Temperatures are climbing in some places, while other places around the country didn't get the memo and are continuing to be snowed upon. As March rolls into April it is time to kick off the ultra-marathon known as Major League Baseball. The offseason has managed to shake the league beyond recognition; many teams have new faces and also a lack of familiar faces. These roster changes will have a direct impact upon the next few months and the outcome of the upcoming season.
The trading and brokerage firm the past few months had to have been the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays went from the twenty third largest payroll in 2012 ("MLB Salaries", CBSSports.com) to the tenth largest ("2013 Payrolls and Salaries For Every MLB Team", DeadSpin) in one offseason. They acquired Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, and former Miami Marlins Jose Reyes and Josh Johnson. With all the acquired talent, the Blue Jays' only worries should be injuries and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays ironically ended up with former Blue Jays Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson. However, those two combined with the prior roster of the Rays should have a threat for the Al East teams. The late powers of the Al East, the Yankees and the Red Sox, have aged and receded.
In other areas of the American League, multiple teams have made improvement to attempt to overthrow long time kings of their respective divisions. For example, the Chicago White Sox have built a decent team to try to take on the Detroit Tigers. Out west, the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland A's put together all star lineups to try and give the Texas Rangers who themselves have aged and lost talent, such as Josh Hamilton, to up and coming teams, like the LA Angels.
Meanwhile, the National League has its own power houses. The East is one of the most competitive divisions in the National League. Stephen Strausberg and Bryce Harper are starting to have an edge on the elite three, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and the Philadelphia Phillies. A power struggle is occurring in the NL Central; the Cincinnati Reds, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates all should be relatively close in the upcoming season. The least hyped division, however, would be the NL West. The San Francisco Giants, who've won two titles in three years. Other members of the division include the Dodgers, who are rebuilding from a recent bankruptcy, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, who've been strong in recent years.
It looks like an interesting season in baseball. The long, odyssey-like journey of season should allow for lots of twists and turns throughout the season.
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