The Washington Nationals have something cooking with a few key free agent signings and absolute luck of grabbing two of the best number one picks in the last decade. Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Ryan Zimmerman, and Bryce Harper are just a couple of names that belong on the long list of future stars that the Nationals were fortunate enough to take in past drafts. Add to that list the team’s closer, Drew Storen, and Anthony Rendon, who were both first rounders also and you are looking are some serious pieces in place.
Starting shortstop Ian Desmond and second basemen Danny Espinosa were also high drafts that showed flashes of being a tandem like Robby Alomar and Cal Ripken Jr., as long as Desmond can cut down on his error total. They have also brought in some key free agents over last two years that will be playing a huge role in getting the Nats into the playoffs. Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson give the rotation the depth it has always been missing and the signing of Jayson Werth to that monster deal last year still could pay off if he bounces back to his old self. Continue reading
What the Los Angeles Dodgers lack in money, they more than make up for in talent.
The AL West has produced the American League’s representative in the World Series for the last two years, but a 0-2 record where it matters most isn’t something that anyone is looking to brag about. The good news for folks who root for the AL West as a whole, though, is that the division has got substantially upgraded over the last few months. The Texas Rangers won’t just hop, skip and jump to the Fall Classic this time around. No, in 2012 they’ll get a legitimate battle for the honor from both the Anaheim Angels and to a lesser degree the Oakland Athletics.
The NL West is an absolutely fascinating division that could wind up looking any one of a number of ways when it’s all said and done. The Dodgers, Rockies, Diamondbacks and Giants all have their fair share of strengths and weaknesses going in, and who emerges as top dog by year’s end largely depends on who is best able to maximize those strengths and minimize those weaknesses.
Last year’s regular season in baseball could not have ended any more ____. Depending on what side you were on, that word could be dramatically different. It could not have been scripted better and SportsCenter could not have fawned over it any more than it did.
We heard about the beasts that may lurk in the East, and Pujols is going to eat everything in the West, but what about that Central? The Cy Young winner Justin Verlander has the Tigers looking like the favorite with a -500 betting line from bovada.com to win the division, 4/1 odds to win the pennant, and 4th best in the MLB with 8/1 to win a World Series.
With the National League defending champion St. Louis Cardinals gearing back up for another grueling season, you would think there would be more conversation about repeating. That is, unless you lose The Machine. The 
The East has been really interesting the past few seasons, drawing in the masses to watch each and every game leading up to the postseason. The division hosts 2 teams with by far the most talent, along with the highest pay rolls. The AL East, that is. The NL East is more like the division that the Phillies always win. As it stands today, the 
American League All-Star teams are going to be ridonkulous. If the best hitters were picked as the reserves, they would all be first basemen. Pujols, Fielder, Cabrera, Teixeira, Gonzalez, and sleepers like Hosmer, Konerko, and Morneau makes the decision for who’s on first the most difficult probably ever.
Coming off a solid 97-65 record in 2011, all signs seem to point to the New York Yankees repeating as the No.1 team in the AL East. Manager Joe Girardi is entering his fifth year at the helm of the most prominent team in baseball, and there is a legitimate case to be for this incarnation of the Yankees being the most potent one he’s ever had an opportunity to lead.