Boston Red Sox - Finishing 7 games out of first place in 2010, the Sox upgraded more than maybe any other team in the MLB, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez bolster what already was a scary lineup. Starting rotation stays the same, and the bullpen received a very underrated piece in Bobby Jenks. Catcher may be the only weakness with Victor Martinez's departure, Adrian Beltre who had a nice year is also on his way out. Overall, as dysfunctional as the Red Sox were last year, they still won 89 games, couple that with massive upgrades and you have your AL East Champs. Prediction - 1st place
New York Yankees - The starting rotation is the only question for the Yankees heading into this year, only two justified starting pitchers in CC and Phil Hughes. The potent lineup remains the same, just one year older. The bullpen was massively upgraded with Pedro Feliciano and Rafael Soriano. The Yankees should drop off just a couple games from their 95 win season last year and grab the Wild Card. Prediction - 2nd place *wildcard*
Tampa Bay Rays - The defending AL East Champs lost a great deal of talent this offseason, including Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano, and Matt Garza. They tried to compensate by signing aging stars like Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, the only help the Rays will get this season will be from their studs like David Price and Evan Longoria, expect them to finish in the mid to high 80's in win total. Prediction - 3rd place
Baltimore Orioles - The Orioles are still stocked with plenty young talent. Kevin Millwood leaves and Justin Duchscherer replaces him. J.J. Hardy and Derek Lee replace Ty Wiggington and Corey Paterson. Buck Showalter also had the Orioles playing better than anyone else once he took over for the club mid year.The O's play in the toughest division in baseball making their record alot worse than it should be. Their 66 win season from last year increases to an upper 70's. Prediction - 4th place
Toronto Blue Jays - Toronto's pitching took somewhat of a hit in the off season. Shaun Marcum and Scott Downs are now gone, making the starting rotation and bullpen both a little weaker, and Octavio Dotel won't be able to fix that. Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay departed , leaving the replacements of Rajai Davis and Juan Rivera to pick up the slack, something tells me they won't be able to. Cito Gaston retiring should also bring this club down to the cellar in 2011. Prediction - 5th place
AL CENTRAL
Minnesota Twins - The Twinkies basically stayed put this winter, losing Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy in their middle infield. However, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan being back healthy will be a huge help for the the club 2011. If they won 94 games without those two big pieces expect them to win the division once more. Prediction - 1st place
Detroit Tigers - A productive offseason for the Tigers, landing star catcher Victor Martinez, as well as helping the bullpen with the outstanding Joaquin Benoit. Brad Penny should help the starting rotation as well. Detroit will be drastically improved from last year but barely fall short to the Twins for the division crown. Prediction - 2nd place
Chicago White Sox - They boosted they're lineup with the arrival of slugger Adam Dunn, other than that the Sox lost a huge part of their back bullpen with the departure of J.J. Putz and Bobby Jenks. paul Konerko is now another year older and the White Sox will be on the outside looking in come playoff time. Prediction - 3rd place
Kansas City Royals - KC gutted most of their starting rotation and continue to prepare for the future which has seemed liked a long time for fans of the Royal Blue. Adding Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera are the only exciting moves for the Royals. Look for them to beat out the Indians though to stay out of the AL Central Cellar. Prediction - 4th place
Cleveland Indians - The organization did absolutely nothing to help this woeful ball club that was a game away from the World Series just a few years ago. If their young talents don't develop quickly , they'll be here for the next few years. Prediction - 5th place
AL West
Oakland Athletics - The A's were already a team on the rise last year, with Josh Willingham, Hideki Matsui, and David DeJesus, the A's could actually have a quite formidable lineup. Add Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes to the bullpen and you have your AL West Champions. Prediction - 1st place
Los Angeles Angels - The Angels have a very solid starting rotation, a big advantage for them over other AL West teams. They upgraded the lineup with Vernon Wells, a solid hitter at the least. Kendry Morales will also be back healthy. It's hard not to say they could win the division but they won't. Prediction - 2nd place
Texas Rangers - With Cliff Lee gone the Rangers can't hide anymore. Vlad and the heart and soul of the clubhouse, Michael Young, are both gone. Adrian Beltre and Brandon Webb should help soften the blow, but overall the Rangers missed their chance at a title last year, now the window has closed. Prediction - 3rd place
Seattle Mariners - This 61 win team did very little to help their cause. They added Miguel Olivio big whoop, they also lost Russel Branyan and Jose Lopez. The Mariners were supposed to be scary last year and they flopped, now we know how horrible they actually are. From a 61 win team in 2010, to a 55 win team in 2011. Prediction - 4th Place
Love the Yankees
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