6 Things To Watch For This MLB Season

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim made quite the splash this off-season signing C.J. Wilson after a monster year with the Rangers, only to sign Albert Pujols a mere two days later. Pujols got the bigger contract at ten years, $254 million, but these deals immediately made the Angels one of, if not THE favorite, to represent the AL in the World Series. A rotation led by Jared Weaver and C.J. Wilson and a potent lineup could make for an exciting first season with the new guys in town. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, if Pujols plays every inning of this 162 game season, he'll make a little over $17,000/inning.

Prince Fielder wanted "Albert Pujols money" and he didn't quite get it, but nine years and $214 million will keep him smiling for a while. The acquisition of Fielder immediately made the Tigers the front-runners to win the AL Central and repeat as champs, and for that matter, several years to come. Detroit has one of the most consistent starting pitchers in Justin Verlander, and is dangerous on the offense (See: Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera). High expectations are sometimes heavy on the shoulders, but look for these guys to carry the Tigers late into the post season.

Ongoing disagreements in Chicago with G.M. Kenny Williams sent the boisterous Ozzie Guillen to Miami this off-season to manage the Marlins. That's not all that happened though. The Marlins were at one point thought to be the favorite--other than St. Louis--to land Albert Pujols. When that fell apart, this South Beach ball club didn't hang their heads and pout. They signed Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, and Carlos Zambrano; Mark Buehrle also followed his skipper down from Chicago. With aces Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, a young, explosive team behind them, and a beautiful new stadium, professional baseball might be back on the map in Florida.

Theo Epstein hopes to change things up on the North Side and get the Cubs back on track. A losing culture in Chi-Town has set in over the past few years, but a breath of fresh air in Epstein might be just what the Cubs need. The first thing Epstein did was fire manager Mike Quade and replace him with the straight-shooting Dale Sveum. Sveum is known for his no-nonsense brand of baseball, and if he plays his cards right, he might be the first guy Epstein takes under his wing. The NL Central was thrown up for grabs as soon as its two best players, Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, packed their bags and moved out this summer. Even though the bar has been set pretty low in Chicago, don't be surprised if the new image Cubbies are hanging around come September.

The Texas Rangers suffered a World Series defeat again last October, making for back to back disappointments. But they bounced back once, why can't they do it again? Well for starters, they lost their best pitcher in C.J. Wilson, and Josh Hamilton has reportedly relapsed again. Yu Darvish, the newest Japanese sensation, and Texas's biggest off-season pickup, will certainly have some big shoes to fill. The front office is committed to putting together a stellar lineup regardless of price, but there might be too much power elsewhere in the AL this year (i.e. Detroit & L.A.) for the Rangers to make a third consecutive trip to the World Series.

The Oakland A's and Billy Beane are back at their Moneyball ways yet again. Manny Ramirez might be aging and not exactly baggage free, but if Oakland can get this to work, the $500,000 they are going to pay Manny will seem like chump change. Ramirez will have to sit out 50 games to serve his suspension for his positive PED test. Nevertheless, after what Manny did in L.A. with the Dodgers in '08, he has to be worth the risk. “This is a guy over the course of his career who could jump out of bed in December and hit,” said Oakland manager Bob Melvin. At the end of the day though, Manny will be Manny. For Oakland's sake, let's hope it's the Manny of old.