Preview/Prediction

As we near the end of 2010, we can look back on the 2010 baseball season as one of change. Wins are no longer the deciding factor in Cy Young races, the Yankees aren't automatically World Series bound each year and even if a team doesn't hit immensely well, if they have pitching and defense, they can win championships.

As for what 2011 will hold, some things seem obvious; the continuation of this new era after the end of the steroid era will continue, ERAs will remain relatively low and we will see maybe one 50 HR performance, or more likely none at all.

My buddy Vinnie over at Talking Giants Baseball contacted me and told me he would like me to do a guest blog entry about the Dodgers. He wants me to throw a preview at him. Well...he's not going to like what I'm about to write, because the Dodgers are coming back full force next year for a 100 win season and that NL West title.

The Tampa Bay Rays have gone through baseball's version of a liquidation sale in the 2010 offseason. It is almost as if any player with any value has left the team or has been rumored to be traded with few exceptions.

Starting with the expected departure of Carl Crawford to the Boston Red Sox and the subsequent departures of players including Carlos Pena and Jason Bartlett the team will look very different in 2011.

When a fan asked David Price on twitter about how the team will be different in 2011, he responded jokingly by saying, "the field will still look the same."

I’ve seen lots of speculation about how effective Zack Greinke will be in the National League.

For the past two seasons, Derek Jeter has been leading off for the New York Yankees after spending many years in the two-hole.

At the beginning of 2009, Joe Girardi explained that Jeter was a "more pure" lead-off man than Johnny Damon. Speculation has it that it was also because Jeter frequently hits into double-plays.

Rich Harden rejoined his former team, the Oakland Athletics on a 1 year deal. The contract is known to be worth $1.5 million.

Harden, now 29 years of age, started his major league career at 21 with the Athletics.

He looked like he would have a bright future as the ace of the team after his 1st full season, collecting 11 wins and an ERA just under 4.00 back in 2004

This off-season has already seen the three biggest free agents switch teams for the lure of a nine-figure contract, and two of the biggest names in the game traded to title contenders.

As more and more free agents agree to terms, we begin to see a clearer picture of what to expect next season.

Pitchers and catchers will begin reporting in less than two months and opening day is just over three months away.

With next season rapidly approaching, let’s take a moment to stare into my crystal ball and examine 50 bold predictions for the upcoming year.

So we all have read that Johan Santana won’t be with us the first half of the season. This is a tough pill to swallow for New York Mets fans and to be completely blunt about it, I’m tired of the pessimism surrounding the New York Mets for this upcoming 2011 season from media and fans alike.

The world is not over! The season hasn’t even begun yet! It’s only December!

Pitchers and catchers report in about two months, but that does not silence the baseball talk.

The winter meetings have come and gone, but it seems the Giants prefer to stand pat. They have publicly stated they aren't going after any of the top free agents, and why should they? The team of misfits they put together last year achieved baseball immortality, so why should the team be assembled any differently?

Heading into the offseason, the Yankees considered themselves favorites to land Cliff Lee, and the Rangers definitely thought they had a chance. The Angels though they could sign Carl Crawford, and several teams around the league believed they could bring in Zack Greinke.

With all three players off the market—Lee in Philly, Greinke in Milwaukee and Crawford in Boston—GM's around baseball are scrambling to find that backup plan, fill their budgets and put a competitive team on the field heading into 2011.