Cabrera

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Keeping one eye on the Yankees during the week, the Red Sox successfully kept ace Johan Santana’s status up in the air.

But while the Sox were driving the price up for the lefty and blocking their rivals, the Detroit Tigers made their move and may have emerged from the winter meetings as the Sox’ chief competition.

Unless things change, the battle for the American League pennant may have to go through Motown instead of the Bronx.

After adding outfielder Jacque Jones and shortstop Edgar Renteria earlier this offseason, the Tigers pulled off the meetings’ one true blockbuster, landing slugger Miguel Cabrera and lefty Dontrelle Willis.

“If they’re not the team to beat,” said one top talent evaluator, “then they’re certainly in the mix.”

The Tigers won the A.L. pennant in 2006, but injuries dropped them to second place in the A.L. Central in 2007, behind the Cleveland Indians. But by adding Cabrera to a lineup that already features Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillen, Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez and Pudge Rodriguez, the Tigers’ lineup is as formidable as any in the league.

“From top to bottom,” said manager Jim Leyland, “it’s the best lineup I’ve ever had.”

Red Sox manager Terry Francona echoed that sentiment when he expressed relief that the Tigers aren’t in the Sox’ division.

Willis, who has struggled the last two seasons, can slot in nicely as the Tigers’ third starter, behind Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman, giving Detroit three formidable starters, none older than 26. Add in the ageless Kenny Rogers and fellow lefty Nate Robertson, and the Tigers’ rotation is both accomplished and deep.

The Tigers’ offseason improvement, in fact, may signal a trend. Had the Indians managed to hold off the Red Sox in the ALCS last October, the American League pennant winner would have come from the A.L. Central three years in a row, following the successes of the White Sox (2005) and Tigers (2006).

Despite some significant additions (Orlando Cabrera) and a willingness to upgrade further, the White Sox don’t seem like contenders for 2008. But should the Twins determine that they are better off holding onto Johan Santana for one more year, the Central could have three playoff-worthy teams.

Has the balance of power shifted away from the A.L. East, which has two teams that have won multiple titles in the last 10 years? That’s premature.

Clearly, the Yankees remain formidable, particularly if their young pitchers continue to improve.

But despite the seemingly endless resources of the Sox and Yanks, the rest of the American League can hardly be dismissed. Five teams in the league seem positioned to make a run for the pennant — the Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, Indians and Angels — and yet one of those won’t even qualify for the playoffs.

That roll call doesn’t allow for the emergence of some dark-horse entries such as Toronto, Seattle or Minnesota.

It’s only logical, of course, that the Sox remain mindful of the Yankees. The two teams meet 19 times during the season and the Sox can’t finish first in the division without beating out their longtime rivals. As GM Theo Epstein has repeatedly said, the Yanks, though without a world championship since 2000, nonetheless remain the game’s gold standard.

But the Yankees — or the Sox, for that matter — don’t have a monopoly on talent. And beyond the furious chess match that takes place between the two A.L. East rivals every winter, there’s room for other teams to maneuver.

The Tigers have done so brilliantly in the last month. They may have gutted their system of its top prospects — sacrificing their best positional prospect (Cameron Maybin) and their best pitching prospect ( Andrew Miller) — to do it, but the Tigers have arrived as part of the American League’s elite.

smcadam@projo.com