Preview/Prediction

Expectations are high for the 2011 Oakland Athletics as they get ready to report to Spring Training in Phoenix, preparing to hopefully bring the World Series trophy back across the Bay Bridge for the first time since 1989.

When thinking of pitching rotations with a lot of depth, the Phillies, Red Sox and Giants are—rightfully so—the first teams to come to mind. However, one could argue that the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation is underrated and belongs in that discussion.

Just like the Baltimore Orioles, the Blue Jays suffer from AL East syndrome.

The Toronto Blue Jays haven’t seen the postseason since 1993.

Over the last 13 seasons, the Baltimore Orioles have been the bottom-feeders of the AL East, often referred to as the toughest division in baseball.

The O’s started last season 2-16, which added to an already-diminishing fan base at Camden Yard.

Looking for an answer, the O’s made three managerial changes. I guess third time's the charm, as Buck Showalter took over on August 1st and the O’s finally got their man.

A little while back, we did an an examination on one of the Yankees' oldest enemies, the Red Sox.

Now we're going to look in depth on one of the newest Yankees rival, the Tampa "Don't call them Devil" Rays.

The Rays got hit hard this offseason—Carl Crawford left for the rival Red Sox, Rafael Soriano left for the rival Yankees.

Hot stove conversation is terrific, but the start of spring training is even better.

I’ll definitely be following the hoops as closely as possible as we head toward the conference tournaments and beyond.

But the fact that big league camps are about to open means we can start counting down the days until the start of the 2011 baseball season.

Make no mistake, baseball has always been my favorite game, and I’m looking forward to another great summer on the diamond.

Thanks to all of you who have been keeping up with my piece-by-piece mock draft here at Bleacher Report, and a special thanks to those of you who clicked on these articles thinking they were NFL Mock Drafts and decided to keep reading. I consider you converts to the MLB Draft.

Even though the Baltimore Orioles have been at the bottom of the AL East and the American League for the past ten years, 2011 will be the year that they shock the baseball world and make the playoffs as the AL wild-card team.

Due to their great off-season acquisitions, the Orioles have become an offensive powerhouse of the American League while at the same time being defensively sound. Under the guidance of Buck Showalter, the Orioles are primed for a playoff berth.

The Mets bullpen will have a very different look in 2011.  The only three remaining bullpen pitchers are Bobby Parnell, Manny Acosta and Francisco Rodriguez.  The Mets signed a handful of relievers this offseason.  D.J. Carrasco, Taylor Bucholz and Taylor Tankersley were signed by the Mets this offseason and they each have loads of potential.

With Major League Baseball's spring training just around the corner, most teams are about done with their offseason shopping.

But for most clubs, that's just the first step—even once everyone has signed, there are still big decisions to be made about who will play and where.

Here's a look at each team's biggest position battle heading into Spring Training.

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