2008 Record: 81-81
Key Additions:
Carl Pavano (P)
Mark DeRosa (2B)
Kerry Wood (P)
Key Losses:
Joe Borowski (P)
Projected Lineup:
1. Grady Sizemore CF
2. Mark DeRosa 3B
3. Victor Martinez C
4. Travis Hafner DH
5. Jhonny Peralta SS
6. Shin-Soo Choo RF
7. Ryan Garko 1B
8. Ben Francisco LF
9. Asdrubal Cabrera 2B
Grady Sizemore is one of the best players in baseball. I actually think it would be smart to drop him down in the order, because he has the potential to be a very effective 3 hitter in a lineup. Hafner is basically done, I don't see him turning it around and being a 30+ HR guy again. The big question for me is what will Victor do? He was injured most of last year, but he has shown in the past that he has the ability to be one of (if not the) most effective offensive catchers in the AL. Peralta was a surprise last year, and is very underrated, and Choo could have a breakout year. Overall they should be very solid, but the bottom of their lineup (Garko, Francisco, and Cabrera) make me nervous.
Projected Rotation:
1. Cliff Lee
2. Fausto Carmona
3. Carl Pavano
4. Anthony Reyes
5. Aaron Laffey
CL: Kerry Wood
The addition of Kerry Wood is awesome if he can stay healthy. I like their rest of their bullpen, and they may need to rely on it, because they have a lot of questions in their rotations. Carmona was terrible last year, but I think he will regain some of his form and win 14-17 games this year. There is no way Lee is as good as he was last year. I am just not buying it. I actually like Pavano this year. There is no reason to believe in him, but if he is healthy he could be a very good 3rd starter. Aaron Laffey is another guy that could be very solid, but he needs to stay healthy, overall there is just a lot more questions then answers in this staff.
Minors Watch:
Matt LaPorta (OF) - He might start in the minors, but this guy will not be down there long. He has it all and was the main prize of the CC deal.
Adam Miller (P) - This guy has been waiting for a long time. He can never seem to stay healthy, but they have finally decided to keep him in the bullpen. If he can stay healthy he could be awesome. He throws about 100 MPH and has been unstoppable in the minors, but everything hinges on his health.
Overall:
This team could either be very good or terrible. There are so many questions around players like Pavano, Hafner, Victor, and Carmona that it is really hard to judge this team. Still, I think they will be very solid, and that their bullpen will be able to hold them in any race.
Record: 85-77
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