2. YANKEES - If Brian Cashman traded away, in his words, “the next Miguel Cabrera’’ in Jesus Montero, he could afford to do it. The Yankees have a run-producing lineup, and the prediction here is that Alex Rodriguez will rebound with a monster season. There are potentially eight starting pitchers, with the additions of youthful Michael Pineda and innings-eater Hiroki Kuroda. They have a very good bullpen. They will start spring training as a championship-caliber team.
3. RANGERS - They have been to the World Series two straight years and lost, so they have a team built for the postseason. Japanese phenom Yu Darvish and the filthy Neftali Feliz bolster the starting rotation. Not much has changed with their explosive lineup. And the bullpen, even without Feliz, should be terrific if closer Joe Nathan’s injury problems are behind him.
4. CARDINALS - Yes, big voids left by Pujols, manager Tony La Russa (retired), and pitching coach Dave Duncan (leave of absence). But the Cardinals adjusted nicely by moving right fielder Lance Berkman to first base and signing Carlos Beltran, a terrific all-around hitter. They also regain 20-game winner Adam Wainwright in an already stacked rotation.
5. TIGERS - Again, we can use the Sox example that adding big-time hitters doesn’t guarantee success. But the Tigers, who were already favored to win the AL Central, replaced Victor Martinez (out for the year with a torn ACL) with Prince Fielder. A Fielder-Cabrera middle of the order could be monstrous. The Tigers will be fine if Cabrera handles third base well and doesn’t hurt himself there. They will miss V-Mart’s clubhouse leadership, but the starting pitching is solid with Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, Doug Fister, and Max Scherzer as the front four. They could have used a little more bullpen help.
