"I don't like the Yankees. I don't think anybody does, except the Yankees."--new Boston reliever Matt Mantei, on the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry (New York Post).
Well, got bad news for you, Matt; the New York Yankees are back.
Going Nine's analysis of the American League East is quite simple, the Yankees are the class of the league and the 2004 World Series winners had a terrible off-season.
AL EAST
The Yankees blowing a 3-games-to-0 lead in the ALCS to the eventual World Series champion Boston Red Sox was very bad. Subsequently, New York spent its off-season by adding Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano and Jared Wright to the Yankee rotation. The result is that the starting staff is far better than it was a year ago.
Picking up Felix Rodriguez and Mike Stanton adds two proven arms to a bullpen that was already of the best in baseball. Putting Tony Womack's speed into the batting order adds dimension to a stacked lineup, and the steading presence of Tino Martinez provides some insurance for what should prove to be a difficult year for Jason Giambi.
Basically, a team that won 101 games last year is significantly better. The same cannot be said for the defending champs.
The Red Sox's inability to appropriately replace Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe in their rotation will doom their chances of repeating as WS champs, and when they raise their WS banner at Fenway Park on April 11 against the Yankees -- as they did in 1919 - the hope is that a disastrous approach to revamping it's starting rotation for 2005 won't cause another 86-year drought.
Thinking that David Wells and Matt Clement can replace Martinez and Lowe's 103 wins over the last three years will prove costly, and believing that Edgar Renteria — though a tremendous all-around shortstop — will be a significant upgrade over Orlando Cabrera, now with the Angels, is a tad optimistic. There will be plenty of offense at Fenway this year, as is usually the case, but even Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Renteria and Jason Varitek won't be enough to overcome a rotation that — aside from Curt Schilling — is suspect.
The Toronto Blue Jays are coming off a 94-loss season, the franchise's worst showing in nearly 25 years. Veteran Miguel Batista is the new closer, Roy Halladay and Ted Lily anchor the rotation and players like Vernon Wells are around to make things interesting. Left-hander Gustavo Chacin will be a player to watch, as will young outfielder Gabe Gross and shortstop Russ Adams. Skipper John Gibbons has a one-year deal (for some inexplicable reason), so it may prove very interesting as to how he manages a team in a rebuilding mode.
Baltimore will be a fun place to be when it's the home team's turn at bat, as Sammy Sosa joins Miguel Tejada and Javy Lopez in a pretty good lineup, but with Sidney Ponson's off-season struggles and a young rotation that will struggle before it blossoms, will make skipper Lee Mazzilli's job security tenuous. The bullpen will certainly be improved, as Chuck Klein replaces B.J. Ryan as the setup man, and Ryan replaces Jorge Julio — either trade bait or a another setup option for Maz — as the closer.
A healthy Rocco Baldelli would have made Tampa Bay's first month of the season better than it will be, as when he, Carl Crawford and Aubrey Huff were playing at the same time in the Devil Rays' outfield last year, it was something special. The loss of Baldelli — surgery on his left knee during the off-season will cost him the first two months of the season — will be felt. However, All-Star Chris Crawford, who's led the AL in stolen bases the last two years, is a player one pays money to see, the development of the hard-throwing Scott Kazmir will be worth a look-see every fifth day, and the fate of Huff, who'll probably be dealt once Baldelli returns, will keep D-Ray fans attentive.
AL CENTRAL
Many observers are saying that it's a wide-open division, GN is of the opinion that anybody not picking the Twins to win their fourth straight AL Central title isn't paying much attention.
Having a tiny budget, an out-of-date ballpark that rivals only New York's Shea Stadium in its unattractiveness, and an ownership disinterested in paying for top talent, Ryan has built a team that's won three straight AL Central crowns. Yet Ryan has attained little recognition outside the game itself.
No MoneyBall love, no media entourage like the Mets' Omar "Outside the Box" Minaya, and very little — if any — cache' in the mainstream tabloids.
While other GMs like Minaya, Oakland's Billy Beane — even his former assistants, LA's Paul DePodesta and the Jays' J.P. Ricciardi get more ink than Ryan — and Boston's Theo Epstein get their deserved attention, somehow the old school Ryan is forgotten.
Keeping Johan Santana — or talking usually frugal owner Carl Pohlad into a multiyear deal for the left-hander — is the latest stroke of genius by Ryan. Add in right-hander Brad Radke, Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter, emerging closer Joe Nathan, and youngsters Justin Mourneau at first and Joe Mauer behind the plate, and it's easy to identify the best team in the Central.
The only team with a realistic shot to push them? The White Sox.
Gone is Magglio Ordonez, singing a free-agent contract with Detroit. Gone is Carlos Lee (who hit .305 with 31 homers and 99 RBIs), traded at the winter meetings for speedy Scott Podsednik. Gone until at least June is Frank Thomas, the two-time AL MVP, still recovering from surgery.
Nothing is set in stone, but the new-look Sox will have an Opening Day lineup that looks something like this; Podsednik will lead off and play left field, followed by Tadahito Iguchi (second base), Carl Everett (DH), Paul Konerko (first base), Jermaine Dye (right field), A.J. Pierzynski (catcher), Aaron Rowand (center field), Joe Crede (third base) and Juan Uribe (shortstop).
The pitching staff is solid, headed by starters Freddy Garcia, Mark Buehrle, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, Jose Contreras and Jon Garland, while the bullpen is equally dependable with Damaso Marte, Cliff Politte, Luis Vizcaino, Dustin Hermanson and closer Shingo "Mister Zero" Takatsu. So while it looks as if a lot of things need to go right for the ChiSox to win the AL Central, it should be one heck of a ride.
Ditto for the improving Indians, whose lack of addressing its rotation (a all-but finished Kevin Millwood doesn't count) with a significant veteran starter will hurt. Still, Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, Casey Blake and Coco Crisp will pace a fun-to-watch offense. C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook and Cliff Lee are a solid 1-2-3 on paper, but Sabathia's unwillingness to address his weight issues complicate his nagging injury problems, combined with the "let's see them do it again" expectation for Westbrook and Lee, make it hard to take them seriously.
Watching the Royals and Tigers in 2005 will consist of trying to handicap where Detroit's Ugueth Urbina (Cubs?) and Kansas City's Mike Sweeney (Atlanta?) wind up.
AL WEST
The Angels have the best rotation, led by Bartolo Colon and includes Kelvim Escobar, Jarrod Washburn, Paul Byrd and John Lackey, but reigning AL MVP Vladimir Guerrero will be asked to carry an offense that only boasts Garet Anderson and Steve Finley as proven top run producers. Dallas MacPherson will be asked to contribute right away as Troy Glaus' replacement and Francisco Rodriguez's transition from setup man from closer will be key as well.
Buck Showalter's Rangers — which won 89 games and finished just three games behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (you're welcome, Mr. Moreno) will be fun to watch, but don't have enough pitching to compete for the division tile. The offense is superb, as the infield of Mark Texeria, Alfonso Sorino, Michael Young and Hank Blalock is top-notch. The group would be the best all-around group in baseball if not for the unfortunately bade defnse of Soriano. Richard Hidalgo will be powerful but streaky, and center fielder Laynce Nix will blossom after injuries and inconsistency.
Billy Beane's offseason will cost Oakland a realistic shot at the AL West crown. While the breakup of the Big Three (Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson, dealt to the Cardinals and Braves, respectively) may prove beneficial in the years to come, this year will be a long one for the A's.
Instead of playing out the year with free agent-to-be Hudson at the top of the rotation and Mulder — A's property until 2006 — Beane decided to break up what could have been a contender for the AL West again this season. Hudson will make $5 million this season, and Mulder, is scheduled to make $12.75 million the next two years, so the A's saved money in the deals, got some prospects back that could help the team regain its winning ways. That's the cross the small-market teams have to bear, right?
So why in the name of all that's holy did Beane see fit to deal for catcher Jason Kendall, due $34 million over the next three seasons? Sure, he gets rid of the awful Arthur Rhodes in the deal (and the $6.2 million remaining on his contract) but gave up serviceable left-hander Mark Redman — due nearly $8 million over the next two seasons -- in the process.
Add that perplexing move to Seattle's decision to add Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson for a lot of money, but not addressing its dreadful starting pitching.
Therefore, the M's will stink up Safeco.
AL East - Yankees
AL Central - Twins
AL West - Angels
AL Cy Young - Randy Johnson
AL MVP - Vladimir Guererro
AL Rookie of the Year - Scott Kazmir
Mark Healey is the Executive Editor of Gotham Baseball. 
