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The Detroit Tigers have spent the last few years putting all their resources into the MLB club and ignoring the farm system. Therefore, while they’re winning at the highest level, the organization’s lack of impact talent and depth on the farm puts a lot of pressure on its big league roster to stay healthy. 

It certainly didn’t help the state of Detroit’s system that it traded arguably its top three prospects before the July non-waiver deadline, with right-handers Jake Thompson and Corey Knebel going to Texas in the Joakim Soria deal, and highly touted 19-year-old shortstop Willy Adames going to Tampa Bay as part of the three-team trade for David Price.

The Tigers have continued to ship off prospects in trades this offseason, trading second baseman Devon Travis to the Blue Jays, Robbie Ray and Domingo Leyba to the Diamondbacks, and finally, right-hander Jonathan Crawford (and Eugenio Suarez) to the Reds.

However, pitching prospects Kevin Ziomek and Austin Kubitza, the team’s respective second- and fourth-round picks in 2013, are still in the picture, with both coming off equally successful seasons as part of Low-A West Michigan’s starting rotation.

Center fielder Derek Hill, the team’s top draft pick (No. 23 overall) in 2014, gives the Tigers system some much-needed upside at an up-the-middle position, while right-hander Spencer Turnbull (second round) is another power arm who’ll be given a chance to stick as a starter.

Lastly, left-handed slugger Steven Moya enjoyed a monster year in the Eastern League, clubbing a career-high 35 home runs while pacing the league in most offensive categories. However, the 6’6” left-handed hitter’s swing-and-miss issues continue to fuel questions about whether he’ll make enough contact in the major leagues to utilize his robust power.

Here are the Detroit Tigers’ top 10 prospects for 2015.

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Heading into the 2014 season, it was almost a forgone conclusion that several of the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects would reach the major leagues. But that never happened.

Center fielder Byron Buxton, widely considered the sport’s top prospect, lost most of his highly anticipated campaign with a wrist injury and a concussion, while slugging third baseman Miguel Sano ultimately missed the entire season following Tommy John surgery.

The Twins’ first-round draft pick last year, Nick Gordon (Dee Gordon’s brother and Flash Gordon’s son), has a high ceiling as a true shortstop with a natural feel for hitting and the underrated strength to put the ball in gaps. The club also added several potential late-inning power arms in the draft in Nick Burdi, Michael Cederoth, Sam Clay and Jake Reed.

Beyond that, the Twins have an intriguing mix of high ceilings and depth on the mound, highlighted by hard-throwing right-handers Alex Meyer and Jose Berrios, both of whom are likely to reach the major leagues in 2015. Beyond that, the organization’s lower-level arms like Kohl Stewart, Lewis Thorpe and Stephen Gonsalves seem poised for breakout campaigns in 2015 and could end up being three of the more talked-about pitching prospects in the game by season’s end.

Here are the Minnesota Twins’ top 10 prospects for 2015.

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The Chicago White Sox may not have many big names on the farm beyond Carlos Rodon and Tim Anderson, the team’s first-round draft picks from the last two years, respectively, but they’ve quietly developed a deep system featuring a combination of high-probability and high-ceiling prospects.

Right-hander Tyler Danish, 20, likely projects better as a reliever due to a sidearm delivery, but the uniqueness of his delivery and stuff allowed him to dominate older hitters this season between Low- and High-A. Right-hander Francellis Montas missed part of the season with a knee injury, but he sits in the upper 90s with his fastball and is incredibly difficult to barrel.

Outfielder Courtney Hawkins, the No. 13 overall pick in 2012, rebounded well from an overaggressive assignment to High-A last year with a more consistent performance in his second tour of the Carolina League. That being said, strikeouts are still an issue and probably always will be.

Third baseman Trey Michalczewski flew under the radar with a solid full-season debut, and the 19-year-old switch-hitting third baseman is a candidate for a breakout performance in 2014.

The success and development of the team’s middle infielders this season was a bright spot, as shortstop Tim Anderson blew past expectations at High-A Winston-Salem and received a taste of Double-A, while second baseman Micah Johnson would have been a September call-up if not for a season-ending hamstring injury.

The White Sox landed NC State left-hander Carlos Rodon—the top talent and projected No. 1 overall pick when the season started—with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, and the organization wasted no time putting the 21-year-old on the fast track to the major leagues. Following a similar developmental time line as ace Chris Sale, Rodon made stops in rookie ball and High-A before finishing his pro debut at Triple-A Charlotte. Meanwhile, the South Siders also found a potential steal in right-hander Spencer Adams in the second round (No. 44 overall pick), as the first-round talent flashed his huge upside in his pro debut.

Here are the Chicago White Sox’s top 10 prospects for 2015.

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The best way to describe Cleveland’s farm system after the 2014 season is sneaky good. Though it’s thin on pitching prospects (less so after this year’s draft), the Tribe have assembled a promising collection of young hitters, including several who are either switch-hitters or swing from the left side of the plate exclusively and project to remain at an up-the-middle position long term. 

Shortstop Francisco Lindor is an absolute wizard with the glove, and after the Tribe moved Asdrubal Cabrera at the trade deadline, the stage is now set for the 21-year-old to take over as the team’s everyday shortstop in 2015. Outfielder Tyler Naquin, the No. 15 overall pick in 2013, continued to silence his skeptics this season with a strong offensive campaign in the Eastern League. The 23-year-old also made strides with his defense in center field, easing some of the concern about his ability to handle the position at higher levels.   

The Tribe’s top draft pick from 2013, Clint Frazier (No. 5 overall), had an up-and-down full-season debut at Low-A Lake County, but the 20-year-old red-headed outfielder showed improvement during the second half and finished with respectable numbers.

As for this year’s draft class, the Indians added one of the top college bats in outfielder Bradley Zimmer (No. 21 overall), a high-probability left-hander in Justus Sheffield (No. 31), a polished (left-handed) college hitter in Mike Papi (No. 38) and a projectable right-hander in Grant Hockin (No. 61). 

They also landed one of the best all-around bats from the high school ranks in the third round in first baseman Bobby Bradley, and suffice it to say, the slugger made a strong impression by leading the rookie-level Arizona League in most offensive categories.

Meanwhile, the Indians have received breakout performances from 18-year-old catcher Francisco Mejia, who has some serious raw power and a patient approach, and 23-year-old shortstop Erik Gonzalez, who moved up the ladder one level behind Lindor.

Unfortunately, the Indians’ crop of pitching prospects isn’t nearly as impressive or projectable as their young hitters. Overall, the Tribe’s top arms are back-end types like Cody Anderson or guys who lack the command/control profile to stick in a rotation such as Dylan Baker, Dace Kime or Adam Plutko.

Here are the Cleveland Indians‘ top 10 prospects for the 2015 season.

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The San Francisco Giants may have won the 2014 World Series, but the season belonged to the American League Champion Kansas City Royals.

General manager Dayton Moore’s vision of building a winning organization based on strong scouting and player development finally was validated, as the Royals introduced a collection of homegrown talents to a national audience last October.

More importantly, the Royals already have another wave of talent within striking distance of the major leagues.

Kyle Zimmer, should he ever stay healthy for more than a half-season, has No. 1-No. 2 starter upside with athleticism, command and a near-double-plus fastball-curveball combination. Left-hander Sean Manaea took some time to adjust to professional baseball last season, making his professional debut at the High-A level, but the left-hander eventually found his groove en route to posting gaudy strikeout numbers.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old right-hander Christian Binford, whose plus command helped him climb to from High- to Triple-A last year, is already knocking on the big league door headed into 2015. 

2014 first-round pick Brandon Finnegan (No. 17 overall) made baseball history last fall by becoming the first pitcher to pitch in both the College World Series and World Series, but he’s likely to resume development as a starter next season after working out of the bullpen in his professional debut.

As for Kansas City’s other notable 2014 draft picks, left-hander Foster Griffin could receive a full-season assignment next year based on the merits of his strike-throwing ability and feel for mixing pitches, while catcher Chase Vallot already possesses arguably the best raw power in the system.

As for hitters, outfielder Jorge Bonifacio had a nightmare season in Double-A Northwest Arkansas, though, amazingly, he was still young for the level at 21. The team’s top prospect, 19-year-old shortstop Raul Mondesi, also had a forgettable year at the dish but still impressed by battling through a learning year in the Carolina League.

Here are the Kansas City Royals’ top 10 prospects for the 2015 season.

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It’s still hard to tell where Max Scherzer is going to sign, but logic says that he’ll end up signing with the team that simply has to have him.

According to the latest report, that team is the Detroit Tigers. And if we once again ask our pal logic, it says said report might be right.

Courtesy of Tony Paul of The Detroit News, here it is:

Now, this shouldn’t be taken as a sign that the Tigers are going to go out of their way to re-sign the 30-year-old right-hander. Paul noted in a subsequent tweet that the same source told him Scherzer‘s market remains quiet and that, not surprisingly, the Tigers aren’t about to bid against themselves.

Further, it’s a good guess that Paul’s source isn’t Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski. He’s too smart to let something like that slip, and it was only last month that he was downplaying his pursuit to re-sign the 2013 American League Cy Young winner.

“I guess anything can happen but we’re not in active pursuit of that situation at this time,” he told Anthony French of the Detroit Free Press.

Still, this is the time of year when you take any little bit of smoke you can get on the rumor mill. And in this case, there is something to the notion that the Tigers may feel like they truly need Scherzer.

To the first point in Paul’s report, yes, signing Scherzer would take care of the concern over Price’s long-term future with the Tigers. 

Price is due to become a free agent after 2015. Since he’s easily the best pitcher the Tigers have, that leaves the organization’s “Long-Term Ace” slot empty. The Tigers could change that by extending Price, but that’s where there are complications.

With free agency only a year away, Price isn’t going to be receptive to anything less than market value. Since his current market value is probably in the same neighborhood as Scherzer‘s, extending Price likely wouldn’t mean a discount.

And though he’s the older of the two pitchers, Scherzer may be a safer long-term investment. Both come with declining velocity concerns, but FanGraphs can show that Scherzer‘s arsenal of pitches is more diverse than Price’s. That gives him a better chance of adapting to a significant velocity loss.

So if it’s the long run the Tigers are worried about, there’s a lot of sense in re-signing Scherzer. A long-term contract for him is more readily attainable than one for Price, and would be a better investment to boot.

But of course, these are the Tigers we’re talking about.

Though they’re presumably not ignoring their long-term future completely, pretty much everything they’ve done in recent years has been done out of a clear win-now mindset. More so than whether they need Scherzer in their long-term plans, the real question is if the Tigers need Scherzer to win now.

Paul’s source indicates the Tigers think the answer is yes, in part because Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez are on thin ice. And while it bears repeating that this source may not actually be speaking for the organization, it’s notable that the rest of the league is thinking along these lines.

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reported this in late December:

The more you ask baseball executives about where Scherzer will end up, the more the answers come back Detroit. The Tigers know and like Scherzer, and the feeling is they need him after trading Rick Porcello to the Red Sox, and obtaining Alfredo Simon from the Reds and Shane Greene from the Yankees…

It’s weird to picture the Tigers without an elite starting rotation, as nobody has done starting pitching like them in recent years. Go back to 2012, and FanGraphs has their starters producing 17.3 more Wins Above Replacement than the next-best team. That’s some gap.

And yet, that’s the direction the Tigers are headed.

A rotation of Price, Verlander, Sanchez, Greene and Simon doesn’t sound all that great on paper, and FanGraphs doesn’t project it to be that great:

The good news is that projections aren’t gospel. They can be argued with.

For example, I’m not quite buying is that Greene will fall that flat. He debuted to a solid 3.78 ERA in 2014. And having watched a handful of his starts, I’ll wager Brandon McCarthy isn’t too far off base in thinking Greene has “stupid electric stuff.”

But Greene aside, it’s hard to disagree with these projections.

Barring a velocity resurgence, Verlander probably won’t be drastically improving his ERA from last season’s 4.54 mark. Given his injury history, that probably is about as many innings as you can count on from Sanchez. After revealing his true self down the stretch after his All-Star first half in 2014, the American League probably will kick Simon’s butt that hard.

Compacting matters is that the Tigers don’t have much…heck, any depth below those five. If the rotation they have now were to crash and burn in 2015, they’d need either a whole lot of relief pitching or a whole lot of offense to survive it.

And that’s where we find more question marks.

A bullpen that was among the worst in the league in 2014 hasn’t gotten any significant upgrades. Re-signing Victor Martinez and trading for Yoenis Cespedes should ensure more good offense in 2015, but the Tigers need to worry about whether J.D. Martinez can repeat his 2014 breakout (not likely) and whether Miguel Cabrera can stay healthy (not likely) and get back to being his old self (not likely).

Granted, you can still look at the big picture in Detroit and see a quality team. A series of question marks don’t equal a total disaster, so it’s not surprising that the Tigers aren’t projected to be one in 2015.

It is, however, equally unsurprising that they’re not projected by FanGraphs to be head and shoulders better than the rest of the AL Central:

Though the Tigers are projected as the best team in the division, it’s a close call between them and the Cleveland Indians. The Kansas City Royals should also be somewhere in the mix. And based on their offseason activities, these projections are probably underrating the Chicago White Sox.

The Tigers are sort of in the same boat as the St. Louis Cardinals. They’re projected to be the best team in the NL Central, but it’s close enough to a point where they should indeed be thinking about following through on their interest in Scherzer, Price or Cole Hamels. There is, after all, a huge difference between winning the division and merely securing a spot in a one-game wild-card playoff.

If the Tigers can get to Scherzer first, all they’d need to do to improve their contention chances in 2015 is insert him in their rotation. With a projection that calls for a 3.02 ERA and 3.8 WAR in 195 innings, he’d look awfully good next to Price.

It’s either that or the Tigers could use Scherzer‘s signing as an excuse to trade Price. Maybe they’d still have a thin starting rotation, but a stronger bullpen and/or lineup would help make up for that.

As Dombrowski seemed to indicate back in December, it could be that the Tigers aren’t desperate to bring back Scherzer. That would be a defensible position, as the projections say they have enough to contend in the AL Central. 

It is, however, believable that Tigers might feel like they have to have Scherzer. Beyond him being the long-term ace they need, he’s their ticket to cementing themselves as the team to beat in their division.

Of course, it’ll cost the Tigers. Scherzer is said to want $200 million, and presumably won’t be signing for less than Jon Lester’s $155 million. Because they already have their share of big long-term contracts, the guys in the Tigers front office can’t downplay those figures more than anyone else can.

Except, maybe, their boss. Tigers owner Mike Ilitch has deep pockets, and one source was quick to remind Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post that he doesn’t mind spending it.

“All it takes,” said the source, “is for the owner to say he’ll sign that check, and it gets done.”

If that goes for anything Ilitch wants, maybe it goes double for things he needs.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted/linked.  

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Just four years after World War II ended and two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, Minnie Minoso made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians. Five decades and 1,963 hits later, at the age of 54, Minoso was standing at home plate of Comiskey Park in a White Sox uniform. 

His website lists him as the ninth black player in Major League Baseball, the first for the White Sox and the first publicly acknowledged Cuban major leaguer.

Only 12,817 fans saw his major league debut on April 19, 1949. Fewer than that were likely even aware. It was fitting that he drew a free pass in his only plate appearance, as he would go on to accumulate 192 free, painful hit-by-pitch passes. In fact, he led the league in being hit by a pitch in 10 of his 17 seasons.

Yet despite his contributions to the game of baseball, Minnie Minoso stands on the outside of the Hall of Fame looking in.

After once again failing to be elected to the Hall of Fame via the Veteran’s Committee, receiving only 8 of the 12 required votes, White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf admitted that Minoso‘s returns to the game at the ages of 51 and 55 hurt his chances of being inducted, as some voters didn’t get to see the real Minoso play.

Heck, take away his final 35 plate appearances and his batting averages raises an entire point to .299. Minoso‘s actual career batting average was an impressive .298—that’s tied with Mickey Mantle.

His .389 career on-base percentage ties him with Frank Robinson and puts him ahead of Tony Gwynn (.388), Willie Mays (.384), Hank Aaron (.374) and Willie McCovey (.374).

Minoso was a nine-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, yet the Gold Glove Award wasn’t even implemented until he was 35 years old. He received the honor at age 35, 37 and 38, though his actual age isn’t known for sure.

In 2009, Jim Rice was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his 15th and final ballot. Like Minoso, Rice spent a majority of his time in left field; in fact, Minnie played a mere six games in left field more than Rice with 1509 and 1503 games, respectively. 

Although Rice’s fielding percentage was eight points higher than Minoso‘s, Minnie earned three Gold Gloves while Rice won zero. As mentioned earlier, the Gold Glove did not come along until Minoso was 35 years old; Rice had the opportunity to win one during his entire career.

Offensively, Minoso matches up quite comparably to Rice. Rice was certainly more of a power hitter, slugging 382 home runs in 16 seasons. Here’s a look at the offensive stats of the two:

Sure, Minoso isn’t often mentioned in the same sentence as players like Hank Aaron or Willie Mays, but his numbers in virtually any category can compete with those of quite a few Hall of Famers. He didn’t rewrite the record books, but he made tremendous contributions to the White Sox and the game itself.

A few years ago, Chicago baseball fans were heartbroken that one of their most beloved, Ron Santo, was inducted into the Hall of Fame just a year after his death. Like Minoso, Santo was not often compared to those individuals regarded as “the greatest,” but he certainly had a stellar career. Santo was one of the greatest Cubs ever to play. His number is retired by the Cubs, while a statue of him stands eternally outside of Wrigley Field. 

The same goes for White Sox legend Minnie Minoso, whose statue can be seen in the center field concourse and his number above the U.S. Cellular Field press box.

The Veteran’s Committee cannot let what happened to Santo happen to Minoso. It’s time that Minoso gets inducted into the Hall of Fame before it’s too late.

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Joakim Soria had a forgettable time with the Detroit Tigers last season. After being shipped over in a trade from Texas he pitched poorly in the regular season (4.91 ERA), and even worse in the postseason (0-1, 45.00 ERA in two games).

Despite Soria’s travails in the old English D, the Tigers still picked up his one-year option in October. He projects to be the setup man for closer Joe Nathan in 2015.

With this pair in their bullpen, Detroit boasts the luxury of two relievers who both rank in the top 10 in saves among active players.

Owning two premium arms at the back end of their bullpen puts the Tigers in a very strong position. Elite stoppers are among the game’s hottest commodities, and needy teams are often willing to trade away their prized talent in order to secure their services. A prime example of this is the Los Angeles Angels coughing up four prospects to the Padres in exchange for Huston Street last year.

Despite the milk turning sour for Soria in Motown, his resume still places him among baseball’s best relief pitchers. Before shifting to Detroit, he was lights out in a Rangers’ uniform in 2014. Check out the righty’s numbers compared to his peers:

Soria compiled these stats while racking up 17 saves, which raised his career total to 178. This man is a lockdown closer when given the opportunity.

While the Tigers are content to use him in a setup role, other MLB teams would relish the opportunity to install him as their closer. So, which teams would be viable candidates?

The Toronto Blue Jays are one club that quickly spring to mind. The acquisitions of Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin and Michael Saunders this offseason prove that their switch to win-now mode is genuine.

Would Soria be an ideal fit north of the border? You betcha.

They are currently without a proven closer, and rumor has it that the Jays are now shopping the trade market for one.

What’s in it for Detroit?

The Tigers have dotted a lot of i’s and crossed plenty of t’s already this winter. The signing of Tom Gorzelanny earlier this week was just their latest piece of business.

But, while the 32-year-old veteran is a sound pick-up, he is not the deadly southpaw Detroit is searching for. It so happens that the Blue Jays possess just the right man.

Brett Cecil emerged as one of the best lefty relievers in the American League last season. According to Fangraphs, the 28-year-old ranked seventh in the AL in K/9 (12.83) and eighth in FIP (2.34) for qualified relievers.

Over the past two decades, a litany of lefties has been trusted to do the business for Detroit. The likes of Phil Coke, Ian Krol (who may still emerge), Daniel Schlereth, Duane Below, Charlie Furbush, Bobby Seay, Tim Byrdak, Jamie Walker, Heath Murray, Bill Krueger and others have never quite cut the mustard in a Tigers’ uniform. Cecil would provide them with the southpaw that they have been coveting for many years.

Not since the days of Willie Hernandez in the 1980’s has Detroit boasted an imposing left-hander. A quarter of a century has been more than enough time to wait for the next one. Cecil would fulfil a different role to Detroit’s former Cy Young Award-winning closer, but he could be nearly as valuable.

There would be other benefits to acquiring the Blue Jays’ lefty. He is much cheaper than Soria, and as blessyouboys.com recently reported, Detroit is currently only a few Joel Hanrahan incentives away from passing the luxury-tax threshold. Additionally, Cecil has two years of team control left until he becomes a free agent—Soria has one.

While Cecil would be a significant loss for the Jays, they would still have the arms to absorb it. Aaron Loup and up-and-comer Rob Rasmussen give them two solid southpaws out of the pen to build a bridge to Soria as closer.

Detroit also has cover if they were to lose their eighth-inning man. Closer-in-waiting Bruce Rondon, Hanrahan (100 career saves) Al Alburquerque, as well as Cecil, would give Detroit plenty of late-inning options.

Tigers’ fans with long memories will recall that the acquisition of Hernandez occurred prior to the 1984 championship-winning season. It is probably drawing a long bow to suggest that a Soria-Cecil swap would lead Detroit to the Promised Land. But, it would cap a pretty darn good offseason in the Motor City.

Unless otherwise stated, all stats in this article are courtesy of baseballreference.com

Please note that the stats in the table were Soria‘s with Texas only

Hit me up on Twitter: @jdunc1979

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Batman and Robin, Han and Chewie, Butch and Sundance and…Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija. Do those last two names belong?

The Chicago White Sox certainly hope so.

When the White Sox acquired Samardzija from the Oakland A’s for a package of players on Dec. 9, they weren’t just getting one of the top available right-handed starters; they were getting one half of an awesome twosome. Or so the plan goes.

Sale is arguably the best left-hander in baseball not named Clayton Kershaw (though Madison Bumgarner might have something to say about that), and the Sox’s next-best starter, Jose Quintana, is also a southpaw.

So the Chicago White Sox, which is engaged in a full-blown reload after limping to a fourth-place finish last season, went searching for balance.

They found it in Samardzija, who posted a 2.99 ERA and 1.065 WHIP with 202 strikeouts in 219.2 innings for the A’s and Chicago Cubs last season and made his first All-Star team.

Put those numbers next to Sale’s 2014 line—2.17 ERA, 0.966 WHIP, 208 SO, 174 IP—and you’ve got the makings of a dominant one-two punch.

Here’s what Samardzija had to say after his move back to the Windy City became official, per ESPN.com:

I think we’re going to be the most competitive rotation in the league, and I mean that internally. The best starting rotations are made when there’s three or four guys that want to be the best and they want to go out there and clinch that three-game series or win that Sunday sweep game.

In addition to landing Samardzija, the White Sox inked former New York Yankees closer David Robertson to a four-year, $46 million deal.

And they’ve signed first baseman/DH Adam LaRoche (two years, $25 million) and outfielder Melky Cabrera (three years, $42 million), giving Cuban slugger and reigning American League Rookie of the Year Jose Abreu needed protection.

“The only message we want to send at the end of the day is when our roster is complete, that people can dream again,” executive vice president Kenny Williams told CSNChicago.com‘s Dan Hayes.

If the dream is a return to the top of the AL Central—which ESPN Insider‘s Buster Olney (subscription required) thinks may be “baseball’s best”—much of the burden will fall on the talented shoulders of Sale and Samardzija.

That’s simply the reality in this pitching-rich age; the team with the most aces usually takes the pot.

After throwing out of the bullpen in 2010 and 2011, Sale slid into a starting role in 2012 and never looked back. Since joining the rotation, the 25-year-old has made three straight All-Star teams and watched his strikeouts per nine innings rise from 9 to 9.5 to an AL-leading 10.8.

Samardzija, who turns 30 in January, also began his big league career in the pen before cracking the Cubs’ rotation in 2012. He eclipsed the 200-inning mark for the first time in 2013 and truly broke out last year when he put up career bests in virtually every statistical category.

There are more similarities between the two. Both are tall (Samardzija is listed at 6’5″, Sale at 6’6″), and both feature fastballs that top out in the high 90s complemented by an array of secondary pitches, including plus sliders. 

Whether all that ability translates into a winning season on the South Side is an open question. Here’s another one: Will Samardzija stick around?

Unless Chicago locks him up, the right-hander will become a free-agent next winter, joining another ridiculously rich pitching class. 

General manager Rick Hahn acknowledged the possibility that Samardzija could be a one-year rental shortly after the trade, telling The New York Times‘ Tyler Kepner, “It might be a little bit of a gamble, but we are optimistic we might be able to extend his stay.”

For now, weary White Sox fans who haven’t tasted the postseason since 2008 are simply hoping Samardzija and Sale can deliver in 2015—and join the ranks of history’s dynamic duos.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

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The Detroit Tigers are one of the most star-studded teams in baseball, specifically on offense. From Miguel Cabrera to Victor Martinez to Ian Kinsler to Yoenis Cespedes, there are plenty of high-profile names in the Detroit clubhouse.

However, while all four players will be important factors to the Tigers achieving the ultimate success next season, young players will ultimately play the most important collective role—improving the bench and the bottom of the lineup.

Detroit has won four American League Central titles, made it to three straight American League Championship Series and went to the 2012 World Series mainly on star power.

Sure, their batting lineup was phenomenal, but the players at the back end of the team’s roster weren’t exactly world beaters.

The perfect example of this occurred during Game 3 of the Tigers’ ALDS matchup with the Orioles.

Down by two runs entering the bottom of the ninth and needing a rally to extend their postseason hopes, the Tigers sent Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez and Bryan Holaday (who was subbing for an injured Alex Avila) to the plate.

Victor Martinez doubled to start the inning, while J.D. followed with a double of his own to bring the Tigers within one run.

The next batter, Holaday, promptly struck out. Nick Castellanos was intentionally walked, which brought the lineup around to the shortstop’s place in the batting order. The lighter-hitting Andrew Romine was removed for Hernan Perez. Perez grounded into a double play that ended the game and the Tigers’ season.

Perez is a player with solid potential who could be a consistent offensive contributor down the line but wasn’t the right player to hit in that spot. He’s played all of 44 games in the majors in the past three seasons.

Sadly, Perez was the best option. Eugenio Suarez was the only other player available off the bench at that moment, and he only managed a .570 OPS in the second half of the season.

Suarez was the last man on the bench due to the loss of Austin Jackson and some substitutions earlier in the game.

After losing Jackson in the David Price trade, the team was forced to play Rajai Davis, J.D. Martinez and Torii Hunter as the preferred outfield trio. This replaced the predicament of having four quality outfielders rotating between three spots.

Post-Price trade, the Tigers bench generally consisted of some combination of Don Kelly, Ezequiel Carrera, Holaday and Suarez or Romine (depending on who wasn’t starting).

With the exception of Kelly, who has a penchant for timely postseason hits and can play almost anywhere on the diamond as well as Romine—who brings defense and speed—there isn’t much there that will win Detroit a game.

Improving the Bench

Enter the Tigers young players, who should give the team more quality depth—depth that could push the team over the hump and allow them to claim the World Series trophy that has evaded them in years past.

Detroit’s pinch hitters produced a measly .182 batting average and an awful .297 slugging percentage.

The Tigers have inadvertently made strides to improve this. Newly acquired center fielder Anthony Gose will at the very least push Davis into a platoon role in center field. This means that Davis will be on the bench for many games.

Should Gose improve on his .226 batting average in 2014 and continue to play stellar defense, he may win the job outright.

This would not be a bad thing.

While Davis didn’t exactly light it up as a substitute (.250 batting average when coming off the bench in 2014), he does possess qualities that teams look for in a bench player—pop (37 extra-base-hits) and speed (36 steals in 2014, meaning he won’t have to be removed for a pinch runner).

The former Pittsburgh Pirate also hit .356 against right-handed pitching, posted a .302 clip with runners in scoring position and had a collective .315 average in the seventh through ninth innings.  

Along with Davis, manager Brad Ausmus will have his pick of players. Highly regarded prospect Steven Moya plays like a more athletic Adam Dunn with the same, if not more, raw power and an ability to hit for average (.276 batting average at Double-A).

Fellow outfielder Tyler Collins provides a solid blend of speed and pop, while catching prospect James McCann shows the ability to succeed on both sides of the ball thanks to a .295 batting average in Triple-A and a strong, defense-first reputation.

All of these players should vastly improve Detroit’s bench in 2015.  

Solidifying the Bottom of the Lineup

Even if the young players aren’t reserve players, like Jose Iglesias (24) and Castellanos (22), they can still improve the team’s overall depth.

The Tigers’ depth was exposed by the Orioles not just on the bench, but also at the bottom of the lineup. Detroit has multiple batters hitting sixth hit a cumulative .226. A massive drop off from the .299 clip number five hole hitters posted. The seventh spot in the order produced a collective .249 batting average. The eighth spot turned in a .241 number, while the nine hole came in with a .248 batting average.

These trends should be helped by the arrival of Cespedes. He or J.D. Martinez will hit sixth for Ausmus, providing an immediate upgrade.

Similarly, if Iglesias hits anywhere near the .259 mark he posted in Detroit after coming over from Boston, he will also provide a definite upgrade at shortstop and at the bottom of the lineup. An improvement on that .259 number isn’t out of the question either. Should that occur, it would be icing on the cake.  

Castellanos is another young player who stands a strong chance to improve in 2015. Long touted as the best hitting prospect in the Tigers’ system, Castellanos produced 31 doubles and drove in 66 runs as a rookie. His .259 batting average (coincidentally identical to Iglesias’) should improve as well with more experience. Should that happen, his statistics should improve across the board.

Should Iglesias, Castellanos and Gose all improve on their 2014 numbers, the Tigers will no longer have a bottom-of-the-order that is perceived as a handful of easy outs. Should the bench improve, the team may finally have an offense equipped to succeed in the postseason and ultimately win a World Series.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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