MLB Teams That Are Already Screwed in 2012

Pitchers and catchers don't report for over a month, but it is already becoming clear which teams will find themselves in a world of hurt once the 2012 MLB season starts.

Whether they had bad seasons in recent years, they traded away the roster or have suffered injuries, they are slated to be rebuilding and drafting at the top of the 2013 MLB Draft.

But rather than look at any team around the league, let's break it up by division.

Read on to find out which team in each division is already screwed in 2012.

American League East

Baltimore Orioles 

Last season, the Baltimore Orioles finished an abysmal 69-93 and 28 games out of first place in the American League East.

Almost all of their pieces will return in 2012 but that isn't necessarily a good thing.

They didn't do too bad offensively, finishing 14th in runs scored and 11th in batting average—but designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero and his .290 batting average is gone. Mark Reynolds' bat propelled them to ninth in slugging percentage but that also came at the cost of 196 strikeouts. Center fielder Adam Jones, right fielder Nick Markakis and catcher Matt Wieters are all position players to watch.

The Orioles pitching is worse. Jeremy Guthrie (pictured) led the team in ERA with a 4.33 and was the only pitcher who qualified for the ERA title. Baltimore also finished dead-last in ERA, quality starts and WHIP. They also finished 29th in batting average against.

Like I said, the fact that most of the 2011 team is back in Baltimore isn't necessarily a good thing.

American League Central

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins have the most promise out of all of the teams found on this list.

Yes, they finished 2011 with the second-worst record in baseball—63-99—but they have some very good pieces on this team.

The Twins only got 151 combined games out of their two former-MVPs, catcher Joe Mauer (pictured) and first baseman Justin Morneau. They suffered from a myriad of injuries, such as Mauer's knee problems and Morneau's lingering concussion symptoms.

But beyond those two guys, who will most likely suffer from injuries again in 2012, there is only Josh Willingham who is an offensive threat. Plus, Willingham was only brought in to make up for the loss of Michael Cuddyer, a comparable hitter.

The Twins' pitching was also terrible in 2011 and doesn't look to be headed for an amazing turnaround in 2012. They finished 19th in ERA and WHIP and 30th in batting average allowed. Carl Pavano led the staff with nine wins and a 4.30 ERA while closer Matt Capps only saved 15 games.

But like I said, some pieces are there and if everything can come together, they could take themselves off this list as the 2012 season goes on.

American League West

Oakland Athletics

In 2011, the Oakland A's finished in third place in the West with a record of 74-88.

In 2012, they will be much worse.

The A's have entered the rebuilding process and have shipped off their three best pitchers to kick it off. Gone are righty Trevor Cahill (Arizona Diamondbacks), lefty Gio Gonzalez (Washington Nationals) and closer Andrew Bailey (Boston Red Sox). Cahill and Gonzalez were both selected to one All-Star team with Oakland while Bailey was selected to two and won the 2009 Rookie of the Year award.

Also gone is left fielder Josh Willingham. Willingham provided a much-needed bat for the A's and hit 29 home runs and drove in 98 RBI. His bat will be sorely missed and it will be up to newcomer Josh Reddick to pick up the slack.

The A's will have a few bright spots, though.

Second baseman Jemile Weeks (pictured, left) looks to improve off of a great rookie season and center fielder Coco Crisp (pictured, right) has returned to be the veteran leader.

National League East

New York Mets

The Mets are headed into a downward spiral in the National League East just as the rest of the teams in their division are bulking up.

The Philadelphia Phillies are still an elite team and the Atlanta Braves looked to be headed to the playoffs before getting edged out on the final part of the season. The Miami Marlins bulked up this offseason with the acquisitions of closer Heath Bell, lefty Mark Buehrle and shortstop Jose Reyes—the Mets' former superstar. The Washington Nationals could also surprise some people thanks to their potentially great, young roster.

But the Mets have stood pat.

They no longer have Reyes, their sparkplug and best player. Left fielder Jason Bay hasn't had good seasons since he first set foot on the grass at Citi Field and third baseman David Wright had a down 2010. Plus, Johan Santana, their ace, hasn't played since 2010 because of a hurt shoulder.

The odds are definitely against the Mets in 2012.

National League Central

Houston Astros

The Astros were baseball's worst team in 2011, finishing with a record of 56-106.

They won't be much better in 2012.

Midway through the 2011 season, they traded their two best players—right fielder Hunter Pence and center fielder Michael Bourn. Two prized prospects and Opening Day starters, Brett Wallace and Chris Johnson, both lost their starting jobs and spent a good amount of 2011 in Triple-A. 

Their starting rotation had two fairly good starters who were victims of playing on a horrendous team, Wandy Rodriguez and Bud Norris. But behind those two, the staff was terrible—they finished 28th in ERA and WHIP last season. They also traded their closer, Mark Melancon, to the Boston Red Sox.

Without having two legitimate All-Stars for at least the first half of the season in 2012, the Astros could be even worse in 2012.

National League West

San Diego Padres

The Padres had a very surprising 2010 and almost won the NL West title, but they fell back down to Earth in 2011 with a 71-91.

They will have a bright spot in 2012 with center fielder Cameron Maybin who finally had the breakout year everyone has been waiting for, hitting .264 with 82 runs and 40 stolen bases.

But beyond Maybin, it was a rough year in San Diego and it will be another one in 2012.

First base prospect Anthony Rizzo, one of the big names to come over from Boston in return for Adrian Gonzalez, was terrible in the few games he played in. The rest of the offense was terrible, ranking almost last in every single offensive category. And to top it all off, their ace Mat Latos is now in Cincinnati and closer Heath Bell is in Miami.

One more bright spot to look out for in San Diego is Yonder Alonso, the former Reds top prospect. But at the end of the day, Maybin and Alonso won't really make that much of a difference.