Yanks should say no thanks for Santana

1. Tigers – With Cabrera and Willis on the roster, Detroit should have a summer to remember. Watch for them to finish tops in the Central and deep into October.

2. Yankees – Johan Santana, Andy Pettite and Joba Chamberlain dramatically improves an inconsistent starting pitching staff of a year ago. They’ll hit, as they always do and should have no problem reclaiming the AL East.

3. Indians – The Indians success rests on whether Fausto Carmona can duplicate his success from last year, and whether CC Sabathia won’t regress to being a mediocre pitcher and stay in Cy Young contention as he did this year.

4. Angels – Torri Hunter is no A-Rod, but should make the Angels much better than they were offensively and help them defensively, however, with Orlando Cabrera out, we can wonder if it was a great move to add Jon Garland to an already top rotation. Another move must in the works before they break for spring training.

5. Red Sox – Everyone is expecting Daisuke Matsuzaka to put up better numbers, but the kid to watch is Clay Buchholz, who already has a no-hitter under his belt and has Ace material in his pitching arsenal. Offensively, the Red Sox should do fine, although they’ll need Jacoby Ellsbury to mature quickly as a leadoff hitter. But the pitching must remain consistent and it all starts with Josh Beckett staying healthy and remaining the force of the most talented starting rotation in baseball.

6. Phillies – Carlos Silva doesn’t really have a lot of flair when improving your starting rotation, but it could work. Silva is a ground ball pitcher who should excel in Philly. Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins each have their MVPs in successive seasons – could Chase Utley make it THREE in a row inPhiladelphia?

7. Padres – Chris Young and Jake Peavy have taken full advantage of Petco Field pitching friendliness, and their dominance should keep the Pads in contention if not winning the NL West

8. Rockies – The Rockies break the top ten for their remarkable feat last year, and they’ll have some momentum early on. If their pitching keeps up, they’ll have a chance to repeat as wild card. They will hit that’s for sure, and Holliday and Tulowitzki will carry the burden. Rookie Ian Stewart will make some noise for rookie of the year.

9. Arizona – Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, and Randy Johnson – it has to be the best pitching trio in baseball. Reminds you of the Zito, Hudson, and Mulder days, but only better. With Johnson aside, the Webb and Haren one-two punch could dominate the West

10. Braves – With Andruw Jones now gone, Mark Teixeira becomes the Braves power hitter – and will produce. Expect big numbers for Teixeira and Look for the Braves to stay on top of the NL East for most of the season – pitching will be key, and with Glavine back it could make for an interesting story this year.

11. Cubs – Kosuke Fukudome will make an instant impact. The Cubs lineup of Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Derek Lee, and Fukudome is one of the tops in the NL. Watch for Kerry Wood to solidify the closers job.

12. Toronto – With Roy Halladay, AJ Burnett and Shawn Marcum/Chacin among others, the Jays could posses a top 5 rotation in the Majors if healthy. Vernon Wells should have a great year and bounce back from his subpar season. The Jays will need to trade Alex Rios for another starting pitcher if they are to remain completive in the tough AL East

13. Mets – That great collapse back in September will hunt them into early in the season. The Mets will need plenty of winning streaks to forget that disaster. Watch for Carlos Beltran to put up huge numbers and finally earn that salaray.

14. Brewers – Can Prince Fielder hit 60 homers? – they say he’s getting there, and perhaps more. But the Brewers might have another great start only to fall short once again.

15. Astros - The Miguel Tejada acquisition actually makes the Astros an interesting team to watch, and reamain competitive. Jose Valverde closing only makes the Astros that much better, Cubs and Cardinals will have the Astros on their tail.

16. Rangers – The Rangers are great hitting, but pitching is what wins, and they don’t have enough of it. Ron Washington would have to be creative.

17. Marlins – Hanley Ramirez is a monster, and now with Miguel Cabrera gone, the Marlins become his team. No other player will have more attention this upcoming season than Hanley, and watch him become an MVP caliber player for many seasons to come.

18. Mariners – Felix Hernandez should finally put together the Cy Young season we all envisioned him to, giving the Mariners a chance at the AL West Crown.

19. White Sox – The Sox are tough and competitive, we can only wonder if their starting pitching, their strength during their world series year will hold up.

20. Cardinals – Albert Pujols will make an MVP comeback – perhaps the best season by a single player ever.

21. Dodgers – can Joe Torre produce magic in Hollywood, we can wait and see, but the Dodgers are so talented, it wouldn’t be a surprise to have them win the west.

22. Twins – With Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera replaces Johan, the Twins could in fact remain highlgy competitive in the Central, although, with the Tigers and Indians become beasts in the American league, they’ll have to keep their A game going.

23. Nationals – The Nationals is one of many teams to watch this summer as Bowden continue to overhaul his outfield, which is up to 20 now. We wonder when they are going to get some pitching. Watch for Wily Mo Pena to top 30 homers for the first time in his career.

24. Athletics – Dan Haren, Joe Blanton and even Rich Harden could all be gone by the time this post is over, but what do you know, the Athletics always compete and nothing else is new for this year.

25. Giants – with Barry Bonds now long gone – forever, Aaron Rowand would have the spotlight all to himself…

26. Reds – Standout prospect Jay Bruce will make headlines and make Adam Dunn expendable, which is nice because Ken Griffey is almost out and the Reds would need some pieces to put the final touches on what should be a competitive team for years to come.

27. Devil Rays – Evan Longoria will make a case for rookie of the year. The Rays top three starter – Kazmir, Shields, and Bonzer would be something to keep an eye on.

28. Pirates – Adam LaRoche should have a nice bounce back year after adjusting to his new team. He’s just too good not to. Expect 40 homers from him.

29. Kansas City – David DeJesus will be another center fielder traded at the July deadline, and will make an instant impact on the team that acquires him

30. Orioles – The rebuilding Orioles will have a tough time filling seats at Camden Yards, Melvin Mora almost certainly will demand to be traded as so will everyone else. And now with the steroids probe and three of their players been pointed fingers, it can only get worse.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7595262


1 Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, Diamondbacks

Combined 2007 Numbers: 459.0 IP, 3.57 R/G (runs per nine innings), 386 strikeouts

Yep, the Haren trade means the Snakes now have the top one-two punch in all the land. Webb, the 2006 NL Cy Young winner, gets ground balls by the truckload, boasts a career ERA of 3.22, and has logged at least 200 innings in each of the last four seasons. As for Haren, he's coming off a season in which he ranked third in the AL in ERA and fifth in innings. As well, both are still relatively young and should have plenty of great seasons ahead of them.

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2. C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, Indians

Combined 2007 Numbers: 456.0 IP, 3.39 R/G, 346 strikeouts

Sabathia of course won the AL Cy Young last season, and Carmona finished fourth in the voting. Sabathia has emerged as a consistent ace-level starter, and Carmona is obviously coming off one heck of a breakout campaign. The only question is whether Carmona can replicate the successes of 2007. His minor-league record of performance suggests he's the genuine article, so expect these two to continue their dominance.

3. Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano, Twins

Combined 2007 Numbers: 219.0 IP, 3.62 R/G, 235 strikeouts

Santana has been the best pitcher in all of baseball over the last half decade, and Liriano had an outstanding rookie campaign in 2006. Liriano missed all of last season after undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery, but he's on target to be game-ready by spring training. His injury history is certainly a source of concern; however, these days Tommy John surgery is a fairly routine procedure, and some pitchers come back better than ever. As such, Liriano should resume his excellence once he works the kinks out. Santana? He's as much of a sure thing as any pitcher in baseball.

4. Jake Peavy and Chris Young, Padres

Combined 2007 Numbers: 396.1 IP, 3.02 R/G, 407 strikeouts

The run-suppressing nature of Petco Park makes this pair look a bit better than it really is. However, even after adjusting the numbers Peavy was easily the best pitcher in all of baseball last season. Young's case, however, is somewhat less solid. In 2007, Young ranked fifth in the NL in ERA, but he had a 4.52 ERA away from Petco, struggled in the second half, and spent time on the DL. Peavy's a truly great pitcher, but Young still has something to prove.

5. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, Giants

Combined 2007 Numbers: 346.1 IP, 4.00 R/G, 313 strikeouts

The Giants are an awful team right now, but Cain and Lincecum are worth the price of admission. Cain broke out in 2007, and Lincecum, thanks to a tremendous changeup and ridiculously fast arm action, is an ace in waiting. Both are young, which means they'll gradually work their way up to the very top of this list.

6. Brad Penny and Chad Billingsley, Dodgers

Combined 2007 Numbers: 355.0 IP, 3.32 R/G, 276 strikeouts

Last season, Penny combined relative health with excellence for the first time in his career, and if he continues to keep the ball in park to such an extent (and stay healthy, of course), then he'll sustain his newfound greatness. So why Billingsley instead of Derek Lowe? Because Billingsley's the better pitcher, and the 23-year-old is going to get even better in the coming seasons. In fact, don't be surprised if Billingsley emerges as the true ace of the staff in 2008.

John Lackey could contend for the AL Cy Young in 2008. (Jim Rogash / Getty Images)

7. John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, Angels

Combined 2007 Numbers: 419.2 IP, 3.56 R/G, 339 strikeouts

Lackey's emerged as a certifiable ace, and Escobar's coming off the best season of his career. So what's not to like? Well, for one Escobar has made six trips to the disabled list in his career, so he's very much an injury risk. When healthy, he's a very good starting pitcher, but the problem is keeping him healthy. Lackey, meanwhile, has made steady progress throughout his career and will contend for the Cy Young Award in 2008.

8. Cole Hamels and Brett Myers, Phillies

Combined 2007 Numbers: 252.0 IP, 3.75 R/G, 260 strikeouts

Hamels is a tremendously gifted young lefty who's coming off a great season, and at age 23, he's only going to improve. Myers, meanwhile, may be a lousy human being, but he's a darn good hurler. He'll return to the rotation in 2008, and it's worth noting that he thrived in that role in 2005 and 2006. Both of these hurlers are better than they might appear at first glance because of the hitter-friendly nature of Citizens Bank Park.

9. Scott Kazmir and James Shields, Devil Rays

Combined 2007 Numbers: 421.2 IP, 4.03 R/G, 423 strikeouts

You don't find many 23-year-old lefties who are capable of leading the league in strikeouts, but Kazmir is just that. He's always had tremendous gifts on the mound, and now the numbers are following suit. If he stays healthy, then Kazmir's going to win multiple Cy Youngs in his career. The trade that sent him from the Mets in exchange for Victor Zambrano is going to turn out to be one of the steals of the decade. As for Shields, he's a four-pitch, command guy who turned in an exceptional first half. Matt Garza's eventually going to replace him as the No. 2 man in the Tampa rotation, but right now Shields is a nifty complement to Kazmir.

10. John Smoltz and Tim Hudson, Braves

Combined 2007 Numbers: 430.0 IP, 3.45 R/G, 329 strikeouts

Smoltz is a future Hall of Famer, and Hudson boasts a 3.51 career ERA. The only points against them are Smoltz's age (he's 40, and pitchers that age can go over the cliff in a hurry) and Hudson's occasional inconsistency since leaving Oakland. So long as Smoltz staves off age-related decline for another year and Hudson can repeat last season's performance, they'll once again be among the best in the game.