With pitchers and catchers due to report to spring training in the coming days, the Daily offers an analysis of where each American League team stands six weeks before Opening Day.
See next Thursday's Daily for a complete National League preview.
The Boston Red Sox return as the best team in baseball and may retain that title for another season, even without recently-injured Curt Schilling. While the offense is aging, the pitching should only improve: Daisuke Matsuzaka will likely see his ERA fall, Clay Buchholz should continue his development toward becoming a number one starter, and Jon Lester should more than adequately replace Schilling in the rotation. The bullpen is among the deepest in baseball - even if Hideki Okajima regresses, Manny Delcarmen is Boston's secret weapon.
The New York Yankees' youth movement, spearheaded by general manager Brian Cashman, will be brought to fruition in 2008. The Yankees' turnaround from having a desolate farm system to one of the best in baseball is truly remarkable. Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy should all contribute to what could be an above-average rotation, albeit one fraught with the risk associated with young pitchers. While their offense will still be great, Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez are likely to experience some regression.
The Toronto Blue Jays would be a favorite for a playoff spot in the National League, but in the AL they're stuck behind two divisional juggernauts, not to mention some outstanding teams in other divisions. The rotation is anchored by Roy Halladay and breakout player Dustin McGowan, but they'll need a full season of production from AJ Burnett and Scott Rolen, as well as improvement from Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay, if they want to sniff contention.
The Tampa Bay Rays will be more than respectable this season - they might even break .500. Third baseman Evan Longoria should have an impact right away, and their pitching is the best it's ever been: Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza and James Shields are legitimate top-of-the-rotation pitchers. What's more, the Rays have three of the top pitching prospects in baseball waiting in the wings in No. 1 overall pick David Price. The key for the Rays, however, is that both their bullpen and their defense are vastly improved, translating into some significant wins.
The Baltimore Orioles have finally embraced the idea of rebuilding. Kudos to them, as consistent mediocrity inspires no hope and sells few tickets. However, rebuilding can cause some pains, and this season might be an agonizing one for perhaps the worst team in baseball.
The Detroit Tigers made the most aggressive moves of the offseason, acquiring Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins. While Willis profiles as nothing better than a fourth or fifth starter in the AL, Cabrera is perhaps the best hitter not named Albert and should only improve this season after leaving the cavernous confines of Pro Player Stadium. The Tigers' offense has the potential to be spectacular, and their starting pitching should be okay - but not great - if Jeremy Bonderman can come back healthy. Their bullpen, however, is a huge question mark.
The Cleveland Indians return virtually the exact same team that pushed Boston to the brink in last year's ALCS. The Indians had a very strong 2007 campaign despite the fact that their two biggest offensive stars, Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner, had relatively poor seasons. The Tribe should now expect good things from both of these players. Cy Young award winner C.C. Sabathia should continue his dominance as he looks toward his payday at the end of the season, while Fausto Carmona's improvement in his strikeout rate throughout the season bodes well for a strong sophomore campaign. Rafael Betancourt had arguably the best season a middle reliever could, and while it will be hard to maintain this supremacy, the Tribe has a very deep bullpen which should make up for any decline from him and/or closer Joe Borowski.
While the Minnesota Twins have already bid adieu to Johan Santana, Matt Garza and Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan may not be far behind. However, they will welcome Delmon Young from the Rays and Francisco Liriano, who is returning from Tommy John surgery. The Twins will not be able to compete with the AL's best this year, but they should be respectable and are likely to return to competitive form within a couple of years.
The Chicago White Sox made aggressive moves in an attempt to push their team over the top. By adding Nick Swisher, Carlos Quentin and Orlando Cabrera, the Sox seem to believe that they are ready to contend this season. While they should be closer to .500 this season than last year's 72 wins, the White Sox are nowhere near the level of the elite AL teams.
Once again, Kansas City Royals GM Dayton Moore made a questionable offseason signing; we'll have to wait and see whether Jose Guillen outperforms expectations the same way that Gil Meche did. However, the core of Zack Greinke, Joakim Soria, Billy Butler, David DeJesus and Alex Gordon should be fun for Royals fans to watch - assuming there are any of them left at the start of the season.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim got rid of their starting shortstop and replaced their overrated, overpaid center fielder Gary Matthews, Jr. with another overrated, overpaid center fielder in Torii Hunter. However, they are still the team to beat in the AL West thanks to a deep rotation anchored by the most underrated player in baseball, John Lackey. Their offense won't be a huge strength but shouldn't be a liability either, thanks to Mike Scoscia's managing style and likely improvement from second-baseman Howie Kendrick.
The Seattle Mariners paid an enormous price to acquire Orioles lefty Erik Bedard and may regret the trade in the future. However, Bedard and Felix Hernandez make up the best one-two punch in baseball, and they very well might finish one-two in Cy Young voting. The back of the rotation consists of mediocre-but-not-awful pitchers, and the bullpen should remain a strength, even if it regresses after an outstanding 2007 season. This team will win with pitching and defense; Ichiro, Adrian Beltre and Yunieski Betancourt are all Gold Glove-caliber players.
The Texas Rangers turned an unlucky, terrible 2007 season into a blessing with a series of well-designed trades. Now, the Rangers have a well-stocked farm system and a decent major league roster to boot. The team is set for the future and ought not to be awful this season either. Jarrod Saltalamacchia could develop into one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, and if Josh Hamilton can stay healthy, the sky is the limit.
The Oakland Athletics are a smart team. They understand that to compete in the AL, they have to have a great team. Billy Beane apparently believed that had he kept his roster intact, the A's would not reach the top level, so he blew it up, trading Nick Swisher and Dan Haren. Huston Street and Joe Blanton may not be far behind. In just those two deals, the Athletics received a tremendous amount of depth for their farm system, something they were sorely lacking. The A's won't compete this year, but, as usual, Beane has drastically sped up the rebuilding process and the A's won't be down for long.
