Finding the one word to define each AL team

As the holidays approach, here's the one word that defines each American League team: * Baltimore: Favorite. If the season started today, the Orioles would be the pick to win the AL East, even without lefty Andrew Miller, designated hitter Nelson Cruz and outfielder Nick Markakis. At this point, Steve Pearce would play right field and Alejandro De Aza would be in left. How are the Orioles going to find anything better? Chances are they won't, but they will look, just in case. If Chris Davis, Manny Machado and Matt Wieters return to form as expected, the Orioles will have plenty of offense. So there's no need to worry about the loss of key players. * Boston: Relieved. The Red Sox made an effort to sign lefty starter Jon Lester, but they couldn't match the Cubs' $155 million. So they saved money and fixed their rotation by adding Rick Porcello, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson. Miley and Masterson need bounce-back years, but that could happen. Porcello is a groundball pitcher who will excel. The Red Sox have the capability to sign Max Scherzer or James Shields and have the prospects to trade for Jordan Zimmermann or Cole Hamels. * Chicago: Improved. But are the White Sox good enough to catch Detroit in the AL Central? Jeff Samardzija, acquired from Oakland, and Chris Sale are an awesome 1-2 rotation punch, and David Robertson, formerly of the Yankees, is the new closer. Former Nat Adam LaRoche is the new left-handed power bat and will play either first or DH. But the rotation is thin after the first two spots. * Cleveland: Surprise. The Indians could do just that in 2015, given their young rotation had the second-best ERA (2.02) in the second half of last season. AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber leads a rotation that has Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and Danny Salazar. * Detroit: Powerful. Adding Yoenis Cespedes to a lineup that already has Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Ian Kinsler makes them dangerous. And Cespedes' power arm in left field will make the Tigers better, as well. But, the Tigers rotation is weaker. Scherzer is likely gone. Porcello is with the Red Sox and Justin Verlander is coming off a bad year. Do the Tigers need to worry? * Houston: Copycats. The Astros watched the Royals make the World Series with a lock-down effort from three pitchers in their bullpen. The Astros added Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek to turn their bullpen from a weakness into a strength. The Astros have blown 73 saves in the last three seasons. If they fix their bullpen, can the Astros contend? * Kansas City: Weaker. Fan-favorite Billy Butler is gone and has been replaced by Kendrys Morales. Alex Rios will take over for Nori Aoki in right field. Edinson Volquez replaces James Shields in the rotation. * Los Angeles: Hopeful. The Angels weren't planning on trading second baseman Howie Kendrick, but when lefty prospect Andrew Heaney became available, they shipped Kendrick to the Dodgers for Heaney, a pitcher with a mid-90s fastball. Heaney is nearly ready for the big leagues and could develop into a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. The Angels are rebuilding their rotation behind Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson. Heaney was acquired by the Dodgers from Miami. The Dodgers had him for a few hours before sending him to the Angels. * Minnesota: Change. Manager Paul Molitor's no-nonsense approach and his ability to inspire blue-chip prospects, such as Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton, will be a different approach from former manager Ron Gardenhire's laid-back style. The Twins rotation is better and that likely means an end to 90-loss seasons. The rotation's newest member, Ervin Santana, joins Phil Hughes, Ricky Nolasco and Kyle Gibson in the first four slots. * New York: Health. If the Yankees' top pitchers - CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda and Masahiro Tanaka - are healthy, their rotation is going to be formidable. Plus, they traded Martin Prado to the Marlins for Nathan Eovaldi, a power pitcher with potential for 200 innings and 15-20 victories. The sideshow will be Alex Rodriguez. He's the DH because the Yankees signed Chase Headley to play third base. And Didi Gregorius has the task of replacing future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter at shortstop. * Oakland: Confusion. The A's signed DH Billy Butler for $30 million and then made moves that make you wonder which direction they are heading. They traded third baseman Josh Donaldson and replaced him with Brett Lawrie, a downgrade. Their middle infield is inexperienced and they have a rookie, Marcus Semien, as their shortstop. There's no Lester or Samardzija in the rotation, which has Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir leading the way. The final three spots are wide open. * Seattle: Creative. The Mariners are looking for a right fielder. They traded Michael Saunders to Toronto and lost out on Melky Cabrera. There's not much left on the free agent market, so the Mariners will have to find a platoon or hope a prospect steps up in spring training. If the Mariners find consistent offense, their pitching led by Felix Hernandez is dangerous. * Tampa Bay: Rotation. What else could define the Rays? For years, the Rays have been defined by their strong rotation. It's not any different now. Shields and David Price are gone, but they have Alex Cobb, Matt Moore, Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi and Drew Smyly. And former Nat Nate Karns is a backup. * Texas: Youth. The Rangers led the AL in players on the disabled list last season, but the silver lining is that it gave them a chance to see their prospects. And they have a good core of players that could develop. The big guys, like Prince Fielder, will be healthy, but the Rangers are excited about their youth. Watch for Rougned Odor, Luke Jackson and Ryan Rua to make an impression. * Toronto: Overrated. They have Donaldson at third and an $80 million catcher in Russell Martin. But their success depends on how fast the rotation prospects grow up behind Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey.