AL
East
1. Boston - They have some injuries to start the season, but Lester and Ellsbury look ready to take over for Schilling and Crisp. They'll be back in the playoffs.
2. NY Yankees - They still have what amounts to one of the best lineups in baseball, but the pitching will be mediocre (at least until Joba enters the rotation).
3. Toronto - They've made a lot of additions and subtractions in the past few years, but they just can't compete with the Sox and Yanks in this division. Rolen is nice at 3B, and Eckstein is always solid at SS, but they are starting Matt Stairs in LF.
4. Tampa Bay - Maybe if some of these young guys could contribute...
5. Baltimore - They are just terrible. There is no denying that fact.
Central
1. Detroit - They just keep getting better. Some teams were just hoping to get either Miguel Cabrera or Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins. They got both!
2. Cleveland* - I really like this team (which means they'll probably flop), because they have the perfect mix of young guys and veterans that seems to be the trend of World Series contenders in the past few years. Pitching (C.C. Sabathia) and hitting (Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore) are both solid.
3. Minnesota - I'm not sure if giving up Johan Santana was smart. I know that he was going to be a free agent, but their pitching staff is going to have to rely on Francisco Liriano now, and the rest of their pitchers are basically terrible. OF Delmon Young was a nice pickup, but he won't be able to replace Torii Hunter. There is a lot of pressure on Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau to carry this offense.
4. Chicago White Sox - I'm sure that all Sox fans can do is groan. The only major addition was Nick Swisher. I'm up in the air for 3-4 in the Central, between them and Minnesota.
5. Kansas City - Uber-prospect Alex Gordon wasn't the George Brett that they expected him to be, and the rest of the team is unproven rookies and journeyman veterans.
West
1. LA Angels - They have that same rookie/veteran mix as the Indians, but their vets just keep getting older. This is probably the last chance for this core group. If they don't make the Series, expect major changes in LA after the season. Torii Hunter was a great pickup for their outfield, but those 3 guys (Anderson, Hunter, Guerrero) probably make up the oldest outfield in the majors. The infield, on the flipside, is probably one of the youngest.
2. Seattle - This is one of the deepest teams in the majors, and they'll fight it out with the Indians for the AL Wild Card all the way through September. Erik Bedard was a solid pickup, and he'll move right into the front end of their rotation with Felix Hernandez and Jarrod Washburn.
3. Texas - They made what I though was one of the best trades of the offseason, picking up Josh Hamilton from the Reds, but it was also one of the most risky, considering Hamilton's past. There are two gigantic holes in this team, though: power and front-end starting pitchers. That will be devastating.
4. Oakland - Can you say "rebuilding"? Basically, this team is a bunch of young guys and Eric Chavez.
Playoffs
Cleveland* over LA Angels
Detroit over Boston
Detroit over Cleveland
Awards
MVP - Derek Jeter (SS/Yankees). I think that this is about the 10th year in a row that I've picked Jeter, and this may finally be his year. It would also be great if he won, because I have him on my fantasy team.
I can't help it, he's my boy (even though I hate the Yanks)
Cy Young - Josh Beckett (P/Red Sox). He won't start the season on the active list, but he's the best pitcher in the AL and will have a solid season.
Rookie - Jacoby Elssbury (OF/Red Sox). Another guy that I have on my fantasy team. With Crisp going down, now is his chance to win the starting CF position in Boston.
Hell, he might win the MVP, too
Manager - Terry Francona (Red Sox). This guy deserves it every year for what he has done with this formerly cursed team. Plus, the Sox will have just one win less than the Tigers (96 to 95).
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