Alex Rodriguez stood on the podium at Yankee Stadium in November, tears in his eyes, his smile reflecting off the World Series trophy.
A cheat, an admitted steroids user — “A-Fraud,” he was called — found personal redemption, leading the Yankees to their 27th title. For Yankee haters, it was tough to stomach. Now, the hard part: There could be more slugs to the gut. The Bronx Bombers are positioned to run off a string of championships. Imagine entering spring training this week with your team’s greatest weakness being its fifth starter: Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes?
With lazy March days ahead, a look at the top American League story lines entering this season:
1 Will the Yankees remain the AL Beast?
New York enjoyed a relatively quiet offseason, its main acquisition being center fielder Curtis Granderson. He provides more power and speed to a turbocharged lineup. This team, however, will miss Johnny Damon’s catalytic spark and easygoing demeanor in the clubhouse. It’s possible, however, the Yankees could reacquire Damon and trade for Ben Sheets in July. Their revenue streams create elasticity in the budget that make any move possible.
2 Did the Red Sox do enough?
The Red Sox reacted to the rise of their nemesis by strengthening their pitching and defense — the same strategy the Yankees employed successfully last season with the additions of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. Boston signed former Angels ace John Lackey to a five-year, $82.5 million contract. He couples with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester to give Boston a trio that rivals bacon, lettuce and tomato.
The Red Sox also upgraded their defense by signing shortstop Marco Scutaro — that position has been a sinkhole since the 2004 World Series — and third baseman Adrian Beltre. They didn’t add a big bat, but look for Boston to move quickly toward San Diego slugger Adrian Gonzalez if David Ortiz gets off to another slow start.
3 Are the Twins this year’s feel-good story?
It could be argued that Minnesota enjoyed the strongest winter of any American League team. Given their self-imposed budget restraints, the Twins moved shrewdly to re-sign Carl Pavano on a one-year deal — he’s a proven Tigers killer — while adding hungry second baseman Orlando Hudson and part-time DH Jim Thome. They are built to terrorize right-handed pitching with former MVP Justin Morneau, reigning AL MVP Joe Mauer and Thome sandwiched together in the middle of the lineup in their new ballpark.
4 Can David Price lead Tampa Bay back to the playoffs?
Few pitchers have arrived with the hype accompanying Price. He stutter-stepped last season, going 10-7 with a 4.42 ERA while battling command issues. He’s still just 24, and at 6-feet-6, 225 pounds, the left-hander is built to maul opponents. If he figures it out, he could win 18 games and get Tampa Bay back into the playoffs, and possibly the World Series.
5 Is run prevention more important than run production?
The Mariners are determined to prove that the answer is an unequivocal yes as they try to unseat the Angels in the American League West. After improving to 85-77 last season by relying strongly on defense, the Mariners signed athletic Chone Figgins, who has the best range of any third baseman, and first baseman Casey Kotchmann, a slick fielder, to blend with pitchers Cliff Lee, Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard. Lee was masterful in the playoffs for Philadelphia, as Rockies fans know well, and should have a smooth transition since he spent the bulk of his career in Cleveland. Seattle will be challenged to score runs, which could mean a painful parting with Ken Griffey Jr. to add a more potent DH during the summer
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