Minnesota-The loss of Abraham Davis to free agency and Orber Benitez to injury in Buffalo and the expected addition of two power arms in the form of Marlon Rose and Rick Tyner to their rotation powers the Fatboys back to the top of the pecking order in the AL. Their offense will be almost completely in tact and their main departure, Louis Quantrill, is being replaced by the vastly more talented Rose. That offense is getting up there in age though.
Buffalo-They still have Vinny Wang, Clay Young, and one of the best offenses in the majors, but the loss of Benitez and Davis (even if Davis was, along with Young, surprisingly ineffective last season) is a blow to this team and knocks them one peg below the Fatboys.
New York Metropolitans-After having the 5th worst offense in the AL last season, the Metropolitans went on a Bizarro-Wilpon-esque spending spree this offseason and added the best hitter and best shortstop on the market to their already talented team. Although this team will not have a great OBP, they will have a dynamic rotation, the most valuable pitcher in the league in Crash Miller, and an offense that will hit some dingers and steal bases like the dickens. The Mets will be a team that is much more dangerous in the playoffs than in the regular season.
Philadelphia-The reigning AL champs return one of the more dynamic lineups in the league, but the loss of Bill Cameron hurts as does the loss of their DH last season, Hector Soto. Their pitching staff, while posessing a dynamic weapon in Ismael Molina, remains a liability.
Los Angeles-A sneaky good team from last season and my "lead pipe prediction for the season", The Hangars added two solid additions in Hector Diaz and Daniel Thompson to an already above average offense. The pitching staff will have former #1 pick Carl McMurty for a full season which should only help the number three staff from last season. If any team is poised to jump into the upper crust of the AL this season, it is the Hangars.
Potential Division Winners, But Luck Required(Ranked)Tampa Bay-The likely favorite in the AL South and a perennially solid team, there is no reason to believe that this team will perfom much differently than the 90 win team that it has consistently been over the last six seasons, good or bad.
Florida-This could be the surprise team in the AL in season 14. The addition of Bill Cameron will greatly bolster an offense led by Ronald Leverault, and Louis Quantrill will be a solid option in the rotation. Could this be a replay of the JMilesky/Rockitsauce experience from seasons 10/11?
Decent enough but...not likely to reach the playoffs(Not Ranked)Richmond-Not a bad team, and better than their record last year, but there is no reason to believe that they will challenge Tampa Bay or Florida for a division championship this season.
Las Vegas-Alex Bravo and Walt Lambert form a dynamic duo, and the additions of Danny Brower and Dale Stewart help, but it is difficult to forecast this team to win much more than 85 games in season 14.
Fargo-They lost Mariano Reyes who is one of the more valuable players in the league, but they added a number of smaller pieces who could make up for the loss of Reyes, but probably won't.
San Francisco-No reason to think they will be terrible or be a contender.
In the Prospect Business...(Not Ranked)
Syracuse-JMilesky returns to his old team with an Isiah Thomas-esque collection of bad contracts. Should be fun!
Boston-Rebuilding project year four commences.
Pittsburgh-A full season of Rafael Cairo will be exciting, but otherwise it is tough to forecast this team to do much more than last season.
Little Rock-Still a season or two away, but this team is primed to do great things in the very near future.
Cheyenne-They have a couple of good prospects in AA, but this team is still at least one year away from contending.
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