One of the most improved MLB baseball teams in 2007 should be the lovable losers from the Windy City, the Chicago Cubs.  The Cubbies have a new manager, Lou Piniella, a new huge free-agent acquisition in OF Alfonso Soriano, and a couple of important pieces added in 2B Mark DeRosa, OF Cliff Floyd and SP Ted Lilly. 

The one thing the Cubs really need this baseball season that they didn’t have a year ago is healthy players. 1B Derrek Lee, who was probably the second-best hitter in baseball in 2005, missed about three-fourths of 2006 due to injury.  Lee did play well in September of last year, so if he returns to that form the offense will be immeasurably better than it was in 2006.  The addition of Soriano to the leadoff spot adds a ton of power and speed to the lineup.  I don’t know if Soriano has another 40/40 (46 HRs and 41 SB in 2006) season in him, but he should definitely hit at least 35 HRs and have at least 30-40 steals. 

Chris Goudey WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

There really hasn’t been a lot of offseason movement by the top teams in what I think is going to be the toughest division in baseball next year, the American League Central.  The two teams at the bottom of the division in 2006, the Indians and the Royals, have made a lot of moves to catch up, and I really think one team has made a big jump in talent and could actually take the crown in 2007!

Here is a recap and brief analysis of each AL Central team’s offseason moves:

Chicago White Sox:   White Sox GM Kenny Williams did a masterful job two years ago during the offseason when he put together the team that dominated the AL in 2005.  Last year was not as great a year for the Pale Hose, and Williams has made a couple of curious moves that I guess he’s hoping will upgrade the rotation, but frankly I don’t see it.  The two trades the White Sox made this offseason have reshaped the starting staff.  In the first deal, the Sox sent reliable workhorse Freddy Garcia to the Phillies for pitchers Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez.  Floyd has a very live arm but hasn’t yet been able to harness the control needed to be successful.  Gonzalez is a pretty good pitching prospect but is at least a year away from the majors.  If the Sox’s goal was to win a title in 2007, then I don’t see how trading away one of your stalwarts for a couple of guys who might be good in 2008 and beyond is helping.  Garcia makes millions more than the other two combined, so I guess Williams is thinking he can spend that money better somewhere else.  The second deal was odd to me as well. Originally, the thinking was that by trading Garcia, it would open up a spot for Brandon McCarthy, who has been a top starting prospect and has done well as a reliever in his 2 years in the majors. Well, what does Williams do?  He trades McCarthy to Texas for one of the Rangers' top pitching prospects, John Danks, and Nick Masset, who is a lower-level starting prospect.  I guess Williams thinks Danks has a higher ceiling than McCarthy, but now the Sox only have 4 starters who have pitched in the bigs.  We’ll have to see how that plays out.  The rest of the team is basically the same as last year.  SS Juan Uribe has legal troubles plaguing him but should be around for when camp opens. The other move Williams might make is to deal 3B Joe Crede for that starting pitcher he needs.  Crede is coming off a career year, but the Sox have a great 3B prospect in Josh Fields, who is ready for MLB action. 

By Chris Goudey WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Ever since the Angels won the World Series in 2002 the American League West division has really been in a downward cycle.  The high-profile and successful teams in the AL have all been in the East and Central (Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Tigers), and other than the A’s making the ALCS last year, there hasn’t been a really good team in the division in the last few years.  Unfortunately for those Pacific Time Zone teams, I don’t see that changing much this year.  In my opinion, none of the four teams in the division has improved itself in the Hot Stove league, and I would hazard a guess that the division will be won by a team that wins less than 90 games.