Originally Published: September 26, 2009

Insider's MLB Kiss 'Em Goodbye

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By Buster Olney, Baseball Prospectus and Insider staff
ESPN Insider

With the season winding down, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, Baseball Prospectus and ESPN Insider have teamed up to give a smoochy goodbye to all 30 teams. Our Insiders break down what went wrong, what went right and what to look forward to.

AL EAST

Team Info Kiss 'Em Goodbye

New York Yankees

 • Roster
• Stats
• Team page		 The championship draught finally ended this year. With A-Rod and Teixeira locked up, this team could repeat. Insider»

Boston

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• Team page		 The pitching looks great again for 2010 -- the offense is another story altogether, though. Insider »

Tampa Bay

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• Team page		 The Rays need to get more consistent work out of their starters if they want to compete with the Red Sox and Yankees. Insider »

Toronto

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• Team page		 Halladay is an issue. So is Vernon Wells' contract. The young hitting nucleus isn't too bad, though. Insider »

Baltimore

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• Team page		 Baltimore needs time to let its future stars grow. But it's hard to groom young talent when you play in the beastly AL East. Insider »

AL CENTRAL

Team Info Kiss 'Em Goodbye

Minnesota

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• Team page		 Mauer. Morneau. Gardenhire. All good things. Pitching staff throws strikes: also good. Problems? Except for Morneau, the infield could use a lot of work. Insider »

Detroit

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• Team page		 Straight up? Money issues and reliever issues mean 2010 might not be pretty. Insider »

Chicago White Sox

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• Team page		 The pitching is great -- and should lead them to contend in summer 2010. The offense? Another story entirely. Insider »

Cleveland

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• Team page		 The collapse since 2007's ALCS has been massive. Can they get back on track? Yes, although it may require the end of Eric Wedge and Mark Shapiro. Insider »

Kansas City

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• Team page		 Possible AL Cy Young winner? Check. A good start this year? Check. Hope for the future? Definitely. Insider »

AL WEST

Team Info Kiss 'Em Goodbye

L.A. Angels

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• Team page		 They have solid team, but free agency for Lackey, Figgins, and Vlad now looms. Regardless of if they let them walk, this team should still compete next year. Insider »

Texas

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• Team page		 The young pitching is promising -- could Big D be becoming a baseball town? Insider free preview »

Seattle

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• Team page		 Another 200-hit season from Ichiro and King Felix = good. Overall performance = possibly lucky. They do have a lot of money coming off the books, though. Insider »

Oakland

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• Team page		 The pitching is good. The lineup? Ehh. Insider »

NL EAST

Team Info Kiss 'Em Goodbye

Philadelphia

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• Team page		 This team has all the pieces coming back. They will compete for years to come. Insider »

Florida

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• Team page		 The team has a lot of off-season money issues to work out, including Josh Johnson and Dan Uggla. There's always Hanley, though. Insider »

Atlanta

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• Team page		 The Braves are primed to let Bobby Cox retire next season a winner. Insider »

N.Y. Mets

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• Team page		 Front-office drama? Check. A spate of injuries? Check. To recover from a painful season, they'll have to revamp the pitching staff. Insider »

Washington

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• Team page		 Washington is first in war, first in peace and last in the National League. Next year they're looking to compete. Insider »

NL CENTRAL

Team Info Kiss 'Em Goodbye

St. Louis

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• Team page		 La Russa may leave. Duncan may leave. Holliday may leave. There is always pitching and Pujols, but what can be expected of STL in 2010? Insider »

Chicago Cubs

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• Team page		 The Cubs overreacted to a playoff loss last season, so this offseason will be crucial to balancing the team and the books. Insider »

Milwaukee

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• Team page		 The Brewers had problems filling some huge holes in the rotation, but can they do enough to be a .500-plus team? Insider »

Houston

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• Team page		 No chance for this team to contend in 2010 because of payroll issues and a limited farm system. However -- 2011? OK, maybe. In the meantime, there's always … LaTroy Hawkins? Insider »

Cincinnati

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• Team page		 Getting Edinson Volquez back healthy would go a long way toward helping the Reds. So would a few right moves from Dusty Baker. Insider »

Pittsburgh

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• Team page		 Not many difference-makers here. Insider »

NL WEST

Team Info Kiss 'Em Goodbye

L.A Dodgers

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• Team page		 Different year, same fate. If they can keep their core together, they should still be an elite team. Insider »

Colorado

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• Team page		 Manager Jim Tracy, hired mid-season, helped the Rockies make a surprising run to the playoffs. They will be in the mix in the NL for years to come. Insider »

San Francisco

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• Team page		 Pitching: great. Offense: anemic. Can they solve this in 2010? Insider »

San Diego

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• Team page		 Buster Olney views the 2010 Padres as a kid in a candy store -- but not necessarily in the good way. Check out what he means. Insider »

Arizona

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• Team page		 Injuries and Murphy's law buried them this year, but they still have a future -- if they can sign Brandon Webb. Insider »

    Kiss 'Em Goodbye on ESPN Insider

    Insider and Baseball Prospectus now ask: What went wrong for each MLB team, and what may the future hold? We'll be covering the playoff teams as they're eliminated, and finish off with what the World Series champs need to do to improve (hey, there's always something).Insider

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