Digging deeper into possible AL storylines for the coming season

Has there ever been a season where the three American League divisions have been more wide open?

The Orioles, in the postseason in 2012 and 2014, spent more than $200 million to keep a talented roster together, and they are going to need all of that to contend in the AL East.

The defending champion Toronto Blue Jays have firepower, but questions in the rotation. Boston has added rotation and bullpen help to one of the worst staffs in the AL in 2015

As usual, Tampa Bay has pitching depth. But the Rays also have potentially their best offense in a decade. The Yankees, with their age and creaky pitching staff, have the most to overcome.

Kansas City, the defending World Series champion, is favored in the AL Central, but every team can make a case to challenge. Minnesota, the Orioles' opponent on opening day, almost made the playoffs last season, although there are questions about Miguel Sano as an outfielder and a thin rotation. Cleveland has a ton of pitching and everything hinges on improved run production. The Indians are an AL version of the Mets.

Chicago has three solid pitchers and an improved lineup. The White Sox even saved $13 million when Adam LaRoche retired in what turned out to be the most bizarre story of spring training.

And Detroit, always sporting a dangerous offense, has added Jordan Zimmermann to the rotation and remade its bullpen.

In the AL West, the two Texas teams - the Astros and Rangers - should battle it out. The Rangers won last year, and are the favorite because of a dominating bullpen and Cole Hamels - and eventually Yu Darvish - in the rotation. After being a wild card last season, Houston is ready to take the next step.

The Angels don't have enough hitting or pitching. Seattle has plenty of hitting, but no pitching depth behind Felix Hernandez. And Oakland is Oakland: The Athletics have a better bullpen, but a shaky rotation supporting Sonny Gray.

Here are AL storylines:

BALTIMORE: The analysis of the Orioles' season is simple: After adding RF Mark Trumbo and DH Pedro Alvarez and retaining 1B Chris Davis, the Orioles might lead the league in runs and home runs, but unless the rotation improves, it is all for naught. ... Are the Orioles too reliant on the home run? They scored in the last two years 48 percent of their runs via the longball, but they've also been near the bottom in walks, doubles, triples and on-base percentage. ... The Orioles added RHP Yovani Gallardo to the rotation, and if he's true to form, he'll give them 180 innings and a 3.55 ERA. But will Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez bounce back? Can the Orioles expect anything more than an inconsistent RHP Ubaldo Jimenez? And is this the season where RHP Kevin Gausman, who starts on the disabled list, breaks out? RHPs Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright show promise, but are unproven. The Orioles' 4.53 rotation was second-worst in the AL in 2015. ... The infield defense is strong with 3B Manny Machado, SS J.J. Hardy, 2B Jonathan Schoop and Davis, who has led the AL in home runs two of the last three years. Hardy's healthy shoulder should make a difference at the plate. ... C Matt Wieters is a project, considering he's coming back from elbow surgery. He caught back-to-back games five times last season, but with Caleb Joseph, the Orioles shouldn't worry at the position. ... With LHP Zach Britton as the lights-out closer, the Orioles' bullpen is deep and talented.

BOSTON: The Red Sox finished last in the AL East last season with 78 wins, but with LHP David Price added to the rotation and RHP Craig Kimbrel to the bullpen as closer, the Red Sox are anything but a last-place team. A new setup man, RHP Carson Smith, starts on the disabled list. ... The Red Sox rotation has RHPs Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez and Joe Kelly. Rodriguez starts the season on the disabled list with a knee injury. He was the team's most consistent starter last season. ... Buchholz's issues are always health, pitching 18 games last season. Porcello had 3.53 ERA in the second half last season. Joe Kelly bounced back from a slow start to go 8-1 with a 3.77 after the break in 2015. ... Big questions are at the infield corners: Can 3B Pablo Sandoval (.245 last season) rebound amid his weight issues? Will 1B Hanley Ramirez, switched from left field, be happy and hit better than .245? .... Brock Holt hit .280 last season and earned an All-Star spot, making him the best utility player in the AL. ... The Red Sox's two more recognizable players - DH David Ortiz and 2B Dustin Pedroia - are back. Ortiz is coming off a season of 37 home runs and Pedroia hit .291. ... The Red Sox's outfield is, from left to right, Rusney Castillo, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts. They are young and unproven. Betts hit .291 last season, Castillo .253 and Bradley .249.

CHICAGO: The White Sox had 76 wins last year and their biggest issue was scoring runs. They finished last in the AL with 622, and also finished last in OPS (.686) and slugging (.380). That's why 3B Todd Frazier, 2B Brett Lawrie and C Alex Avila were acquired in the offseason. ... Frazier hit 35 and 29 home runs in the last two seasons for Cincinnati playing in a hitter-friendly park. Lawrie is a .260 career hitter who has never lived up to expectations in Toronto and Oakland. Avila hit .242 last year. ... That means the White Sox hope that RF Avasail Garcia, 24, who hit .257 last season, will have his breakout season. ... The White Sox's best hitter is 1B Jose Abreu, 29, who has hit .303-66-208 in his first two seasons in Chicago. ... LaRoche, who played four seasons for the Nationals, retired in spring training. In 2012, as a first baseman, LaRoche won a Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger Award with a .271 average. ... LHP Chris Sale (13-11, 3.41 ERA) leads the rotation and is one of the best pitchers in the league. LHP Carlos Quintana is underrated with ERAs of 3.51, 3.32 and 3.36 in each of the last three seasons. The No. 3 starter is LHP Carlos Rodon, who could have a breakout season after having a 3.75 ERA. ... RHP Mat Latos, after a bad season with Miami and the two Los Angeles teams, will try to have a rebound season. ... Austin Jackson, an outfielder the Orioles thought about signing, was a late addition to the White Sox outfield that includes Melky Cabrera, Adam Eaton and Garcia. Jackson has good speed and plays excellent defense, but the right-handed batter struggles against right-handed pitching, and he could morph into a fourth outfielder.

CLEVELAND: The Indians, because of their pitching, were expected to be contenders last season, but they didn't live up to expectations (81-80). This year, the expectations to win the AL Central are there, thanks to a strong rotation and beefed up offense. ... The rotation has 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner RHP Corey Kluber and RHP Danny Salazar, but RHP Carlos Carrasco, 22, acquired from Philadelphia in 2009 in a deal that sent LHP Cliff Lee to the Phillies, was Cleveland's best pitcher last season, with 14 wins and a 3.63 ERA. ... The Indians, who finished 11th in the AL in runs scored last season, are banking on a healthy LF Michael Brantley and a bounceback from 1B Mike Napoli, who combined for 18 home runs last season for Boston and Texas. ... Brantley, coming back from November shoulder surgery, hit .310 and 15 home runs last season. He should be ready in May. ... The young core of players include DH Carlos Santana, who has at least 90 walks in five consecutive seasons; SS Francisco Lindor, who hit .313 with 14 home runs in 99 games last season; and Lonnie Chisenhall, a .300 hitter who moved from third to right field.

DETROIT: The Tigers spent $110 million to get RHP Jordan Zimmermann, 29, the model of stability with the Nationals. Zimmermann, who had Tommy John surgery in 2010, will start the Tigers' home opener April 8 and joins a rotation that has RHPs Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez. Verlander reclaimed his spot as the rotation leader, posting a 2.80 ERA in his last 15 starts of last season with eight strikeouts per nine innings. Sanchez is coming back from a shoulder injury and subpar 4.99 ERA last season, but the Tigers expect him to be healthy. The No. 4 starter is LHP Daniel Norris, a prospect who had a 3.68 ERA last season. Norris starts the season on the disabled list with a back injury, but isn't expected to miss much time. The No. 5 starter is iffy, RHP Mike Pelfrey. ... The Tigers have had a thin bullpen in their championship seasons, but this season, the bullpen is fortified and the best Tigers fans have seen in a while. RHP Francisco Rodriguez, who had 82 saves the last two season for Milwaukee, is the closer with RHP Mark Lowe and LHP Justin Wilson new in the setup roles. Lowe had a combined .196 ERA for Toronto and Seattle in 2015 while Wilson had 66 strikeouts in 61 innings for the Yankees. ... The new left fielder is Justin Upton, who has potential for 30 home runs and 25 steals, going into a lineup that has 1B Miguel Cabrera (.338-18-76 in 2015), OF J.D. Martinez (38 home runs), DH Victor Martinez (11 home runs) and 2B Ian Kinsler (.296-11).

HOUSTON: The Astros, after losing 416 games from 2011 to 2014, became relevant last season with 86 wins and a wild card playoff spot. They were beaten by Kansas City in the AL Division Series. Now a case can be made that the Astros are the best team in the AL West. ... The rotation has LHP Dallas Keuchel, the AL Cy Young Award winner with a 2.48 ERA last season, and RHP Collin McHugh, a 19-game winner who pitched well in the final two months of the season. The No. 3 starter is RHP Lance McCullers, 22, who had 129 strikeouts and 43 walks in 125 2/3 innings, but starts the season on the disabled list. RHP Doug Fister, who lost his rotation spot last season with the Nationals, could be the offseason's biggest bargain. The Astros signed him for $8 million. ... The Astros are a power-hitting team and finished with 230 home runs, two behind the Blue Jays. Evan Gattis, who is on the disabled list to start the season, led the way with 27 home runs, while Luis Valbuena and Colby Rasmus each hit 25. ... The Astros' brightest star is SS Carlos Correa, who hit 22 home runs in 99 games last season. ... Houston's biggest offseason acquisition was RHP Ken Giles, a setup man in Philadelphia who will be the Astros closer.

KANSAS CITY: After having been to two consecutive World Series and coming out as the defending champion, the Royals never seem to get the respect that they deserve. They win with a strong bullpen, tight defense, a grinding offense and just enough starting pitching. ... The Royals signed RHP Ian Kennedy to a $70 million contract after he slumped to a 4.28 ERA with San Diego last season. The Royals hope that being reunited with pitching coach Dave Eiland - the two were together with the Yankees - will help. The rest of the rotation isn't great, but it includes RHPs Edinson Volquez, Yordona Ventura, Chris Young, Kris Medlen, Dillion Gee and LHP Danny Duffy. ... The bullpen has been a Royals strength, but bullpens can be unstable. The closer is RHP Wade Davis, who has 20 saves in his career, and his setup crew has RHPs Kelvin Herrera, Joakim Soria and Luke Hochevar, a converted starter. ... The Royals led the majors in steals last season with 153 and hit 139 home runs, ranking 14th in the AL. Still, the Royals hit 11 home runs in 15 postseason games. 3B Mike Moustakas hit 15 home runs in the regular season, and five in the postseason. 1B Eric Hosmer, who battled injuries all last season, hit nine home runs during the regular season, two during the postseason. ... Moustakas (.284) and Hosmer (.297) are part of the Royals' core group that has CF Lorenzo Cain (.307), LF Alex Gordon (.271) and C Sal Perez, 25, who hit .260 with 21 home runs last season.

LOS ANGELES: The Angels, 77-85 last season, ranked 12th in the AL in runs scored (661) and didn't do much to help their offense and find support for CF Mike Trout, who hit .299 with 41 home runs and a .402 on-base percentage last season. Trout signed an extension two years ago, and if he hadn't, he could have been a free agent after 2017. ... DH Albert Pujols, 36, is coming off a season where he hit .244 with little power. He was troubled by a foot injury and so health could be a factor ... The Angels' other big bats are 1B C.J. Cron (.262-16-51) and RF Kole Calhoun, who hit 26 home runs last season. ... The Angels have two new players on the left side of the infield, 3B Yunel Escobar and SS Andrelton Simmons, who at 26, might be the best defensive shortstop in the game. ... The rotation is weak. RHP Jered Weaver had a 4.64 ERA and gave up more hits (163) than innings pitched (159) in 2015. RHP Garrett Richards had a 3.65 ERA last season and can hit 100 mph with his fastball and LHP Andrew Heaney, 24, showed promise last season.

MINNESOTA: The Twins, who finished with 83 victories and contended until the final days of last season, are trying to get back to postseason for the first time since 2010. ... The Twins rotation, with RHPs Phil Hughes, Ervin Santana and Kyle Gibson leading the way, has a chance to be strong. Hughes was good his first year as a Twin, bad his second, mainly because he was out of shape. ... Can 1B Joe Mauer, 32, a former AL MVP and batting champion, hit better than the .265 he managed last season? ... Will DH Byung Ho Kim, 29, adjust to the big leagues as well as Jung Ho Kang, his former teammate in Korea, did with Pittsburgh? Kang hit .287 with 15 home runs before he was out with a leg injury last season. Kim was a power-hitter in Korea with 105 home runs in two seasons. He was the Korean MVP in 2013 and 2014. ... Torii Hunter retired, leaving the 270-lb. Miguel Sano, rookie with 18 home runs last season, as the right-fielder. The Twins had no other position for him, although, despite his size, he's determined to be a good defensive outfielder. ... LHP Glen Perkins is the closer, but there's always concern he'll break down. ... The Twins' most exciting prospect is CF Byron Buxton, who has incredible speed and raw talent. He needs polish and the Twins hope he gets off to a good start to improve his confidence. His biggest issue is chasing breaking pitches out of the zone, typical of a prospect.

NEW YORK: Let's start with an amazing fact: The Yankees spent $0 on free agents. ... One of these years, the Yankees, a 2015 wild card team with an aging roster and a fragile rotation, are going to finish last. ... The Yankees' best-in-the-league bullpen has LHP Andrew Miller and RHP Dellin Betances, but the depth will be tested in April because lefty closer Aroldis Chapman, who has a 99 mph fastball, will serve a 30-game suspension for involvement in a domestic abuse incident. The Yankees play 15 AL East teams, including three against the Orioles, while Chapman is on the sideline, and that could put the Yankees at a deficit to start the season. ... RHP Luis Severino, one of 14 Yankees to make his big-league debut last season, had a 2.89 ERA in 11 starts last season. ... The rotation has questions: Will LHP CC Sabathia pitch like an ace or are his best days behind him? He had a 3.63 ERA after the All-Star break last season. ... Can RHPs Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda and Masahiro Tanaka be healthy enough to pitch an entire season? Nova is coming back from Tommy John. Pineda hasn't been a healthy season in years and Tanaka missed six weeks last season because of injury. ... In the lineup, can 40-year-old Alex Rodriguez, 36-year-old Mark Teixeira and 38-year-old Carlos Beltran be able to turn back the clock?

OAKLAND: The Athletics, who made the playoffs under manager Bob Melvin for three consecutive years from 2012-2014, are trying to pick up the pieces from a 68-win season in 2015. ... The A's had the second-worst bullpen ERA (4.63) in the AL last season, but they added RHPs Ryan Madson and John Axford to help set up the closer, LHP Sean Doolittle, who is returning healthy after shoulder problems in 2015. ...The Athletics' new players include OFs Khris Davis and reserve Chris Coghlan, 1B Yonder Alonso and 2B Jed Lowrie. ... Davis, acquired from Milwaukee, has a chance to hit 25 home runs and joins an outfield that has CF Billy Burns, who has potential for 40 steals, and RF Josh Reddick, a dangerous bat assuming health. ... The pitching ace is RHP Sonny Gray, 26, who finished fourth in last year's AL Cy Young voting after having 14 wins with a 2.73 ERA. Gray will be making his third opening-day start for Oakland and is one of three pitchers to do so for the Athletics, joining Dave Stewart (five) and Rick Langford (three). ... The rest of the rotation is a list of unproven pitchers.

SEATTLE: After being a game out of the wild card race in 2014, the Mariners slipped out of contention with 76 wins last season. The Mariners, along with the Nationals, are the only teams to not make the World Series, and the Mariners' 14 consecutive seasons without making the playoffs is the current record-holder for longest drought of not making the playoffs. ... This year, the Mariners' newest wrinkle is speed and new manager Scott Servais wants his team to be more than just power. Last season, the Mariners had 69 steals (11th in the AL) while finishing fifth in home runs (198), but 13th in runs (656). The biggest running threats are LF Nori Aoki, who has averaged 20 steals a season in the last four; CF Leonys Martin, who had 67 steals in the last two seasons combined, and SS Ketel Marte, who had eight steals in 57 games last season. ... The speed at the top of the order will mean extra RBI opportunities for the middle of the order that includes Robinson Cano (.287-21-79), Nelson Cruz (.302-44-93), Kyle Seager (.266-26-74) and Adam Lind (.277-20-87). ... The top three starters are RHPs Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma and LHP Wade Miley, who had a down season for Boston last season. ... The new closer is RHP Steve Cishek.

TAMPA BAY: The Rays, who finished second-to-last in 2015 in the AL for average runs per game (3.98) have beefed up the lineup and might have their best lineup since going to the World Series in 2008. Former Oriole Steve Pearce, 32, who hit 15 home runs in 92 games last season, and Logan Morrison, who hit 15 home runs for Seattle, have been added, as well as LF Corey Dickerson, who hit .304 with 10 home runs for Colorado, and SS Brad Miller, who hit 11 home runs for Seattle last season. ... A healthy Desmond Jennings, who played 28 games last season, and a rebound from 1B James Loney (.280-4-32) will help. ... 3B Evan Longoria has been around for a while, but he's still only 30. He hit .270-21-73 last season, but hasn't been an All-Star or won a Gold Glove since 2010. ... The Rays rotation had the lowest ERA (3.63) in the AL last season even though injuries limited their projected rotation to start in 82 of the 162 games. RHPs Chris Archer (3.23 ERA last season) and Jake Odorizzi (3.35) lead the rotation. ... LHP Drew Smyly and Matt Moore came back from injuries last season and pitched well in the final two months. ... RHP Alex Cobb, coming back from Tommy John, is expected back midseason. ... The bullpen will miss RHP Jake McGee, who was traded to the Rockies for Dickerson, and the closer, RHP Brad Boxberger, will miss the first eight weeks of the season with an abdominal injury. The Rays bullpen is a question.

TEXAS: The Rangers, under rookie manager Jeff Bannister, are shooting for their second consecutive AL West title after losing to Toronto in ALDS last season. ... Former Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond, who turned down a $107 million contract offer to stay in D.C., is the Rangers' new left fielder, even though he's not played in that position since he was 10. Desmond's has talked to Denard Span, Torii Hunter and Rick Ankiel, who went from pitching to the outfield, and says the best piece of advice has been to learn "how to forgive yourself when there's a mistake.'' ... The Rangers will have a full season of LHP Cole Hamels at the top of the rotation. He was 7-1 with a 3.66 ERA for the Rangers last season after a trade from Philadelphia. RHP Yu Darvish, out with Tommy John surgery, is due back in May. ... The Rangers rotation has questions: At 36, RHP Colby Lewis has had ERAs of 5.18 and 4.66 in the last two seasons. LHP Derek Holland has been injured and no sure bet after posting a 4.91 ERA last season. ... The bullpen is the Rangers' strength with LHP Jake Diekman and RHP Sam Dyson setting up the closer, RHP Shawn Tolleson, who saved 35 of 37 games last season. ... 3B Adrian Beltre is in his 18th season and he's only 36. Beltre plays excellent defense and has 2,767 career hits. He hit .287 in 2015.

TORONTO: After last season, when the Blue Jays made the postseason for the first time since winning a second consecutive World Series in 1992-1993, the Blue Jays know time is short for them to win again. OF Jose Bautista (.250-40-114) and DH Edwin Encarnacion (.277-39-111), two run-producing bats in the heart of their order, are potential free agents after the season. ... The left side of the infield is 3B Josh Donaldson, the reigning AL MVP, and SS Troy Tulowitzki, 31, who will be in his first full season in the AL. Donaldson hit .297-41-123 last season while Tulowitzki struggled at .239-5-17. Tulowitzki has a down year, but it isn't fair to think that he's sliding. Expect him to have a strong rebound. ... Will 1B Chris Colabello hit .320 as he did last year? The new left fielder is Michael Saunders, who replaces Ben Revere, who was traded to the Nationals. Saunders and Colabello could each hit 15 home runs. ... The Blue Jays have plenty of offense, but their rotation has questions: Can RHP Marcus Stroman, 24, replace LHP David Price as the leader of the staff despite making only 24 starts in the last two seasons combined? Stroman missed most of last season with an ACL injury, but managed to have a 1.67 ERA in four starts at the end of the season. RHP Marco Estrada (3.13 ERA) has his breakout season at age 32, so can he continue despite his age? Will RHP R.A. Dickey and his knuckleball ever be a consistent force? Is LHP J.A. Happ good enough to be put together two consecutive solid seasons? ... LHP Mark Buehrle (3.81 ERA) has retired. ... The former Nationals closer, RHP Drew Storen, adds to a bullpen has that RHP Roberto Osuna and LHP Brett Cecil, who goes into the season with a scoreless innings streak of 31 2/3. He hasn't allowed a run since June.