Staff Writer
AL
East- Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays made major strides in the
offseason, mostly due to a mega trade with the Marlins. In the trade, Toronto
acquired José Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, and Emilio Bonifacio. They
also acquired the Cy Young winning knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, along with
catcher Josh Thole, in a trade with the New York Mets. All of this star power should
lead to a division crown.
AL
Central- Detroit Tigers
The Tigers would like to forget what happened
to them in the World Series last year. Fortunately, they are a threat to return
this season. Justin Verlander leads a strong rotation against a fairly weak
hitting division. The Tigers also added veteran outfielder Torii Hunter.
AL
West- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Angels got the biggest prize of the
offseason when they signed Josh Hamilton. The Halos will have quite an outfield
with Hamilton, Mike Trout, and Mark Trumbo. As long as Albert Pujols plays up
to his potential, the Angels should win the division. They need to perform this
season; Mike Scioscia’s job depends on it.
NL
East- Washington Nationals
The Nationals made the playoffs for the
first time since moving from Montreal in 2004. They return with their two young
stars in Bryce Harper and Gio Gonzalez. In order for the Nats to win back to
back division titles, Harper needs to avoid a sophomore slump and Gonzalez
needs to show why he’s the ace of this staff. They can’t disappoint because the
Atlanta Braves added a lot of talent in the offseason, and they will be nipping
at the Nationals heels all season long.
NL
Central- St.Louis Cardinals
This is probably the worst division in
baseball. The Houston Astros have left for the American League. Even without
the Astros to beat up on, there aren’t any other teams that pose much of a
threat to the Cardinals. The Cardinals feature a strong rotation and talented
third baseman David Freese, so if they avoid injuries they should coast to the
division title.
NL
West- Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are my pick to win the NL
West. They are looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
Last season, the Dodgers acquired stars Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and
Josh Beckett. This offseason, they signed former Cy Young award winner Zack
Greinke. This is a team full of All-Stars, and they need to play like it if
they want to unseat the World Series champion San Francisco Giants.
