The Twins won 87 games to clinch the AL Central playing in the final season of their longtime baseball home. With the opening of a brand new stadium in downtown Minneapolis, and the return of 2009 MVP Joe Mauer and 2006 MVP Justin Morneau, the Twins are optimistic they can clinch a sixth division title in the last nine years in 2009.

The Chicago White Sox and MLB odds may feel differently.

A pitching staff that finished second in combined ERA by American League starters a year ago will get a boost from a full season with Jake Peavy in the rotation. Peavy was 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA down the stretch after missing time from June through August with an ankle injury. Chicago also added JJ Putz, with hopes that the setup man who excelled with the Mariners from 2006-08 can bounce back from an awful 2009 season with the Mets.

The White Sox will also have right-fielder Carlos Quentin back at full health after injuries plagued his 2009 campaign. A.J. Pierzynski is playing for a new contract, and if Alex Rios can bounce back after his terrible performance down the stretch the offense should be just good enough to help Chicago bounce Minnesota from the top spot in the division.

The Detroit Tigers may have been the best team in the division in 2009, but fell a game short after a horrible betting tips collapse down the stretch, which was highlighted by first basemen Maglio Ordonez’s meltdown. Ordonez’s personal life intertwined with his performance over the Tigers final two series and may just have cost the team the division title.

How well the team is able to bounce back from the psychological effect of last season’s turmoil will go a long way in determining where Detroit finishes in 2010. However, the Tigers lack a true hitter in the cleanup spot, and there are too many question marks in the starting rotation to compete with the White Sox and Twins.

The Kansas City Royals boast perhaps the AL Central’s best top-three pitching units in Zack Grienke, Gil Meche, and Brian Bannister. Despite compiling only 16 wins in 2009, Grienke dominated his way to a Cy Young award, and the only reason for his low wins total was a lack of run support. A bounce back from that lack of help from the offense will be the key if the Royal are going to become a legitimate baseball picks contender down the stretch, which could happen with the continued emergence of Billy Butler, and the drive that playing for a new contract should give Jose Guillen.

The Cleveland Indians will be locked in the basement of the AL Central this season. Question marks in both the order and the rotation will continue to plague the Indians, who watched a pair of former starters do battle in last year’s World Series when New York’s CC Sabathia battled Philadelphia’s Cliff Lee.

1.) TIM LINCECUM

15-7, 2.48 ERA, 261K, 1.05 WHIP

Tim exploded onto the scene in 2008 as an under-the-radar pitcher following a 2007 season which did not woo anyone. Tim is the clear #1 this year after ranking 2nd in strikeouts and 3rd in ERA.

2.) ZACK GRIENKE

16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242K, 1.07 WHIP

This 2009 Cy Young winner was simply dominant in the the first two months of the season before encountering some struggles in June. However, Grienke ended the season strong. This 6th round pick in 2002 is no longer a steal as he is on everyone’s radar this season and will likely be picked up as the #2 pitcher.

3.) FELIX HERNANDEZ

19-5, 2.49 ERA, 217K, 1.17 WHIP

Despite being on a weak Seattle team King Hernandez still managed 19 wins. He’s just a workhorse who ranks 3rd in innings pitched. He’ll deliver on wins, ERA, and strikeouts.

4.) ROY HALLADAY

17-10, 2.79 ERA, 208K, 1.13 WHIP

With a new home in Philadelphia, Halladay should be absolutely dominant in the NL.  If he can manage 17 wins and an ERA below 3.0 in a division with the Yankees and Red Sox, imagine what he can do with the Phillies.

5.) DAN HAREN

14-10, 3.14 ERA, 223K, 1.00 WHIP

You could make the case for Johan Santana or C.C. Sabathia, but I love Dan Haren since he’s on my squad in a keepers league.  Although he didn’t deliver on the wins last season, his team is getting better and his strikeouts and WHIP make up for the lack of wins.

6.) JOHAN SANTANA

13-9, 3.13 ERA, 146K, 1.21 WHIP

Obviously Santana would be in the #2 spot if it wasn’t for his injury. Santana had surgery on the elbow of his throwing arm on September 1.  You’ll want to pay attention to his March 9 spring start to see how he is progressing from the surgery.

7.) C.C. SABATHIA

19-8, 3.37 ERA, 197K, 1.15 WHIP

Many who drafted Sabathia last year were hoping for a better ERA, but he delivered tons of wins and should only be better in his 2nd season under the New York City spotlight.

8.) CLIFF LEE

14-13, 3.22 ERA, 181K, 1.24 WHIP

As a Philadelphia Phillies fan, it was an absolute pleasure to watch Cliff Lee pitcher after he was traded to the Phillies.  He delivered amazing numbers with the Phils, but is now with the Mariners after the Phillies traded to acquire Roy Halladay.  Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young winner, should still perform well enough to warrant being in the top 10.

9.) JUSTIN VERLANDER

19-9, 3.45 ERA, 269K, 1.18 WHIP

Following a horrific 2008 season, Verlander is back and he led the MLB in strikeouts.  Whatever his issues were that led to a 4.84 ERA in 2008 have likely been worked out and you can hope for another monster season from Verlander.

10.) JON LESTER

15-8, 3.41 ERA, 225K, 1.23 WHIP

A great young pitcher who will only continue to improve.  He went from 152 K’s in 2008 to 225 K’s in 2009.

ON THE BUBBLE:

11.) MATT CAIN

14-8, 2.89 ERA, 171K, 1.18 WHIP

People were catching onto Matt Cain last season and he was a steal in last year’s draft.  Now that he’s on everyone’s radar, he’s earned a pick in the top 10 amongst pitchers.

12.) COLE HAMELS

10-11, 4.32 ERA, 168K, 1.29 WHIP

Last year’s numbers aren’t very compelling.  I’m confident Hammels will return to his 2008 form when he had 3.09 ERA with 196K’s and a 14-10 record.

13.) ADAM WAINRIGHT

19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212K, 1.21 WHIP

Extremely impressive numbers in 2009, but you’re left wondering whether Wainright is a one year wonder or not.

It won’t be long before sports betting turns to Major League Baseball. The baseball talk can start with an American League West preview and look at the sportsbook reviews of the way things should stack up in that division in 2010.

Last year the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim clobbered the division by finishing 10 games ahead of second place Texas. If you bet on sports then you know that baseball teams change constantly during the off-season, and what happened last year may not be the case this year.

The Angles lost Vlad Guerrero to division rival Texas, and with Guerrero went some of the Angels’ home run power. To make up for that hitting loss the Angels picked up Hideki Matsui. But one Matsui does not equal one Guerrero, so the Angles have lost some pop in their offense. On the mound the Angels lost Jose Arredondo and Darren Oliver. Oliver wound up with Texas as well, and while Oliver is not the most consistent reliever in the league he does throw strikes.

To make up for the changes on the mound the Angels brought in two right-handed pitchers in Fernando Rodney and Joel Pineiro. Now the Angels’ bullpen is down an experienced left-handed reliever, and that opens them up to late inning heroics from right-handed hitters.

The Texas Rangers, on the other hand, look poised to finally shake that aura of being a boring team that never finishes strong. Nolan Ryan is part of the Rangers ownership group, and the fans in Texas are getting excited at the prospects of 2010. So far in the off-season the Rangers have added Vlad Guerrero, Darren Oliver, and pitcher Colby Lewis. They lost Kevin Millwood, but they seem to have enough strength on the mound to make up for Millwood’s loss. The Rangers added power, the put right-handed pitching in the bullpen to compensate for the left-handed power in the American League and they have a new attitude.

The Seattle Mariners continue to grasp at straws as they bring in noted hot-head Milton Bradley. The Mariners addressed some of their pitching problems by bringing in Cliff Lee, but the holes in the Mariners’ starting rotation are big enough to drive a truck through and Lee will help but he is not enough to be the answer. Once again the best hitter in baseball, Ichiro, will be buried in a bad team in Seattle.

The Oakland Athletics finished 12 games under .500 last season, and they will have to rally to do that well in 2010.

The balance of power is shifting in the American League West. Followers of Major League Baseball could sense a change coming in Texas, especially when Nolan Ryan got involved. Now it is time to see if the new power, the new pitching and the new attitude will carry the Rangers to the playoffs. They have a weakened Angels team to get past, and they should be able to do that without much problem. The Angels are the favorite to win the division, but it ain’t gonna happen with the changes that have been made.

Pick: Texas Rangers

Johnny Damon

Damon didn’t want to take a pay cut to stay in New York after helping the Yankees to the World Series last year, his second ring after winning with the rival Red Sox from Boston in 2004. Damon hit 24 homers, his third time with 20 home runs or more, and he had the second-best slugging percentage of his career, even though he struck more than ever before. But the Yankees weren’t willing to pay the $13 million a year Damon was charging, and apparently, neither did anyone else. So Damon took a pay cut of $5 million for one year in Detroit, a team in need of some veteran leadership. They’re also in need of an outfielder after the Yankees signed Curtis Granderson, their All-Star, and Damon wants to show that he is still an everyday player. He’ll likely bat near the top of the lineup for the Tigers, whose offense struggled last year, and Damon could be the spark they need.

Derek Jeter

US sportsboook odds (US sportsbook reviews) are backing the Yankees to repeat as World Series champions, and if they still have their captain, that’s a good bet. Jeter, who has been with the Yankees his whole career and the captain since 2003, was an MVP candidate, coming in third in batting average, fourth in runs scored, second in hits, and he was 20^th in walks drawn. It’s difficult to imagine Jeter, along with Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada (Andy Pettitte, the last of the “Yankee Four”, went to Houston for a couple of seasons) in anything other than pinstripes, and the Yankees would like to sign their captain to an extension as he enters the final year of a 10-year, $189 million deal. The Yankees have a policy of not discussing new deals until a current contract expires, and Jeter says he has no problem with that, being a student of Yankee traditions. But it’s not going to stop the media from speculating where Jeter will be in 2011, and you have to wonder if it will affect the team, particularly Jeter, who is famous for his ability to focus. We all know the Yankees have no problem paying whatever they have to, so it’s likely that Jeter will retire in pinstripes, meaning the Yankees’ baseball odds are safe for this year.

Houston Astros Win Arbitration With Wandy Rodriguez

The Houston Astros don’t have a ton of pitching, which is why it is important that they take care of Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez. On Wednesday, they came to terms with Rodriguez, although they had to go through arbitration to get the job done.

Rodriguez wanted a big deal but the reality is that the 31-year-old lefty only has a couple of good seasons under him and he isn’t exactly very young.

Rodriguez had a fantastic 3.02 ERA last year and his 14-12 record is more indicative of where the Astros were than where he was. He has clearly established himself as the Astros second-best starter and if he has another good year, he’ll get the long term deal he’s looking for either from Houston or elsewhere.

Cliff Lee Shows Up To Mariners Camp With Bandaged Foot

Online betting cappers know that the Seattle Mariners were part of one of the biggest offseason moves when they acquired Cliff Lee and on Wednesday, he arrived to camp. Unfortunately for the Mariners, he wasn’t exactly in tip-top shape.

Lee showed up to camp with a bandaged foot following surgery on February 5^th to remove a bone spur. The 31-year-old lefty should be fine by the time the real action starts and he is in pretty good shape as is.

Combined with Felix Hernandez, the Mariners will be in very good shape to be a contender in the American League in 2010.

Pressure Is Off The Yankees?

Baseball betting fans know that the New York Yankees are heading into 2010 with far less pressure than they had in 2009. Their manager is no longer on the hot seat, their big bat Alex Rodriguez isn’t being questioned about performance enhancing drugs and their owner isn’t wondering when the big expenses will finally come down.

The Yankees should have plenty of fun in the early part of 2010, which is something they didn’t do early in 2009 and they could get off to a much better start. They are the team to beat once again as we head into the season.

New York (+175)

The defending World Series champions have to be the favorites to repeat, and the key to the pitching is, once again, A.J. Burnett. The Yankees know they’ll get a great season out of C.C. Sabathia, but when Burnett is on, the Yankees have an elite staff. Picking up Javier Vazquez is a big risk/reward move, but it’s New York, that’s what they do. The Yankees acquired Curtis Granderson from Detroit to shore up the outfield, while Nick Johnson is another bat in a lineup with Alex Rodriguez, Mark Texieira and Derek Jeter.

Boston (+300)

The Red Sox signed John Lackey to join a rotation with Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and the improving Clay Buchholz, and if Daisuke Matsuzaka can get his act together, Boston will have a rotation to rival anyone. The Red Sox will hope that Adrian Beltre can reclaim his past form, but the Boston offense still centers around the ability of Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury on the basepaths. It could also be the final season for David Ortiz in Beantown.

Tampa Bay (+1200)
The Rays took a step back after their thrilling World Series run a couple of years ago, but there’s still enough talent that we’re betting management has high hopes for 2010. There’s still a young pitching staff headed by James Shields, Matt Garza and David Price, who was inconsistent in his rookie year. The lineup is powered by Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena, but they need B.J. Upton to be more consistent.

Baltimore (+3000)

Kevin Millwood signed with the Orioles in the offseason after a solid year in Texas, but outside of Jeremy Guthrie, there isn’t much on the Baltimore roster in terms of pitching. Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Luke Scott form an underrated outfield, while Brian Roberts continues to put in good work at second base. Until the pitching proves that it can hang in the East, stay away from the Orioles.

Toronto (+3500)

The Blue Jays are in full-on rebuilding mode after trading Roy Halladay to Philadelphia, but the deal had to be done, and Kyle Drabek has gotten rave reviews as a prospect. Led  by Ricky Romero, there aren’t many teams that have the wealth of young pitchers that Toronto have, but they’ve been bitten by injuries in recent years. If Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan can come back healthy, Toronto’s starters will be alright. Aaron Hill and Adam Lind had breakout years in 2009, while the Blue Jays need Vernon Wells to rebound from injuries. You don’t need to worry about Toronto’s baseball betting odds for a few years yet.

Tim Lincecum

“The Freak” is still under contract with the San Francisco Giants until 2013, but this was his first year that he could apply for arbitration, and the two-time reigning Cy Young winner has done just that. Lincecum is a absolute steal at $650,000 right now, and the Giants know they’re going to have to pay if they want to keep him. Lincecum wants $13 million a season, while the Giants want to give only $8 million, and all the while, contract talks for a long-term deal are still going on. This is similar to the Ryan Howard saga, as Howard was awarded $10 million from Philadelphia, who had offered him $7 million in arbitration after he had been making $900,000 as the National League MVP. Howard eventually signed a three-year deal, and the Giants would do well to do the same with Lincecum, because someone will pay him, and the Giants’ betting odds would be as good as an online super casino.

Chien-Ming Wang

Wang is still on the market after five years with the Yankees, but after two straight 19-win seasons, the right-hander suffered various injuries over the last couple of seasons and was not offered a new contract in New York. Reportedly, Washington, the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers are all interested in the 29-year-old, who has yet to throw off a mound. A healthy Wang would be a big boost to any team’s sportsbook odds, as he has proven to be very effective. However, he was very reliant on his sinker and many people think that teams simply caught on to him. First, he has to prove his health.

Johnny Damon

Damon was also booted out of New York after refusing to take a salary less than the $13 million he was making, and Detroit, Tampa Bay and Atlanta have all made offers to the 36-year-old. The biggest offer has come from the Tigers, who are offering a year at $7 million, and you have to wonder if Damon is worth that big of an investment at this stage in his career. He was a very good teammate in New York and made some big plays during the Yankees’ World Series run, but there was no way he was ever making double digits in millions anymore, especially when teams aren’t sure he’s even an everyday player anymore. He definitely won’t be one of the top fantasy baseball picks, either.

Verlander re-signed with the Detroit Tigers in a five-year, $80 million deal, and this was a move the Tigers needed to make after trading Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson away. After a poor 2008 in which some thought Verlander had lost it, the right-hander came back with a vengenance, posting a 19-9 record in 35 starts with a 3.45 ERA and three complete games. He led the American League in strikeouts while pitching a career-high 240 innings, which also paced the American League. In Verlander, the Tigers have a bonafide ace and a possible 20-win guy who will be among the favorites to win the Cy Young award, and he also seems to be smart enough not to blow this massive contract in a super casino. With second-year pitcher Rick Porcello coming on, the Tigers should have a great one-two punch at the top of the rotation.

Kevin Gregg wasn’t all that successful with the Chicago Cubs, finishing 5-6 with a 4.72 ERA and 23 saves, and he left the Windy City to head north to Toronto, where he signed a deal for one year and $2.75 million. Gregg will be trying to take over the closer’s role in Toronto, a spot that was filled by platoon since B.J. Ryan was let go by the team.  Scott Downs and Jason Frasor are the main competition for Gregg, who is used to having to fight for his role. Gregg battled with Carlos Marmol last year, and Marmol came away with the job, going 2-4 with 15 saves and a 3.41 ERA.  Those don’t look like good numbers, but Marmol was a perfect 11-of-11 in save opportunities after he was given the closer’s job. The Cubs rewarded him with a one-year deal at $2.125 million, and the 27-year-old is heading into the prime of his career, while Gregg is 31 years old and at the tail end of his. The Cubs struggled badly in the bullpen until Marmol came along and took the job away from Gregg, which can’t be encouraging news for Toronto, but he has to be an improvement over a bullpen that couldn’t hold a lead to save its life in 2009.  Players may look to Marmol in their fantasy baseball guide this year.