The AL Central never really has the exciting spending numbers on the free agent market like other divisions and it was no different this year. There was one signing that stood out among the rest and it was a big one by Detroit. That spiked their payroll up but other than that, the division has three teams in the bottom 10 when it comes to money spent on free agents this offseason. Despite the lack of spending, there have been a few interesting signings. Let’s take a look at each team’s notable offseason addition in the AL Central.
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*Additions that are projected to be on the major league roster on Opening Day
AL Central Notable Offseason Additions
Chicago White Sox – Munetaka Murakami
The Chicago White Sox had a proactive offseason to the surprise of many. A trade of Luis Robert Jr. finally happened, acquiring 23-year-old infielder Luisangel Acuna and a pitching prospect. The White Sox brought in a mix of talent around the diamond to help the team now and for the future, but their most notable move was signing Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34M contract.
Murakami was one of the biggest free agents to come out of Japan this year solely because of his power. When he hit his 56th home run for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2022, he broke the record for most home runs in a season by a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball. Murakami also became the first offensive player and the youngest player to win the NPB triple crown since 2004. The 26-year-old’s work ethic was praised in the spring by the White Sox and with his high upside potential in the MLB, he could be a star in the South Side.
Cleveland Guardians – Rhys Hoskins
With the exception of extending the face of the franchise, Jose Ramirez, on a seven-year, $175M deal, there was nothing done this offseason to get the fan base overly excited. The Cleveland Guardians‘ additions were pretty much just adding bullpen arms on one-year deals. The most notable arm of the bunch is Shawn Armstrong, who had a great year with the Texas Rangers in 2025. They also signed Colin Holderman in hopes of a back-bounce season, especially with a bullpen that lost Emmanuel Clase.
Their best addition might’ve come well into spring training, giving Rhys Hoskins a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. If he makes the Opening-Day roster, which he certainly will, then he will make $1.5M. Hoskins dealt with injuries last season as he hit 12 home runs in 90 games. A healthy Hoskins is a difference maker for this Cleveland lineup that desperately needed some thump. In 2024, he hit 26 home runs and added 82 RBI for the Milwaukee Brewers. In each season prior, starting in 2018 (excluding 2020), he’s hit 27 or more home runs. Adding Hoskins was a great late addition for the Guardians, who can prove to be a weapon on offense.
Detroit Tigers – Framber Valdez
The offseason was nothing short of drama-filled for the Detroit Tigers. It all started with the wild trade speculation of the best pitcher in the game, Tarik Skubal. He’ll be entering the final year of his contract and will be commanding an insane amount of money if/when he hits free agency, to the surprise of no one. Skubal was taken to arbitration when he filed for $32M in salary as opposed to the Tigers’ offer of just $19M. That was a big $13M difference, the largest in MLB arbitration history. Skubal won his case, earning his arbitration-record salary of $32M.
The Tigers got that out of the way and decided to then land a big fish in free agency, starting pitcher Framber Valdez. It was a big surprise to everyone, especially given the Skubal chaos. They signed Valdez to a three-year, $115M deal to give them a great one-two punch in the rotation. Since 2020, Vladez has had ERAs of 3.14, 2.82, 3.45, 2.91, and 3.66. This signing certainly makes them feel better about winning the division for the first time since 2014.
Kansas City Royals – Lane Thomas
After a lost season due to injury in 2025, Lane Thomas is a very intriguing option for a team that has been looking for outfield help. Ever since getting real playing time after being traded from the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022, Thomas has shown to be a reliable starting option. He broke out in 2022 with the Washington Nationals when he hit 17 home runs with 52 RBI. Thomas had his best season in 2023 when he hit 28 home runs with 86 RBI.
He got traded to the Guardians in 2024 but in his split time with both teams, he hit 15 home runs with 63 RBI that season in 130 games. As mentioned, last year was a lost season as he only played in 39 games for Cleveland due to injury. The Kansas City Royals signed Thomas to a one-year, $5.25M contract. He’s now feeling healthy and ready to go for Kansas City, making for an ideal bounce-back campaign for the 30-year-old, which would be a great add for the team.
Minnesota Twins – Josh Bell
Everybody thought that the Minnesota Twins were going to have a busy offseason in terms of trading off their big pieces but that didn’t happen. Instead, they stay pat and even add a couple of interesting names to the mix like Victor Caratini behind the plate and Taylor Rogers in the bullpen, but their most notable move might’ve been signing first baseman Josh Bell to a one-year, $7M deal.
Bell gives the Twins some pop that the lineup needed, as he hit 22 home runs for the Nationals last season to go along with 63 RBI. Some of his metrics and underlying numbers from 2025 are the best they have been in a few years, including hard-hit rate, expected slugging, and walk/strikeout rate. The offense might need to help out the rotation with the Pablo Lopez news, as he undergoes Tommy John Surgery. Bell will be a nice addition to this Twins lineup.
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