If the Major League Baseball season continues to shake up like it has we could be in for a very special treat. Many Major League teams are adding to the excitement that we see night in and night out, but it remains to be seen what teams will have enough to withstand the tough month of September and stay alive. Let’s take a look at this year’s pretenders and contenders for the upcoming dramatic playoff race.

A.L. Pretenders:
Tampa Bay Rays- I feel really bad for putting the Rays in this spot, but I don’t see them making it out alive in the A.L. East. The Red Sox will find some way to make this thing close before September comes. If stud third baseman Evan Longoria and closer Troy Percival can get off the DL sooner rather than later the Rays could have a chance, but putting everything on Carlos Pena and Australian Grant Balfour is a tough thing to ask.

Minnesota Twins- Tip your hat to the Twins for staying in it this long. Losing Santana and Hunter gave the image of a losing year back in Spring Training, however the emergence of young pitchers such as Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey have kept the Twins floating. The main problem with the Twins lies with the lineup outside of All-Stars Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. The Twins will take on the Mariners and Oakland this week in a 7 game west coast swing; games in which they need to play well in to stay on top of the division.

N.L. Pretenders:
Philadelphia Phillies- The Phillies leader in wins is Jamie Moyer. Ouch. This squad has no pitching outside Cole Hamels and Moyer. And please don’t sit here and tell me that fat ass Joe Blanton was the answer to the Phillies pitching problems. They made a weak push for Rich Harden and are quickly learning that Blanton’s cheese curd fastball can’t hold much to Harden’s dominance. Their lineup is stacked, but their rotation isn’t. Balanced teams make the playoffs. The blue collar working class of Philadelphia will once again have to hope the Mets collapse in a New York minute (or seven games in seventeen days like last year).

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Hosts: Sonny and Ryan. In this episode, Sonny and I discussed the American League Central, one of baseball’s deepest divisions. After blowing a 3-1 lead in the ALCS, can the Cleveland Indians ride their two Cy Young Award candidates back into the postseason? Or will the new-look Tigers, bolstered by the acquisition of Miguel Cabrera, return to the playoffs after a one-year absence? Also, how will the Twins fare after losing the two faces of their franchise? All of this and more on the Sportable Spot!

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Twinkies Trying to Pick up the Pieces. For the last few years, the Twins have been a Major League Baseball anomaly: A small-market team that produces superstars from within and competes with the big boys. However, this offseason served as a reminder that cash rules all. In the offseason, the Twins lost the two faces of their franchise, largely due to financial reasons. Outfielder Torii Hunter signed with the Angels for $90 million and former Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana was traded to the Mets shortly before he signed with them for $137 million.

Bats. With a handful of positions breaking in new players in 2008, the Twins lineup has a very different look about it. Let’s start with the positives. 2006 MVP Justin Morneau and 2006 AL Batting Champion Joe Mauer are back. Injuries limited Mauer to just 109 games last season, but if he’s healthy again, he should be around .330. Morneau’s power numbers remained strong, but I’m still concerned with his average falling 50 points. Now, with Hunter’s protection out of the lineup, Morneau may be hard-pressed to replicate that .321 average from 2006. The Twins will need new outfielder Delmon Young, brought over in the Matt Garza trade, to continue his development. As a rookie, Young played in all 162 games for the Devil Rays, putting up a solid .288-13-93 line. Provided he doesn’t suffer a sophomore slump, Young should help ease the loss of Mr. Hunter.

Aside from that potential Big Three, the Twinkies lineup lacks the depth of a Detroit or Cleveland. Michael Cuddyer, one of the league’s biggest surprises in 2006, saw his numbers fall in every single category last season. Is he a .284-24-109 player or is he closer to last year’s player that put up a meager .276-16-81? Time will tell. Former Houston butt buddies, Mike Lamb and Adam Everett, arrive in the Twin Cities after several seasons together in the Lone Star State. They signed a day apart from each other, which would be a cute story if the two guys didn’t suck complete ass. The Twins’ infield has one requirement: you must be an Anglo-Saxon. Behind Everett, Lamb and mediocre 2nd baseman Nick Punto sit two more crappy white guys in Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris.

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After months of teases and rumors, it appears the Johan Santana saga has finally been resolved. Reports say Santana is on his way to the New York Mets, pending a six or seven year contract extension. The Mets reportedly dealt four prospects, most notable outfielder Carlos Gomez, to Minnesota in exchange for the dominant lefty.

It had appeared to be a foregone conclusion that Santana was on his way to the Red Sox or Yankees, so this news comes as a bit of a surprise. But after Hank Steinbrenner and the Yanks flip-flopped their way out of negotiations, the Red Sox clearly lost the ability to fight for the best pitcher in the game, which left the Mets. And suddenly, that Mets rotation goes from “questionable” to pretty formidable. Johan, Pedro (if healthy), John Maine, Oliver Perez and El Duque? Not bad, not bad at all.

While I don’t claim to be an authority on the Mets’ minor league affiliates, doesn’t this deal pale in comparison to the ones offered by Boston and the Yankees? Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury were included in earlier proposals by the AL East powerhouses. Hell, the Mets’ offer doesn’t even include Fernando Martinez, the top prospect in their system. And Phil Humber, the top pitcher in the deal, is just a year removed from Tommy John Surgery.

What’s this do for the league’s balance of power? Probably very little. While this move might make the Mets the class of the National League East, they’re still a well behind the American League powers. And while the Twins have a great reputation for developing young players, it’s safe to say their offseason waiting game bit them in the ass this time.

When teams first entered the lottery for a possible shot at trading for Johan Santana, it made my mind ponder the various pitching rotations that could go from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ with Santana’s acquisition. As this off-season has worn on and most marquee players have landed in new destinations, Santana still belongs to the Twins. Santana isn’t special; he’s just another player in baseball. The thing about Johan, however, is that when he wakes up and yawns, he yawns excellence. When he puts his pants on, he does it to the tune of two Cy Young awards. The Twins know this.

Any leverage that the Twins had in dealing Johan slowly lowers as the days pass. They aren’t trading the best pitcher in the game. Why do that? Why shoot your season in the foot before you even get started? The Red Sox offer remains on the table as does the Yankees and Mets. Don’t let Hank Steinbrenner fool you with deadlines and reports of pulling deals off the table; he’s awful at bluffing.

So where does this leave us? It’s doubtful any of these teams is going to cave in and take their offer over the top; nobody’s done it to this point so why fold now. So forget any notions that Santana will be throwing the first pitch at Fenway or Shea or Yankee Stadium this season. It’s not going to happen.

This brilliant video was recommended to us by our friend Derek. While the Minnesota Twins might be eliminated from the playoffs, Torii Hunter is clearly still working on perfecting his swing. Check out the kids faces at the end. Hilarious.