Yu Darvish: How the Texas Rangers' Winning Bid Shakes Up the AL Power Rankings

There have been a lot of big moves in the American League in recent weeks, with the most recent one being the Texas Rangers winning the rights to negotiate a contract with Yu Darvish. 

All of this action has shifted a lot of the balance of power in the league. No longer are we just talking about the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. In fact, if you were so inclined, you could make an argument that those two are no longer the top two teams on paper. 

But as the 2011 Red Sox will attest, games aren't played on paper and anything can happen over the course of 162 games. 

So how does the Yu Darvish domino change the American League power rankings, or does it change anything?

Here is a very early look at the 2012 American League power rankings. 

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Teams 7-14, or the Non-Contenders

14. Baltimore Orioles (69-93 in 2011)

13. Minnesota Twins (63-99)

12. Kansas City Royals (71-91)

11. Chicago White Sox (79-83)

10. Seattle Mariners (67-95)

These five teams are all rebuilding and will struggle to stay around .500 all season, much less contend for six months.

I will say that I think the Mariners could surprise if Dustin Ackley continues to progress as a hitter and Justin Smoak rebounds from a horrendous 2011. If they are able to lure Prince Fielder, they will have enough offense to support their already stellar pitching staff. 

9. Oakland A's (74-88)

8. Cleveland Indians (80-82)

7. Toronto Blue Jays (81-81)

These teams are on the brink of contention, though the A's will find it difficult to stay in the race without Brett Anderson for the first few months of the year due to Tommy John surgery. 

The Indians need Ubaldo Jimenez to find his 2010 form again or else that deal is going to look even worse than it already does. 

The Blue Jays have one of the best farm systems in the game and could take some more steps forward in 2012, but they are not likely to see their window open until 2013.  

6. Detroit Tigers, 95-67 in 2011

Despite boasting two players that finished in the top five of the MVP voting in 2011—Justin Verlander (first) and Miguel Cabrera (fifth)—the Tigers are likely going to take a step back next season. 

They were able to stockpile a lot of wins late in the season against weak competition in the American League Central, but with the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals likely to improve upon their success last season, those wins won't be there. 

They are still the best team in that division and will likely win it again, but they are the weakest playoff team in the league right now.

5. Tampa Bay Rays, 91-71 in 2011

The Rays can easily move up this list because they have the deepest starting rotation in baseball, but I have questions about their offense after Evan Longoria. 

Desmond Jennings did perform well when he was first called up in July. He faded down the stretch because his body was not used to playing that many extra games due to injuries that he sustained in the minors in 2010. 

If Jennings is able to play 2012 like he did when he was first called up this season and Ben Zobrist has another good season, they can have an above-average offense. And considering how many quality starters they have, they don't need to score that many runs to win 95 games. 

4. Texas Rangers, 96-66 in 2011

Despite the potential addition of Darvish to the rotation, the Rangers still aren't able to break into the top three. 

Darvish will make them better and the move of Neftali Feliz to the rotation is the right move, but it will take time for them to adjust to a new workload. 

Feliz, in particular, has to get used to throwing 100 pitches every time out instead of just throwing caution to the wind when he steps on the mound. 

The lineup is deep, though I would feel better if I knew that Josh Hamilton was going to play in more than 130 games. 

Still, they are going to win more than 90 games again and compete with the Los Angeles Angels for the American League West title. 

3. New York Yankees, 97-65 in 2011

It's a good thing that the Yankees have one of the deepest lineups in baseball because the starting rotation has more questions than answers right now. 

The only thing that we know for sure is that CC Sabathia will be really good, but beyond that we don't know anything. 

A.J. Burnett is what he is: a starter with great stuff but terrible makeup and command of his pitches. Ivan Nova won a lot of games in 2011, but he is more of a No. 4 or 5 than someone you want to build a rotation around. 

They do have young arms waiting in the pipeline, like Manny Banuelos and—if he can ever figure out his control enough to handle a starting job—Dellin Betances, so if they need to make a move, those are the two most likely candidates. 

But the lineup is good enough to mask any problems that they have in the rotation, at least in the regular season. The postseason is another story. 

2. Los Angeles Angels, 86-76 in 2011

While I don't agree with the contracts that the Angels gave to Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson long term, it is hard to argue with what this team has going for it in 2012. 

They knew that they were the second-best team in the American League West and did what they had to do to get back on top. 

The starting rotation, led by Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Wilson, will be one of the best in the league. 

The lineup, which has been a problem for them the last few seasons, will have a different look to it. Not just with the addition of Pujols, but a full season from Mike Trout might be just as important as any other move that they make. 

There are still problems with the lineup, like Mark Trumbo's .295 on-base percentage, Kendry Morales coming back after missing nearly two full seasons due to that leg injury he suffered celebrating a walk-off home run. 

But the future is bright in Los Angeles right now, so enjoy the ride. 

1. Boston Red Sox, 90-72 in 2011

While I imagine that some of you will consider this a surprise, the fact of the matter is, on paper, the Red Sox are the best team in the American League. They entered the 2011 season with that label as well, but we all know how that turned out. 

If they can get full seasons from Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz in the rotation, shore up their bullpen--converting Daniel Bard to a starter is a mistake in so many ways--they will be fine. 

I still think that they are in play on Ryan Madson, though that is just speculation on my part. If they add him to the back of the 'pen with Bard, when he eventually goes back there, and newly acquired Mark Melancon, they will have a very good 1-2-3 punch. 

They had the best offense in baseball in 2011, and that was with a terrible season from Carl Crawford and no production from their catchers. Ryan Lavarnway will likely enter the season as the starter behind the plate, and his offense should make up for any shortcomings he has defensively. 

Chicken and beer fests, or not, the Red Sox just need to stay healthy in 2012 and they will be locks to make it to the postseason.