With the new calendar up on the kitchen wall - and just over a month until pitchers and catchers start straggling into training camps in Arizona and Florida - it's time to look ahead at some of the question marks heading into the New Year.
ARE THE PHILLIES THE TEAM TO BEAT?
Their stealth signing of Cliff Lee gives the Phils the top starting rotation in the Majors. Their starters alone could conceivably count for 80 wins. But they also lost some offence with middle-of-the-order Jayson Werth taking his bat to Washington for the next seven years. One issue might be age, as seven of their everyday players are now on the other side of 30. But with that pitching, they'll be tough to beat.
CAN THE GIANTS REPEAT?
Like the Phillies, the defending World Champs have a talented and deep rotation that can win a lot of games. And closer Brian Wilson is as automatic as it gets. But the everyday lineup has taken a hit with the defections of Juan Uribe and Edgar Renteria - two key contributors in the post-season. And it will be interesting to see how Buster Posey does in his sophomore season.
HAS BOSTON SURPASSED THE YANKEES & RAYS?
By trading for Adrian Gonzalez and signing Carl Crawford, the Red Sox upgraded both their offence and defence. Then they turned their attention to the bullpen and brought in Bobby Jenks, Dan Wheeler and Matt Albers. But this aging team will only go as far as their health will allow. Injuries derailed their 2010 season. As it stands right now, they are the team to beat in the A.L. East and a favourite to make it back to the World Series.
IS THIS ALBERT'S LAST STAND IN STL?
For the past 10 seasons, Albert Pujols has been the man in St. Louis, averaging 40 home runs and 123 RBI while hitting at a .331 clip. Quite simply he's been the best player in the game for the last decade. But the 30-year old first baseman's contract runs out at the end of 2011 and he deserves to be paid be paid as such. Luckily for the Cards, the Yankees and Red Sox are set at first. Look for Pujols to stay put.
WHO'S THE NEXT HOT NAME AT THE TRADE DEADLINE?
It will come down to Mariners' Cy Young starter Felix Hernandez, and Padres' closer Heath Bell. After watching Zack Greinke talk his way out of Kansas City, Hernandez looks like the next big name to change area codes through a trade. Look for the Yankees to have scouts at every King Felix start next season. But Bell is the type of closer that could put a team over the top heading into stretch run. I wouldn't mind seeing Bell in a Blue Jays uniform.
THE BAUTISTA DILEMMA IN TORONTO
The Jays need to figure out what to do with their Major League-leading home run champion, both on defence and with a new contract. As it stands now, Jose Bautista looks like the everyday third baseman heading into the season. But the bigger issue is getting his name on a long-term deal without crippling the payroll. A three-year deal with an option in the $36 million range will also let them see if his 54 HR season in 2010 was just a one-off.
HOW CLOSE ARE THE JAYS?
Not as close as Jays' fans would hope, but Alex Anthopoulos is staying the course and putting together a young, controllable roster that will grow together into a perennial contender. The rotation, if they can stay healthy, still has a lot of upside and it will be interesting to see how Kyle Drabek handles his first full season in the Majors. Their downfall could be the back end of the bullpen which is currently without a closer.
SHOULD REPLAY BE EXPANDED?
The purists will argue until they are blue in the face, but the time has come to bring in full replay to get calls right, which should be paramount. As was revealed last season, several calls would have been overturned, including a botched 27th out which robbed Tigers' pitcher Armando Galarraga of a perfect game. With instant access to many angles from a pair of broadcasts leaving every stadium, the time is right to bring the game into the 21th century.
IS IT TIME TO RE-ALIGN?
Yes, and also time to go back to a balanced schedule. It's never made sense for the Blue Jays that their two closest geographical rivals - Detroit and Cleveland - play in a different division. But the main reason to realign and reform the schedule is to balance the playing field. It's bad enough that the lack of a salary cap has created a massive chasm between the haves and the have nots, but teams playing varying degrees of schedule strengths has never been fair. But the glacial pace at which baseball embraces change means this isn't likely to happen any time soon.
