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Season 9: 110-52, AL East Champs, World Series Champs
Notable acquisitions: Timothy Rivers, Bud Jones, Phil Jefferies, Miguel Bennett
Notable departures: Bryan Beckett, Jacob Stewart, Billy Stovall, Tomas Alvarado
The Masato/Beckett trade finally paid off for the Red Sox, as Season 9 culminated in a World Series title for the Boston faithful. GM benj13blue wasted no time this offseason, swapping out some expensive departing free agents for some cheaper alternatives, and trading away an aging star. The dropoff from Beckett to incoming youngster Miguel Bennett is substantial, but Bennett's a solid player in his own right, and should provide the Sox with several years of cheap, effective centerfield play. Losing both Stewart and Stovall hurts, but both were asking for more than the Sox could afford; nabbing Jefferies on the cheap should dull the blow. Aging great Billy Ray Prince doesn't seem to have the stamina to start anymore, and may require a move to the 'pen; to counter this, the Sox curiously signed a player even older than Prince in Timothy Rivers. It remains to be seen how much Rivers has left in the tank; past the triumvirate of Masato/Ellis/Jefferson, the rotation looks shaky at best. Still, the Sox return much of an offense that scored a jaw-dropping 1119 runs last season, and remain heavy favorites to repeat as division champs.
Prediction: 103-59, AL East champs
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Season 9: 88-74, Wildcard, lost to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the Division Play-In Series
Notable acquisitions: Pablo Garces, Oscar Sugawara
Notable departures: Ozzie Zhang, Carl Gray, Darrell White
The Phenomenauts look to build upon last year's success (their first-ever playoff appearance). The team remains largely unchanged from last season, as most of their moves appear to be more cosmetic than anything else. Swapping Sugawara for White sacrifices some offense for defense at SS, while Garces would eat some of the innings left behind by Zhang. Getting rid of Grey's horrendous Season 6 ERA is a plus. The biggest factor, however, is having the kiddie corps together for a full season; last year's decision to leave many of their brightest stars in AAA for the first 20 games almost backfired, as they didn't clinch a playoff spot until the last game of the season. This year's team should be better equipped to ward off Syracuse and Co. for the 2nd WC in the AL.
Prediction: 91-71, Wildcard
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Season 9: 72-90, 3rd place
Notable acquisitions: Louis Lyon, Ramon Martin, Jacob Stewart, Billy Stovall, Izzy Richard, Tommy Liverman, Benny Molina, Benito Ramirez
Notable departures: Cody Woods, Victor Lawrence, Taylor Smith, Jordan Holmes, Aaron Ford, Angel Montero, Pasqual Vazquez
The most successful franchise in Gleeman World history chose to tear it all down last season; consequently, Metropolitan fans suffered through the worst season in franchise history. However, GM sickchangeup turned heads this offseason by signing virtually every marquee free agent off the market. The Mets chose to discard innings eaters such as Lawrence, Montero, and Co., management instead acquired four of the best relievers available (Lyon, Stewart, Stovall, Richard), along with ageless wonder Benny Molina and solid vet Tommy Liverman. They also welcomed back two familar faces in Ramon Martin and Benitoo Ramirez. The new-look Mets should be competitive, and far superior to last year's edition. However, nobody's going to mistake this squad for the elite teams they fielded just a few seasons ago. It wouldn't surprise me if this team made the playoffs, especially if they decide to make an extra move or two to bolster the lineup. As they are, I see them falling a bit short.
Prediction: 85-77, 3rd place
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Season 9: 67-95, 4th place
Notable acquisitions: Paul Kirby, Ted Roskos, Victor Padilla
Notable departures: Philip Blake, Rico Silva, Louis Lyon, Claude Kydd
The Pug Dogs find themselves stuck in a division that's become increasingly more competitive, and have clearly fallen behind the curve. The rotation looks highly problematic; Otis Upshaw and Rex Byrd are fine options in the middle of the rotation, but they're uninspiring (to say the least) as the #1 and #2 starters. The other 3 slots are currently occupied by a 40 year-old declining has-been (Mo Greer), a 29 year-old never-was with 7 years in AAA and just 110 major league innings (Sammy Walker), and a familiar mediocrity (Alberto Melendez and his 5.29 career ERA). There are other options, but none of them are particularly appealing, either. Bringing in Kirby should help the offense, but not enough to make much of a difference. The Pug Dogs probably aren't bad enough to get the boot from the league, but it's entirely possible that they end up toeing that line.
Prediction:63-99, 4th place
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