DETROIT >> Few, if any, Major League Baseball insiders envisioned the American League Central sending three teams — and nearly a fourth — to the postseason in 2024.

But that’s what went down, with the Guardians taking the division title for the second time in three years, and the Royals and Tigers taking two of the three wild cards. The Twins just missed out. And the White Sox, well, never mind.

What will the division do for an encore? It’ll be interesting, given none of the teams really broke the bank to make marquee additions this offseason. All five AL Central teams are in the bottom half of Major League Baseball in payroll.

Each of the top four contenders in the division boast potentially prolific pitching, both in the rotation and in the bullpen. The separator will be which offense exceeds expectations, and the early favorite here has to be the Guardians, given they have two of the division’s handful of legitimate offensive stars in Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan, as well as young talent that seems poised to break through in 2025.

Fangraphs disagrees, projecting the Guardians to win 78 games ? though Fangraphs isn’t exactly betting the farm, projecting the Twins to win 83, the Tigers 82 and the Royals 81. (The White Sox are projected to win 63. Generous!)

Here’s a look at the AL Central, in our predicted order of finish:

Cleveland Guardians

2024: 92-69, first place in AL Central (beat Tigers, 3-2, in ALDS; lost to Yankees, 4-1, in ALCS)

Manager: Stephen Vogt, second season

Key losses: 2B Andres Jimenez, 1B Josh Naylor

Key additions: 1B Carlos Santana, RF Nolan Jones, SP Luis Ortiz, RP Jakob Junis, RP Paul Sewald, SP John Means

Projected payroll: $86 million (25th in MLB)

Outlook: They’ve long been the division’s most consistent team, making the playoffs six of nine seasons, but rarely have they threatened for a World Series. Ownership won’t spend, and the team still has the second-lowest payroll in the division. And, so, offense will be the big question, especially traded away Naylor and Gimenez. Pitching looks stout; the lights-out bullpen looks even better, and former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber should be back sooner than later.

Kansas City Royals

2024: 86-76, tied for second place in AL Central (beat Orioles, 2-0, in WC; lost to Yankees, 3-1, in ALDS)

Manager: Matt Quatraro, third season (142-182)

Key losses: SP Brady Singer

Key additions: 2B Jonathan India, RP Carlos Estevez, IF/OF Mark Canha

Projected payroll: $114 million (20th in MLB)

Outlook: Because of the Tigers’ amazing run last year, many folks overlooked the strides made by the Royals, who went from 56 wins to 86 in just one year. They’re like all teams in the division, wondering if they have enough offense, to go with superstar Bobby Witt Jr. Pitching should be there, especially in the rotation (even trading away Brady Singer), where Cole Ragans could be poised for a coming-out party in 2025. Estevez helps an already-good bullpen.

Detroit Tigers

2024: 86-76, tied for second place in AL Central (beat Astros, 2-0, in WC; lost to Guardians, 3-2, in ALDS)

Manager: AJ Hinch, fifth season (307-341 with Tigers, 877-793 overall)

Key losses: None

Key additions: SP Jack Flaherty, 2B Gleyber Torres, RP Tommy Kahnle, SP Alex Cobb, OF Manuel Margot

Projected payroll: $133 million (18th in MLB)

Outlook: They were one of the best stories of 2024, rallying from a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs in mid-August to securing a wild-card spot and winning a playoff series. Whether they can build off that is a tough question, given the offense has issues, as they missed out on Alex Bregman and now start the season without Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows. The Tarik Skubal-led rotation is a beast, and the bullpen is so good, Jason Foley didn’t even make the team.

Minnesota Twins

2024: 82-80, fourth place in AL Central

Manager: Rocco Baldelli, seventh season (457-413)

Key losses: 1B Carlos Santana, OF Manuel Margot, OF Max Kepler

Key additions: RP Danny Coulombe, RP Michael Tonkin, OF Harrison Bader, 1B Ty France

Projected payroll: $137 million (16th in MLB)

Outlook: It was an epic collapse by the Twins last season. They were 70-53 after a win Aug. 17, but they finished just 82-80 and on the outside of the playoff picture. That was a big reason why the Tigers were able to make their magical postseason push. Manager Rocco Baldelli survived, but wasn’t given many new toys to work with as payroll held steady amid a push to sell the team. The starting rotation is strong on top, but offense remains a question (sound familiar?).

Chicago White Sox

2024: 41-121, fifth place in AL Central

Manager: Will Venable, first season

Key losses: MGR Pedro Grifol, SP Garrett Crochet

Key additions: SP Martin Perez, 2B Josh Rojas, OF Michael A. Taylor, P Bryse Wilson, RP Cam Booser, RP Penn Murfee, RP Tyler Gilbert, OF Austin Slater

Projected payroll: $59 million (28th in MLB)

Outlook: Last season was an absolute disaster for the White Sox, who lost a record 121 games. General manager Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe South; University of Michigan) has his hands full trying to turn things around on the South Side. He’s not afraid to pull the trigger on big trades (Crochet), and he’s got a new manager in the fold. But there’s little reason for optimism for 2025, or maybe even 2026 for a team that won the division just four years ago.