Results tagged ‘ Carl Crawford ’
Meet The Mets
“Sh*tty team!” That is how New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon described his team while they were playing a series against the Houston Astros earlier in the season. In an interview with Jeff Toobin of The New Yorker, an interview that had to be a way for the Mets owner to save his reputation and team, Wilpon had less flattering things to say about the players that make up his “sh*tty” club. Wilpon believes that Mets’ shortstop Jose Reyes isn’t worth the money that Carl Crawford of the Boston Red Sox is getting:
“He thinks he’s going to get Carl Crawford money,” Wilpon said, referring to the Red Sox’ signing of the former Tampa Bay player to a seven-year, $142-million contract. “He’s had everything wrong with him,” Wilpon said of Reyes. “He won’t get it.”
Of David Wright, Wilpon said: “He’s a very good player but not a superstar.” And of Carlos Beltran, Wilpon, referring to himself, said: “We had some schmuck in New York who paid him based on that one series(2004 NLCS)….He’s sixty-five to seventy per cent of what he was.” With that very honest and strange assessment of his team, the question that should now be posed to Fred Wilpon is: “Why should Mets fans go out to Citi Field and spend their hard earn money to watch a ‘Sh*tty’ team?”
In many ways, I have to feel sorry for Fred Wilpon, who, from all accounts that I have heard of him, is really a nice man and was probably driven to do this interview as a way to defend himself against the charges being made against him in a lawsuit brought by Irving Picard, an attorney who is in charge of collecting funds for the victims of Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme. A self made man from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Wilpon grew up to become a successful real estate developer. Along with his brother in law, Wilpon started Sterling Equities, a major real estate firm in New York City, which owns several properties in and around the city, including the Mets new home Citi Field. It was through his business that Wilpon met another Brooklyn self made man, Bernie Madoff. In the 1980′s, Madoff urge Wilpon to invest his money with Madoff’s investment operations; investments which were not lucrative, but were consistent. Over the years Wilpon had good returns for the investments he made with Madoff, which is why Wilpon (along with the rest of Madoff’s victims) didn’t suspect that the whole investment scheme was a big lie. But when Madoff’s ponzi scheme went belly up, investors like Wilpon, lost everything. Wilpon himself however, made a profit from the investments, which is why he is being accused of being a participant in the Ponzi scheme. In all, there is no doubt that Wilpon is a successful businessman. Probably a naive one at that, but successful nontheless. And the fact that he knows business has to make a fan of the Mets wonder why in the world the owner of the club would refer to it as ”sh*tty” on the one hand, and on the other urge, if not beg, Mets fans to show up at Citi Field this season and spend their money?
So far 2011 hasn’t been a good year for Wilpon. On top of the lawsuit and financial worries, the ballclub itself is not a very good one. The assessment of Mets as being ”sh*tty” by Wilpon was taking things a bit too far, but the Mets are in a tough spot. The club has been ravaged by injuries in the past few years, injuries that have bitten the club’s best players, including pitching ace Johan Santana; and the fact that the Mets are in the same division with the Philadelphia Phillies, a ballclub that is improving every year–thanks to a deep farm system and new found spendthrift ways–have placed the Mets in a no win situation. The Mets can’t go out and sign top free agents anymore; moreover, they don’t have the farm system to trade for top players. When the Mets failed to bid for the services of Roy Halladay two years ago and instead settled for Jason Bay (a deal which is looking worse and worse) that was a sure sign that there was something wrong with the team’s finances after the Madoff ponzi scheme was uncovered. In many ways, Wilpon found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place, and he probably saw this interview with Toobin as a way to save his reputation and team, and explain himself better to the fans and critics. Unfortunately for Wilpon, he struck out.
Predictions…..N.L
I’m not good at making predictions since it seems that every year I pick the Yankees to win the World Series (I know I’m biased). However, I have decided to put aside my bias for the moment and objectively look at the season that is almost upon us. So, as we bid farewell to the month long Spring Training interlude before the beginning of the marathon–and to the players who unfortunately will not be in the Show–it is time to make brief but objective prediction for the upcoming season.
After an exciting and surprising post-season, the off season had its share of excitement and surprises. The biggest surprise and excitement this past winter undoubtedly has to be Cliff Lee’s rejection of both the Yankees and Rangers in favor of the Philadelphia Phillies. By taking less money to be a member of the Phillies Lee joined a team that already had three legitimate aces. Now that Lee is part of the Phillies rotation the Four Horsemen (and Joe Blanton) made the Philadelphia the early winter favorites to win the National League and the World Series. In Boston, the signing of Carl Crawford and the trade for Adrian Gonzalez made the Red Sox the early winter favorites to win the American League and represent it in the World Series…of course losing to the Phillies in 7 games (when a Jimmy Rollins slow roller gets through the legs of Gonzalez, allowing Shane Victorino to score the game winning and Series ending run…hahaha).
But those were the few predictions of the winter. How do these predictions and among the others made but not mention above hold now that Spring Training is over? Well, time will tell. Here are now my National League predictions.
N.L East Champions: Atlanta Braves
Yes, I’ll admit it, it seems insane for me to pick the Braves over the Phillies especially when the later have the Four Horsemen at the top of their rotation. However, there is a method to my madness and I believe the reasons I am about to give will be correct by the end of the year. At the moment, the Braves lineup is a tad better than Phily’s lineup. The veteran Chipper Jones will be the anchor of this lineup and if he stays healthy, he could very well have a productive season since he will have protection in the lineup that will include Dan Uggla, Brian McCann and Jason Hayward. Although the Braves do not have the rotation that the Phillies possess, they still have a formidable rotation with Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe and Jair Jurjens. What will help these pitchers out will be Atlanta’s tough lineup. However, there is an achillies hill on this team and that is their defense. If they want to win the division, the Braves have to improve.
N.L Central Champions: Cincinnati Reds
Adam Wainwright’s season ending injury early this Spring has definately opened the door for the Reds to continue what they started last year, as they surprisingly took the Division title over the St. Louis Cardinals. And this year, I look for the same thing to happen. The core of this team is built around NL MVP Joey Votto. With Votto leading this team, the Reds didn’t do much this winter to improve, but they didn’t need to. The Reds pitching is also deep with no shortage of arms in the rotation and in the bullpen. However, don’t count out the Cardinals yet, or dismiss the Brewers. I think this will be a close three team race and in the end, the Reds will come out on top.
N.L West Champions: San Francisco Giants
This is an easy pick, but which other team in the NL West has the pitching rotation the Giants possess? It was the pitching of Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez and especially Bumgarner that carried this team through the first two rounds of the playoffs and in the World Series. And it will be this rotation that will carry the Giants back to the post season and possibly back to the World Series. The Giants however need to improve their on their lineup since they could face a much tougher opposition in the post season this time around after the improvements made by the Braves and Phillies.
N.L Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies
They stole Cliff Lee away from the Yankees so the Baseball Gods will punish them this season. But to be serious, I think the Phillies will have the best rotation in the NL, but a substandard lineup that will struggle to score runs. The injury this Spring to Chase Utley doesn’t help and the fact that Jayson Werth left town for DC will have a major impact on the Phillies ability to score runs. Jimmy Rollins has to be the most overrated short stop in the league and since his MVP year (which he won on the strength of a Spring Training prediction..hmm), Rollins has been on the decline. In 2011 Rollins’ decline will continue. Moreover, will Ryan Howard’s power numbers decline again this year? If they do, how can this lineup score runs to support their pitchers?
The Phillies pitching staff looks great on paper, but in reality, there are some issues. Leave Roy Halladay aside, Cliff Lee is not a great regular season pitcher as he is in the post season. His only dominant regular season came in 2008 for a very poor Cleveland Indians club. Moreover, Lee is injury prone and it wouldn’t surprise me if he spent sometime in the DL this year. As for Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, I believe that both will have good years, but will only win 12 to 14 games each. The only pitcher in this rotation which could win more than 15 games is Roy Halladay.
NLCS: Giants over Phillies in 7 games: Giants have the younger pitching staff that has come a long long way after their success last year. With that experience and confidence, they will take down the Phillies again to earn another trip to the World Series.
Cliff Lee heads back to Philadelphia..
And the winner of the Cliff Lee sweepstakes is……The Philadelphia Phillies. In a surprising turn of events, the mystery team that was competing against the Yankees and Rangers for Cliff Lee’s services was none other than the Philadelphia Phillies, the team that traded Lee away last December to acquire Roy Halladay. Lee is said to have agreed to a 5 year $100 contract, which if true would mean that he would rather take $50 million less to pitch for the Phillies rather than signing with the Yankees. So what does it all mean? For one, the Phillies are once again the favorites to win the National League pennant in 2011 as they will field the scariest rotation since 1971 Baltimore Orioles, when Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuelar and Pat Dobson each won 20 games. With the addition of Lee, the Phillies have four potential 20 win starters. Second, the Phillies now have the luxury to trade a pitcher like Joe Blanton and get replenish the farm system with better prospects than they received in the Cliff Lee trade to Seattle last season. Overall, Ruben Amaro and the Phillies are the biggest winners of the offseason at the moment, as the Phillies rotation, on paper at least, looks like the best in all of baseball.
And the Yankees…..
….are the biggest losers this offseason. The Yankees not only failed to land Cliff Lee, but also failed to land their plan B in Carl Crawford, who will now patrol the Green Monster in Beantown. But being losers in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes isn’t the end for the Yankees. As I said before, it would be better for the Yankees to start building from within the organization again. The Yankees have an aging infield, a shaky rotation and a thin bench. Landing Cliff Lee for 2011 could have no doubt helped the Yankees in the short run, but could have presented larger problems in the long run. What if Cliff Lee had signed with the Yankees and suffered a back injury at some point in the middle of the season? I know that Brian Cashman would be sitting in his office saying, “oh not again….first Irabu, then Brown, then Johnson, then Pavano, and now Lee!” As useful as Lee could have been to the Yankees this season, he isn’t worth 6 years at $120 or more. More importantly, Lee won’t help Jeter or A-Rod increase their range in the infield or make the Yankees younger. Although the Yankees lost the offseason sweepstakes, the opportunity to get younger and better has opened itself and the question now becomes: Will Brian Cashman build a winning team without signing high priced free agents?
And the Rangers…
…were delt a big blow to their chances of repeating as World Series representatives for the American League. Although the Rangers are young team, pitchers like CJ Wilson will definately miss the veteran presence Lee gave that rotation last season. Losing Cliff Lee will hurt the Rangers chances of going to the playoffs, but not for long, as this team is young and has talent ready to flurish.
Yankees losing confidence…
Just heard on ESPN 1050, that the Yankees are losing confidence in their ability to land Cliff Lee. After the Red Sox surprised everyone with excellent moves to revamp their team, the Yankees are now under even more pressure to respond. So it doesn’t bode well for the Yankees that they are stating publicly that they might in the end lose Cliff Lee. To that I say, great. As I said before, I don’t want Cliff Lee, I want the Yankees to beat him instead. A $160 million contract for seven years would be a reckless one. If people think that Carl Crawford and Jason Werth received ridiculously long contracts just wait until Cliff Lee, who is 32 and is injury prone, signs his contract.
If the Yankees do not sign Lee, so be it. Losing the offseason sweepstakes isn’t the end of the world, and the fact that the Yankees will have so many aging players in their lineup, potentially losing Cliff Lee could be a good thing for the organization as they might, I say might, concentrate on rebuilding the team through the farm system.
Red Sox Buying a Championship?
With the recent acquisitions of Adrian Gonzales and now signing of Carl Crawford to an enormous $142 million contract, is it fair to say that the Boston Red Sox are trying to buy a championship? If you are a cynical baseball fan that is upset at the economics of the game and the fact that big market clubs outspend their small market counterparts and are always stealing their homegrown talent, then the answer would definately be yes. Afterall, the Red Sox are taking their cue from the Yankees and are spending load buckets of money just to keep up with their arch-rivals. Like the Yankees, the Red Sox are stealing the talent of small market teams (San Diego and Tampa), who are now left with a void that can’t be filled through free agency, but through their farm system. Once that void is filled by the small market club through their system, that replacement player will likely be a productive player, but won’t be paid what he is truly worth. After six years, that replacement player will then also leave his original team to sign on with a big market club and earn what he is worth, thus continuing the vicious cycle of Baseball’s version of survival of the fittest. So, yes, the Red Sox are trying to buy a championship.
On the other hand, if you accept the economic realities of baseball and the division of labor between the big market clubs and small market ones, then what the Red Sox did was not only necessary for them, but necessary to the economic health of the league. Afterall, baseball clubs, since the beginning of the modern era have always tried to buy a championship. The idea that baseball franchises have never tried to buy a championship before free agency and the end of the reserve clause is a false one. Prior to the implementation of the first year player draft, the Major League clubs, especially the big market clubs, went out and signed the best prospects by dumping huge amounts of money on them (of course not the same amount of money that we see in today’s game, but the principle is still the same), while the small market teams were left with the average talents, that would someday develop to be good enough to compete with the best.
Of course, Major League Baseball tried to curb the monopolizing of prospects by the big market teams by introducing the Bonus rule, but even that in no way stopped the practices of the big market clubs. Instead, the Bonus Rule had a negative effect on players salaries, as these players were signed to smaller bonuses than what they were worth. The Bonus Rule came and went, but the monopolizing of prospects didn’t stop until the Rule 4 Draft came into effect in 1965. And once free agency began, big market teams like the Yankees, realized that the best way to rebuild a team isn’t through the slow process of grooming players in the minors, but to get the best talent from other teams.
Thus, free agency not only shed light into the business operations of small clubs and big clubs, it redefined it: Big market clubs now go out and sign free agents, while the small market teams go out and sign the best prospects. Hence we see a division of labor between the baseball teams that not only sustains the player’s salaries, but the increase the net worth of all baseball teams, especially the perennial contenders.
So, are the Red Sox trying to buy a championship? Of course…but that is what the game needs.
Winter Meeting rumors..
There is a rumor flying around at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida this afternoon that the Yankees are pursuing Carl Crawford. If this is true, that possibly means that the Yankees have given up on Brett Gardner and are willing to have him as a 4th outfield and utility player. I know that Gardner had a good first half before tailing off in the second half, but if the Yankees have a chance in signing one of the best left fielders in the game, I say go for it. Crawford has great speed and a decent bat. Compared to Gardner, Crawford is a much better hitter and in my opinion will improve the Yankees lineup.
The Gold Standard: American League.
Even though I’m not a big fan of the Gold Gloves, I want to extend my congratulations to this year’s recipients of the award with a few comments. Of course, before I do that I have to explain why I don’t give much stock to this particular award. At least to me it seems that the Gold Glove Awards are based more on popularity than on actual on the field play. For instance, why is Derek Jeter a Gold Glove winner this year? No disrespect to Jeter, but it’s been clear that for the past few season, except for 2009, that he has lost considerable range at short. When Jeter came up in 1995, he showed some range (of course not the same range at short that A-Rod, Nomar Garciaparra or Ray Ordonez all had) but he never developed that part of his game to the fullest, falling behind other notable shortstops in both leagues. And as Jeter has gotten older, his range has so considerably diminished that one Texas Rangers’ scout recently, and gleefully, told Ed Randall that it was one of the reasons why they were successful against the Yankees in the ALCS. If MLB scouts can see that Jeter has lost range, why is he the recipient of another undeserved Gold Glove? I guess popularity does counts.
And the Gold Gloves goes too…..
C. Joe Mauer.. No surprise here. I think Joe Mauer is the most complete catcher in baseball right now. Not only can he gundown runners, but he has been able to do a good job handling the Twins pitching staff the past two seasons. Only Buster Posey is a close second.
1B. Mark Teixeira.. I have said this before, Mark Teixeira’s glove is as important as his bat. Considered the playoffs in 2009. Teixeira didn’t hit much in all three rounds, however, it was his defensive play that saved one game and extended another; ALDS game 2, Teixeira made an important defensive play with the base loaded and zero outs, and in ALCS game 3, he kept the go ahead run from scoring, before the Yankees fell in extra-innings.
2B. Robinson Cano.. He has come of age playing at second. It is remarkable to see how far he has come. In 2007, one of the problems many fans had with Cano was his shoddy defense, but since that year, Cano has worked hard to improve his defense and this year it paid dividends when he helped turn 114 double plays.
3B. Evan Longoria.. Longoria is the real deal at third base. He has considerable range, a very strong arm and ever since he came up in 2008, we have witness a superstar in the making..not to be confused with Eva Longoria..
SS. Derek Jeter.. Seriously?
OF. Ichiro Suzuki.. Not only does Ichiro swing a mean bat, but he complements his offensive with crisp defense. Ichiro is one of those special players because he focuses on the fundamentals of the game on both sides of the ball, which is why he will be considered as one of the greats of the game here and in Japan.
OF. Carl Crawford.. He is the best all around left-fielder in the game, so it isn’t a surprise he has won it. This year Crawford in UZR with an 18.5 rating. That means he saved the Rays an average of 18 runs against.
OF. Franklin Gutierrez.. Not surprising. Gutierrez is one of the best centerfielders in the game today, and this season he gave the Mariners steller outfield play. In 2009, Gutierrez had a UZR of 29.1.
P. Mark Buehrle.. Of course he was going to win it this year. On Opening Day he made the play of the year; a play which inspired ESPN’s Buehrlemeter, the standard on which all defensive plays were judged during the course of the season. Buehrle however has been one of the best fielding pitchers in the American League, and one play made on Opening Day is just a microcosm of his excellent defensive play.
Post season…
Let the (Post-Season) games begin. Tomorrow the road to the World Series begins for all 8 teams still alive this baseball season. As the other 24 teams in the league make plans for next year, the final 8 prepare to battle it out for baseball’s ultimate prize: A World Series Championship. So here are my short predictions.
American League Prediction:
Rangers v Rays:
I say the Rays win this series in five games. In the end, I do believe the Rays will do enough to manufacture enough runs to beat Cliff Lee, CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis. I also expect a big series from BJ Upton who will have to pick up the slack if Longoria doesn’t play. But even if Longoria plays, the Rays won’t win if Upton doesn’t produce. So the key for the Rays to win this series is simple: jump all over Cliff Lee in game one, and out pitch the rest of the Rangers staff. James Shields will have to be Big Game James and Matt Garza has to repeat the post season performance he put together in 2008.
Of course, just because I think the Rays could win in five doesn’t mean that the Rangers won’t surprise me and win this series. Cliff Lee has emerged as a dominant post-season pitcher, and I don’t expect that to change tomorrow. He will be tough on the Rays lineup and if CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis pitch well, the Rangers could beat the Rays. But I don’t expect to see Wilson and Lewis pitch well.
Yankees v Twins:
I’m biased, so the Yankees will win..enough said. However, could this be the year the Twins finally get over the hump? For all the Yankee fans who wished for a Twins/Yankees series, all I have to say is..be careful of what you wish for…
National League Prediction:
Phillies v Reds:
The Phillies are the class of the National League and will begin the road to their second World Series championship in the last three years (it makes me sick just typing that) tomorrow at home against the Reds. I expect Doc Halladay’s first post season game to be a great one. Halladay has always been a great regular season pitcher, and tomorrow I expect him to become a great Post-Season pitcher. Roy Halladay could be this year’s Cliff Lee for the Phillies. And unlike last year, the Phillies will have two top pitchers to ride this post season, and Roy Oswalt, a veteran post season pitcher will provide that Phillies staff with the experience and the arm they so miserably lacked last season, especially during the World Series. Moreover, the Phillies lineup is stack and could be a nightmare for the Reds starting rotation.
Where the Reds have a slight edge over the Phillies however, will be in the bullpen. The Reds have three tough lefties that could shut down Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez. Now that Travis Wood will be in the bullpen, along with Rhodes and Chapman, the Reds could steal a few games, or maybe even the series from the Phillies if any of the games come down to a big at-bat in the late innings by any of Phillies three top left handed hitters. However, the Reds will need a big performances from Arroyo, Volquez and Cueto and frankly, against this Phillies lineup that would be too much to ask for.
Giants v Braves:
I predict that the Giants will win in four games. San Francisco’s pitching will be too much for the Braves to handle, and the poor defense of the Braves infield will be a liability throughout the series. Derek Lowe had a great September and he has the post season experience to come up big, but the idea that Hudson and Hanson outpitching this formidable Giants staff is unrealistic.
Yankees season ahead
The Major League Baseball season will begin by featuring the best rivalry in the game as the Yankees will begin their title defense against the Red Sox. This isn’t exactly the best way for the Yankees to start the season, but since there is no turning back, the Bronx Bombers will have to play at a high level, even close to a playoff level, to start the season against their hated rivals. Even though it will be the first three games of the season, this opening series is already crucial for the Yankees in my humble opinion. To repeat as American League East champions, the Yankees will have to win at least 2 out of 3 up in Boston AND fly down to Tampa Bay and take 2 out of 3, or sweep the Rays. Of course, it wouldn’t be the end of the season if the Yankees get off to a bad start in their first six games; bad starts is something that happens as baseball clubs begin the new season. However in a division in which there are thre legitimate contenders for the division title, the Yankees will have to impose their will on both the Red Sox and Rays early.
The Yankees will boast a solid lineup that should get on base, steal bases, manufacture runs by timely hitting and hit for power. With Alex Rodriguez entering the season in good health, Mark Teixeira should get off to a much better start than he did last year (even though Teixeira usually starts out slow). The loss of Johnny Damon has been somewhat alleviated by the addition of Nick Johnson, who, like Damon, has a high on base percentage and usually works the count in every at bat. With Jeter and Johnson getting on base ahead of Teixeira and A-Rod, I don’t think the Yankees will miss a beat.
Pitching wise, the Yankees will fortunately have a legitimate 4th starter in Javier Vazquez, who will look to exorcise the 2004 demons (or Damons) and help the Yankees win throughout the season and post season. CC Sabathia will anchor the rotation and Andy Pettitte is back for yet another year. However, the key to the success of this staff will be AJ Burnett’s production. For the Yankees to win this division, Burnett will have to pitch consistently this season. Burnett has the stuff to be a formidable starting pitching in this league, but doesn’t seem to have the mental toughness that is associated with pitchers like Roy Halladay, Josh Beckett and others. Another 13 win season by Burnett would be ok, but shouldn’t be acceptable since he has the ability to win at least 16 to 18 games any given year. If Burnett wins 16 games this year, I don’t see another team in the AL East winning this division.
Beating Boston…..
But beating the Red Sox will prove to be harder this season as that club has revamped their pitching rotation and now boast a legitimate 5 man rotation. The addition of John Lackey to the trio of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz, gives the Red Sox a formidable 4 man rotation. Even scarier, if Daisuke Matsuzaka gets healthy again, the Red Sox could have the League’s best 5 man starting rotation.
But for all of the potential strengths they have in starting pitching, the Red Sox will have some questions on offense. Will Marco Scutaro put up the same numbers he did last year as a member of the Blue Jays? I don’t think so. Scutaro has yet to show that he is an above .280 hitter on a consistent basis, and his doubles out put of last season was certainly outside his normal level of production.
Will Adrian Beltre have a bounce back year and potentially hit 25 to 30 homeruns? Very possibly. Fenway Park could help Beltre’s offensive production since he is a very aggressive hitter. But his aggressiveness could also be his downfall as Beltre is one of those players that tend to strike out a lot.
As for Mike Cameron, his play at Centerfield and his bat should be a much needed improvement over Jacoby Ellsbury. He should provide the Red Sox with a decent right handed bat, a bat that has power to left and left center (perfect for the Green Monster). But if Cameron, Beltre and Scutaro do not perform, the weight of the offense will fall on aging David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia. The latter three did their best to carry the Red Sox last year, but as we saw in the playoff series against the Angels, it wasn’t enough. And with the potential of David Ortiz having another bad April, the newcomers truly need to step up right off the gate. If they don’t, the Red Sox will no doubt out pitch their opponents, but can they outscore them?
And Tampa Bay will…
show that 2008 wasn’t a fluke, but the beginning of something special. After last year’s disappointment, in which the Rays finished with only 84 wins (13 games back from their 2008 97 win total), the Rays will try to take advantage of what should be seeing as a closing “window of opportunity.” I like what the Rays could do this year. They have a young lineup with developing super stars in Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, Ben Zobrist, Carl Crawford and B.J Upton. The Rays will hit for power, steal bases, and get timely hitting which should be a problem to starting rotations in the American League. This offense is good enough to impose its will on their opponents, as CC Sabathia found out in his last start of the regular season last year. Even scarier, Tampa Bay is talented enough to give both the Yankees and Red Sox a run for the division title. They could easily pass by both teams and win the American League East.
So what will the Yankees have to do?
Win the two opening series against the Rays and Red Sox. Getting off to a slow start in this division, even in April will not bode well for the Yankees if they look to repeat as World Series Champions.
David Veloz
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