The New York Yankees will NOT be in the 2009 postseason. Though they have signed Sabathia and Burnett and still have Chamberlain and Wang to pitch the pressure will be too much for the two new members of this rotation and Burnett’s health will truly be tested after a another big free agent year for the right hander. The Yankees also lost Giambi and Abreu to free agency and those are two big holes to fill offensively even if they do sign Manny Ramirez.
The Red Sox will either be in through winning the division or the Wild Card, as they look to be the front-runners for Mark Teixeira, which would give them one of the best 2-6 lineup in the Major Leagues. The Red Sox have the pitching and the defense to make it to the playoffs once again.
The Rays will also be the other team from the East who makes it into the playoffs. They are returning a stellar starting rotation and a healthy B.J. Upton could give them some power they missed for most of the season last year.
In the Central the Royals are looking poised to make a run at the title. They have made what seems to be all the right moves and with the centerpiece trade to get Crisp, this team looks much better already than last years team. The Tigers still are sitting at the bottom of the barrel and the White Sox have quite a few players that have never been everyday guys. The Twins as of now have not made any moves besides resigning Punto and may be being too stingy with their money, with the new stadium opening they have plenty of extra money and seem unwilling to sign a free agent past his prime.
In the West, the Athletics are going to take the division and not because the Angels lost Teixeira and Rodriguez, but because they also lost a clubhouse leader in Garret Anderson, and they also do not have a proven 1st baseman. The Athletics have also made all the right moves by acquiring Holliday from the Rockies and also are looking to bring Giambi back to the bay area. The Mariners are in all sorts of trouble and have really one starter last year who seems to be worth any money and they lost Ibanez. The Rangers also have a lot of problems in the starting pitching department.
MLB Blog Writer: Brandon Walzer