The American League Central looks boring to some, but to me it remains one of the more intriguing divisions in baseball -- partly because I'm a Royals fan, partly because I don't subscribe to the idea that Tigers necessarily have it in hand, and partly because I think the Indians could be quite a surprise. But mostly because I'm a Royals fan and they need to make an EIGHTEEN game improvement to have a realistic shot at the playoffs. Yes, I'm typing this with a straight face.

Without further preamble, here are some of the latest notes from around the most intriguing boring division in baseball:

• Minnesota Twins Extend Glen Perkins - The Minnesota Twins have agreed to a three-year, $10.3 million extension with pitcher Glen Perkins.
• Twitter / @JoeCStrib - "Twins will pay Perkins $2.5 million in 2013, and $3.75 m in both 2014 and 2015. Option (2016) is for $4.5 m with $300K buyout."
• Royals rank 4th, White Sox rank 19th, Tigers are 20th, Twins are 21st, and the Indians are ranked 30th in this positional power rankings which looks at Left Fielders over at FanGraphs.

• Alex Gordon Rumors - According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Kansas City Royals are still in the early stages of negotiations with outfielder Alex Gordon regarding a contract extension. However, things are "expected to intensify later this spring," Rosenthal writes.
• Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reviews the Jonathan Sanchez spring training start disaster, which included several errors in the first.
• Jonathan Sanchez's velocity is down, and Jeff Zimmerman of Royals Review questions whether it's time to panic. The short answer is no, it's a small sample size. The long answer is no, not yet, it's a small sample size.
• Royals Review questions the sanity of playing Yuniesky Betancourt after Manager Ned Yost suggested he might get 3-4 starts per week in a perfect scenario.
• Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer profiles Christian Guzman's efforts to make the Indians' roster after missing the past year.