In lieu of a team by team comparison for the remained of clubs that went untouched, here's an overall examination with predictions for divisions, awards, etc.
New York - The champs is here! The hated Yankees, coming off a 2009 season that saw the opening of the new Yankee Stadium (btw, when do we officially stop calling it the "New Yankee Stadium?") and their 27th championship have shuffled the deck a bit (Damon and Matsui are gone while Granderson, Javy Vazquez, Chan-Ho Park and Nick Johnson are in) The net result is that the Yankees are a better team. Vazquez goes from being a 1-2 starter in Atlanta to the 4th starter in NY behind the potent trio of Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte. That deal also allowed the Yanks to send Joba to the bullpen (where he is best suited for reasons cited here).
Boston - The Sox did not lay dormant this season, complimenting their explosive lineup with the additions of Mike Cameron (yes, he is still playing and still hitting 250 with 25HR and 120K's), Adrian Beltre, and John Lackey - who brings competitive fire and 200+ innings to a solid rotation. Slot Lackey in behind Beckett and Lester and his value is enhanced even further.
Blue Jays - Mediocrity at its finest. The Jays border on being competitive enough to make some noise but they lack the overall lineup depth and pitching needed to win in any division, let alone a division that has Boston, NY, Tampa and a much improved Orioles team. Losing Roy Halladay is going to surely hurt in the short term and the long term impact is TBD even though they've received a glut of young stars.
Baltimore - already previewed individually, this is the year the O's creep out of the basement. The lineup is too good to ignore and the pitching is coming into form with the additions of Millwood to lead the rotation and Mike Gonzalez to put the stamp on games in the 9th.
Tampa Bay - will the Rays of 2008 or 2009 show up in 2010? The pitching staff is stacked with quality starters. JP Howell's injury time frame will dictate the effectiveness of their bullpen. BJ Upton must rebound to form as he is certainly a 5 tool threat.
1. Yankees - 100 wins
2. Red Sox - 96 wins
3. Rays - 89 wins
4. Orioles - 78 wins
5. Blue Jays - 75 wins
1 comment:
i like the o's over .500, especially if tejada brings back the juice. but seriously it all depends on their pitching since their lineup is as good as any - white
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wassup?
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