20 Questions Heading Into the Baseball Season

By John Gottlieb
The Phanatic Magazine

Here is the first half of a two-part series on the most pressing questions heading into Opening Day on Sunday.

1) Can the Cardinals repeat with so many unknowns in their starting rotation?
It seemed highly unlikely that the Redbirds would win last year’s World Series with Jeff Weaver and Jeff Suppan. Now the backend of their rotation is AdamWainwright, Braden Looper, and Anthony Reyes. Just ask Carlos Beltran how good Wainwright's stuff is. Despite good springs, Kip Wells and Braden Looper aren’t a recipe for success. However, any team with Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds won’t just rollover. Mark Mulder won’t be back until the middle of the season, and St. Louis will have to patch it together until then.

2) Is Jimmy Rollins right?
Are the Phillies the team to beat in the NL East? Rollins probably should have waited until the Phillies had actually done something, but his words aren’t far-fetched. The Phillies made the biggest offseason move in the NL East with the addition of Freddy Garcia. He’s an innings eater that will benefit from pitching in the NL during the last year of his contract. Ryan Howard and Chase Utley make up the best right side of any infield in the big leagues. Tom Gordon and Cole Hamels will have to stay healthy, and Pat Burrell must make some sort of impact with the bat to push this team to the next level. Philadelphia’s first 14 games are against the Braves, Mets, Marlins, and Astros so it will have to start the season with a bang or face a big hole before the calendar turns to May. The Mets are the team to beat since they won last year, but only an utter collapse will keep the Phillies out of the playoffs.

3) Is this the year A-Rod delivers a World Series to the Yankees?
The question should be can A-Rod get the Yankees out of the first round of the playoffs? I can’t see them losing in the first round three years in a row, but their pitching is too old, and Joe Torre beats on his bullpen. Early injury problems with the starting pitching have made the signing of Roger Clemens an even bigger need. Trading away aging players made the New York farm system one of the best in the baseball. The Yanks aren’t ready for another title, but soon they will go on another run. Rodriguez will have a big season, but leave New York without a World Series ring after the season.

4) Will the Mets’ rotation provide enough depth until Pedro Martinez returns?
It’s hard to have a lot of confidence in Oliver Perez, John Maine, and a No. 5 starter to be named later. It’s not the Mets’ rotation that will hold them until Pedro returns in August, it’s their lineup. They boast an American League lineup in an inferior National League. While Phillip Humber isn’t ready yet, Mike Pelfrey is and he may be the answer to New York’s rotation woes.

5) Are the White Sox still better than the Cubs?
Despite getting rid of Freddy Garcia for Gavin Floyd and a minor leaguer, and jettisoning Brandon McCarthy, the Pale Hose are better then their crosstown rivals. The White Sox lineup is still stacked and is roughly the same one that won the World Series two years ago. The leash for center fielder Brian Anderson is getting shorter and shorter. Scott Podsednik needs to set the tone for the offense and defense, which is something he didn’t excel at last year. Expect a big year from Mark Buehrle, who is going to be a free agent and will cash in big time. They’ve got one of the best offenses, a solid rotation, and a deep bullpen.

6) In the land of Barry’s, will Bonds be indicted by the grand jury for perjury before breaking Aaron’s record, and is Zito enough of an ace to bring the Giants back to the postseason?
No and no. The grand jury has been investigating so long that it’s probably safe to assume that no indictment is coming. For god’s sake Greg Anderson seems willing to sit in jail for the rest of his life before he rats on Barry Bonds. Bonds will break the record and then there will be a movement not to recognize it or put an asterisk next to his name. Since Bud Selig and the MLBPA dragged their feet with the drug policy there is no way to deal with this issue. Getting Barry Zito was a start, but the team is so old. Pedro Feliz is the youngest starter and he’ll be 32 in April. Bruce Bochy is a fantastic manager, but the Giants will have to fight to stay out of last place.

7) Are the Braves ready to reclaim the throne atop the NL East?I
t’s bad news whenever you are forced to count on Mike Hampton. The oft-injured pitcher is already done for at least the first month and he was the Braves’ No. 3 starter. Tim Hudson needs to rebound from a poor 2006. They got rid of Marcus Giles and Adam LaRoche, both big pieces of their infield. The Braves got a solid reliever, which they sorely needed, for LaRoche, but couldn’t get anything in return for Giles, who is a former All-Star. Mike Gonzalez will be a shut down pitcher late in games, but Bob Wickman has a habit of making things interesting in the ninth. The addition of Rafael Soriano was big, but Atlanta just doesn’t have enough to compete with the Phils and Mets.

8) Will the $300 million spent by the Cubs buy them a playoff spot?
This trend of buying your way to a title hasn’t followed through in the past few years. Yes, the Yankees have the highest payroll, but that hasn’t gotten them another championship. The Cubbies play in a difficult division where there are four teams that are contenders. The Cubs’ pitching is still suspect, and because of that they will be on the outside looking in when it comes to October. Carlos Zambrano is a stud, but Rich Hill is unproven, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis are average at best, and Mark Prior and Kerry Wood can’t stay healthy. Chicago will score a ton of runs, but it won’t have the pitching to back it up.

9) Who is the Twins’ No. 2 pitcher?
Don’t have a guess? It’s Ramon Ortiz, who has a career record of 79-76. It’s funny how nobody talks about theTwins that much, but they are right in the thick of things every year. Ron Gardenhire will have his work cut out for him without Brad Radke and Francisco Liriano. However, Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Joe Nathan will keep the Twins in the playoff hunt. Look for a big year out of Torii Hunter, who is in the walk year of his contract.

10) Is this the year the Red Sox catch the Yankees for the AL East crown?
The answer to this question lies solely on the arms of Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Boston bullpen. J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo aren’t the difference makers on an already potent offense. If Matsuzaka is as good as expected then yes the Red Sox can and probably will end the run of nine straight AL East titles for the Yankees. The Red Sox bullpen gave up 279 runs from the seventh inning or later last year, which was second-worst in baseball (Kansas City gave up 320), and that’s why the bullpen got a facelift. Jonathan Papelbon needs to stay healthy for the Red Sox to make a run.