Might as well do it now! Here are my predictions for the outcome of MLB 2008:

American League East

Boston Red Sox 94 - 68

New York Yankees 90 - 72

Toronto Blue Jays 83-79

Tampa Bay Rays 82 - 80

Baltimore Orioles 62-100

No surprise here. I can’t help but be a homer when my favorite team won the World Series last year and retains its roster in near entirety. I think the big surprise in this division is going to be the Rays, though. They’ve given both the Sox and the Yanks fits in the past, but have had trouble winning consistently against opponents both in their division (222-335, .398) and outside of it (257-392, .396). This year though, the Rays are armed with a multitude of young talent and have arguably the best rotation in the American League East, and for that reason I predict that for the first time in club history this young Rays team who is no longer helpless will finish with a record over .500. (As a side note, Kurti will owe me $100.00 dollars when this happens.) Congrats to the Baltimore Orioles for finally deciding to sell and rebuild, and being willing to lose 100 games this year.

American League Central

Detroit Tigers 96 - 66

Cleveland Indians 88 - 74

Minnesota Twins 79 - 83

Chicago White Sox 73 - 89

Kansas City Royals 70 - 92

The tigers loaded up heavy in the offseason, and for the next few years it should pay tidy dividends to them. With the additions of Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria, the Tigers have filled in the few holes their lineup contained. I have some questions about their pitching, namely why on earth they chased after the D-Train, but this team could and probably will score close to 1000 runs this season, and that will be tough for most clubs to consistently stop. I expect drop off from Fausto Carmona and C.C. Sabathia (who undeservedly won the Cy Young award last year) that will not be fully alleviated by a resurgence of Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera and Travis Hafner, and I don’t expect the Indians to make the playoffs. I do, however, expect a more respectable showing from the youngsters on the Royals squad this year, but not enough to take them out of the basement of the Central. I’ll be cheering for Billy Butler.

American League West

Seattle Mariners 91 - 61

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 91 - 61

Oakland Athletics 67 - 95

Texas Rangers 66 - 96

Ladies and gentleman, your new American League wild card division. After the Yankees managed to squeeze in last year and reclaim the wild card for the American League East (takers of the wild card in 9 of the last 13 seasons) , the West can expect to send two members to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. With Erik Bedard, the Mariners now have one of the best 1-2 pitching combos in the American League. I expect the Mariners to be a tough game for all of their opponents regardless of who is starting for the entire year, but they will only be at the very top of their division at the end of the year because the Angel’s are beginning this season hurt. Once LA returns to full health they should be a force to be reckoned with, displaying speed, BA and quality pitching to their opponents night after night. Best of luck to the A’s and the Rangers, who will have a tough fight this season to see who finishes last in the division. Based on the preseason, and depending on a healthy Rich Harden, I’m picking the Rangers for the bottom rung.

National League East

New York Mets 95 - 67

Philadelphia Phillies 91 - 71

Atlanta Braves 75 - 87

Florida Marlins 68 - 94

Washington Nationals 63 - 99

Wow, the Mets look scary on paper. Can you imagine a healthy Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana on the same team? Stocked with two of the best young superstars in baseball on the left side of their infield, and probably the best starting 5 in baseball, the Mets are a lock to win the division. Believe me when I say this: the Mets are going to the World Series this year. Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, John Maine, and Oliver Perez? Even the aging El Duque could have another standout year. The Mets are a juggernaut, and the other teams in this division will just be looking to scrape together enough wins to try for the wild card, of which the Phillies stand the best chance.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs 91 - 71

Milwaukee Brewers 88 - 74

Cincinnati Reds 84 - 78

St. Louis Cardinals 79 - 83

Houston Astros 78 - 84

Pittsburgh Pirates 64 - 98

In the worst division in baseball, things finally come together for the Cubs, but not as much as they’ve anticipated based on pre-season moves. I expect the Brewers to give them a run for their money this year. Once the Reds get it into their heads that young players can contribute to a major league team they’ll call up Homer Bailey and Joey Votto and start giving teams a hard time, but it will wind up being too late to contend in the division this year. Aside from that, expect many Pirate losses. I know, I know, this blog was supposed to focus on predictions, but, nothing very new is going to happen in the extremely vanilla National League Central.

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks 90-72

San Diego Padres 89 - 73

Colorado Rockies 89 - 73

Los Angeles Dodgers 81 - 81

San Fransisco Giants 63 - 99

Probably the closest division in the league, I don’t think we can expect a repeat performance from the Colorado Rockies this year. I do think, however, that the DBacks will have learned from their experience, and with the addition of Dan Haren I am picking them out of the gate this year as the strongest and most well-rounded team in the NLW. That said, I don’t think they will make it past the division series….which brings me to projected playoff matchups.

Division Series

Tigers Vs. Angels: Tigers in 4

Red Sox Vs. Mariners: Red Sox in 5

Mets Vs. Diamondbacks: Mets in 3

Cubs Vs. Phillies: Cubs in 5

The two AL games should be thrilling with some excellent pitching match ups and some loaded lineups. In the end the two best teams in the AL will move on to the ALCS. The Mets will crush the Diamondbacks in 3 straight, and Cubs fans will once again get their hopes up after a 100 year drought when Chicago moves on to the NLCS

Championship Series

Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Red Sox in 6

Mets Vs. Cubs: Mets in 5

The pitching and depth of the Red Sox proves to be too much even for the loaded Detroit line-up in a 7 game series. Meanwhile, the Mets continue to roll, showcasing the depth of their starting pitching over 5 games. Sorry Cubs fans. Maybe next year.

World Series

If you’re from New England, you know this is the rematch you’ve been waiting for. 22 years later, we finally get another shot at the Mets. This series is really a toss up, and I’d say really depends on the health and fatigue of the starting pitchers in October. I think the Red Sox get the edge here based on experience, but it will be a series for the ages. Red Sox, in 7, winning their first World Series at home since 1918. Put it in the books.