2009 MLB Speculation: Too Early To Tell

Last night, I was overcome by a round of thoughts and crazy ideas that flowed as freely as  steroids that Eric Gagne still wishes he had.

While Manny, Adam Dunn, Big Tex, and others look to cash in; CC, Ryan Dempster, A.J. Burnett, and D-Lowe look for new homes; and Jake Peavy wonders if he'll be headed to the North Side or to the Deep South, the ideas still flowed.

While future first-ballot Hall of Famers like Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Jeff Kent, and Trevor Hoffman ponder whether or not to cash in their chips, and 40 percent of the Yankees pitching staff-(Mussina and Pettitte) wonder what they will be doing in March, the ideas still flowed.

So I've decided to do a speculation article for 2009. Way too early, and more just for the fun of writing, and who knows, maybe some of my predictions will come true.

I'm going to start with the A.L. East and work my way down. So, without further ado...

A.L. East

Mike Mussina will return to the Yankees...as their new pitching coach. A-Rod will end up with Madonna and start playing like he's 25 again. 45 homers, but the Yankees still finish in third, unless a guy named Teixeira joins the fold.

Tampa Bay pays the Price. This happens only after a 17-win season by Rookie of the Year, David Price.

Boston brings back Pedro, but no one notices. No one notices the MVP-caliber season by Baltimore OF Nick Markakis, as only 3,500 people show up to Camden. Toronto becomes the equivalent of a AA team, as they trade Roy Halladay away.

A.L. Central

Cleveland continues its losing ways from last season. Gavin Floyd quietly challenges for the Cy Young and Mike Jacobs starts making people in KC believe in blue.

No one plays attention to the fact that Magglio and Miguel are both on place to tag pitchers for 40 homers each, mostly due to Armando Galarraga's coming-out party (16 wins and a tidy 3.00 ERA).

A.L. West

A's have a Holliday, so does Matt, as he has his worst season in the Majors. King Felix decides to live up to his potential and a guy named Ichiro steals 60 bases.

Without K-Rod, the Angels' collapse is similar to the Mets' and Josh Hamilton nails down an MVP and a Rangers playoff spot.

N.L. East

Ben Sheets heads to Atlanta after the Cubs land Peavy. Chipper Jones' goodbye tour gets announced for next season, and the Mets, well, the Mets are the Mets. Florida gets better, so do the Nationals, but the Phillies add a fourth straight MVP, this time Chase Utley gets his gold.

N.L. Central

Peavy, Zambrano, Dempster, Lilly, and Harden become the flag bearers of a great pitching staff, all winning at least 15 games. Soriano gets hurt...again. Cubs nail the division by the end of August.

Edinson Volquez nearly wins the Cy Young, allowing Cy Young to get paired with an MVP-(something that should've happened in the 20's).

Pittsburgh finishes in third, yes third. Hey, Tampa made it happen, didn't they? The Astros and Cardinals remain stagnant. Tejada and Pujols still bash anything that comes within a two-block radius though.

N.L. West

The Dodgers get Manny back, try to add CC, doesn't happen. Arizona adds a few pieces, but the division belongs to L.A. Lincecum goes for two, Cy Young awards that is and does anyone really care what happens to the Rockies?

Awards

National League

ROY: Colby Rasmus-St. Louis

Cy Young: Tim Lincecum-SF; Runners up: Zambrano-CHC, Volquez-Cin

MVP: Chase Utley-PHI  Runners up: Pujols-StL, Manny-LA

Manager: Joe Torre-LA

American League

ROY: Dayan Viciedo-Any team he signs with.

Cy Young: Scott Kazmir-TB  Runners up: Galarraga-Det, Felix-Sea, Price-TB

MVP: Josh Hamilton-Tex  Runners up: Teixeira-NYY, Markakis-Bal, Cabrera-Det

Manager: John Gibbons-KC

I hope you guys enjoyed my look into a crystal ball more cloudy then a Ricky Williams limo. The right to speculate is one of the most fun any fan can do, so I encourage it. It is one of the ways sports fans dream.