Friday, March 29, 2002
1. St. Louis Cardinals- The addition of Mark Mulder to a rotation that already boasts Jason Marquis, Chris Carpenter, and Matt Morris gives them, very possibly, the best rotation in baseball. Combine that with an offense that already is devestating, and you have yourself the best team in MLB. Losing Renteria and his .728 OPS and replacing him with Eckstein is negligible. They will have the best record in the MLB in 2005.
2. Boston Red Sox- The addition of Renteria, idiotic as it might be, can't overshadow the fact that the world series winners from 2004 have actually improved this offseason. Replacing Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe with Wade Miller and Matt Clement improves their rotation, and the rest of the team remains largely in tact. They very well could find themselves in the World Series again in 2005.
3. New York Yankees- The addition of Carl Pavano makes them a better team, and they should add either Beltran, Johnson, or another significant player before the season is up. While signing Wright for 7 million dollars a year is assanine, they should be able to win 100 games again this year.
4. Atlanta Braves- They acquired one of the most consistent and dominant pitchers in baseball this offseason in Tim Hudson. Hudson and Smoltz have been added to the rotation and Kolb to the bullpen. They should find themselves on top of another division title in 2005.
5. Anaheim Angels- While they didn't significantly improve this offseason, they should be the early favorites for the AL West crown slightly over rival Texas Rangers. They have Bartolo Colon, who is now likely the most dominant pitcher in his division with the losses of Mulder and Hudson from the AL West. Byrd was a decent addition to shore up the back of the rotation. Cabrera though was an awful division and should simply give them a big contract to deal with down the road.
6. Minnesota Twins- Two words: Johan Santana. Joe Nathan is one of the top five closers in baseball (Along with Cordero, Rivera, Gagne, and Foulke), and their bullpen was solid in 2004. Their offense isn't spectacular, but plays good defense and their young hitters project well.
7. Chicago Cubs- While they missed the playoffs in 2004, they still have one of the most dominant combinations at the top of their rotation in Prior, Wood, and Zambrano. Sosa's decrease in production is unsettling, but even more unsettling is the loss of Moises Alou. In 2004, many thought the Cubs would finally win the World Series, but to do that in 2005, they will need to add another bat and a closer.
8. Texas Rangers- Their young infield of Teixeira, Blalock, Young, and Soriano is, without doubt, the best in the majors. The emergence of Ryan Drese as a dependable starter has shown a commitment to developing young pitchers. The bullpen is one of the best in baseball, headed by all-star elite closer Francisco Cordero. To be overtake the Angels in 2005, they will need young starters like Chris Young to emerge like Drese did in 2004, and will need Richard Hidalgo to put up nice numbers.
9. San Francisco Giants- Barry Bonds is simply the best player to ever play the game. But beyond him, Williams, Lowry, and Schmidt give the Giants the beginnings of a fantastic rotation. Moises Alou is a great addition, but the offense lacks production from the catcher (Matheny) and first base (J.T. Snow) positions. They should be the favorites going into 2005 for the NL West.
10. Cleveland Indians- The young team has established the beginnings of one of the better rotations in baseball with C.C. Sabathia and Jake Westbrook. Their offense was one of the best in the AL last year, headed by Martinez and Hafner. They will need a solid bullpen in 2005 to make the jump from a contender to a playoff team.
11. San Diego Padres
12. Philly Phillies
13. Houston Astros
14. Los Angeles Dodgers
15. Chicago White Sox
16. Oakland Athletics
17. Milwaukee Brewers
18. Florida Marlins
19. Pittsburgh Pirates
20. Seattle Mariners
21. Baltimore Orioles
22. Detriot Tigers
23. New York Mets
24. Cincinati Reds
25. Toronto Blue Jays
26. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
27. Arizona Diamondbacks
28. Colorado Rockies
29. Washington Nationals
30. Kansas City Royals
