C.C. Sabathia is one of the reasons the Indians will bounce back in 2008.
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After looking last week at why the
Red Sox would repeat, and we are sure they will, we decided that this week we
would continue to predict next year and tell you the top ten contenders, the
ten teams that are, as of right now, the top contenders. We will freely admit
that the offseason can change things – if the Yankees tomorrow trade for Miguel
Cabrera and Johan Santana, all bets are off – here are
how we are handicapping things, with five teams in the American League and five
in the National League.
American League
The Boston Red Sox
As we said
here last week, we consider the Red Sox the odds-on favorite to
win the World Series in 2008. The re-signing of Curt Schilling and the likely
deal with Mike
Lowell makes this look even better.
The Cleveland Indians
The Indians of 2007 are not the Yankees of 2004. After their demoralizing collapse to the Red Sox, the Yankees have not been the same. The Indians will rebound though, unlike the Yankees did, and they are going to be contending once again for a World Series berth. The Indians have the best young starting duo in the game in Fausto Carmona and C.C. Sabathia, and a stellar lineup of young hitters.
The Detroit Tigers
Our wild card pick, the Tigers become the favorite to win the division if they acquire either Alex Rodriguez or Miguel Cabrera. Without one of those additions, the Tigers still have a potent lineup and an improving young pitching staff. The addition of Edgar
Renteria certainly improves their lineup, as the Tigers move Carlos
Guillen to first base where his bat will be more likely to stay in
the lineup. The only question the Tigers have is the bullpen, as Joel Zumaya
should have been a lock for the closing job but another injury now has him out
for the first half of the season and Todd Jones is not a lock to return to the
Tigers. If they can secure a closer, watch out.
The Los Angeles Angels
The team that won the West last year will be back this year, possibly with the addition of Rodriguez or Cabrera. The Angels need a big bat to compliment Vladimir Guerrero, as opposing pitchers currently have little to fear beyond Bad Vlad. One way or another, he will have a bash brother to work with next year.
The Minnesota Twins
This is, of course, only if they
keep Johan – if not, the Twins will be an also-ran. The Twins will still field
a potent lineup even with the loss of Torii Hunter, and the return of Francisco
Liriano will be a big boost. The Twins also still boast one of the
best bullpens in the league, anchored by Joe Nathan.
National League
The Philadelphia Phillies
Yes, they need pitching. They desperately need pitching. Oh, and, by the way, did we mention they need pitching? A blind chimp throwing darts into the bleachers could have probably
hit more quality arms than the Phillies’ front office did last year in putting
together the 2007 staff, but they have already begun to correct that, starting
with the acquisition of Brad Lidge. The trade for Lidge allows Brett Myers
to return, albeit unhappily, as he liked closing, to the rotation. The lineup
is stacked, with three potential MVP candidates in Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley,
and Ryan
Howard. Mets’ fans would like to argue that without the Mets’
collapse, the Phillies would not have been playing in October. The counter to
that is had Utley not gone down and the Mets would have never had a chance. Add
another quality arm or two here and the Phillies become the best team in the
league.
The Colorado Rockies
This year’s team was a little
ahead of schedule, but luck was not the reason they were in the World Series. Troy
Tulowitzki might be the best all-around shortstop in the game when
looking at offense and defense, Matt Holliday might be the most complete
package in the game in the outfield, and the Rockies feature one of the better
young pitching staffs in the game. There is the question of whom will be the
third baseman going forward – incumbent Garrett Atkins or prospect Ian Stewart
– but there are no other questions surrounding this club.
The New York Mets
The A-Rod talk is just silliness, as they are not going to move David Wright into the outfield, but this club is very close to being a playoff lock in 2008. The need here is not hitting, though, but pitching, as the collapse in September showed. Tom Glavine
showed his age on the mound in the most crucial game of the season, and their bullpen needs help. If the Mets can add some quality arms this offseason, there is no reason to believe that they will not be playing in October. Of course, if all they add is hitting or, worse, nothing at all, then they can set some October 6 golf dates.
The Los Angeles Dodgers
This is counting on two things happening in L.A. First, we believe that the Dodgers will finally trust their young players, rather than another set of aging, past-their-prime veterans, and we will see Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and James Loney do their thing.
That is step one. Step two is the acquisition of either Cabrera or A-Rod, and
we are betting on at least one of those two ending up in L.A. Joe Torre
is an overrated manager, but given a collection of talent, which he will be
here, he will figure out how to fit it all together.
The Milwaukee Brewers
Like the Hall and Oates song, this year was all about being so close, yet so far away, but they make that next step in 2008, and everything comes together. If Ben Sheets could actually
stay healthy, this could be the best team in the league. Yovani Gallardo is one of the
most exciting young pitchers in the game, and Prince Fielder, not Albert
Pujols, is now the scariest first baseman in the league. The Brewers are going back to the playoffs in 2008 for the first time in quite a few of their players’ lifetimes.
