Philadelphia Freedom: The Phillies' championship should free fans there from their unique brand of angst. Still, they will have plenty to be angstious about. Can Chase Utley (hip surgery) and Cole Hamels (elbow inflammation) rebound from injuries? Can Brad Lidge stay perfect? What happens if Ryan Howard hits only 30 home runs and strikes out 250 times? Can Raul Ibañez replace Pat Burrell's bat? No team has repeated since the Yankees back in 2000, and the Phillies are unlikely to prove an exception.

The AL Beast:Baseball Prospectus picked three AL East teams to finish with the three best records in the American League—the only teams in the league predicted to surpass 90 wins. If the Prospectus wise guys have it right, Tampa Bay would be odd team out of the playoffs with 92 wins.

The Tampa of 2009: Last year I gave you Tampa Bay and Milwaukee as long-shot contenders. Clearly, I should rest on my laurels. Instead, I give you the Minnesota Twins and the Florida Marlins. Baseball, in the post-steroids era, is a young man's and, therefore, a young team's game.

Second Century: There is no reason, at least on paper, that the Chicago Cubs can't break baseball's eternal curse. Then again, there was no reason last year either, when the Cubs won a National League–best 97 games and got swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs are loaded again, though one has to wonder why they would add a hitter, Milton Bradley, who is even more combustible than the manager, Lou Piniella. Worry for everyone's safety if those two ever get into it.

Defense: As new statistical tools emerge for measuring defensive performance, teams are taking note. Offensive talents like Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn and Manny Ramirez all paid a contractual price for their now documented defensive liabilities. Conversely, Detroit sacrificed offense to shore up its infield with Adam Everett, an anemic hitter but a defensive whiz at shortstop. New defensive stats exposed a Yankee weakness that fans have suspected for years: team icon Derek Jeter's limited range makes him the worst-fielding shortstop in the game. Ultimately he compromises the huge investment in starting pitching.

The WBC Effect: Teams were wary of sending players go to Bud Selig's pet tournament, the World Baseball Classic. And seeing U.S. stars Chipper Jones, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Ryan Braun all slowed by injuries during the WBC won't change minds. Teams are particularly worried about pitchers who got too much work or not enough. But how about a shout-out to Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka: two WBC tourneys, a 6-0 record, two championships and two MVP trophies.