Teams are listed in projected order of finish. Last season’s records are in parenthesis.
AL East
New York Yankees (95-67): No major changes aside from Johnny Damon. Should run away with division if injuries don’t bite. Depth in starting rotation will help.
Boston Red Sox (95-67): Got a steal in Josh Beckett, but lack depth and lost key players from the championship team. Coco Crisp will need a big year.
Baltimore Orioles (74-88 ): Leo Mazzone is the most underrated figure in sports. If hitters have a solid season, they could make some noise.
Toronto Blue Jays (80-82 ): Trendy pick because they spent all their money. Unfortunately, they spent it on players who break like twigs.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (67-95 ): Waiting for young talent to mature since JFK was shot. With Lou Piniella gone, why even watch?
AL Central
Chicago White Sox (99-63 ): Legitimate chance to repeat; starting pitching rivals any team. Bring back virtually same offense, Bobby Jenks must show playoffs were no fluke.
Cleveland Indians (93-69) *Wild Card*: Great young talent, will build on late season surge last year. Will miss Coco Crisp, and pitching needs to be consistent.
Detroit Tigers (71-91): Could surprise people as pitching matures and offense improves. Big ballpark suits their roster, could be a short time from contending.
Minnesota Twins (83-79): Pitching is getting old; Johan Santana can only do so much. Offense has sputtered, expect them to unload at the trade deadline.
Kansas City Royals (56-106): Expect reincarnated George Brett to help. Assuming that doesn’t happen, have fun listening to their announcers say Grudzielanek, Graffanino and Mientkiewicz.
AL West
Oakland Athletics (88-74): Made small upgrades across the board. Enough talent to win the division, but not enough to get past the divisional round. Again.
Los Angeles Angels (95-67): Good pitching, but offense took a big hit. They would need to get a big bat to win the division again.
Seattle Mariners (69-93): Improved slightly, but a Japanese catcher with a 19-year-old Hispanic pitcher won’t help. Another big year from Ichiro means nothing.
Texas Rangers (79-83): Good hitting, bad pitching, same story. Expect Buck Showalter to be fired after the year, and therefore a Texas World Series win in 2007.
NL East
Atlanta Braves (90-72 ): No reason to say they’ll lose until they do. Losing Leo Mazzone will hurt, but leadership is solid and Edgar Renteria’s impact will be significant.
New York Mets (83-79) *Wild Card*: Made some good moves, but will regret others. Injuries and lack of pitching depth could cause problems. Carlos Beltran must have a big year.
Philadelphia Phillies (88-74): Ryan Howard and Bobby Abreu will be big, and Jimmy Rollins is good leading off. But pitching isn’t deep, they won’t contend.
Washington Nationals (81-81): Livan Hernandez is a horse, but this team is not ready to win. Alfonso Soriano may be a Met by July.
Florida Marlins (83-79): After their last fire sale, a World Series win soon followed. But first came the waiting. Good luck Joe Girardi.
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals (100-62): Another division title in a weak division could cover up that this team is not as good as in past years.
Milwaukee Brewers (81-81): Big sleeper with solid unknown pitching and offense. Not quite ready for October, but will make people notice them.
Houston Astros (89-73): If Clemens pitches, he’ll be disappointed to see this team struggle a full season, not just the first two months.
Chicago Cubs (79-83): Anyone else just waiting for Kerry Wood and Mark Prior to retire? Not going anywhere until fan Steve Bartman comes to Wrigley riding a goat.
Cincinnati Reds (73-89): Don’t expect much, but Ken Griffey Jr.’s performance in the World Baseball Classic was a nice reminder of his potential when healthy.
Pittsburgh Pirates (67-95): Good young pitching could keep team in the game for six innings, but offense won’t put enough runs on the board.
NL West
San Diego Padres (82-80): Soft division winner last year comes back with better team and something to prove. Mike Piazza should help young pitchers develop.
San Francisco Giants (75-87): Would win division if Barry Bonds played every game, and Jason Schmidt can only do so much. Bonds’ hoopla could also affect younger players.
Arizona Diamondbacks (77-85): Took steps to improve, but still needs a big bat and bullpen help. Veterans will have to help younger players mature.
Los Angeles Dodgers (71-91): Most overrated team this spring. Old and inconsistent offense and average pitching will make it a long summer at Chavez Ravine.
Colorado Rockies (67-95): Good young hitters will be hurt by the most consistent thing in sports, ineffective pitching in thin air. Might still be paying Mike Hampton.