How will Octavio Dotel work out for the White Sox? What will his role be for them?

American League East

Baltimore Orioles
The closer for the 2008 Orioles may be one run by a committee of pitchers, two of which are left-handed. The first in line for the position is likely George Sherrill, one of the players acquired in the Érik Bédard deal. Sherrill, more of a left-handed specialist more suited for a couple outs here and there in the seventh and eighth innings, must prove he can get the hardest three outs of the game. Should he fail, the next chance may go to veteran Jamie Walker. He has also been a situational pitcher the past few years, but last year he did save some games last year after the Orioles bullpen was decimated by injuries. The experience is there, but he likely will not get the first crack at the job. Hard throwing youngster James Hoey may get his shot if everyone else fails.

Boston Red Sox
Left fielder Manny Ramirez is likely in the walk year of his contract that pays him $20 million dollars this season. The Red Sox have an option for $20 million for 2009 and it seems unlikely that they will exercise it. Another sign that the team would likely let him go is that Ramirez has fired his agent and hired a ruthless negotiator in Scott Boras. Expect ManRam to be fully motivated this year to stay injury-free and get back to the Manny of old. He will be looking for another big deal, one that will likely be his last chance to cash in big; he is 35 years old this season.

New York Yankees
There will be no need, at least in the first couple of months of the season, to stretch closer Mariano Rivera into saves of any more than three outs. Do not expect to see Rivera in the eighth inning while Joba Chamberlain is in the bullpen. Free agent signee LaTroy Hawkins and the returning Kyle Farnsworth, along with Chamberlain, will take some pressure off Rivera and allow him to focus all his energy on the ninth inning. However, once Chamberlain moves to the rotation after the first couple of months, Rivera may be asked to get four or five outs from time to time.

Tampa Bay Rays
People have been talking for a few years now how Carl Crawford will soon develop some power to go with his blazing speed. This may be the year. Word around Rays’ camp is that Crawford has added 10-15 pounds of muscle in the offseason in hopes of adding some more long balls to his stat line. He has never had as many as 20 in a season, and last season he hit only 11. If the reports are correct, he should have no problem surpassing that total.

Toronto Blue Jays
Third baseman Scott Rolen may be one of the biggest fantasy surprises this season if he proves to be healthy. At the very least, he is on the “sleepers” list. He has said his shoulder feels much better than it has the past couple of years. After two surgeries the past two years no one can say the shoulder is 100 percent, but if he returns to anywhere near his form of 2003-2004 the Blue Jays may see him turn in numbers along the lines of a .300 batting average with 25 home runs and 100 runs batted in.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox
The Sox have revamped the seventh and eighth inning roles of their bullpen with the signings of Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink. Dotel is coming off two injury-plagued seasons and has not proven he can stay healthy for a full campaign. Linebrink, on the other hand, has proven more than durable; however, his durability may lead to his demise, as his arm may be wearing down. He has thrown so many innings over the past few years for the San Diego Padres that some people wonder whether his arm is going dead. During the second half of last season, after the Padres traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers, he seemed to be overthrowing to make up for his loss of velocity. This lead to elevated fastballs and an increased number of home runs allowed.

Cleveland Indians
Since the team cannot come to an agreement with pitcher C.C. Sabathia on a contract extension beyond this season, it is growing very evident that they will not be able to resign him. It was reported that Sabathia turned down an four year offer worth about $65 million because he wants a similar deal to the one Johan Santana got last month: $137.5 million over six years. Beyond the fact that all teams are apprehensive about signing a 275 pound man to a six year deal, the Indians simply cannot afford to pay any one of its players that much money. Two things seem certain if they cannot reach a deal before the season starts: the team will not trade Sabathia since it will be in contention for a division title, and he will test the free agent market at the conclusion of the season.

Detroit Tigers
Third baseman Brandon Inge is revisiting his super-utility role that earned him so much playing time a few years ago. Back then he made his mark by playing all three outfield positions, third base, and catcher. One by one, each acquisition the Tigers made the last few years has prompted the team to move Inge. He has lost his outfield spots to Craig Monroe and Curtis Granderson, his catcher spot to Ivan Rodriguez, and he has now lost his third base job to Miguel Cabrera. He is currently catching and playing outfield in camp, but he has voiced his displeasure with the situation. The team is trying to get good value by trading him, but so far there have been no takers. Inge, a great team player, will not be a clubhouse cancer, but this is definitely something to keep your eye on.

Kansas City Royals
One of the first decisions that new manager Trey Hillman made was to move Alex Gordon down to seventh in the batting order. He wants to take some pressure off his young third baseman by putting him in spots where his only job is driving in runs and a prolonged slump will not hurt the overall offensive production of the team. The emergence of designated hitter Billy Butler and the signing of left fielder Jose Guillen have given Hillman a power hitting luxury that allows Gordon to hit in the bottom half of the order.

Minnesota Twins
Starting pitcher Francisco Liriano, coming off November 2006 Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on his left elbow, is throwing bullpen sessions in Spring Training. He has had the 15 months recovery time and has said he feels nothing bothersome in the elbow. He is reportedly throwing all his off-speed pitches, including his devastating slider. His fastball has been hitting 97 miles per hour, faster than it was before the surgery. Members of the coaching staff have shut him down early in some workouts for fear of overworking him too early. Nonetheless, Liriano says he will be 100 percent when the team opens up its season against the Los Angeles Angels.

American League West

Los Angeles Angels
Manager Mike Scioscia must find ways to get his bench outfielders more at-bats. The three starters and the designated hitter appear to be Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, Garrett Anderson, and Gary Matthews. This leaves Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits scraping for playing time. Rivera is coming off a leg injury he suffered in winter ball before the 2007 season, and he played only 14 games at the big league level last year. Willits played a major role with the team last year, having played in 136 games. The switch hitter is good base runner who stole 27 bases last year. At the very least, he is a late-inning pinch runner. Scioscia, known for juggling his lineup without disrupting team cohesiveness, will find a way to get both these players at-bats.

Oakland Athletics
The projected starting outfielders combined for 13 home runs in last year. Left fielder Emil Brown hit six as a member of the Kansas City Royals, Travis Buck totaled seven, and Chris Denorfia hit none. Brown slugged only .347 in 366 at-bats, so there is not much evidence that he will hit for any power. Buck, however, has a minor league resume that suggests he can hit for power, and his slugging percentage of .474 last season with the big club proves the power is coming –the A's hope that it comes sooner rather than later. Denorfia did not play last season as he was recovering from elbow surgery. He was once a regarded prospect with the Cincinnati Reds and was handed the started the center field job due to the lack of talent and experience in the Oakland outfield.

Texas Rangers
Because the team does not have a prototypical leadoff hitter, Manager Ron Washington is exploring his options. One of those options is to have second baseman Ian Kinsler take on that role. He has the on base percentage (.355), the speed to steal 30 bases if need be, and he has the power to drive in the hitters from the lower part of the order as the lineup wraps around. He also led the team in walks last year with 62, and he struck out only 83 times in 483 at-bats. Another option, though it is a stretch, is to put new center fielder Josh Hamilton at leadoff. He too has a good mix of speed and power but will not run or walk as much as Kinsler. Frank Catalanotto has experience leading off but is better off batting lower in the order.