The Spectrum: Do you feel the Boston Red Sox's starting rotation injuries are going to hurt them at all this season, especially in the beginning?
Tim Kurkjian: I think their starting pitching issues certainly aren't going to help the situation, but if any team can handle an injury to a starting pitcher, it's the Red Sox. The Schilling injury is going to hurt them more in October, should they get there. But I think it's going to give Clay Bucholtz a real chance to show what he has, which is significant stuff. If Tim Wakefield stays healthy, and Bartolo Colon looks better than what we thought he would look, I think the Red Sox pitching will be pretty good. It won't be great, not as great as we thought it would be, but I think it will be plenty good to win the division.
TS: How do you think Joe Girardi is going to do in his first season with the New York Yankees?
TK: I think he will do well and his team will make the playoffs. It certainly won't be easy given the Red Sox, the division and given that there are wild card contenders all through the American League, but I had a nice chat with him this spring, and I really sensed that he learned from some of the mistakes he made in Florida. He was a little iron-fisted there and stubborn there, and I think he knows, being a smart guy, that you can't run the Yankees the way you ran the Marlins. The Yankees are a veteran team with a bunch of guys that already know how this works and I really sense that he is much freer and more relaxed than he was in Florida, and I think that will do well for him with the Yankees.
TS: Do you think the Detroit Tigers, with their stacked lineup, will be able to score 1,000 runs this season?
TK: I have said several times that they will score 1,000 runs this year and that will put them in a select group of a dozen teams in baseball history. They are just devastating from 1-9 to the point that Brandon Inge, who hit a bunch of home runs last year, won't even have a place to play. I've also seen Miguel Cabrera, and he has a different body type from last year. He is in better shape and he has clearly made a commitment to losing some weight. If he gets even better as a hitter, the Tigers are going to be very difficult to stop as a team.
TS: How much of an impact is the Erik Bedard trade and the signing of Carlos Silva going to have for the Seattle Mariners rotation?
TK: Well, I think you can make a case that they have the best starting pitching in the American League. Bedard's stuff is a legitimate number one in the major leagues, he has sensational stuff. His acquisition takes a lot of pressure off of Felix Hernandez. Instead of being right at the top, at age 21, he could be more of a second guy, even though his stuff is sensational also. When you have Silva and Miguel Batista, who is a number five starter, that is a pretty deep rotation. I think it's going to put them in the pennant race, for the division and the wild card for the entire season.
TS: Do you see any team in the American League who might be under the radar right now that could make a push for the postseason?
TK: I know Toronto has played really well this spring, and I like what they have done, but I am not ready to say that they are going to make the playoffs. They have had two years in a row where they have done good, so it's not like they are coming out of nowhere, but I think they are going to be even better this year than they were last year and I think they are going to be a significant team in the division and the wild card. They probably will run into too many teams that are better in Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, New York, and a couple teams out west. It's a pretty strong American League right now, and even though Toronto has gotten better, I still don't think they will make the playoffs.
TS: American League picks?
TK: AL East - Red Sox, AL Central - Tigers, AL West - Angels, Wild Card - Yankees.
TS: AL Cy Young and AL MVP?
TK: Justin Verlander to win Cy Young and Miguel Cabrera to win MVP.
TS: How much of an impact does the Johan Santana trade have in helping the New York Mets heading into the season?
TK: It's significant for two reasons. He's the best pitcher in baseball, period. Secondly, he has completely changed the conversation in Port St. Lucie all spring. Normally, after the way things ended last year, all we would be talking about is the collapse of the Mets and what are you going to do to fix it? Instead, everyone is talking about Johan Santana and what he brings to the staff. His acquisition was doubly important to them. They had to add a number one and somebody that would bring a positive spin to the club, and he certainly has done that.
TS: Do you feel the Philadelphia Phillies have enough in their rotation to defend the NL East division this year?
TK: They certainly have a possibility to do that. Cole Hamels is only going to get better, even though he still has some health issues. I think Brett Myers coming back from the bullpen to the rotation gives them a starting pitcher that wasn't available in the free agent market. They have five major league starters on that team.
TS: Is Albert Pujols making the right decision on not having surgery on his elbow and helping the Cardinals?
TK: I don't think he has any other choice. The Cardinals are in trouble right now because they don't have the same offensive team that they had last year, or of course, three years ago. Their pitching is pretty shaky right now, giving how many rehabbing pitchers they have. They need Albert Pujols to be his absolute best if they have any chance to contend at all this year. Tony LaRussa told me earlier that it really didn't bother him swinging the bat, and that's what they need from him more than anything.
TS: Which starting rotation in the National League is the best?
TK: I'll take the Diamondbacks. When you have Brandon Webb and Dan Haren as your one two, that might be the best one two in the league. If Randy Johnson pitches the way that he is capable of pitching if he is healthy, he is a pretty good three. With Doug Davis and Micah Owings, they have five major league starting pitchers on their team. Most teams don't have five, but they clearly do.
TS: Do you thing the Colorado Rockies can repeat their magical performance from last season?
TK: I think they are definitely capable of making a run to the postseason. Some of their young players, including Troy Tulowitzki are only going to get better. Their defense is terrific, maybe even better than last year which broke all sorts of records. When you have a great defense, you always have a chance.
TS: How do you think Joe Torre is going to do in Los Angeles?
TK: I think he is going to do really, really well. I was there his first day of spring training when he walked in and talked to the team the first time and his presence was unmistakable. Guys looked at me and said, "Wow, that's Joe Torre." That makes a difference on a club like that that probably underachieved last year. They have a lot of talented players, including a lot of talented young players on that team. Joe is as good as there is in blending young and old and getting the best of his guys.
TS: National league picks?
TK: NL East - Mets. NL Central - Cubs. NL West - Dodgers. Wild Card - Phillies
TS: NL Cy Young and NL MVP?
TK: Brandon Webb to win the Cy Young. Chase Utley to win the MVP.
TS: Which division in all of baseball is the best from top to bottom?
TK: I would go with the AL East. First off, the Red Sox are the best team in baseball. With the finances of the Red Sox and Yankees, both teams can make a move later in the year. Plus, Toronto is better and Tampa Bay will be much better this year than year's past.
TS: With Barry Bonds still available as a free agent, do you think any team will sign him this season?
TK: I don't think anybody is going to pick him up before the season. My guess is that he won't play at all this year. Can I build the case that a contender could use him in July and call him to come in? Yeah, I can see that happening, but it is a remote possibility. There is too much baggage there and too many negatives that outweigh the positives. He is such a distraction, whether he wants to be or not, that I don't see any teams going after him and would be surprised if anybody did this summer.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
