Matsuzaka will pitch the season opener for the Red Sox in his homeland.

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

The O's will have to wait at least until the 2009 season to reap the full benefits of the Miguel Tejada trade. Left-handed pitcher Troy Patton, the top prospect acquired from Houston in the deal, will soon undergo surgery on his torn pitching shoulder and miss the entire season. He had initially been considered for the back end of the starting rotation.

Boston Red Sox

Daisuke Matsuzaka will in fact make the Opening Day start in place of Josh Beckett when the team travels to Japan to take on the Oakland Athletics for a two-game series next week. Beckett has a muscle pull in his back that would likely not respond well to the 17-hour flight. It is best that he stays stateside and gets the treatment necessary to make sure he is ready to join the rotation when the team gets back.

New York Yankees

It does not take long to figure out why right fielder Bobby Abreu came to camp in such great shape this spring. He is in a contract year, of course. The Yankees picked up the 2008 option on his last deal, but he will surely be looking to rebound from a sub par 2007 season that saw him get off to an awful start. He rebounded nicely in the second half on his way to driving in 101 runs and scoring another 123.

Tampa Bay Rays

Some things just happen no matter what: the sun rises in the East; the sky is blue; outfielder Rocco Baldelli is hurt again. He still has lingering problems from hamstring injuries he incurred last May, and there is no timetable for his return to 100% complete health, if ever. He has already lost his starting centerfield job to second base transplant B.J. Upton, and he is now losing his grip on playing time in right field. Jonny Gomes and Cliff Floyd, both considered top options at designated hitter, will likely be in the mix for extra at-bats with the Baldelli injury.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Jays are the chic sleeper pick this year to possibly finish second in the division. If so, they will need at least 30 solid starts from No. 3 starter and growing star Dustin McGowan. Big things are expected of this guy, and this is the year he may just put it together. He is a hard thrower who has the ability to win 14 or 15 games because of his ability to rear back and bring the heat when needed. He is ranked in the neighborhood of fellow pitchers Joe Blanton, Jeremy Bonderman, and Brad Penny, but do not be surprised if he posts better numbers than all three.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox

Expected second base starter Danny Richar is battling back problems that may cause him to lose the job that was seemingly his to lose. Lately he has not been able to so much as bend over to take ground balls in practice. Juan Uribe, the starting shortstop from last year, is looking like the man who may get the nod if the season were to start today. Uribe has a great arm and a lot of power for a second baseman. Cuban defector Alexei Ramirez will also get a look at second base, though his best value may be as a utility infielder, something Alex Cintron did last season.

Cleveland Indians

The starting rotation is shaping up just how the team would like it. Cliff Lee should win the last spot in the rotation that includes C.C. Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook, and Paul Byrd. If Lee can return to anywhere near his form of 2005 when he won 18 games he may be the best No. 5 starter in the American League. But do not expect miracles from a guy who gave up 17 home runs in 20 appearances last season.

Detroit Tigers

Starting pitcher Kenny Rogers put in another solid 5-inning start Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. He spotted all his pitches well and looked especially quick in bouncing off the mound to field balls and cover first base. His season got off to a bad start last season when he underwent shoulder surgery just before the season started. Expect him to pitch well this season, at least before the break. Health concerns will always be an issue for a pitcher who is 43 years old.

Kansas City Royals

Expect a few more wins out of No. 1 starter Gil Meche this season. This will not be because he will pitch better than he did in 2007; this is because the offense will score more runs than it did in recent memory. The development of young stars Billy Butler and Alex Gordon and the addition of possible cleanup hitter Jose Guillen will give the horse of the rotation more than the nine wins he had last year. The team only scored 3.9 runs per game in his 34 starts.

Minnesota Twins

Starting pitcher Boof Bonser has shown more dedication in his offseason workout program than in years past. Bonser has reportedly changed his diet and lost upwards of 30 pounds, leaving him lighter on his feet and giving him more strength and stamina. The team hopes this will allow him to stay healthy for an entire season and finish strong in September. He will be counted on to stabilize the middle of the rotation and pitch upwards of 200 innings this year.

American League West

Los Angeles Angels

When starting pitcher Kelvim Escobar injured his shoulder just after Spring Training opened the team said that it would play it safe by placing him on the disabled list to start the season. This was fairly standard procedure, but now the team is saying he will not pitch until May 1 at the earliest. This leads some people to believe that the injury may be more serious that they have let on. One would think they team may need some help from a once-deep rotation, especially given the recent elbow injury to staff ace John Lackey.

Oakland Athletics

Mike Sweeney came over from the Kansas City Royals on a minor league contract, but it looks as though he should make the team. He can play first base, but the team has already given the job to young star Daric Barton. Sweeney can still hit a fastball as well as anyone; he may reach his best value this season as a designated hitter should Jack Cust prove to be a more capable outfielder than he was last year.

Seattle Mariners

Right fielder Ichiro Suzuki started this spring by going 0-for-21. No big deal. Really. He has been working on pulling the ball for power instead of his standard spray-hitting technique. Manager John McLaren expects big things from Ichiro this season, and power is one of them. The other: 80 stolen bases. He has only 82 combined steals over the past two seasons, but his skipper has said he would like to set him loose this year.

Texas Rangers

Starting pitchers Kevin Millwood (right hamstring) and Brandon McCarthy (sore right forearm) are hurt again. The starting rotation was an absolute mess last year, and this year is shaping up to be more of the same. If these two guys cannot make the start of the season the team is looking at a rotation that could include the likes of Vicente Padilla, Kason Gabbard, Kameron Loe, Luis Mendoza, Eric Hurley, and Sidney Ponson. Ouch.