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The AL: Red Sox have a united Nation

Koichi Kamoshida, Getty Images

Former Twins slugger David Ortiz hit .332 with 35 home runs and 117 RBI last year for Boston despite knee trouble that required surgery in the offseason.

2008 TWINS PREVIEW A solid mix of veterans and young talent will make Boston dangerous again.

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: March 29, 2008 - 3:38 PM

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PREDICTING AL AWARD WINNERS

MVP: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees

Rookie of the Year: Daric Barton, Athletics

Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia, Indians

Manager of the Year: Terry Francona, Red Sox

Batting champ: Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners

Home run champ: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees

Saves leader: Jonanthan Papelbon, Red Sox

Comeback player: Francisco Liriano, Twins

2008 TWINS SEASON PREVIEW THE RANKING GAME

BEST OF THE CENTRAL: Where do the Twins fit into the new-look AL Central?

JIM SOUHAN: The Twins will find it tough to even reach a third-place finish.

LINEUPS: Which team packs the most punch at the plate?

PITCHING: The Indians are loaded with talent on the mound.

MANAGERS: Where does Gardy rank?

FRONT OFFICES: Bill Smith embarks on his first season as Twins GM.

DOWN ON THE FARM: Do the Twins still own the top prospects?

BASEBALL TOWN: Patrick Reusse weighs in on Central cities.

AMERICAN LEAGUE: Even the champs have some new faces.

NATIONAL LEAGUE: The Mets are holding an ace.

THE TWINS: Five questions and more.

More from Twins

FORT MYERS, FLA. — The Red Sox won a World Series in 2004 and ended a curse.

They won again last season, proving that a championship wouldn't be as rare as a comet sighting.

Back this season with a collection of All-Star-caliber players and impressive young talent, the Red Sox could be headed to an even loftier status.

They are favored to win the AL East, and another title would give them a safe lead in the team-of-the-decade race. Then there could be talk of Red Sox Nation turning into the Red Sox Empire, ripping away the nickname given to their longtime hated rivals, the Yankees.

But it won't be easy. The Angels have added Torii Hunter and Jon Garland; the Mariners have added Erik Bedard; the Tigers have added Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis; and the Indians are very good.

Plus, the Yankees never can be counted out.

"It would be great if we could win again, but it's tough in the American League, where everyone is getting stronger," masher David Ortiz said before the Red Sox left Fort Myers for Tokyo, where Boston and Oakland split two games last week to open the season. "But why not?"

Ortiz spoke of his team's chances while an ice pack rested on his surgically repaired right knee, which kept him out of his usual crouch at the plate last season but only limited him to a .332 batting average, 35 home runs and 117 RBI.

Despite being 32, a healthy Big Papi should have plenty of pop left.

Third baseman Mike Lowell batted .324 with 21 homers and a team-high 120 RBI last season, a huge boost from a player Boston had to take from Florida in order to trade for ace righthander Josh Beckett before the 2006 season.

Beckett, by the way, was slowed in spring training by back spasms. No one is panicking in Red Sox Nation.

Righthander Curt Schilling is rehabilitating an injured shoulder, but, again, Red Sox Nation harrumphs.

They have righthander Daisuke Matsuzaka, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and a couple of prized youngsters in righthander Clay Buchholz (who threw a no-hitter last season) and lefthander Jon Lester. Former Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon signed a minor league deal during spring training and could be a key fall-back option.

They were interested in lefthander Johan Santana during the offseason, but it says something about your roster when you want someone like Santana but don't need him.

Include the impact of other young players, such as second baseman Dustin Pedroia and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, and the case can be made that Boston could be in the middle of a dominant run.

"It's been a good mix," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "I think our veterans say the same thing. The young guys come in and they know how to act. The veterans have taken them in -- they actually get a little bounce in the step because of guys like Pedroia.

"And those guys deserve credit, too, because they give the veterans the right amount of respect. When we take the field, age doesn't matter. We're the Red Sox, and that's how we view things. I don't want a caste system. We want to play baseball."

What will be determined, beginning in April, is whether the Red Sox, basking in the glow of success after decades of heartbreak, are satisfied or want more.

Can the veterans maintain their excellence and the young players reach their potential? If it happens, can anyone in the AL stop them?

"What we did last year we are proud of, justifiably so," Francona said. "But it's last year. Detroit and Minnesota don't care what we did last year and if they kick our tails we aren't going to be happy.

"The thing is, all the hoopla that surrounds this team, the veterans understand and they still play baseball. That's what's good."

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