American League
Toronto Blue Jays
Boston, New York, Boston, New York...it's all you ever hear when the AL East is the point of conversation, but don't count out Toronto. With a brand new right side of the infield in Scott Rolen and David Eckstein, along with ace Roy Halladay and an underappreciated bullpen (which includes a rejuvenated B.J. Ryan), the Jays have more than a fleeting shot at overtaking either Boston or New York for the AL Wild Card slot. If Toronto can find a way to unload Reed Johnson and/or A.J. Burnett in exchange for a left fielder or second established veteran starter, they can improve their chances big time.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins are in a situation much like the Blue Jays in that they are they are regarded as the third best team in their division and never included in the pack of AL Central winners. With Detroit now being a potential offensive powerhouse and Cleveland winning 96 games in 2007, I still think it's more than plausible that Minnesota can leapfrog one or both of those squads this year. Detroit's bullpen is still shaky to me and Cleveland is average at best in both of the corner outfield positions. Minnesota, on the other hand, has a lights out bullpen and better than average depth at nearly all positions (albeit without blockbuster names like Cabrera and Sabathia).
National League
Cincinnati Reds
Even though they went 72-90 a year ago, the Reds are just the kind of squad that has the talent and experience to sneak up towards the top of the very weak NL Central. With a no doubt ace in Aaron Harrang, if Bronson Arroyo can return to form then the Reds could have one of the best rotations in the NL once you couple in last year's surprise Josh Fogg and the barrel of potential that is Homer Bailey. Also, you can't forget Joey Votto. Not enough people are talking about this young stud first basemen, but mark my words, he's going to put up some more than solid stats during the '08 campaign. Look for this solid mix of youngsters and vets to really contend if they can come out of the gates hot.
Florida Marlins
I know, I know...this one is a stretch, but hear me out. I'm a sucker for young talent, and when you look down Florida's roster, it's everywhere. Uggla, Maybin, Miller, Ramierez, Rabelo, I could go on. The difference in this year's squad however, is the addition of some vets like Luis Gonzalez and another season of experience under the belts of the young bullpen that was quite iffy at best in 2007. What has really hurt the Florida Marlins in the recent past is injuries to their starting pitching. Scott Olsen, Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, and Ricky Nolasco all were hurt for extended periods last year (and a couple of them still are). On the bright side, these injuries lead to the spring emergence of pitchers like Burke Badenhop and Chris Volstad, who I think along with a Rick Vanden Hurk who has a season behind him will surprise a lot of people. A lot will depend on the performance of the other teams in the division, but I can say with confidence that the Marlins have the potential to win 87-91 games in '08.
