The debate over MVP awards is beginning to heat up. But first, let's consider who was least valuable in the AL Central:

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Indians: Brandon Moss' revival in St. Louis is especially painful, because he hit only .217 with 106 strikeouts in 94 games for Cleveland, which made him its most anticipated acquisition of the offseason.

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Royals: They traded a lot at the deadline to acquire a postseason "ace," but Johnny Cueto has melted down in the Kansas City heat. The righthander's 5.12 ERA, to go with a 2-6 record in 10 starts since being traded from Cincinnati, have Royals fans anxious as to what he will provide for them this postseason.

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Tigers: The bullpen broke down, new starter Shawn Greene was a disaster and Miguel Cabrera was hurt for a month. But the biggest disappointments might have been the man who put the team together, Dave Dombrowski, who has already paid with his job, and the man who manages them, Brad Ausmus, who probably will soon.

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White Sox: It appears Chicago purchased Adam LaRoche's declining years (.211, only 12 home runs) with a free-agent contract, but the biggest bust has to be righthander Jeff Samardzija, who was supposed to combine with Chris Sale to give the Sox an unbeatable 1-2 in the rotation. Instead: He's got a 9.24 ERA since Aug. 1.