2009 MLB Predictions: Marlins and A's This Year's Brewers and Rays

AL East

Yankees - 101-61 - Added arguably the three biggest Free Agents of the '08-'09 off-season and have the excitement of a new, packed ballpark. Adding an offense powerhouse in Alex Rodriguez in mid-May can only help.

Red Sox - 90-72 - A brutal AL East will take its toll on the bottom four teams, and if you're not at the top, you're at the bottom. An aging Ortiz and a full year without Manny will yield their first playoff absence since '06.

Rays - 82-80 - As great as last year's story was, they will follow the path of the '06 Tigers and '07 Rockies: ending a breakout season in a World Series loss and falling well short of expectations the following season.

Blue Jays - 73-89 - A ton of potential in the outfield, but surrounded by too many good teams, the Jays will struggle to make any noise other than spoiler.

Orioles - 67-95 - Yet another rebuilding year as the biggest storyline in Baltimore surrounds their hopeful stud catcher Matt Wieters.

AL Central

Twins - 92-70 - Year after year, Minnesota produces a competitive young squad, and this looks like the year for everything to align and the Twins to return to the postseason again.

White Sox - 79-83 - The White Sox earned their '08 playoff birth by having everything go right at the end of the season. There's only so much a team can rely on overproduction, so unless Carlos Quentin, Jermaine Dye, and Jim Thome have no drop-off from last year, they will be on the outside looking in.

Royals - 78-84 - Desperately trying to become relevant, the Royals have built a solid young team that could contend for a weak division title in '10.

Indians - 74-88 - Sizemore is the story here as the majority of what made the Indians great a few years ago has dissolved to nothingness.

Tigers - 70-92 - Detroit has produced bust after bust in recent years and appears to have the same dreadful fate as last season. A complete revamping of the franchise is the only answer.

AL West

Angels - 94-68 - Still the team to beat in the AL West; the Angels have little to contend with, as they should clinch their 3rd straight division title with relative ease.

Athletics - 91-71 - Wild Card - This year's version of the '08 Rays, the A's have all the pieces to grab a coveted playoff spot on '09. Solid pitching and defense will be supported by a serious amount of power.

Rangers - 88-74 - If not for the A's and a sub-par pitching staff, the Rangers would find themselves in the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. If they address their rotation during the next off-season, there is no reason why '10 can't be their year.

Mariners - 64-98 - One year after becoming the first team in MLB history to lose 100 games with a payroll over $100 million, the Mariners seem ready to start planning for the future. The Bedard trade continues to look worse and it seems clear that they won't be relevant any time soon.

NL East

Phillies - 95-67 - The defending World Series Champions are the best team in the NL East and at the very least, should be able to defend their division title.

Marlins - 90-72 - Wild Card - Much like the Twins, the Marlins continually produce young talent that has the potential to break out at any time. Unlike most teams, the Marlins come out of nowhere every few years and make a serious playoff run, twice ending in a World Series Championship.

This has the makings of one of those seasons. The good news for other teams is that if the Marlins win the World Series, you can be ready for a fire sale next off-season.

Mets - 89-73 - New ballpark + same expectations = same pressure and outcome. The Mets needed every ounce of Delgado's monstrous outburst last year to even come close to a playoff spot, but it seems unlikely he will repeat his performance in '09.

Combine that with a shaky rotation (outside Johan) and a vastly improved NL East that will beat up each other and the Mets will end yet another season in misery.

Braves - 86-76 - The Braves have a solid, young team that would be a viable contender if it did not have the unfortunate situation of playing in a brutal division.

The status of Chipper Jones is also too big of a concern for anyone to expect too much of the Braves, but finishing 10 games over .500 and possibly fourth in the division just shows how hard it will be to steal a playoff spot.

Nationals - 60-102 - The only chance for improvement would have been if they signed Mark Teixeira this off-season, but unfortunately the Nationals best addition might be massively disappointing starting pitcher Daniel Cabrera.

NL Central

Cubs - 96-66 - Fresh off yet another disappointing playoff exit, the Cubs still look to be one of the best regular season teams in MLB. Time might be running out on manager Lou Piniella, however, so expect their foot to be on the gas pedal the entire season, taking nothing for granted.

Cardinals - 89-73 - The Cardinals are the definition of a roller coaster team, having years where they seem unbeatable followed by three consecutive seasons missing the playoffs. Unfortunately for St. Louis, this bounce back year will fall short yet again as the rival Cubs keep them out of the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

Reds - 81-81 - Even with the loss of Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, the Reds are actually a much-improved team with a lot of young talent. If Johnny Cueto can return to the flashes of greatness he displayed in a short amount of time in '08, the Reds could be readying themselves to supplant the Cubs atop the NL Central in the upcoming years.

Brewers - 79-83 - See Rays, AL East. A team that has nowhere to go but down loses their heart and soul (and as close to a guaranteed win) when CC Sabathia shocks the world by signing elsewhere.

Astros - 72-90 - An aging Astros team looks to have made their last legitimate playoff push. They will continue to go in the wrong direction until they finally clean house and start over.

Pirates - 57-105 - Simply a terrible team that continues to be the punching bag for the NL Central. The have the youth, but the Pirates need almost every player to develop into stars in order for them to be successful.

NL West

Dodgers - 92-70 - The reacquisition of Manny Ramirez makes the Dodgers the team to beat in the NL West. Joe Torre has a knack for finding a playoff spot every year and it seems like the trend will continue in Los Angeles.

Diamondbacks - 89-75 - An overall solid team with two top-notch pitchers at the top of their rotation, the Diamondbacks should be in the playoff hunt the entire season. If any one team stumbles, Arizona will be the one to take its spot.

Rockies - 79-85 - The Rockies have gone the way of the Tigers, back into the usual losing seasons after one outburst that appeared to have put them over the edge. Now without Matt Holliday and Brian Fuentes, the Rockies will struggle to earn another playoff spot any time soon.

Giants - 77-87 - Good young players like reigning Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum and rookie Pablo Sandoval should be the building blocks of the Giants for years, but it won't be until the team actually provides them with a full cast before the Giants take over the very winnable NL West.

Padres - 68-94 - The Padres have gone quickly down to the basement of the dismal NL West and hung onto the unenviable position ever since. San Diego also lost their most recognizable and consistent player in Trevor Hoffman, leaving the Padres with an overall bad team.

Mario Mergola is the co-creator and writer of The Digital Blitz.