In 2014, the Detroit Tigers made it four consecutive AL Central division titles, but they again failed to bring home the World Series championship, this time being swept by Baltimore in the ALDS. Given the age of several of their prominent players, the window of contention with this nucleus is closing, though is it closed yet? That would be a no. Let's take a gander.

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Probable lineup

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Anthony Gose, CF
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. J.D. Martinez, RF
6. Yoenis Cespedes, LF
7. Alex Avila, C
8. Nick Castellanos, 3B
9. Jose Iglesias, SS

Bench: C Bryan Holaday, IF Hernan Perez, IF/OF Andrew Romine, OF Rajai Davis

Davis could platoon with Gose, especially early in the season. Romine is the backup option at short if Iglesias can't shake his leg issues, but he's been fine for a bit in the spring.

Cabrera and Victor Martinez are both recovering very quickly from offseason surgery and make up one of the most formidable 3-4 punches in all of baseball. Cespedes adds some down-order power as well. The Tigers led the AL in average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage last season while finishing second in runs. There are some areas here where improvement is to be expected, too, though they surely can't count on a power repeat from Victor Martinez.

Probable rotation

1. LHP David Price
2. RHP Justin Verlander
3. RHP Anibal Sanchez
4. RHP Alfredo Simon
5. RHP Shane Greene

The Tigers' calling card during this run atop the AL Central has been dominant starting pitching. Though this unit is very good, there are question marks, especially surrounding Verlander's ability to bounce back and if Simon is more 2014 first half (12-3, 2.70 ERA) or 2014 second half (3-7, 4.52).

Probable bullpen

Closer: RHP Joe Nathan
Setup men: RHP Joakim Soria, RHP Joba Chamberlain
Middle men: RHP Al Alburquerque, RHP Angel Nesbitt, LHP Kyle Ryan
Long man: LHP Tom Gorzelanny

Bruce Rondon will figure prominently whenever he returns from Tommy John surgery. It's feasible that either Soria or Rondon could take over for Nathan at some point as the closer. Nathan is 40 and was pretty bad last season, but remember he was amazing for Texas in 2013. A rebound isn't out of the question.

Under-the-radar offseason transaction

The Cespedes and Simon trades were the big moves at the winter meetings, but I like getting Anthony Gose. Things hadn't yet clicked for him in Toronto, but he's still only 24 years old. He has the ability to steal 30 bases, which is a great weapon to put behind Kinsler and before the sluggers at the top of the order. Given that he's a good defender in center -- and Davis was a butcher out there after Austin Jackson was traded -- he only needs to post close to the league average in batting average and on-base percentage to be very valuable for Detroit.

Fantasy underappreciated: Yoenis Cespedes, OF

From Scott White's full fantasy team outlook:

Maybe I'm too wrapped up in our CBSSports.com world to know what goes on outside these walls, but I get the sense after our first two mock drafts that Cespedes doesn't have quite the allure he used to. I mean, he was "only" the 17th-best outfielder in Head-to-Head points leagues last year and the 15th-best in Rotisserie, but hey, let's draft Prince Fielder and Christian Yelich instead! I understand he's not the prettiest player -- his on-base percentage in particular makes statheads' heads explode -- but if you treat Fantasy Baseball like you're auditioning for a GM job and want to prove you know what numbers really matter, you're setting yourself up for failure. Because in this game, RBI do matter, and while they often reveal more about a player's supporting cast than the player himself, look who Cespedes has batting in front of him. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez aren't Coco Crisp and John Jaso or anything, but they do all right.

Biggest strength

It's not the rotation anymore. It's the offense. The middle of the order has two players who have posted MVP-caliber seasons within the past two years. The top has one of the better leadoff men in the game with a speedy youngster in between. As a third or fourth hitter, Cespedes isn't great, but down in the six-hole he is. Don't forget about former big-time prospect Castellanos. He's still just 23 and is coming off a pretty good rookie year. A big step forward wouldn't be surprising.

Kinsler and Cabrera help give the Tigers a big offense.
Kinsler and Cabrera help give the Tigers a big offense. (USATSI)

Biggest weakness

It's still the bullpen. What we saw last year could have very easily been Nathan hitting his career wall. Chamberlain can't be counted on for a much more than mediocre season. Even if Soria performs well -- I suspect he will -- and Alburquerque continues his high-strikeout ways, the depth behind those guys isn't very enticing.

Sure, there's a way to paint the picture that this group will be good. Soria and Nathan have the track record and Rondon has the talent. Alburquerque has had a few good seasons, too. Overall, though, this team finished 13th in the AL in bullpen ERA last season and it doesn't appear measurably different this time around.

Outlook

The Tigers have enough talent here to win their fifth straight AL Central title and certainly enough to make the playoffs if someone tops them. They do have plenty of company in the Central now, though. The Indians look very strong, the White Sox are significantly improved and the Royals are brimming with confidence to match their sick defense and bullpen.

Overall, the Tigers need strong bounce-backs from Verlander and Nathan while they also need full health from the likes of Cabrera, Martinez and Iglesias. If those things turn out well, the Tigers will breeze to the playoffs. If not, they may miss the playoffs. It would be very foolish to predict a collapse, though. There's too much talent here for that to happen.

Coming Friday: Previewing the Twins