Baseball's Back

2010 is the start of a new decade, and possibly another dynasty. The Yankees are the champs, yet they were able to improve through their off-season acquisitions. Adding a centerfielder with Curtis Granderson’s caliber adds a new element to an already powerful team. He improves their offensive lineup, and their weakness {if they had} gets a boost with his defensive intangibles. They also brought back the former Yankee in Javier Vasquez for the fan favorite the “Melk Man.” Cabrera was a role player, now they have quality starting pitcher who was the ace of the Atlanta Braves. He gives the Yankees an amazing rotation that also includes C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, and Phil Hughes. You have to think the Yanks cannot go another season with both Burnett and Pettitte avoiding the DL at some point in the season, which is why Vasquez’s role will become even more important. The Pinstripes did lose the MVP of the World Series in Hideki Matsui though they did sign veteran Nick Johnson who can fill in adequately at DH. Brett Gardner shows great speed on the bases and will split time with the veteran and underrated Randy Winn to replace Johnny Damon. This Yankee team seems to have no real holes and looks again like the cream of the crop.

If the Yankees remain the best team in baseball, then the Seattle Mariners remain the luckiest. They received the best pitcher in last season’s post season Cliff Lee, for prospects. Cliff Lee alongside Felix Hernandez is as good as a 1-2 punch there is. If Eric Bedard can remain healthy, {big if} then it is a great 1-2-3 tandem. They also brought in the versatile Chone Figgins who they literally stole from their rival Angels. He is an underappreciated player who at the top of the order can work nicely with Ichiro Suzuki. Defensively this team will be one of the best in the game. If this is not the season that the Halos lose the AL West Division then I do not know when it is. Losing Jon Lackey to the Red Sox and Vlad to the Texas Rangers takes away the heart and soul of this team, which is why I see Seattle winning the division.

The AL Central is a complete coin flip. Any team in any given year can win this division, with the most dramatic regular season finishes usually occurring. The Twins always seem to be the safest pick, except they lost their dominant closer Joe Nathan. Without him, I look for the White Sox to emerge from this competitive group. Maybe the least publicized move of the offseason was getting Jake Peavy. I know they technically got him in the middle of last year, but he was not healthy and now we truly get to see him at his best. Their pitching is good enough with a mixture of veterans like Mark Buehrle and young guns like Gavin Floyd and John Danks. Their hitting is fine as well, with bounce back years expected from both outfielders Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios. Juan Pierre is a nice addition who will play the role that Scott Podsednik used to have when they won a world series. They aren’t superior in any one category but are solid in all areas across the board to win the division.

The Wildcard spot belongs to The Redsox. They signed Jon Lackey who is a great pitcher especially in the post-season. He does particularly well against the hated Yankees. Their major question remains can they replace the HR and RBI productivity lost with Jason Bay gone? They added Adrian Beltre who defensively helps, but his best offensive years are in the past. They also inexplicitly brought in Mike Cameron to play centerfield, who is about as old as Betty White. Overall though their pitching rotation could be the best in the majors, and you know if they struggle early with the bat, a mid season trade is more than likely. {Early prediction; they trade for Adrian Gonzalez} Look for them to once again be in the post-season.

The other team that made it to the World Series may have made the most news this offseason by shipping away their best pitcher Cliff Lee for ace Roy Halladay. It is not an everyday occurrence to see two CY Young award winners being traded for one another. Prospects were dealt along the way and it is tough to guess if any of them will ever become stars, but Halladay will have more pressure than the average pitcher coming to an already proven winner in Philadelphia. {Remember this is the city that booed Santa Claus.} Halladay not only has to be dominant, but he has to be better than the guy whose numbers include a 4-0 record, 33 strikeouts, and 1.56 ERA in the post-season. If he is not better than Cliff Lee, it will be difficult to argue they made a great trade even though they are bringing back a stellar pitcher in return. If they were able to keep Cliff Lee along with Roy Halladay rather than immediately trading Lee for more prospects, then I would have said World Series Lock. Instead they went the safe route and did not want to jeopardize their future. While I understand why, is still tempting to imagine a pitching rotation of Lee, Halladay, Hamels, Happ and Blanton. Nevertheless, this is the easiest division to predict. The Phillies are still on top, with teams like the Mets and Braves chasing them during the course of the season.

The Cardinals also had a good offseason, nothing spectacular but that’s what they manage to do. They resigned arguably the best free agent in Matt Holiday who with Albert Pujols is as frightening for opponents to see as Keith Richards on a good day. Adding Brad Penny to the rotation is also a silent but effective move. While terrible with the Red Sox, he improved tremendously when he bounced back to the NL and finished last season on the Giants. Plus Pitching Coach Dave Duncan can get the most out of his veterans, so I look for him to have a nice season. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are two of the finest pitchers in the game. The Cardinals balance of great pitching and hitting should allow them to be considered the favorites to repeat as NL Central champs.

San Fran will be the NL West winners this year. While runs will come at a bare minimum, they now have more bats than last year to at least score some runs to support their amazing pitching staff. They brought in veterans like Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa who should help their new superstar Pablo Sandoval. Sandoval reminds us of a young Guerrero who has a legitimate chance at NL MVP or at the very least to be in the discussion. The real key to this team though is the starting rotation. Tim Lincecum is the reigning NL CY Young and should once again pitch well. Matt Cain is also in his prime and will be a nice source for strikeouts. This is a team on the rise, and can capture its first division title since the days of Barry Bonds.

I look for the Dodgers to capture the Wild Card slot in a real tight race. The Mets, Braves, Rockies, and Brewers will all be in the hunt, but at the end of the day look for Joe Torre’s team to rise above the rest. Their hitting is potent with rising talents like Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andre Ethier. Don’t count out Manny either. Even though he may be off steroids or fertility drugs, he still is dangerous with the bat in his hands. Although, the best thing they have going is their bull pen. It is one of the strongest in baseball with Jonathan Broxton as the closer. This give them the edge to make it to the playoffs.