Red Sox, Tigers, Astros among the best in AL

Baseball is back.

Major League Baseball have begun spring training and are playing exhibitions.

The skies are blue, the grass is green — well, maybe down there, anyhow — and we're ready for another baseball season. It's time for some predictions.

We'll start with the junior circuit in this article, moving from East to West. The American League shapes up to be very competitive this year, with all three divisions looking to have a very tight race to the top.

EAST DIVISION

1. Boston Red Sox. Former Tigers GM David Dombrowski arrived this off-season with one mission: set up the Red Sox for a World Series. Signing David Price may be their ticket to a division title that eluded them last season, despite big lineup additions Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez and a breakout season from rookie Mookie Betts. Their lineup looks moderately comparable to the Blue Jays and their rotation looks very good. Expect them to be a big contender in October.

2. Toronto Blue Jays. As the Blue Jays showed last season, they are packing power. MVP Josh Donaldson is primed to lead this star-studded, powerful lineup to another playoff berth, despite losing David Price to the Red Sox. They will hit for power and will most likely give the Sox a wild fight for the East Division title, although I'm afraid their rotation isn't the same caliber as Boston's. Nevertheless, they still have the ability to make a run at a pennant late in the year.

3. New York Yankees. With health on their side, as well as a little bit of New York baseball magic, the Yankees may make a run at a wild-card berth. However, it is obvious that they simply don't have the lineup or rotation to stack up against the Blue Jays and Red Sox, even if they get lucky enough to keep their best players on the field all year. Losing prospect Greg Bird to knee surgery proves even more the struggle the Yankees have against injuries. They can't put all of their hopes on the health of Mark Teixeira and Masahiro Tanaka if they hope to make a run at a title in October.

4. Baltimore Orioles. Unfortunately, even with free agents Chris Davis and Matt Wieters returning, the Orioles are stuck below at least two teams that have better lineups and rotations. They may contest the Yankees for the third spot, but I'm not expecting them to be a big contender for a wild-card berth among teams such as Toronto, which will compete for those spots.

5. Tampa Bay Rays. Things have been going downhill for the Rays, even before former manager Joe Maddon skipped town to join the Chicago Cubs using an opt-out clause in his contract last off-season. Despite the emergence of Chris Archer as a formidable ace, the Rays simply don't have the firepower to combat the other teams in this division, let alone all the other ones in the league.

CENTRAL DIVISION

1. Detroit Tigers. This division went from being one of the worst in the MLB to one of the tightest within a space of just a few years. The emergence of the Royals and, more recently, the Twins has caused the Tigers to take defensive action. New GM Al Avila has done a fantastic job picking up the relative shambles left in Dave Dombrowski's wake, signing right-handed starter Jordan Zimmerman and power-hitting outfielder Justin Upton this off-season among all of the other upgrades, including a massively improved bullpen. I expect their offense will carry them to the division crown, with help from their pitching, which at least can't be any worse than last year.

2. Kansas City Royals. They still look strong, but losing Johnny Cueto isn't going to help their rotation, especially against a Tigers team that's rotation only got stronger this winter. Their lineup is mostly unchanged, but if Detroit remains healthy, the Tigers' is far superior. The World Series champs have shown they are the ones who always conquer the doubters, however, and I expect them to at least make the postseason on a wild card berth. They will be some people's favorites to win the division, but I simply don't think their lineup can hold up against Detroit's in the long run, and, given pitching staffs similar in strength, I believe the World champs will lose out on the Division by a small margin.

3. Chicago White Sox. They will have a dynamite duo this year in Todd Frazier and Cuban slugger Jose Abreu, and with Chris Sale, who is as good as anyone, anchoring the rotation, the White Sox may put up a good fight for the division title and may even be able to catch a wild-card spot by October. They should be able to remain on top of at least Cleveland and Minnesota for most of the year.

4. Cleveland Indians. The Indians may find themselves toward the bottom of this division, despite a fairly decent lineup and rotation. They have some fairly good players (former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber and previous MVP candidate Michael Brantley are fairly important mentions), but they can't expect to beat out the likes of the Royals and the Tigers and even the White Sox for the division title.

5. Minnesota Twins. After a fairly good season in 2015, the Twins may be shunted back to the bottom as a result of the comeback Tigers and a White Sox team that may find new life. They are very young and have plenty of talent, but if they are still contemplating finally giving top prospect Byron Buxton a full MLB season instead of just starting him and being done with it, they may have a ways to go. Give them a few years and maybe they can contend once again.

WEST DIVISION

1. Houston Astros. I fully expect the Astros to land back on top this year. Like the Cubs, all the years of waiting and building up young talent has finally paid off. They had huge results from their young stars last season, including rookie Carlos Correa and Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel. They didn't quite make it as far as they should have in October, but I think they will be even better this year, and may have as good a chance as anyone to win the World Series.

2. Texas Rangers. They may have a close race with the Astros for the division title, but expect the Rangers to finish second. Assuming they have a healthy Yu Darvish for the whole year to complement Cole Hamels, their pitching looks deadly and it rolls with a fairly decent lineup that should be able to get things done. They won't have a huge chance to run at a World championship, but they will be able to fight for the division and possibly a wild-ard spot.

3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels have some great young talent, and Mike Trout is no doubt a great player, but their rotation, Garrett Richards or not, can't stack up to the Rangers' or the Astros' with Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel. Their offense may be better than Texas and most teams, but they have shown the last several years that having Trout doesn't exactly translate to pennants, let alone World championships. They could be a dark horse for a wild-card berth as the year goes on, but I wouldn't expect them by any shot to be playing deep into October.

4. Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have had a couple disappointing years, given their expectations. Those expectations have gotten a bit lower as time goes on. Despite King Felix and Robinson Cano, the Mariners don't have quite the power to contend with the Rangers and Astros for this division, and this will most likely not be their best year.

5. Oakland Athletics. Everyone says Billy Beane has a plan when he holds a fire sale with his A's. However, his most recent one has left them quite depleted, and there is almost nothing they can do to win this division, especially with the competition at the top. All of the divisions in the AL are very deep this year, and this one is no exception. The A's may have to spend some time on the sidelines before they return to October.

WILD CARD GAME

Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays

DIVISION SERIES MATCHUPS

Boston Red Sox vs. Wild Card Winner

Houston Astros vs. Detroit Tigers