of Boston in the AL East, but fret not Sox fans: that can obviously change with the blink of an eye.

4. Detroit Tigers - The Tigers had a very impressive (and surprising) 2011 campaign, as I don't think anyone outside of Detroit had this team making the ALCS. They also boast the 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young award winner, both accolades being won by the same player: Justin Verlander.

The funny thing about Verlander winning the MVP award is that I don't even think he was the most valuable player on his own team in '11: the aforementioned Cabrera was. Now, Cabrera will have Fielder batting either in front of him or behind him which should improve his game even more. Of course, the Tigers probably would not have even pursued Cecil's son had it not been for Victor Martinez tearing his ACL, so unfortunately for Detroit, he will not be in the middle of that order with those two behemoths.

The Tigers' pitching staff is not just Verlander and a bunch of scrubs, either. Doug Fister has developed into a very reliable No. 2, and Max Scherzer is one of the better No. 3 starters in the game. Detroit will need Rick Porcello to improve, though, as he has still not shown the kind of ability the Tigers thought he had when they drafted him out of Seton Hall Prep.

The Tigers did suffer a significant loss in their bullpen, as Al Albuquerque was forced to undergo surgery on his elbow and is likely out until the All-Star break. And we all know how those things go, as elbow injuries are nothing to mess around with. They did sign Octavio Dotel, so he should be able to fill the void that Albuquerque leaves.

Detroit's biggest issue may be its infield defense, as Cabrera hasn't played third base full-time since his days with the Marlins (he played 14 games there during his first year in Detroit back in 2008), and Fielder isn't exactly the slickest defensive first baseman.

Don't take this No. 4 ranking the wrong way. There is not much of a difference between the Tigers and the three teams ranked above it. I would not be the least bit surprised if Detroit makes it back to the ALCS, or perhaps even get all the way to the Fall Classic.

5. Texas Rangers - As I said earlier, I don't think the Rangers have what it takes to do what they did the past two years, making consecutive trips to the World Series. They lost Cliff Lee during the 2010-11 offseason and still managed to get there this past season, but I think losing Wilson will prove to be too much.

It will certainly be interesting to watch how Neftali Feliz acclimates himself to the starting rotation, though, as the gem of the return Texas got from Atlanta for Mark Teixeira several years ago has spent his first three seasons in the majors at the back of the Rangers' bullpen. Scouts raved about his potential in the minors, so who knows; maybe he will turn out to be the ace that Texas sorely lacks right now?

However, until Feliz proves anything as a starter, I don't see how the Rangers will seriously contend in 2012. They will be a solid team, but with the moves the Angels made, Texas will need to be more than just "solid" to have a chance at capturing the AL West crown.