We are Ready for Baseball

As the snow begins to melt and teams report to Florida and Arizona, we embark on a new season of Major League Baseball. The off season was highlighted by one of the most exotic Free Agency periods in recent memory.

The defending champion St. Louis Cardinals head into the season, perhaps a bit overlooked due to the loss of Albert Pujols to L.A., and the Tigers surrounded by much hype due to the arrival of a Prince. The race to the finish will be tight, so here are my predictions for the upcoming season.

AL East - Yankees

Does this one even need an explanation? From top to bottom its hard to find a hole in the Yankees lineup. Pitching additions such as Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda should help give depth to a rotation, that was less than stellar last year. The Rays and Red Sox will challenge but in the end it will be the Yankees.

AL Central - Tigers

The reigning AL Cy Young and MVP, AL batting champion, and a guy who had 120 RBIs last year. You must think I'm talking about the All-Star team, right? Wrong. The addition of Prince Fielder to the Tigers takes Detroit from a good team to a championship contender. The loss of  Victor Martinez hurts, but the addition of Fielder more than makes up for it.

AL West - Angels

The Angels finished the year 10 games back of AL Champion Texas, but that is not likely to happen again this year. In one day the Angels not only got the best Free Agent to hit the market in years, but also the best Free Agent pitcher available. The addition of Albert Pujols to the Angels obviously gives the lineup a major boost, but what is overlooked is the incredible pitching depth for Los Angeles. Jared Weaver, Dan Haren, and C.J. Wilson is not a rotation I would want to face.

AL Wildcard - Rays

Texas and Boston will challenge Tampa for this spot, but Joe Maddon always gets his club in good position when September comes around. Tampa's roster is not filled with superstars, or even All-Stars for that matter, but good pitching and solid hitting have got the Rays this far before.

NL East - Phillies
The Marlins loaded up in Free Agency and will challenge Philly for the division. The Phillies rotation is too good for anyone to challenge with former Cy Young winners Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee to go with Cole Hamels and rising star Vance Worley. Philadelphia must fill the hole of the injured Ryan Howard because his production is unmatched.

NL Central - Cardinals
This is a tough division to pick, and not for the good reasons. St. Louis will surely suffer from the loss of Pujols, but the addition of Carlos Beltran and the return of ace Adam Wainwright will bolster the Cards. The Brewers could compete with the Cardinals, but with Prince Fielder no longer in the division, who will challenge this team?

NL West - Diamondbacks

Another tough division to pick but when its all said and done, it will be between the D-Backs and the Giants. Arizona surprised last year by winning the NL West over the then defending champion Giants. Last year was highlighted by breakout stars such as 20- game winner Ian Kennedy and MVP candidate Justin Upton. If those two can duplicate their production and other players step up, this team could again be division champs.

NL Wildcard - Marlins

Miami is ready to win and they are ready now. The newly renamed Miami Marlins spent the Free Agency period making the biggest splash of any team, signing All-Stars Jose Reyes and Heath Bell as well as pitchers Mark Buehrle and Carlos Zambrano. The Marlins previously had a young nucleus of players such as Gabby Sanchez and Hanley Ramirez, but these additions could put Miami over the top. Despite the new ugly logo(in my opinion), the Marlins will be a force to be reckoned with in the NL.