Teams that will surprise in '08

We're almost there. Spring training starts in less than one month. Johan Santana is still a Twin and the Boston Red Sox are still the favorites going into 2008. We all have an idea of who will contend but every year we're treated to some unexpected surprise teams. For instance, last year we had the Rockies who literally shocked the world with their pennant run and 20 wins in 21 games.
This year we have a couple teams that I believe will be good teams and surprise a lot of people. First, the Tampa Bay Rays are going to be a contender and will push the Yankees and Red Sox for the division title. The Rays have carefully assembled a nasty young pitching staff anchored by Scott Kazmir and Jamie Shields. Complementing them are lefty Andy Sonnanstine and fireballer Matt Garza, who could eventually emerge as an ace. They aren't done there because in the minors they have David Price, Jake McGee and Wade Davis. The Rays are literally bursting with pitching talent for the first time in franchise history. Offensively, they have slugger Carlos Pena, speed demon Carl Crawford and five-tool talent B.J. Upton. Third base prospect Evan Longoria also projects as a legit .300 hitter with 30 homers annually. Folks, this is going to be a nasty team very, very soon. And wait till you get a load of the new unis. Very sharp.
In the senior circuit, my surprise pick is the Cincinatti Reds. Dusty Baker, although notorious for overworking pitchers, is famous for turning around struggling franchises. He'll have it easy this time, because the Reds have a lot of available talent. On the mound, Aaron Harang is the ace no one ever talks about. He'll be joined by young righthanders Homer Bailey and Edison Volquez. Bronson Arroyo is an excellent innings-eater that slots right after Harang. Adam "The Donkey" Dunn and Ken Griffey lead a balanced offense that also features Brandon Phillips, Edwin Encarnacion and Ryan Freel. Down on the farm waits All-World outfielder Jay Bruce and righthanded power pitcher Johnny Cueto. In fact, Bruce may just break camp as the everyday rightfielder. His comparable is Larry Walker, so expect immediate dividends. In a winnable NL Central, the Reds will contend in '08.

Winter Meetings Buzzkill

With the exception of the Cabrera/Willis trade, the MLB winter meetings were the usual hype machine without many tangible rewards for baseball fans. Millions expected Johan Santana to don a Yankees or Red Sox cap by mid-week only to find that Minnesota decided to keep their ace - for now. Don't kid yourself - there's only one real reason these meetings exist. That is to promote the game during the winter. Sure. The GM's talk trades too of course - but its all about networking with colleagues in one convenient locale while the media hypes the event to SuperBowl proportions. So while Brian Cashman and Pat Gillick talk golf, thousands of web surfers are scanning their favorite sites to see if their team struck a deal. That's the point. Does it work? To perfection. Even though we all realize not much will happen, we are nevertheless compelled to check in on any "progress" made during the week. The reality is there's just as much likelihood of a big trade right now as there was on Monday. Will Santana ultimately get traded? Will Erik Bedard move? What about Scott Rolen? We'll find out soon enough and some fans may get an extra present for the holidays.