Wrapping up my Major League Baseball season preview by division, here are the AL East teams listed in order of predicted finish. While I admit it is not easy for me to be objective about the AL East, I'll give it my best shot.
Boston Red Sox. It pains me to say so, but the Red Sox have done everything right over the past four plus years to build a championship contending team. It pains me so much to say that previous sentence that I can't say any more about this team.
New York Yankees. It seems as though every year for the past several years, the Yankees start out the season with a record of 11-18 and everyone writes them off at that point. But then come October, the Yankees are still playing. I don't see this year as being any different, at least in terms of seeing a team that at some point will hit a low - say a stretch of playing 8 to 10 games under .500 for a month. But this team is still too good to not overcome any bad spell and play the next month at 15 games over .500.
Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays have been a team that pundits have enjoyed predicting will finally break the Yankees-Red Sox domination of the AL East, but I don't see it happening. While I think that Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan will continue to improve in the rotation, this team is too fragile and the competition in the American League is just too strong for the Blue Jays to break through.
Tampa Bay Rays. The team formerly known as the Devil Rays actually has a large number of young, potential All-Stars on their roster. But there are simply too many really young and inexperienced players on this team to make an impact this year. At some point, this team needs to make the transition from a team of talented young players into a contender the way the Twins and A's did at the beginning of this decade. But in this division, I can't see that happening.
Baltimore Orioles. Look, I really have nothing against the D.C. and Maryland teams. It's not my fault that they are quite bad.
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No, it's not your fault. The Orioles suck because of Peter Angelos.
Bob,
I know you know that MLB and the owners club decimated the Expos. The Nats farm system went from one of the worst to a top ten this past year making the second biggest leap in the ratings of farm systems and prospects by Baseball America.