Will KC Royals Win The AL Central in 2016

The KC Royals ran away with the division in 2015 clinching the division title with 10 games remaining. With aggressive off-season moves by other teams in the AL Central, it likely won’t be as easy in 2016.

The KC Royals haven’t exactly been quiet themselves this off-season with acquisitions like Ian Kennedy and Joakim Soria. They also moved to retain fan favorite, Alex Gordon keeping the defensive stalwart in left field for at least another four seasons.

Who knows what the rest of the off-season holds for Dayton Moore and if he’ll move to add even more pitching depth, or seek out an everyday right fielder or second baseman. What we do know is that the rest of the division has become more competitive this off-season.

Richard Justice, a columnist for mlb.com, seems to think that the AL Central just might be the most competitive division in baseball in 2016 in an article that can be found here.

"The White Sox and Tigers have gotten better, possibly way better. The Indians and Twins have made impactful additions. And that other team in the American League Central just won the World Series. Welcome to baseball’s most competitive race. -Richard Justice, MLB.Com columnist"

With the Royals coming off back-to-back pennants and Fangraphs.com projecting them to finish third in the AL Central, can they prove their critics wrong again and make a third straight trip to the playoffs or even the World Series?

I, for one, am certainly optimistic about their chances given that what looks good on paper often doesn’t factor in intangibles like the sheer will to win or the ‘never say die’ attitude that the Royals have used countless times over the past two seasons.

Let’s breakdown each team headed into 2016 and see what may help or harm their chances at winning the AL Central.

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