AL East tops chart for wins

The New York Yankees paid a high price to get first baseman Mark Teixeira, a low-maintenance superstar sure to make more headlines on the field than off it.

Throw in ace left-hander CC Sabathia, and the Yankees are better armed to battle the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays in a highly competitive American League East.

According to the regular-season win totals posted by the Las Vegas Hilton, three of the major leagues' top five teams reside in the same division. The Yankees and Red Sox share the top spot at 941/2 wins, with the defending AL champion Rays at 89.

"The Rays may take a step back because the Red Sox and Yankees are going to be better than they were last year. They both could win 100 games," handicapper Dave Cokin said. "Talk about an overloaded division. I feel bad for Toronto and Baltimore because those teams are going to be out of it by May.

"It's very possible the Rays could have the third-best record in the AL and not make the playoffs."

The Hilton has the Yankees as 7-2 favorites to win the World Series, followed by Boston (5-1) and the Chicago Cubs (6-1).

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will begin the season on the disabled list with a right hip injury. He is expected to miss about a month, following an offseason of steroid denials and other assorted distractions.

After missing the playoffs, the Yankees signed Teixeira for $180 million. He hit .308 with 33 home runs and 121 RBIs last year.

"Teixeira is a huge upgrade at first base," Cokin said. "The Yankees are real good unless A-Rod can't play, which is possible, and that will impact them. It's debatable as to how effective he'll be the rest of the year."

Sabathia signed for $161 million, and the Yankees also added right-hander A.J. Burnett through free agency to a rotation that includes Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain.

Cokin (jimfeist.com) said the Yankees' rotation ranks second to the Red Sox's top five of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Brad Penny and Tim Wakefield.

In the AL West, the Los Angeles Angels are the favorites. But their rotation is depleted by injuries to John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar.

"I think the Angels are going to have some trouble. They are going into the season with a beat-up rotation, and they might get off to a slow start," said Cokin, who bet the Angels under their win total of 891/2, which since has dropped to 871/2.

The Oakland Athletics, who boosted their lineup by acquiring Jason Giambi and Matt Holliday, appear to be second in the division.

"I'm not buying into Oakland as much as some people," Cokin said.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are Cokin's team to beat in the National League West. The Dodgers' win total is 85, one lower than the Arizona Diamondbacks' total.

The Dodgers re-signed slugger Manny Ramirez, and youngsters Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw figure prominently in manager Joe Torre's pitching rotation.

"Torre never misses the playoffs, and I don't think he will this year, either," Cokin said. "I would make the Dodgers the favorite in the division. I think they are better than Arizona.

"I do like the team, and I like the manager. Torre manages on an even keel. I've never been a fan of the super-intense managers, and maybe that's part of the problem with the Cubs."

The San Diego Padres, who lost pitcher Greg Maddux to retirement, are projected to be one of baseball's worst teams. The Padres have an ace in Jake Peavy, but the rotation is shallow, and the lineup is feeble.

"The Padres should lose 100 games. They are a disaster," Cokin said. "The Padres were mathematically eliminated on the first day of spring training."

In the NL Central, Cokin said he expects the St. Louis Cardinals to emerge and challenge the Cubs, who won a league-best 97 games last year under the guidance of fiery manager Lou Piniella.

The Cubs, knocked out of the playoffs by the Dodgers, signed hot-tempered outfielder Milton Bradley to hit between Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.

The New York Mets, with a win total of 89, could block the Philadelphia Phillies' bid to repeat as World Series champions in the NL East.

But Cokin questioned the Mets' signing of former Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez and their recent addition of aging outfielder Gary Sheffield.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.