1. When will Barry Bonds be back?
Barry Bonds' surgically repaired knee could keep him out until midseason, or might even snuff out his entire year. Of course, there are rumblings that he could still adhere to his original timetable and be back in late May.
Discerning truth from rumor is difficult at this stage. What hangs in the balance are his team's fortunes and his ongoing assault on history. Without a healthy and effective Bonds, the Giants haven't a whit of a scintilla of a whiff of a semblance of a prayer of competing in the NL West.
Also, Bonds needs only 12 homers to pass Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. If he misses the entire year, his chances of catching Hank Aaron will take a serious hit.
2. Is it finally the Phillies' year?
The Phillies have had a talented core in place for a couple of seasons now. That's yielded them exactly zero playoff appearances.
The NL East is a balanced division, but one without a genuinely great team. The Braves may have trouble scoring runs. The Mets are a bad team plus two superstars, and the Marlins filled a gaping hole with Carlos Delgado but still have substantial flaws.
On paper, the Phils are the best of the lot. But that's been the case before. Erstwhile manager Larry Bowa was widely reviled by his charges, so the team is hoping that Charlie Manuel's more coddling approach will pay off. If it doesn't, GM Ed Wade will likely be out of a job.
3. Will the front of the Cubs' rotation be healthy?
With the loss of Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou, the Cubs may be better on offense and in terms of attitude, but the offense has suffered a blow. The real question for the Cubs is whether Mark Prior and Kerry Wood will be healthy enough to give them a total of 400-plus innings. If they're not, it's hard to envision the Cubs' catching St. Louis in the NL Central.
Right now, Wood is expected to pitch the home opener on April 8, while Prior is projected to return during the series against the Padres that begins on April 11. Then again, the Cubs soft-pedaled their injuries last season, and the duo wound up combining for only 43 starts. They'll need more than that from them if the Cubs are going to return to the post-season.
4. Will '05 be a season of no 100/100?
Look around the league — it's hard to find a genuinely great or genuinely terrible team in the lot. If all goes as planned, this season could be the first since 2000 in which no team wins or loses at least 100 games.
The bet here is that the Red Sox and Rockies pace baseball in wins and losses, respectively. However, the bet here is also that neither team reaches the century mark. It's a signifier of what figures to be some hotly fought division races.
5. Who's going to be the surprise team this year?
Last year, it was the Rangers who seemingly came from nowhere to contend for a division crown. In 2003, it was the world champion Marlins. The season before that, it was the world champion Angels.
In any event, there's one every year — the surprise team of consequence. Will 2005's be the Brewers, or perhaps the Tigers? It's the sort of burning question that gives hope to some of MLB's lesser lights.
6. How will that A's rotation shake out?
No team had a bolder, riskier off-season than the Oakland A's. Gone are Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder, two of the best pitchers in the American League over the last handful of seasons. Replacing them is a slew of unknown quantities and unproven prospects, imports and retreads.
Can Oakland possibly contend with such a dubious starting five? The days of Hudson-Mulder-Zito are over, but don't be surprised if the forthcoming days of Zito-Harden-Haren are just as fruitful. In particular, the lavishly talented Rich Harden probably has a Cy Young in his future within the next handful of seasons. And don't be surprised if Dan Haren roughly approximates Mark Mulder's season, except for infinitely less money. The A's will be fine.
7. Will the Dodgers' risk-taking pay off?
New GM Paul DePodesta certainly isn't risk averse. He traded beloved catcher Paul Lo Duca, allowed Adrian Beltre to walk after his season for the ages, signed the injury-prone J.D. Drew to a high-dollar contract, resisted the pressures to jettison Milton Bradley, inked the aging Jeff Kent and signed the ineffective Derek Lowe to a multi-year deal.
The Dodgers are in a winnable division, but a number of these risks will need to go their way if they're to capture the flag. Healthy seasons from Drew, Brad Penny and Eric Gagne are essential. They also need Hee Seop Choi to return to his pre-trade levels of production, and Jeff Kent must stave off age-related decline for another season. DePodesta's a favorite whipping boy of the media, and they'll never let him live it down if the 2005 Dodger model flops.
8. Does Jason Giambi have anything left?
The shine has certainly come off Jason Giambi. Steroids, health problems and declining production have conspired to put his career in jeopardy. The Yankees are cobbling together a case that will allow them to void the rest of the seven-year, $120-million deal he signed just prior to the 2002 season.
Much will be forgiven if Giambi can muster a serious rebound this season. Spring training stats don't mean much, but Giambi is slugging .575 thus far in Grapefruit League play. He'll need to keep it up if he's to salvage his career, if not his reputation.
9. Who'll be the first manager to get the guillotine?
At first blush, no skipper appears to be in imminent danger. However, it's bound to happen. Candidates for getting canned include Tony Pena in KC, Clint Hurdle in Colorado, Lloyd McClendon of the Pirates and Frank Robinson of the Nats. The bet here is that McClendon, who's facing a fifth losing season in five years in Pittsburgh, will be the first casualty.
10. How will the retooled Mets fare?
A new GM, two new marquee talents and ramped-up expectations — that's what the Mets have going for them in '05. The division is winnable, but it's balanced, with only the Nationals really having no shot at contention. Carlos Beltran will patrol center, and Pedro Martinez will front the rotation.
Thus far, Omar Minaya has wisely resisted the urge to trade the underrated Mike Cameron (the fly ball-heavy pitching staff needs his glove in the outfield), and a full season of David Wright will help the cause. Still, holes remain, and it's difficult to envision the Mets besting the Phillies, Braves and Marlins.
Dayn Perry is a frequent contributor for FOXSports.com.
