Baseball is back!  Pitchers and catchers for most MLB teams report for Spring Training today with renewed hope for success this coming 2010 season.  Offseason moves will surely impact teams like the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies, but questions loom for every team relative to their 2010 performance, including the aforementioned.  I'll be taking a look at each division, asking the questions and answering them.  It'll be like you reading a conversation between myself.

 

Will the Orioles' youth and the addition of solid veterans during the offseason  help the team make some noise in the top-heavy A.L. East?

The quick and easy answer is no. The youth for the O's - Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, and Nolan Reimold - is an excellent base of young players to have and build from.  Adding Miguel Tejada (welcome back), Garrett Atkins, Mike Gonzalez, and Kevin Millwood would be moves to put a team over the top, but not this team.  They should certainly improve from last season's record, but that's not hard to do.

Will the offseason focus on pitching and defense be the answer they need to overthrow the New York Yankees and win a third World Series ring in seven years?

The Red Sox were winners in the John Lackey sweepstakes and also added Adrian Beltre, one of the better fielding third basemen in the league, and Mike Cameron in centerfield.  The old adage is that pitching and defense wins championships and the Bosox certainly went that route.  It'll be tough to surpass the Yankees for the A.L. Pennant, but it's not out of the question either.  A rotation of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and either Clay Buchholz or Tim Wakefield is right up there with any other rotation in MLB. 

Can the Yankees repeat with the additions of Javier Vazquez and Curtis Granderson and the loss of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui?

There is no question that both Damon and Matsui were vitally important for the Yankees' World Series run in 2009.  Heck, Matsui was the World Series MVP!  However, let's face it, the Yankees are deep on both offense and with pitching.  While some will remember Vazquez's bad first go-around with the Yankees, things will be drastically different in that he won't be counted on to be the ace or even second-best pitcher on the team.  He'll be the fourth starter behind CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte. There is no questioning Vazquez's stuff and the second tour of duty with the Bronx Bombers should be a lot smoother.  Granderson can do a lot of things on offense, but would be so much better if he could hit lefties (.210 career batting average).  Yet, in a lineup that includes Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada, and newly (re)-acquired Nick Johnson, Granderson will be alright.  And so will the Yankees as they have a great shot to repeat.

Can the Rays repeat what they did in 2008 and take the division on their way to a strong postseason run?
 
The Rays definitely have the talent and the core group from 2008 is still there.  Evan Longoria is the franchise with help from Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford in the lineup.  If B.J. Upton can rebound from a horrible 2009 and both Jason Bartlett and Ben Zobrist can repeat their outstanding seasons last year or at least prove it wasn't too much of a fluke, the Rays can have a miracle type of 2008 again.  Especially if David Price gets more comfortable with starter innings, and the young, but talented, pitching rotation comes through.  The Rays are no longer a joke and are a legit team.

With Roy Halladay gone, will the Blue Jays sink to the bottom of the standings?
 

It can definitely happen, especially with the Orioles adding some veteran presence and expected production.  Who's the ace for the Jays now?  While I like the additions of Dana Eveland, Brandon Morrow, and Kyle Drabek (from said Halladay deal), no one of the three will fill those shoes.  Ricky Romero?  Scott Richmond?  The pitching won't be good.  Offensively, Adam Lind was a revelation in 2009, as well as Aaron Hill.  However, I wouldn't bet on Hill since the career numbers just don't gibe with his 2009.  And, of course, Vernon Wells should disappoint again.  While the Jays are the most north in the division, they'll end up south in the standings.

 

NL West