AL East Breakdown: Red Sox Are Strong Contenders

In the Boston Globe's baseball preview, the Boston Red Sox reporters wrote their predictions on where each team would finish in each division and who would win the 2009 World Series.

It's still early, but it might be safe to say that both Tony Massarotti and Adam Kilgore will be dead wrong. They predicted that the Tampa Bay Rays would return to face the Chicago Cubs. For the record, everyone who consists of Dan Shaughnessy, Bob Ryan, Amalie Benjamin, Chad Finn, Kilgore, and Mazz, said that the Cubs would make it to the World Series.

As far as the Red Sox, everyone but Mazz said they'd win the American League East. He picked the Sox for the Wild Card and the Rays for the division. 

Ryan and Finn said the Yankees would grab the Wild Card.

Okay, that's a safe bet. But of course Red Sox fans would love to see them miss the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. 

The point of all of this?

Boston has its biggest cushion, sitting five games above the Yankees and Blue Jays in the standings. They also have the second best record in the MLB, only behind the Los Angeles Dodgers(47-24).

The Rays are seven games behind...and the Baltimore Orioles...well no one really cares about them anymore. 

Despite some pitching woes, it never hurts to have too many arms and the Red Sox have proven the case once again this season.