(I can't say that I have checked lately but) I don't believe any of the AA cards grant an elite spending waiver as may have been helpful to you for Delta Plat or Diamond status. If you have been choosing Delta Regional Upgrade Certs (RUCs) and been getting good value out of those you should look carefully at AA Plat and Plat pro statuses.
I almost hate to suggest it but do you really think you want to double-connect for SRQ-CLT-PHL-SBY rather than just flying Allegiant non-stop SRQ-BWI the 2x weekly it's offered?