Being an NL fan, I naturally pay more attention to the NL . . . but, looking at what the various AL teams have done to themselves this year, I'd hafta say that the Tigers look pretty tough. Adding Dontrelle Willis to a rotation that has Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson in it is going to be a really powerful punch. The Red Sox . . . well, they're going to fight the Yankees tooth-and-nail for the division, but I really don't remember anyone mentioning what the Mariners have done wioth their rotation, in adding Carlos Silva (marginal) and Erik Bedard (outstanding). They will run with the "Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim" for the division crown.
As for the NL . . . the Dodgers signing Hiroki Kuroda should be interesting. Barry Zito will continue to be a mediocre pitcher in SF. The Diamondbacks should win the NL West, with Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, and Randy Johnson at the top of their rotation, but they'll have to fight the Padres off all season. The Central . . . I'd hafta go out and say the Cubs, only because they won it last year. The NL East . . . Mets, Braves, and Phillthies, with the Nats almost knocking the Phillthies out of 3rd. Even with Myers in the rotation (supposedly, his ERA when he started last year was closer to 10 than 5), and Moyer collecting Social Security, how many innings have the rookies pitched in a single season? Has Kendrick pitched over, say, 165 innings in one season?
Carlos Beltran will be borne out (in his prediction). Oh--did Jimmy Rollins copyright the "We're the team to beat" statement? You'd think so, by his reaction.
Yeah, Johan pitches only one in five games, but his clubhouse presence, coupled with Pedro for a full season, will speak volumes.