2010 MLB predicted standings

Mike Scioscia and the Angels have made the West their personal plaything, turning their anti-American League game into five division titles in six seasons. As the decade turns, however, the regular-season glory has returned two division series wins and no pennants since their lone World Series title in 2002. The Angels face challenges from the freshened-up Mariners and a Rangers team that has abandoned its swing-first, pitch-later methodology.

The Central now routinely is settled not on the final Sunday, but on the slop-over Monday, in part because the last two years 90 wins would have been plenty to win it. Outside of Kansas City, the division seems in constant economic flux, with the White Sox and Tigers spending big following mid-decade pennants Now the ever-restrained Twins will ride a new ballpark and fresh revenue streams to payroll health and their sixth division title in nine seasons.

Of the superior three teams, two are bound for the postseason. Each can ride a high-end rotation, capable offense or sturdy bullpen in front of a standup closer. Faltering in one of those areas is fatal, making the division the least forgiving in baseball. The AL pennant has come out of the East three years in a row, by three different teams. In spite of the pesky and game Rays, you get what you pay for here. And the Yankees and Red Sox pay a lot.

Five years ago, the West nearly advanced a losing team into the postseason. The Padres won five of their last six to save everyone that embarrassment. Then the Dodgers shook off a generation of poor decisions and poorer play to make something of themselves, only to have its organization rocked by marital discord. That leaves the rising Rockies, the underachieving Diamondbacks, the pitching-heavy Giants and the evolving Padres, and a possibility that the worst club in the division could sneak up on .500.

This fly-over division outdid itself in the middle of the decade, winning three consecutive pennants and the Cardinals’ 2006 World Series. The period was a nice argument for competitive balance. After a couple seasons ramping up the hopes of Cubs fans, the Cardinals retook the Central in ’09 and have the front-end pitching and middle-of-the-order thump to continue. Meantime, the Cubs are in their familiar mode of trying to figure out what exactly happened. Again.

You know what you never hear anymore? Loudmouths talking about the team to beat in the East. While the Mets were engineering epic failures, the Phillies wrested away not just the division, but the league. After the Braves' extended run ended in '05, the Mets won in ’06 by a dozen games and seemingly had the talent and resources to press those advantages. Instead, the Phillies became better and smarter, and now it appears the Braves will beat the Mets back into contention.

Oh, where to go, where to go. Is it Oakland and its plethora of young pitching and with Brett Anderson(notes) on the verge of superstardom? Or Seattle and its impermeable up-the-middle defense and two Cy Young-level starters? Or Texas and its top-to-bottom strength, good pitching, hitting and defense? Too tough to call, so might as well be boring and latch onto old reliable Los Angeles, its five-deep rotation, solid lineup and great manager enough to sway things in the hardest-fought division around.

For all closer Joe Nathan(notes) meant to the Twins – and, personally and professionally, it's the world – he's not like a franchise shortstop or No. 1 starter, an irreplaceable entity. The panic surrounding the loss of Nathan to Tommy John surgery took on excessive levels this spring, and one reliever from a four-person bullpen committee will distinguish himself as closer, leaving the Twins right back where they should be: favorites in a milquetoast division.

This is not just the best division in baseball this year. It's the best since realignment. The Yankees, Red Sox and Rays are capable of winning 100 games, and because of an even talent distribution, their little flaws – New York's age, Boston's offense and Tampa Bay's bullpen – don't matter as much as their health. Whichever team stays out of the trainer's room is the true favorite to win the East – and, yes, the World Series, too.

Across-the-board depth and a pair of burgeoning superstars make the Colorado Rockies the team to beat. It's unfair to call Troy Tulowitzki(notes) a Derek Jeter(notes) clone. He's better in the field than Jeter ever was and has more pop, too. And Ubaldo Jimenez's(notes) 98-mph sinker is among the game's five best pitches. A four-headed monster of Carlos Gonzalez(notes), Dexter Fowler(notes), Brad Hawpe(notes) and Seth Smith(notes) is good enough to outperform the Dodgers' star-laden outfield, a microcosm of the shifting power in the West.

No longer is the worry in St. Louis about offense. Albert Pujols(notes), Matt Holliday(notes), a resurgent Ryan Ludwick(notes) and a primed-for-breakout Colby Rasmus(notes) will take care of that. The eighth and ninth innings, on the other hand, could be troublesome, and Chris Carpenter(notes) and Adam Wainwright(notes) can pitch only so many of them. That leaves a sliver of hope for the Milton Bradley-free Cubs and starting pitching-thin Brewers, both of whom can compensate enough in other ways to make contending viable.

The Phillies remain the enforcer, though starting the year with three pitchers on the disabled list and Antonio Bastardo(notes) as their lone left-handed reliever is rather ominous. And the Braves are primed to take advantage, their lineup fortified with Jason Heyward(notes) and stacked otherwise, their rotation so deep they traded their best pitcher from '09 and their bullpen teeming with options. If Chipper Jones(notes) and Troy Glaus(notes) stay healthy, the Braves should win the wild card – or, perhaps, more.

I'm not sure why I expect the Rangers to slip back to the bottom just when so many others believe they are poised to ascend. Maybe it's those dog days of summer in Arlington that sap pitchers' resolve and slow swings and spark the hot winds of managerial musical chairs. Meanwhile, Milton Bradley(notes) will sabotage the Mariners, either through injury or incident, leaving a diminished yet stanch Angels' squad to squeak out another title.

Jake Peavy(notes) might not be worth as much in a fantasy draft as he was in San Diego, but he tips the scales in this division, giving the White Sox the best rotation in a division that often comes down to the last (or even last-last) day of the season. The Twins can eclipse the White Sox by acquiring Heath Bell(notes) or another proven closer, and just might do so. The Tigers are relying on too much youth (Jackson, Sizemore) and too much redemption (Willis, Bonderman).

Everything fell perfectly for the Yankees last season, so it probably won't again. Defense shows up every day, so the newly glove-rich Red Sox ought to remain consistent enough to take advantage. The true-believer Rays are likable enough to pull for, but would need career years across the board, and uncommon health besides. It'll be the Yankees and Red Sox, love 'em or hate 'em, from opening day to the wire. Oh, and the Yankee will win the World Series.

Can the Giants win enough 1-0 and 2-1 games to take the division? I'm picking Matt Cain(notes) to win the Cy Young, so let's roll with it. It'll take health and production from Freddy Sanchez(notes), Mark DeRosa(notes) and Aubrey Huff(notes), and it'll take midseason promotions and big splashes from Buster Posey(notes) and Madison Bumgarner(notes). And it will take ongoing pitching woes by the Dodgers, continued underachievement by the Diamondbacks and more than one key injury to the Rockies.

The best hitter and two of the best starting pitchers in baseball provide a strong foundation for the Cardinals, who have enough complementary pieces to remain the class of the Central. The bullpen is wobbly and the back of the rotation questionable, but that vulnerability shouldn't be enough for the stuck-at-.500 competition to take advantage. I might be underselling the Brewers a bit, but their rotation is thin and Trevor Hoffman(notes) is, well, old.

It pains me to acknowledge that blabbermouth Curt Schilling(notes) is correct in saying the Phillies shouldn't have traded Cliff Lee(notes). Yet I'll go another step and say it will cost them the division title. But not a playoff berth. The Braves, who let's not forget also traded a staff stalwart in Javier Vazquez(notes), still have a deeper staff, a retooled bullpen, the best catcher in the NL and that new guy in right field. A parting crown for Bobby Cox will be the result.