This year the names haven't changed, but the uniforms have, so bear with me and I'll try to keep it as simple as possible.
AL East
Three words needed for the AL East preview: Red Sox, Yankees. The rivalry will be as heated as ever, especially with all the offseason moves made by both teams, but beware of those pesky Orioles. They added Sammy Sosa to an already dangerous offense, and their young pitchers are bound to mature eventually. The Yankees' starting pitching staff looks as deep and talented as ever, despite their increasing age. With five aces and no weaknesses at the plate (assuming Jason Giambi regains any semblance of his old self), the only thing stopping the Yankees from winning 120 games is George Steinbrenner going bankrupt, and we know what the chances of that happening are. The Red Sox lost Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe, or $22 million in salary to free agency, but added Matt Clement, Wade Miller and David Wells. Their offense is almost identical to last year's championship team, with a swap of Orlando Cabrera for Edgar Renteria. The AL East regular-season race may not be exciting, but one of these teams will definitely be playing in mid-October.
AL Central
Minnesota won the division last year, and that should not change this year. The Twins' starting pitching staff looks very formidable. They signed Johan Santana to a long-term deal, resigned Brad Radke and still have Carlos Silva, Joe Mays and Kyle Lohse. They have the best young catcher in the game, Joe Mauer and a dynamic outfield of Jacque Jones, Shannon Stewart, Torii Hunter and Lew Ford. With the rest of the division mediocre at best, the Twins should win in a landslide.
AL West
Once again, the West will be won in September. Oakland's revamped pitching staff will not be as good or dominant as it has been in previous years, but the A's will still be highly competitive. People around the league continually praise Rich Harden as having the most talent of any pitcher in the AL, and he's still only 23 years old. That's a scary thought. The A's may not win the West this year, but with all their young talent, there's no reason for them not to be a powerhouse in the second half of the decade. The Angels still have their core back from last year and added Orlando Cabrera at the expense of diminuitive David Eckstein. Additionally, any team with a guy named Chone has my approval. Texas has no pitching and will not win the division.
NL East
The Braves, despite winning 13 straight division titles, are probably no one's favorite to win the division. The Mets are the sexy, exciting choice, but I still like the Braves. John Smoltz might have the biggest impact of any starting pitcher on any team, and the addition of Tim Hudson makes them the best one-two punch in baseball. I just can't say anything about the Braves that is remotely negative. The Mets, if they do not beat out the Braves, will most likely be the wildcard in the NL barring some serious injuries and under-production. Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel, Victor Zambrano and Kris Benson are very able starting pitchers. David Wright is ready and willing to have a breakout season, and the Mets' defense is one of the best assembled in my lifetime. If they don't lead the league in fielding percentage, stolen bases and double plays, then it's been a disappointing season for the Mets. The Marlins may not make the playoffs, but they will be exciting to watch. Once again, though, it all boils down to a healthy pitching staff. Carlos Delgado, Miguel Cabrera and Mike Lowell will provide the offense, but does this team have the leadership necessary to win this year?
NL Central
St. Louis is once again loaded. The Cardinals will win the Central for all the obvious reasons, but how can they not be looking over their shoulders at the Cubs? Some year Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Carlos Zambrano will all be healthy, and that's scary, especially because Greg Maddux is still kicking around the Windy City.
NL West
Honestly, I have no idea who will win the NL West. I like San Diego, but they are MLB's version of the Clippers and Bengals. They always have a lot of good young players, but they never keep them, and they never win. The Giants added Moises Alou to protect Barry Bonds; but from my calculations, every one of their starters is over 30 years old and five are at least 37! Unless every one of those guys has been training with Greg Anderson in the offseason, I just don't see them staying healthy for all 162 games.
Division Winners
AL:Yankees, Twins, Angels
NL: Braves, Cardinals, Padres
Wildcards: Red Sox, Mets
World Series: Red Sox over Mets in a seventh game pitching duel between Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez. Can't I dream?