After the trade dealine, who is the best in the AL central?

We are no past the MLB non waiver trade deadline and without a doubt the most active division was the AL central. Even as the Cleveland Indians finish up a fire sale of talent in exchange for many a highly rated prospect, three teams turned deals on Friday thinking they can still win this division.

A quick look at their acquisitions:

• The Detroit Tigers added pitcher Jarrod Washbrun
• The Chicago White Sox added pitcher Jake Peavy
• The Minnesota Twins added Short Stop Orlando Cabrera

These acquisitions on the surface seem to have shifted the seat of power in this division but as we dig deeper that may not be the case. Of these moves The Twins move is the best, they already had an impressive lineup and pitching staff and they have added a difference maker. Of that there is little doubt.

However it is the Tigers who sit in first place in this division and their addition of Washburn could very well make the m the winner in this particular arms race. The real wild card in all of this is the Sox’s deal for Peavy. When he is healthy Peavy is among the best pitchers in the game, however he currently sis on the disabled list and there have been reports that there is a 50-50 chance he will not pitch again this year.

Now the Sox are a good team, and the addition of a healthy Peavy puts them over the top, but the story is going to play out over the next month or so. While the Tigers on paper, look to be deficient in the offense they are in first place and are proving to be a scrappy lot, winning the games they must to stay atop their division rivals.

In the end this is all a by product of the Wild Card Playoff round being added to the league. More teams stay in races longer leading to less teams willing to put on a fire sale, say what you will about MLB boss Bud Selig but the Wild Card was his baby, and it is adding a lot of parity to the game of baseball.