March 26, 2009

AL East Preview

Will the Rays be able to repeat their 2008 success? Not likely, with the Yankees reloaded and gunning for another World Series.

1) New York Yankees - The Yanks spent their offseason acquiring plenty of free agent talent to fix a dismal 2008 campaign. Mark Teixeira has been brought in to add another strong bat to the middle of the order, while C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett will headline the pitching staff. Teixeira and Sabathia will bring it each week, and if healthy, Burnett is more than capable of being a number two.

Free agency alone will not be enough to get the Yankees back to the top. Posada and Matsui need to stay healthy and productive. Wang will have to come back with a strong season and Chamberlain will have to continue his development to solidify the starting rotation. Having Cano rebound from a bad season will help add more depth to the lineup as well. Additionally, the bullpen has holes that need to be addressed.

Still, the Yankees will have the offense, and enough starting pitching, to win the AL East this year.

2) Boston Red Sox - The pitching in Beantown is just great. If Beckett bounces back from a rough year, him, Dice-K, and Lester could form the best trio of pitchers in the league. Not to mention the great quality they have coming out of the bullpen in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings.

The key for the Red Sox will be Ortiz and Lowell. Both guys are getting up their in age, and have had some injury problems in the past year. If the age of these two start to show this year, then the offense just won't be enough to compete with the Yankees. Also, as much as I like Jason Bay, he won't provide the same protection for Big Papi that Manny Ramirez did.

With Boston's pitching, they should still be in the race all season. Their offense may not be as good as New York's, but it's still one of the best in baseball, and they'll end up taking the wild card in the AL.

3) Tampa Bay Rays - Putting the Rays here does not mean I think they're a one year wonder. Upton, Longoria, Pena, Crawford, and Burrell give this team plenty of offense. Kazmir (if healthy), Shields, and Garza give them an impressive trio at the top of the rotation. The bullpen is deep. Plus, David Price is going to make the jump to the pros at some point in the summer, and his addition will be like trading for a starter midseason.

This team will be in the race all season. Putting them third is hardly a criticize of how good I think this team is, and how good I think they could continue to be in the future. However, I think the Yankees will be a lot stronger this year, and Tampa will take a hit in the standings because of it.

4) Toronto Blue Jays - The pitching just won't be here this year. The bullpen will remain a top unit, but the starting pitching falls off after Halladay. No Burnett, no Marcum, and no McGowan to start the season. McGowan will be back at some point, but the rest of the rotation will be filled with inexperience (Litsch, Cecil, Purcey) or medicorcity (Richmond).

I actually think the offense will be improved under Cito Gaston. Gibbons had players like Wells and Rios trying to work the count and hit balls the other way. Neither is that type of hitter. Both are at their best when they can be aggressive and hack away, which will happen more frequently this year. Snider should also add some power to the lineup. However, this unit isn't nearly good enough to outslug NY, Boston, or Tampa, and will lose a lot of games this season, unless the young pitchers surprise.

5) Baltimore Orioles - The offense on this team could be fun to watch this year. Emerging young players like Markakis, Jones, and super prospect Matt Wieters should give fans at Camden Yards a lot of make noise about in the bottom half of innings. Unfortunately, the top half of the inning will feature the worst pitching staff in the division, and one of the worst staffs in the league. Jeremy Guthrie is the only legit starter on this team. The bullpen has two closer candidates in Sherrill and Ray, but one will likely be dealt as the deadline approaches.

If the Orioles can address their pitching staff, this might be a decent team in the future. As it stands right now, they'll be the AL East doormat for another year.

Mar 26, 2009 1:40:43 AM | Baseball

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