AL East

New York keeps adding baseball's best players. It's not going to stop, so get over it. Last year it was A-Rod. This year it's the Big Unit. No wonder the Yankees have posted three straight 100-win seasons and finished in first place seven years in a row...Boston is the defending champ, but probably not the division favorite. Adding SS Edgar Renteria upgrades the infield, and retaining C Jason Varitek was huge. But the Sox are counting on Matt Clement and David Wells to be adequate replacements for Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe, and that's not a given...Baltimore loves the home run. Last year, the Orioles added Miguel Tejada, Javy Lopez and Rafael Palmeiro. This year, they were happy to take Sammy Sosa off the Cubs' hands, but didn't do anything to improve their pitching...Tampa Bay escaped the basement in 2004 for the first time in its history. But when 70 wins is your high-water mark, you're not getting it done. The hiring of Lou Piniella in 2003 has yet to pay any real dividends...Toronto needs 2003 Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay to rebound from a weak shoulder. After leading the majors with 22 victories two years ago, he made only 21 starts in 2004 and went a very ordinary 8-8.

AL Central

Minnesota has three straight division titles and is a great example of how a small market team can be successful. Pitching will again be critical. Last year, Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana (20-6) and closer Joe Nathan (44 saves) were simply outstanding...Chicago decided that hitting the ball over the fence was not the way to win a division. Sluggers Jose Valentin, Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez are gone, and the White Sox stocked up on pitching. Their starting rotation, top to bottom, is as good as anyone's... Cleveland flirted with being a contender last summer, but wasn't quite ready. The Indians have a group of exciting power hitters that includes Travis Hafner, Casey Blake, Ben Broussard and Victor Martinez. They finally have pitchers besides C.C. Sabathia who can win games...Last year Detroit showed a 29-game improvement over its disastrous 2003 season, with newcomers like C Ivan Rodriguez and SS Carlos Guillen playing vital roles. This winter, the Tigers continued to improve by signing closer Troy Percival and OF Magglio Ordonez...Kansas City thought it had geared up to make a playoff run in 2004, but somehow managed to go 58-104. The Royals--who were either last or next-to-last in the league in batting, pitching and fielding--are still staggered by last year's embarrassment.

AL West

Anaheim won the division with a strong finishing kick last September, nipping Oakland. A.L. MVP Vladimir Guerrero hit .337 with 39 dingers and 126 RBI. Francisco Rodriguez will become the closer after striking out 123 in 84 innings as a set-up man in 2004...After unloading Alex Rodriguez, Texas won 18 more games last year than it did in 2003 and remained in contention until the final weekend. The Rangers have one of the best hitting infields in baseball with Mark Teixeira, Alfonso Soriano, Michael Young and Hank Blalock. It's the starting rotation that prevents this team from being the division favorite. Kenny Rogers won 18 games last year and then threatened to retire if he wasn't given a contract extension... Oakland acquired Jason Kendall and then immediately traded away their two best pitchers in Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. The talent drain the A's have undergone in recent years will prevent them from contending ...Seattle lost 99 games last year, which was an alarming 30 more than the previous year. But they lured sluggers Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre to the Pacific Northwest, despite the fact that spacious Safeco Field is not exactly a hitters' paradise.