The MLB non-waiver trade deadline came and went on Saturday at 4:00 PM, and though there was a flurry of action right before the wire, several teams were left out in the cold in their quest to better themselves for the rest of this season. Check out how we graded the teams in the hunt for October at Bankroll Sports!

Atlanta Braves: The only move the Braves made during this trade season was picking up SS Alex Gonzalez from the Toronto Blue Jays. How has that move worked out so far? Gonzalez is batting .259 with six extra base hits, one homers, and three RBIs in 15 games with Atlanta. The man he was traded for, SS Yunel Escobar is batting .323 with three dingers and nine RBIs. We won’t mention the two prospects that the Braves gave up in this deal as well. Oops. Look out from behind Atlanta, as the pack is coming to get you in the NL East. Final Grade: D-

Philadelphia Phillies: Give some props to the Phils for going out and getting their man in RHP Roy Oswalt. This is clearly a sign that the boys from the City of Brotherly Love are going for gold once again in the National League. However, this could be a case of too little, too late. The Phils are 3.5 games out of the Wild Card in the race in the NL and are 2.5 back of the Braves. Giving up LHP JA Happ and some prospects to take on all that payroll is risky, but the move worked last year with LHP Cliff Lee. It could work again this year. We love the guts, but aren’t so sure it will be worth the glory. Final Grade: B-

New York Mets: The Mets badly needed to add at least 1-2 starting pitchers at the trade deadline and missed out on everyone. At 6.5 games out from the NL East race and 7.5 back with a trillion teams to hop in the NL Wild Card, the season appears to be over in the Big Apple. GM Omar Minaya badly needed to make a move and failed miserably. Final Grade: F

St. Louis Cardinals: The brass of the Cardinals made a bold move by giving up OF Ryan Ludwick and some minor league prospect talent to get RHP Jake Westbrook from the Cleveland Indians. We aren’t so sure about bringing in a guy who didn’t pitch at all last season and is only 6-7 with a 4.65 ERA this year, but Westbrook does bring some valuable experience. He could be a great fourth pitcher in the postseason behind Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Jamie Wright. Final Grade: B

Cincinnati Reds: The Reds really didn’t do much at the trade deadline, and they really didn’t seem all that active on the phones either. There’s a reason for that. Though Cincinnati is in position to make the playoffs now, it is also in a spot to be able to make a run at a number of NL Central titles in the future and everyone knows it. There was no reason to tinker with what was going on. Final Grade: A

San Diego Padres: Hats off to the Padres for getting this trade deadline exactly right. The pitching staff as a whole needed no tweaking whatsoever, as this has been arguably the most consistent unit 1-12 in the majors all season long. A bat would come in handy though in the NL West race, and that’s exactly what San Diego got with OF Ryan Ludwick. Ludwick has all sorts of pop in his bat and has already blasted 11 homers in 77 games this season. Look for him to help boost an offense that struggles at times. Picking up SS/3B Miguel Tejada brings a veteran leader into a very young clubhouse. The Padres are clearly going for glory this year and we love it. Final Grade: A

Los Angeles Dodgers : Someone was going to be trading for Chicago’s LHP Ted Lilly, but at least the Dodgers didn’t give up the farm to get him. Giving up on Blake Dewitt might come back to bit LA in the butt, but at least it acquired handy utility man Ryan Theriot in this deal as well. The Dodgers are 6.5 games behind the playoff chase, but this should at least help a bit in the quest to get back in it. Adding OF Scott Podsednik and RHP Octavio Dotel might help as well. This might not be enough to get the job done, though. Final Grade: B+

Colorado Rockies: Shame on you, Colorado. The Rockies badly needed to go out and find a bat for the middle of the lineup and they failed to do so. Is this a sign on giving up on the season? Didn’t we learn anything last year from the hunt for Rocktober??? Final Grade: F

San Francisco Giants: San Fran had plenty of chances to go out and get a bat in the outfield to improve the team, but the Giants felt the need to stand pat instead. We can’t blame them. This is probably the best chance the team has had to win in years, and the squad has a nice chemistry. 61 wins is tied for the NL lead. Final Grade: B

New York Yankees: The Bronx Bombers added three key pieces to the puzzle on the final hours before the trade deadline, picking up OFs Lance Berkman and Austin Kearns as well as reliever Kerry Wood. Leave it up to GM Brian Cashman to make the moves to make the Yankees win now, but the future seemed to be mortgaged just a bit by giving up a slew of prospects. Final Grade: B-

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays badly needed a bat, but instead, GM Andrew Freidman elected to go with a bullpen arm instead. He clearly bought RHP Chad Qualls at a cheap price, as his ERA was over 8.00 with Arizona this year. Two seasons ago, the team made a similar move by picking up RHP Chad Bradford at the deadline, and he helped pitch Tampa Bay to the World Series. Could this be the same sort of situation? We’re not ones to doubt the cash strapped Rays. Final Grade: B

Boston Red Sox: If the Red Sox thought they were buyers at the trade deadline, why didn’t they take a chance at giving up some of their pitching in the minors for a quality bat? If they thought they were sellers, why not try to move some of these older pieces to the puzzle that aren’t going to be used in the future? We’re certainly puzzled at the fact that there was no activity in Beantown at the gun. Final Grade: D

Chicago White Sox: They needed a bat, but the White Sox grabbed a great arm instead in the form of RHP Edwin Jackson. Jackson will step into the rotation in the place of RHP Jake Peavy, who has been shut down for the year. With postseason experience, Jackson might be just the man to help pitch the Pale Hose into the second season in spite of the fact that he has had a miserable year. Being back in the AL should help where he thrived with Detroit and Tampa Bay the last two seasons. Final Grade: B+

Minnesota Twins: Yikes. Giving up on the best catching prospect in baseball for Matt Capps? We understand that Capps has had a good season as the Nationals closer, but do the Twinkies really need him? This is a troubling and puzzling move for Minnesota, which didn’t help out its situations in the outfield or in the starting rotation either. Final Grade: F

Detroit Tigers: GM Dave Dombrowski must have thought his Tigers were out of it, as they are currently seven games back in the AL Central. He’s probably right. Final Grade: C

Texas Rangers: The AL West race was probably all but over the day that LHP Cliff Lee was inked by the Rangers. As a team in bankruptcy, Texas certainly did a heck of a job making moves at the trade deadline, bolstering an offense as well that was already potent. With an eight game pad in the AL West, we have to give this team the best grade of any team at the deadline. Final Grade: A+

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Ok, so the Halos are probably out of the playoff race, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t have a great trade deadline. Picking up RHP Dan Haren from the dismal Diamondbacks was a great move to make, not just for this season, but for the future. Haren is young and is still a great arm at the front end of any rotation. Giving up on a Sabermetric nightmare in LHP Joe Saunders was a very small price to pay. Final Grade: A

MLB betting action kicks off its first weekend of Interleague play beginning this weekend, and several of the best matchups of the entire year between the American and National Leagues will be underway. Here at Bankroll Sports, we’re taking a look at some of the teams that you need to keep an eye on as the two leagues collide with one another beginning on Friday!

New York Yankees: The Bronx Bombers not only have the second best record in baseball at 25-13 coming into Tuesday, but they also have the best all-time record in Interleague play as well at 133-95. They went just 10-8 in 18 Interleague clashes last season, but their record against their cross town rivals from Flushing was an impeccable 5-1. The Yanks outscored the Mets 18-3 in a three game sweep at the end of June last year, and outscored them by another 26-14 margin over Father’s Day weekend at Yankee Stadium. Who could forget closer Francisco Rodriguez throwing his arms in the air after inducing a pop up to 2B Luis Castillo for what should’ve ended the game? It did. Castillo dropped the ball, two runs scored, and the Yanks won 9-8.

Florida Marlins: It feels like we talk about the Marlins posting solid records every year in Interleague play. They have the best record amongst the National League squads all-time at 120-99 in 219 cross-league battles. Last season, no one in the NL had a better team batting average than the Fish did in Interleague play (.280), and their 78 runs scored was second in the NL. Florida finished a solid 10-8. This weekend, it will face off with the Chicago White Sox, a team that it has faced six times in team history. The Marlins took too out of three games from the Pale Hose both in 2007 at US Cellular Field and in 2004 in South Beach. Florida has won six of its L/10 games overall and is a game over .500 coming into Tuesday’s action, so expect to see the Fish try to make a move during their best time of year.

Colorado Rockies: The Rocks rolled to an 11-4 record in Interleague play last season as a part of their most improbable comeback from the depths of the NL West to the make the postseason. They’ve got a fantastic draw at the start of Interleague play this season, getting to travel to a Kansas City team that is a mess at this point after the firing of manager Trey Hillman. Colorado had won four of its previous five games before losing the first game of a series at Wrigley Field on Monday night, but it is still just four games back in the tightly contested NL West race. The only concern about the Rockies in this one is that they have actually never won a game at Kauffman Stadium, going 0-3 all-time there from a series sweep in 2008. The team may be five games under .500 all-time in cross-league play, but Colorado is still a team to watch to make a move over this summer.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Manager Mike Scioscia had better hope that his team can come back from the depths of obscurity in the AL West race with a strong Interleague season! The Halos are just 18-22 through 40 games and are in dire need of a winning streak to get back in contention in the divisional race. No one posted a better Interleague mark in the bigs last year than did the Angels, who went a whopping 14-4. This will be the third trip to Busch Stadium for Anaheim in team history (ironically, the Cardinals have never traveled to the Big A). The Halos have captured three of the L/4 meetings and are an even 3-3 in six games against the Redbirds all-time. With a .557 winning percentage all-time in Interleague play, Scoscia’s boys aren’t ones to mess around with.

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As we enter another Sunday of MLB betting action, we’re taking a look at some of the best pitchers that baseball has to offer that have made us money over the course of the season. Be sure to keep your eye on these hurlers as the MLB wagering season continues!

1: Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees (6-0, +$630) – No one wants to mess with the Yankees with anyone on the mound right now, but Pettitte has been particularly lethal. The Bronx Bombers have won nine straight times that they’re southpaw has taken the hill dating back to the playoffs last year. Keep an eye on Pettitte though, as he is already scheduled to miss his next start with some elbow inflammation.

2: Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies (6-0, +$600) – Mr. No Hitter has been a hefty chalk every time that he has taken the baseball for Manager Jim Tracy, but so far, he is passing every test with flying colors. The righty has just been sick this year, giving up just four earned runs over 41.1 innings and striking out 44. Jimenez could be the best pitcher in baseball.

3: Scott Olsen, Washington Nationals (4-1, +$577) – It’s not often that you see a pitcher for the Nats on this list, but Olsen is one of the two that is very deserving of his spot as a top money maker. Not many expect to see Olsen as a favorite when he pitches, as he hasn’t be a chalk since 2008 when he was with the Florida Marlins (and ironically, was pitching against these Washington Nationals that day). However, after three straight great starts in which he allowed just one earned run in total, many are going to start considering Olsen as a threat to make some real money.

4: Livan Hernandez, Washington Nationals (4-1, +$533) – The ageless wonder that is Livan Hernandez continues to find ways to win games in spite of the fact that he has more walks (13) than strikeouts (11) on the season. However, with only one loss to his credit, and that coming to Jimenez and the Rockies, it’s hard to ignore than Hernandez has been a great option for MLB bettors this year. You have to go back to last September to find the last time that he allowed more than three earned runs in a game.

5: Kyle Davies, Kansas City Royals (4-2, +$523) – It’s not often that you see a pitcher go 4-2 and be on a list like this, especially after allowing nine earned runs in a start, but the oddsmakers have already made Davies a +150 or higher pup in four starts this year. The Royals’ righty was really clobbered at Texas this week, and his descent back to earth may be just beginning.

6: Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets (5-1, +$488) – Speaking of guys that are bound to come back to earth at some point, what about Mike Pelfrey? New York’s best right-handed starter is nothing more than a career 5.00 ERA type of guy, but he did toss 24 straight spotless frames this year and picked up three wins (and a save!) to show for it. Since then, though? Nine earned runs in 11.1 innings. Buyer beware.

7: Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants (5-1, +$465) – The very, very rich left arm of Barry Zito’s may finally be paying dividends for the Giants. The southpaw is 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA this year, and he hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a game. Remember when Zito was the laughing stock of baseball and pitching out of the bullpen? That’s not the case anymore, and MLB betting fans would be wise to hop on this bandwagon before it either careens into a ditch or the oddsmakers catch on.

8: Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals (6-1, +$463) – Save a start against Milwaukee back on April 11th, Carpenter looks just as unhittable now as he was last season when he was a candidate for the Cy Young Award. There’s nothing not to like here from one of the top righties in baseball, as he is 4-0 with a 2.80 ERA and has 47 strikeouts against 13 walks in 45.0 innings. Oh, and if anyone thinks that opposing batters are hitting .276 against him for the year, they’re crazy. Carpenter may just be getting revved up.

9: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies (6-1, +$455) – The problem with betting on Halladay is that the oddsmakers are just going to punish you to no end if he loses. That’s if he loses. At 6-1 with a 1.45 ERA, no one is touching Halladay this year, as he has to be the front-runner for the NL Cy Young Award this year through seven starts. Here’s something to watch, though. Halladay has thrown at least 100 pitches in all of his starts this year, including 118 and 119 respectively in his L/2 starts.

10: Carlos Silva, Chicago Cubs (5-1, +$423) – Not a bad consolation prize for getting rid of CF Milton Bradley, huh? Silva hasn’t been lights out this year, but his offense has produced just a slew of runs for him (7.5 per game). No one is going to complain about a 3.50 ERA from a guy who really is no better than a fifth starter on a regular basis. The price tags remain reasonable on Silva as well in spite of the fact that he is pitching for the Cubs, who are normally shaded by the oddsmakers.

The Major League Baseball season is roughly 25 games old for most teams, and here at Bankroll Sports, we take a look at the top ten teams that have made your bankroll fatter during the first part of the MLB betting season.

1: San Diego Padres (+$810) – The Pads are still living off of the success of that eight game winning streak that they had two weeks ago. No one really believes that they are going to be able to contend this season. The time is going to come in the very near future that this squad becomes an automatic fade almost every time out, especially on the road where they won’t finish anywhere near the .500 that they’re at right now.

2: Washington Nationals (+$805) – The Nats are just a game back of the Philadelphia Phillies for the top spot in the NL East standings, and they’ve surprisingly now won 21 of their L/33 games overall dating back to last year. The bullpen is making the difference, as the unit has a 4.05 ERA, while closer Matt Capps is 11/11 in save chances. Until the oddsmakers catch on, this could be a sneaky team to continue backing, especially at home where Washington is 8-6 on the season.

3: Tampa Bay Rays (+$785) – The team with the best record in baseball is also amongst the top money teams as well. Thank Tampa Bay’s road efforts for that, as the Rays are 10-1 and +$1,040 away from Tropicana Field, which is a drastic switch from the year that they went to the World Series when they were just mutilating teams on their home turf. Tampa Bay is for real, but this money making opportunity might be gone by now, as it seems as though the books have figured it out, making it hefty favorites, particularly at home.

4: New York Yankees (+$650) – It’s amazing that the Evil Empire seems to find a way to make money every single season for MLB betting fans, and this year will probably be no exception. At 18-8 through 26 games, the Bronx Bombers are on fire, and if they keep up their 9-2 start at Yankee Stadium, it’s going to be very difficult to line their games this year.

5: St. Louis Cardinals (+$595) – Manager Tony LaRussa’s team already has its playoff travel plans booked, as it is five games in front of Cincinnati and Chicago in the NL Central standings. However, that doesn’t mean that this will be a money making team on a regular basis this year. The Cards are frequently overrated by the oddsmakers, and the reason that they are in such great shape right now is thanks to a 10-3 home record.

6: Minnesota Twins (+$585) – The Twins have been the model of consistency this year for MLB betting fans, as they are +$315 in their new home, Target Field and +$270 on the road. Considering just how weak the rest of the AL Central is, there’s no reason to think that Minnesota won’t continue to rack in the bucks for its bettors, especially if that pitching staff can keep it together without a legitimate #1 ace to turn to.

7: Toronto Blue Jays (+$355) – Don’t fall into this trap! The Jays are consistently a hot team until the calendar turns to May, where they inevitably will fall off the face of the earth once again this year. Toronto just doesn’t have the talent to stick around with the rest of the teams in the division over 162 games, and what will probably end up happening is that the oddsmakers will start to believe in the Jays just in time for their annual swoon.

8: San Francisco Giants (+$350) – It’s amazing that the Giants continue to make money, especially considering the fact that RHP Tim Lincecum’s starts almost always have -250 price tags attached to them at home. Even yesterday on the road against a competent Florida team, the G-Men were laying -175. Lincecum didn’t pitch well enough to warrant those odds, but San Fran survived. Buy with caution.

9: Detroit Tigers (+$330) – The Tigers have sort of flown under the radar this season, and the oddsmakers may not totally be on to the them just yet. It feels like every season, Manager Jim Leyland has these boys competing at the highest level, and as long as they are viewed as nothing more than an average team, they’ll continue to make money for us.

10: New York Mets (+$220) – Except for when LHP Johan Santana is on the mound, it feels like the Mets are underdogs every time that they take the field. That’s a great sign for MLB betting aficionados though, as New York has proven to be a decent club, even without OF Carlos Beltran in the lineup. If the center fielder comes back healthy and ready to go, the boys from the Big Apple could be a very dangerous money making team until the books start to figure them out.

The first week of April brings the rare crossover between four major sports, as the MLB, NHL, NBA, and NCAA hoops all collide. But before we look ahead at the week that will be, here at Bankroll Sports, we’re analyzing the week that was and giving all sorts of heck to those that have drawn our ire as sports betting fanatics.

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
Philadelphia Eagles HC Andy Reid, who looks angrier than ever about the fact that his franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb was traded for peanuts in his own division.

There’s no better place to start than in the NBA this week, and boy, would we love to give a piece of our mind to the New Orleans Hornets. You get G Chris Paul, your pride and joy, back in the lineup after he missed what felt like an eternity to this franchise, and you promptly come out and beat the Lakers on your home court. Great, right? After all, it’s not often that you can give up 31 points to G Kobe Bryant and 26 points and 22 rebounds to F Pau Gasol and live to tell about it. However… What gives after that, Hornets? As 9.5 point favorites, the Wizards came into New Orleans Arena and spanked the Hornets 96-91. That was followed up by a nine point loss in Memphis, which we deem to be excusable. But losing to the Nets? By four touchdowns? The 115-87 win for Jersey was clearly its biggest ‘W’ of the season, and it came at the expense of a team that just looks like it has given up. Don’t worry, the laughs aren’t over quite yet if you missed this embarrassing one in Jersey. Minnesota is still on the schedule!

This may not have a heck of a lot to do with gambling at this point, but is there any doubt that the Philadelphia Eagles are getting smacked by the Washington Redskins twice this season? Apparently, making it to five NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl wasn’t enough for QB Donovan McNabb, so the Iggles shipped him out of town. Ok, no problem, right? After all, guys get traded at the end of their careers all the time. But to send him to Washington??? You’re just asking to get whooped up on, Philly. And this blogger, who notoriously hates the Redskins, is going to love watching McNabb come back into the City of Brotherly Love and beat the snot out of your team this season.

The bullpen for the New York Yankees is already off to a flying start this year. You’d figure in and amongst all of the money that this team spends that they’d learn that eventually, a bullpen is going to help you out, right? But no, apparently having leads of 5-1 and 7-5 aren’t good enough. It’s not bad enough that David Robertson allowed his only inherited runner to cross home plate, but then Chan Ho Park proved once again why the Yanks have no clue how to spend their bucks by giving up three runs (two earned) in a three-run seventh. Don’t worry Joba Chamberlain, we’re not forgetting the three hits and a run you gave up in your 1.1 innings worked either. The final stat line for the New York pen? 2.2 IPs, 4 runs (3 earned), 6 hits, 2 walks, 1 K, 1 HR allowed. That’s a WHIP of 3.00 and an ERA of 13.50. Stellar job, boys. Stellar.

Sportsbook.com is an excellent sportsbook for betting MLB futures! Today, we’re taking at look at some of the juiciest season win totals that you can dig into for the 2010 season!

New York Yankees Over 95.5 Wins: Let’s just analyze the Yankees in a really quick nutshell, because no one wants to admit outside of the Bronx that they’re betting on the Yankees to do well. But this was a team that won 103 games last season and is just better this year than it was a year ago. Yes, both DHs Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui have moved on, but new DH Nick Johnson can really tear the cover off the baseball, and replacement OF Curtis Granderson could go 30/30 by taking potshots at those short porches in left and right field at New Yankee Stadium. Add RHP Javier Vazquez into the mix, and the recipe is just far too ripe to pass on the boys in pinstripes.

Kansas City Royals Over 72 Wins: Now here’s a team that we like and like quite a bit. Before we even look at anything that the Royals did in the offseason, just take a look at the rest of the division. The Twins certainly are not a better team than they were a year ago, as SS Orlando Cabrera and closer Joe Nathan are both gone. Detroit lost both SP Edwin Jackson and OF Curtis Granderson and only got back SP Max Scherzer of any note in return. Chicago is still a time bomb waiting to happen. Just from that standpoint alone, Kansas City should find a few more wins in divisional play. That being said, this is clearly a better team than the one that won 65 games last year. C Jason Kendall will bring some stability to a pitching staff that really hasn’t had a competent defensive catcher ever, and OFs Scott Podsednik and Rick Ankiel should be notable upgrades on what was playing in the outfield last year for this team. We tend to think that KC can compete, though we’d just be happy to see it reach 73 ‘W’s.

Pittsburgh Pirates Under 69.5 Wins: Newsflash: The Pirates aren’t very good. They’re not going to get any better this year either. The Bucs are almost certainly the worst team in baseball. Their pitching staff isn’t anything to write home about, and their lineup is basically 2B Akinori Iwamura and a ton of guys that are barely old enough to drink a beer, let alone rent a car. Everyone in Steeltown knows that another 100-loss season could very well be on the horizon, and there’s nothing stopping us from saying that they won’t touch a 70-win barrier that they haven’t reached since 2004.

Houston Astros Under 73.5 Wins: This is almost a bit of a prospective futures bet than anything else. What we’re hoping for out of the ‘Stros this year is that 1B Lance Berkman and OF Carlos Lee both get traded. If that’s the case, this is a team that will almost certainly rival Pittsburgh for the gutter in the NL Central. Let’s also realize that Milwaukee and Cincinnati are both going to be competing with the Cubs and Cardinals for divisional supremacy, so it is very possible to see two teams finish with at least 100 losses in the same division, particularly in one with six teams. Houston’s pitching staff is just woeful beyond SPs Wandy Rodriguez and Roy Oswalt, and taking SS Miguel Tejada out of this lineup is only going to make things that much worse for a team that didn’t have much of an offense last season either.

Washington Nationals Over 72 Wins: Are we insane for backing the Nats after they lost 103 games last season? It’s possible that we’ve gone a tad bit crazy, but we think that the boys from DC are in for a much better year this year than they had in ’09. Adding SP Jason Marquis to the front end of the rotation will help out John Lannan quite a bit, as will the inevitably moment that SP Stephen Strasburg comes up from the minor leagues. The lineup hasn’t been the issue with this team. 1B Adam Dunn and 3B Ryan Zimmerman can mash, no doubt, and OF Nyjer Morgan is expected to produce big things at the top of the order. But the staff ranked 28th in the majors last year with a 5.02 team ERA and absolutely must get better.

In 2008, the American League East took a turn for a complete surprise as the upstart Tampa Bay Devil Rays took the division, and then later the American League title in October. The beasts of the East; Boston and New York finished in second and third place respectively, with Boston garnering the wildcard, and the Yankees snapping their 13 season playoff streak and finishing 16 games above .500 and 8 games back. The Toronto Blue Jays finished 86-76 and 11 games back, and the Baltimore Orioles won 68 games, finishing 28.5 games out of first place.

A year after winning the American League Championship Series, before falling to Philadelphia in the World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays come into the season as the underdog in the American League East once again. Tampa Bay kept relatively quiet in the off-season, while their rivals, the Yankees and the Red Sox were active picking up additional talent.

Despite all the drama surrounding Manny Ramirez last season, Boston was still able to snag the wildcard, only to fall in the ALCS to the Rays. A full season with Jason Bay patrolling the outfield, along with the additions of Rocco Baldelli, Brad Penny, Takaski Saito and John Smoltz the Red Sox appear to be in a prime position to play October Baseball once again. Youngsters Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester and Justin Masterson will be turned heavily to with oft-injured Josh Beckett and Brad Penny in the middle of the rotation. Offensively, Boston will look to get a repeat season from AL MVP Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia hit .326 with 17 homeruns and 83 rbi’s for Boston. Jacoby Ellsbury brings lightning quick speed to the outfield, but will need to find more ways to get on base to please the Boston organization in 2009. As Boston continues to prime for the 2009 season in Key West Florida, the pundits are still debating if the decision to avoid surgery on David Ortiz’s wrist was a good decision. Ortiz had some of the lowest numbers in his career, a cause for concern for the Red Sox nation. It should be an excellent spring training battle at shortstop between Julio Lugo and Jed Lowrie

The Yankees had the huge off-season, picking up free agents pitchers C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. On the offensive side, Mark Teixeria was signed to a massive contract to shore up the first base position for the Yankees. The Yankees on paper, appear to have the firepower to win this division, but with the off season issue regarding Alex Rodriguez and steroids, the team will need to find a way to rally and concentrate on baseball. Catcher Jorge Posada looks to be regaining health after missing the ladder part of the 2008 season after having right shoulder surgery. Hideki Matsui is also coming off a season ending injury after having left knee surgery at the end of the 2008 season. The question around the Yankees spring training facility in Tampa Florida is whether Joba Chamberlain is best served as a starter or an 8^th inning man? Mariano Rivera will once again take the duties as the closer for the Yankees.  Starting pitching will once again be the question mark for Joe Giradi’s squad, as Phil Hughes, Humberto Sanchez and Jason Johnson all look to be fighting for the fifth position in the rotation. 

The defending champion Tampa Bay Rays added Pat Burrell from Philadelphia to help bring some power to the lineup from the outfield position. The outfield is awfully crowded for the Rays who have B.J. Upton, Carl Crawford and Gabe Kapler already. Look for youngster Matt Joyce to get some at bats in the outfield for Tampa Bay as well. Evan Longoria will look to repeat his .272, 27, 85 2008 season as his stock in major league baseball continues to grow. Carl Crawford appears to be as close to 100% as he can be, after playing just over 100 games last season. The pitching staff last season turned into one of the more dynamic staffs in all of baseball, and will now add youngster David Price, the 6’6 lefthander out of Vanderbilt University. Most recently, Tampa Bay added reliever Jason Isringhausen to a minor league contract. Isringhausen may be a big help later in the season if he can regain his old pitching ways. 

The Baltimore Orioles come into Fort Lauderdale Florida with a few new faces. Baltimore picked up Ryan Freel, Ty Wiggington, Cesar Izturis and Gregg Zaun, all veterans, along with youngsters such as Rich Hill and Felix Pie. They also resigned All-Star second basemen, Brian Roberts. Baltimore had the American League’s worst ERA last year with a 5.51 era. This season Mark Hendrickson will be turned to, to eat up innings after finishing with a 5.45 era last season in Florida. Koji Uehara, a two time All Star in Japan will slide into the rotation along with Jeremy Guthrie. Youngsters Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones will seemingly get plenty of at bats for a team that is expected to finish at the bottom of the division again in 2009. Felix Pie amd Ryan Freel will have a spring training battle to see who can fill the other outfield position for Baltimore, while Luke Scott appears to be the team’s designated hitter.

The Toronto Blue Jays did not put forth much of an effort in the off season to show the fans they are going to attempt to compete at the top of the American League East. Additions of Michael Barrett, Kevin Millar, Mike Maroth and Matt Clement are hardly a sign of dominance. The Blue Jays do not appear to have a great deal of starting pitching depth beyond Roy Halladay and Jesse Litsch, so guys like Scott Richmond, David Purcey and Brian Burress will be forced to step right into the show. Vernon Wells and Alex Rios are nice plays and with Halladay, the Jays will have a staff ace.  However, this team has a lot of question marks and seems to be relying on too many young bats.

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The New York Yankees proved once again they are the wealthiest team in Major League Baseball. The Yankees signed superstar C.C Sabathia to a 7 year contract worth a mind boggling 161 million dollars. The huge deal equals the highest paying contract ever for a Major League pitcher. The deal is also the 4^th highest paid contract in the history of Major League Baseball. For the Yankees to spend this type of money on a pitcher, represents the desperate attempt the New York franchise has pulled to get their team back to winning World Championship for the first time since 2000.

While many teams have been slow to dish out big money contracts or deals due to the slumping economy, the Yankees have flexed the financially charged muscle. New York just moved across the Bronx, to their brand new 1.6 billion dollar place that is the New Yankee Stadium. The new stadium is the most luxurious among all Major League Baseball stadiums today. Tickets for the new ballpark are in the $2,500 range where people can watch the game from bars and clubhouses containing swimming pools, hot tubs, and anything else you can imagine. Yep, it’s safe to say the Yankees are not struggling when it comes to money despite the majority of teams who have cut back on franchise spending in fear of losing tons of money due to the economy.

The new contract with pitcher C.C Sabathia is simply another prime example of what New York has done for years. The Yankees have simply made an effort to buy World Championships. The New York Yankees franchise is estimated at an incredible 950 million dollars. The value equals twice the amount of 27 out of 29 franchises in Major League Baseball and nearly 300 million ahead of the 2^nd most wealthy team in the MLB the Boston Red Sox. Considering that there is no salary cap in baseball, the Yankees have the opportunity to spend basically whatever they choose. New York has the ability to sign and spend money that no other team in baseball can even compare. The Yankees however have still not been able to produce a World Championship in 8 years. The Steinbrenner’s, who own the franchise, are willing to fork out money that seems unfair to ensure the Yankees have success no matter the cost.

The Yankees have been quoted as being “the best team money can buy.” The Sabathia deal is just another event that displays the financial monopoly that is the New York Yankees. Despite the argument that C.C Sabathia most likely is not worth the amount of the lucrative contract, the Yanks have enough money to sign these types of deals with no worries. New York over the past 8 years since their last World Championship has amassed a level of talent that is similar to that of an all-star team. Any team that has the money to accumulate the best two players in their sport has too much power. The Yankees have just that in superstars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

Simply look at the New York roster and you can see the level of financial superiority. The Yankees have a roster of all-star and future Hall of Fame players. You do not even have to be familiar with baseball to know the names Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Hideki Matsui, and now C.C Sabathia. If it were possible, New York would simply buy World Championship rings every year and claim the Championship rather than winning it with the unlimited amount of revenue that flows through the program. However, New York has to settle for buying a team that others could only dream of buying. Still the World Championships have yet to come. If New York fails to capture a Championship in the next few years, can you imagine how much more desperate and lucrative financial movements that will be made to ensure success. New York definitely benefits from a professional league without a salary cap. I mean can you really blame the Yankees for spending more money than any other team since they have that option. Surely the sporting world must admire the Yankee’s determination and ‘whatever it takes’ attitude to win despite how much you love or hate them.