The Angels move to send Orlando Cabrera to the White Sox for Jon Garland turned out to be a good one for the Angels. Even though Cabrera's absence left a gaping hole at shortstop, Garland's addition left the Angles with a surplus of pitching to cover for Kelvim Escobar"'s early absence. Originally, Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana were going to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation but because Escobar needs shoulder rehab, Saunders and Santana will likely both be on the roster until Escobar returns. Erick Aybar, Maicer Izturis and prospect Brandon Wood will all try for the starting spot at shortstop, though none are as consistent and proven as Cabrera. Aybar has the most upside but did not fare well in winter ball. Izturis could be a stable backup while Wood is expected to continue developing in the minors.
Now that the Orioles are in rebuilding mode, the biggest concern for 2008 is pitching. The rotation will likely be led by Jeremy Guthrie followed by Daniel Cabrera or Adam Loewen. All three had a combined total of 18 wins last season. Veteran righty Steve Trachsel was signed to a minor league deal and will likely fit somewhere in the rotation to help make up for Erik Bedard's 182.0 innings. The back end of the rotation will be filled with a combination of young and unproven talent that includes LHPs Troy Patton and Garrett Olson and RHP Hayden Penn. Patton was the front-runner for the last spot in the rotation but his shoulder woes may have him sidelined through 08. George Sherrill, acquired in the Bedard trade with the Mariners, is expected to take over for former closer Chris Ray who will miss all of 2008. The Orioles also lost reliever Danys Baez to Tommy John surgery, leaving another hole in the late innings. At shortstop, the Orioles still need to find a replacement for Miguel Tejada. Luis Hernandez is the likely candidate but Brandon Fahey is also an option. Freddie Bynum is out of the mix after finding out his sore knee needs surgery.
With Curt Schilling's shoulder injury, young pitchers Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz will fill the back end of the rotation but what will happen once Schilling returns? In addition, Bartolo Colon, a late signing, could take the vacated spot. All three have big seasons ahead of them -- Colon has been slowed by injuries; Lester is looking for a full rebound from cancer; Buchholz already has a no-hitter to his credit. In center field, Jacoby Ellsbury is the likely candidate to take over for Coco Crisp but don't expect Crisp to give up easily. In his September debut, Ellsbury was solid and continued to shine in the postseason spotlight leaving Crisp to fight for playing time.
White Sox GM Ken Williams worked hard this offseason to improve their offensive production but in doing so they created question marks at a few positions. The acquisition of Orlando Cabrera from the Angels displaced Juan Uribe at shortstop and Uribe will join Danny Richar, Pablo Ozuna and Alexei Ramirez in competition for the spot at second. Third base is also in question because Joe Crede is returning from back surgery. Both Crede and Josh Fields, Crede's replacement while out, are in for a tough competition during spring training. Manager Ozzie Guillen stated that Fields has the edge for now until Crede proves he is fully recovered. In the outfield, newly-acquired Carlos Quentin, switch-hitting Nick Swisher and rookie Jerry Owens will fight for spots in the outfield.
This team reported to spring training mostly intact from 2007. LHP Aaron Laffey finished 2007 in the fifth spot and went 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA and could land the spot again but he'll have to compete with LHPs Cliff Lee, Jeremy Sowers and RHP Adam Miller. Lee and Sowers are looking to rebound after disastrous outings in '07 and Miller is a long shot but a top prospect. With veteran Trot Nixon gone, Franklin Gutierrez is the likely candidate to replace him in right field however; young outfielders Brad Snyder and Ben Francisco will compete as well.
After several key acquisitions, manager Jim Leyland has mostly everything in place for 2008. This lineup is one of the best in baseball but Leyland will have to tinker with the order. Reliever Joel Zumaya's shoulder injury in October leaves competition for his spot until he returns. RHPs Francisco Cruceta and Denny Bautista are both offseason acquisitions who could land the last spot in the pen but RHP Yorman Bazardo is out of options and is the best current option for a replacement starter. RHP Aquilino Lopez is also in the mix.
Righty Luke Hochevar was the top overall pick in the 2006 Amateur Draft and his solid showing in his September call-up puts him in the mix for the back end of the rotation along with LHPs Mike Maroth, Jorge De La Rosa, and RHP Brett Tomko. At first base, Ryan Shealy won the spot out of spring last season but got off to a terrible start and left with a hamstring injury. He'll try to get his job back and compete with Ross Gload and Billy Butler. Shealy appeared in just 52 games in the majors, hitting .221 with eight home runs and 21 RBI but fared well in the minors -- .315 average and two minor league home run championships.
After losing Johan Santana and Carlos Silva this offseason, the Twins rotation is virtually starting over with tons of young talent. Livan Hernandez was acquired just before the start of spring training to add a veteran presence desperately needed to guide the young arms. Francisco Liriano figures to be somewhere atop the rotation and he is in a key year, rebounding from season-ending surgery. Scott Baker, Boof Bonser, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn, Glen Perkins and Phil Humber will all compete for the remaining spots. Also in question is who will fill Torii Hunter's spot in center field. Carlos Gomez and Jason Pridie were acquired to compete for the spot and rookie Denard Span will also have a shot, but only Gomez has major league experience.
First base, Left field, Starters Nos. 4-5, Bullpen
Mussina
Chamberlain
The Yankees enter camp with a new manager and a few opened spots for Joe Girardi to decide the right mix, especially on the pitching staff where there is a lot of young talent. At 39, Mike Mussina will have to earn his spot as he tries to come back from when things went wrong in 07. The Yankees have said Joba Chamberlain will develop into a starter but he could start in the 'pen where he was dominant last season. Ian Kennedy is also in the mix especially if Chamberlain is needed as a reliever. Mariano Rivera is a lock as closer and veterans LaTroy Hawkins and Kyle Farnsworth will help bridge the gap but the rest of the 'pen is up for grabs. There's still no first baseman because everyone who played there last season is gone. Shelley Duncan, Jason Giambi, Wilson Betemit and Morgan Ensberg will all fight for the spot but Duncan may be a reserve player or fill in the corner outfield positions like he did last season. As for the outfield, right now Johnny Damon is healthly and injury-free but that could change, leaving the Yankees to move players around.
Brad Wilkerson was signed to start in right field and replace Adam Jones, but is coming off two seasons of injuries and will compete with prospect Wladimir Balentien who, in three career at-bats, has one home run and four RBI. At first base, Richie Sexson will be given a chance to come back from a dismal 2007. He showed up at camp early and has been working hard. If he falters early, Mike Morse or Jose Vidro could step in.
After the addition of RHP Matt Garza from Minnesota, the Rays are set for rotations spots 1-3. The last two spots could be filled by Andy Sonnanstine (6-10) and Edwin Jackson (5-15) who had the most playing time last season or Jason Hammel (3-5) and J.P. Howell (1-6) who had some starts as well. RHP Jeff Niemann will also challenge for a spot. The Rays signed left-handed hitter Cliff Floyd this offseason and said he would prefer to remain the primary DH but will likely platoon in right field with Rocco Baldelli and Johnny Gomes. Baldelli is still young but has had a career hampered by injuries.
For now, GM Jon Daniels sees Jarrod Saltalamacchia taking over the catcher's position in 2008, but it's still not set in stone. Gerald Laird has a chance of nabbing the position but he has to rebound from a terrible season at the plate in 2007. Should Salty struggle at the plate early on, Laird could take over. C.J. Wilson will be given a chance to return to the closer role where he converted 12 of 14 saves as the late season closer last year. Wilson needs to work on being more efficient and if he can't work it out, Joaquin Benoit, Eddie Guardado and Kazuo Fukumori are other options.
LHP Gustavo Chacin has been plagued with injuries for the past two seasons and is a long shot for the last spot in the rotation. It's more likely he'll start in Triple-A and RHP Jesse Litsch will start the season at No. 5. RHP Casey Janssen is also in the mix but he's likely to remain in the bullpen where he was strong last season. The situation in left field is volatile with a platoon between veteran Matt Stairs and Reed Johnson. Stairs is approaching 40 but was a pleasant surprise last season when filling in while Johnson was derailed with a back injury. The two will likely platoon, with Johnson only hitting against lefties if he can keep up his production. That leaves prospect Adam Lind to start off in the minors but will likely see time on the roster in left field before the end of the season.
