Will the al east change this year

TANG · Feb 27, 2006

nyy
bos
tor
bal
tb

The blue Jays are for real I think they have about a 40% of making the playoffs.

Now I am not a homer as I have no problem wagering against teams from toronto.

Do you guys think I am nuts with my 40% chance of the jays getting a wild card or contending vs the evil emperor.

JudgeWapner · Feb 27, 2006

No, not at all.

Stocks · Feb 27, 2006

I think they're defintly gonna finish ahead of Boston and probaly even the Yankees I think they're a legitamite contender to win it all this year.

TANG · Feb 27, 2006

I am pumped about this season.

Are pitching is solid.

If we get out of the gate quickly it will be exciting.

Vancouverfan · Feb 27, 2006

Jays were a .500 team last year with their stud pitcher Halladay out half the season, and #2 starter Lilly injured much of the year.. They also had a very shaky bullpen with closer Batista and no clean up hitters.. It is amazing this team finished with 80 wins.. Now that they have a healthy Halladay and Lilly, with the additions of AJ Burnett, BJ Ryan, Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay and Benji Molina I think you see them make some noise this year and give the AL East leaders a good run for their money.. I made a good sized bet on the Jays over 86 wins this year when the lines first came out..

TANG · Feb 27, 2006

i wish you good luck on your wager 90-95 wins is a possibility.

NickPappagiorgio · Feb 27, 2006

As a Red Sox Fan I am definately worried about Toronto. They have an underated GM who did a fantastic job this off season. Toronto is a legit team this year but I dont know if they make the playoffs. I think that the wild card comes out of a different division this year. As always, all depends on who stays healthiest.

RobFunk · Feb 27, 2006

I think the Yanks will win it, but I fear toronto will finish ahead of us (red sox) We just dont have the pitching.

sworty · Feb 27, 2006

Yes it will change.

Orioles will unseed Rays as new cellar dwellar. LMAO.

Hopefully Mazzone does some improvement.

At least I may catch Anna in a night spot or two.

LivingOffGamblingMoney · Feb 27, 2006

Gustavo Chacin will shock the world. 13 wins last year was a rookie record for the Jays.

Journeyman · Feb 27, 2006

Boston will be average, Toronto will be in the thick of it with NY who just keeps buying players in hopes of buying a WS ring.

Go Blue Jays.

Journeyman · Feb 27, 2006

LivingOffGamblingMoney said:
Gustavo Chacin will shock the world. 13 wins last year was a rookie record for the Jays.

He certainly looks like the real deal...they have quite a lot of interesting young players, I think they may be one bat away though...NY just has so many hitters, its a joke they can buy that many players, with a straight face.

Mr.Smith · Feb 27, 2006

Red Sox look good to me. I dont think they are going away.

Schilling claims to be healthy. Beckett is a strong #2

I suspect papelbon forces his way into the rotation, he's just too good not too.

that leaves
Wells
Arroyo
Wakefield
Clement

battling for two jobs. somebodys going to the pen. Wells could be traded. anyway, they have depth which is good for a long season and any injuries that pop up.

bullpen is completely re-done, added riske, seanez and tavarez. and dont forget super secret rookie Craig Hansen who murdered everyone as a fireballing rookie closer last year in the minors. Steinbrenner is pissed NY didnt draft this kid last year. Can Foulke get it done though? thats questionable. Timlin is back though and he's been great.

offense looks very good

Journeyman · Feb 27, 2006

Mr. Smith said:
Red Sox look good to me. I dont think they are going away.

Schilling claims to be healthy. Beckett is a strong #2

I suspect papelbon forces his way into the rotation, he's just too good not too.

that leaves
Wells
Arroyo
Wakefield
Clement

battling for two jobs. somebodys going to the pen. Wells could be traded. anyway, they have depth which is good for a long season and any injuries that pop up.

bullpen is completely re-done, added riske, seanez and tavarez. and dont forget super secret rookie Craig Hansen who murdered everyone as a fireballing rookie closer last year in the minors. Steinbrenner is pissed NY didnt draft this kid last year. Can Foulke get it done though? thats questionable. Timlin is back though and he's been great.

offense looks very good

Schilling and Beckett will need to have monster years, Arroyo is a bum (and he cannot pitch against NY at all), Wells and Wakefield are .500 pitchers at this point, if they got a very good season out of one of the two they would be lucky...Clement is still the best pitcher who cannot put it all together for more than 3 months.

the pen is another story, Timlin is ancient and was pitching on fumes late last year, Foulke will have to come back, lots of holes, but they could be filled I suppose....I don't see Boston winning more than 90...A lot of would have to go their way for them to get 95-97 wins.

I see Boston winning 88 games.
I don't think they lose much, if anything with Crisp for Damon.

RobFunk · Feb 27, 2006

I fear that Journeyman's assesment of the Red Sox is pretty dead on.

I kind of wish the 2004 team would quietly fade away it is sort of agonizing watching them go through this fall out.

And yes, around here people often say "supposta" instead of suppose to

ConansHammer · Feb 27, 2006

i will need to see Toronto play around 30 games before I become a believer

Dubpoet · Feb 27, 2006

I'll be on the Jays and Rays early

Mr.Smith · Feb 27, 2006

I would say the starting pitching is by no means overwhelming. schilling may or may not really be the same guy as he used to be. the #4 and #5 starters arent going to scare anyone to death.

but the bullpen is finally where it needs to be. it has the upside potential to just be filthy.

figure
1 schilling
2 beckett
3 papelbon
4 clement
5a wakefield .....or moved to the pen
5b wells..... or is he traded?

that moves Arroyo into a long or middle reliever
IF foulke can close effectively, that pushes Timlin ( 2.24 ERA LY) back into his preferred set-up man role where he finally has help and its 4 other guys

1) Seanez 2.69 era with SD LY
2) Riske 3.10 era with Balt LY
3) Tavarez 3.43 ERA with STL LY

and wild card Craig Hansen, who could even close this year if Foulke falters, if foulke doesnt then Hansen is another set-up guy. Hansen was the closer for St. johns last year and was promoted to Boston after just 10 innings at AA. that is partyl because Boston was desperate for bull-pen help, well mostly that, and partly because Hansen is a nasty flamethrower.

Boston recently had Timlin and Embree as good set-up men and THATS IT. Last year it was just timlin and then he had to close. The pen is significantly better, they finally have the arms there they need.

I agree there are questions, schilling, foulke and Bos pitching is not ideal, but it aint bad at all.

there is your red sox pitching scouting report

there offense, if anything looks better. little is expected, for instance from Mike Lowell, but what if his miserable season last year wasnt roid withdrawal as it couldha been, it was just an anomoly....guy could be a terror batting 7th at Fenway.

Youkalis finally gets an everyuday job, guy is an OBP machine and Crisp is younger and may well have a better yerar than Damon. He certainly is a defensive upgrade. Loretta may go nuts in the #2 spot. guy hit .335 with 16 dingers for the Pads in 2004. something of an off-year LY, he says he was injured, but 100% now. With BigPapi and Manyy behind him and Crisp, people gotta pitch to those two.

At least until Manny demands to be traded again, which should happen by the all-star break.

CHOPTALK · Feb 27, 2006

87 wins, wins that division. Look out for Baltimore. A real sleeper. The Yanks and the Sox both have real issues.

RJ is well over 40 now. Last season was not a fluke. It was a sign of things to come.

Mussiana was below average last season. Especially after the Allstar break.

Thats your #1 and #2 starters.

Does anyone honestly believe Chacon is going to do what he did last season? Come on folks. It aint happening. Then you have a still unproven Chin-Ming-Wong comming off of a major injury.

The Yankees have a real shot of imploding this season. The RedSox are not much better off. The loss of Daman hurts them more than it helps the Yankees.
The pitching is very supect, the starters and the closers.

Toronto just because they spent a bunch of money on players does not make them a good team automaticly. They way overspent for all there free agents this season.

Baltimore has a fighting chance. You heard it hear first.

Mr.Smith · Feb 27, 2006

so in a very best case scenario, Boston has Foulke closing

5 good-very good set-up men

hansen
seanez
tavarez
timlin
riske

and arroyo as a long reliever/spot starter.

that looks significantly improved to me

if they dont get the best case, its still a lot better