Baltimore

This team is a mystery. They have the bats in Tejada, Mora, Lopez, and Roberts, and on a pure stuff level their pitchers are pretty good. This team's chances hinge on the impact of Leo Mazzone, which was by far the best signing by any team this offseason. Their entire rotation is full of pitchers who haven't lived up to their potential, and Mazzone can turn things around. The only question is - will their starting pitching be enough to hang with the rest of the AL East?

This team certainly should have the offense to hang with any team but the Yankees. Matos is the only hole in their lineup, provided Patterson gets his act together now that he doesn't have the boo-birds hovering around his head.

However, their bullpen is not looking to be very good. And the linchpin of their offense last season, Brian Roberts, is still coming back from an injury and reports are looking like his elbow isn't the same. I predict the Orioles to have a sub-.500 season (though not a 100-loss season by any stretch of the imagination).