The Philadelphia Phillies are going to have a chance to make it back to the World Series again this year. They added Placido Polanco who is a perennial .300 hitter and outstanding defender to play 3rd base. They acquired Roy Halladay, one of the top pitchers in the American League and can count on him for 20+ wins and maybe a Cy Young award. The only really weak spots I can see for the Phillies is their pitching staff. They will need to come up with something there to hold onto their National League title. If they can make another outstanding trade-deadline deal to land a top-notch starter, then their chance increases significantly. What they do have going for them is that it seems every team that can challenge them appears to have flaws. Look out for the dark horse here; the Atlanta Braves. They are off to a bad start and Jurgens going down has hurt them, but my gut feeling is that they are going to make a run.

Over in the American League, the New York Yankees are going to have their hands full. The Tampa Bay Bucs look poised to make a run at them and you can never count the Red Sox out. The Yanks are getting up there in age, but are still talented and have added a few younger players to their lineup. They also have an outstanding starting pitching staff, but not only will they have to contend with teams from their own division, they have to keep an eye on the Twins and Tigers from the Central Division. Minnesota has a tremendous hitting lineup and solid pitching, while Detroit when healthy has a scary group of starters and they happen to be the youngest group of starters in Major League baseball. Their lineup is tough 1 through 5 but then really drops off. Getting Carlos Guillen back from the DL and straightening out young power hitting catcher Alex Avila would in my opinion make them the favorites. In the American League there is just too much for the Yanks to contend with.

If the playoffs will start now May 30, 2010 in the Philippines, New York Yankees could clinch the wild card berth, and division winners Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays will also automatically earn slots in the post season in the American League. The greatest obstacle of the Yankees would be the Rays since they are playing well and currently totes a nice win-loss slate, which is best in the American League.
Over at the National League, division winners Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres and wild card St.Louis Cardinals will slug out for one of the finals berth in the World Series. If in case Philadelphia reigns supreme here, the grand showdown with Yankees may materialize.
There is a small possibility that the two teams will meet in the finals, but the possibility that both of them will not face in the finals is even greater.
I reckon that the New York has about 25% percent of making it to the finals the same chance the Philadelphia has.

The Tampa Bay Rays will beat the Yankees in the play-offs to represent the American League in the World Series. They are younger and less injury prone than the Yanks. They have better starting pitching top to bottom. And their line-up this year has a lot less holes. The Rays needed to get off to a hot start and they did exactly that. They will not be stopped this year.

I think the plain and simple odds tell me the Phillies will not make it back to the Series . . . again! But its hard to see them getting beat if they are healthy come play-off time. I do think they will get beat this year, just because of a tougher road this year in the NL. The Cards are pitching well to start the season and will be tough. They Padres have come out of nowhere but I think they will fade. I think if the Giants can make the play-offs they will be a tough out with those two aces back to back. And I think the Reds have the ability to be the Rays of 2008. You have to like their chances if they can make the playoffs Bailey and Cueto in games 1 & 2 & 6 & 7 will be very tough. I think one of those teams will beat the Phills this year (but I wouldn't put any money against them!)

I like the Rays to win it all this year

I think the Philadelphia Phillies are simply too good for the other teams in the National League to knock off in a short series. The only way someone is going to the World Series instead of the Philies, they are going to have to fold so badly that they don’t even make the playoffs. If there is one National League team that seems like they might have a shot of knocking off the Phils it would be the St. Louis Cardinals but they have started to really struggle lately, and aren’t looking like world beaters.

In the American League I think it will either be the Tampa Bay Rays or the Minnesota Twins the Twins have quite a few top notch offensive players, and that lineup might be able to match up with the Yankees in a short series. The Rays seem like a really good team top to bottom. They have a great pitching staff, and a prominent offense and should be in the World Series chase all season.