Preview/Prediction

Sure, the Minnesota Twins confounded the baseball pundits by nearly capturing the American League Central Division crown in 2008. Off the strength of that performance, which surprised the hardiest of Twins' fans, even Vegas is hopping on Minnesota's bandwagon in 2009.

Is this optimism justified?

There are several troubling signs that 2009 could be a very bumpy ride.

Joe Mauer's health.

Until opening day, in celebration of the coming 2009 baseball season, we will be previewing all 30 teams over the next few weeks. 

With team-by-team divisional breakdowns, season projections, and playoff predictions, come October we'll all look back fondly and laugh wholeheartedly how wrong and how off-base our prognostications.

National League East—Philadelphia Phillies

Michael Bourn was acquired to be the leadoff hitter to replace legendary Craig Biggio. Ed Wade envisioned Bourn as the next "Killer B," a speedy youngster who could be a defensive gem in Minute Maid Park's cavernous center field and could be devastating as a top of the order threat both at the plate and on the base paths.

Bourn was devastating, but only to the Astros offense. In his first full year as a starter and first in Astros Red and Black, Bourn posted only a .229 average and a miserable .288 on-base percentage. 

MLB Teams of Interest

by ChrisArena, sportsinsights.com

Just like our NBA Teams of Interest article, this article is going to examine some teams around Major League Baseball, searching for value opportunities in the sports betting marketplace.

After a 2007 campaign in which the Braves saw their bullpen compile the NL's second-best ERA (3.58), 2008 was a year that saw some of the 'pen's best arms (Gonzalez carried over from last year, Moylan, and Soriano) miss significant time due to injuries.

Add to this the futile rotation, and the team's second-tier arms (Acosta, when he was healthy, Ohman, who is gone for 2009 due to free agency, Boyer, and Bennett) saw extreme amounts of time that hurt their ability down the stretch (or what can be called the "stretch" for a 90-loss team)

Last December, the Mets shipped out Endy Chavez, Joe Smith, and Aaron Heilman in exchange for J.J. Putz, Sean Green, and Jeremy Reed.

With spring training halfway done, we are that much closer to baseball season again. The New York Mets, a team that collapsed down the stretch in each of the past two seasons, have made a few great additions.

Two key additions for the 2009 season are Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez and JJ Putz. They fill the biggest need for the Mets—their bullpen.

The definition of collapse is "to break down". That is exactly what the Mets did, especially at the end of games. 27 BLOWN SAVES...that is wayyy too many.

When the Nationals traded Emilio Bonifacio, P. J. Dean and Jake Smolinski to the Florida Marlins last winter for Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham, a couple of things seemed certain.

First, Olsen would become the Nationals No. 2 pitcher; second, Josh Willingham would become a sorely needed offensive weapon for the team, likely in left field.

Over his career, after all, the 30-year-old has been a solid hitter. Since joining the Marlins in 2004, Willingham has averaged .266-25-85 over a 162 game season.

*From Protect the Plate

Despite having the league's lowest payroll, the Florida Marlins were competitive last year, falling just 5.5 games short of the wild card. They seem to overhaul their roster before every year, and 2009 is no different. With young stars, impressive rookies, and a new focus on defense, the Marlins hope to get the most out of the least once again.

FANTASY FAVORITE

2008 Record: 68-94

Key Additions

Ryan Freel, Felix Pie, Cesar Izturis, Ty Wigginton, Rich Hill, Gregg Zaun