@ 77yankees:
I said 85 wins if the get Tillman, Matusz and Wieters; meaning, if all three show good progress this year, each one could be a 3-5 game improvement over what the O’s had last year.

Hence: 15 games.

McPhail better send a thank you card to Bill Bavazi… The Bedard trade is the gift that keeps on giving

I give Cash Man credit. He’s right about the Os. Nice evaluation by him. With what Mac Phail has been doing, it will reap dividends in the near future. They have the pitching prospects so let’s see what happens.They can hit really well and that’s at least something BUT it’s still arguably one third of the equation in terms of being a total team on all levels.

I also like what Anthopoulos (in his short tenure thus far) has done with Toronto. Ricciardi already had brought up a gaggle of good young pitchers and he’s traded for some more potential talent. Toronto is slightly ahead of the Os in terms of the pitching development whereas the Os can hit and the Jays are weak in that department.

@ 77 Yankees, 76 wins might be where they are at. I think the Blackbirds might hit .500 this year. As for Bluebirds,65 wins would be right for them. I see both of these teams actually becoming dominant in the 2012 season. It would be like a blast from the past to see Balty and TO back at the top of the charts so to speak. I remember the Oriole Way and Cashman did a nice job of assessing the situation.

I think 85 may be pushing it. I think with the loss of Halladay, the Orioles will certainly leapfrog Toronto, maybe get in the 76 win range or close to .500.

And if Carl Crawford leaves Tampa in the off season, then I can see Baltimore jumping them and joining the Yankee/Sox triumverate in 2011.

Agreed.

The keys are Tillman, Matusz, and then they need Wieters to develop as projected to anchor the offense.

If they get those three things, they’re an 85-win team right now. Even in this division.