I should start by saying I’m not your typical pessimistic journalist when it comes to the local teams. I’m not trying to build heat or be that “shock jock” type to get Minnesota Twins fans fired up.

I just have a lot of doubts about the Twins this season. I didn’t last year, picking them to win the AL Central. I even picked them to get to the American League Championship Series before losing to the New York Yankees in the playoffs (guess I was half-right there).

The Twins have managed to field playoff teams throughout the last decade. One common thread with all of those teams was the presence of a strong bullpen. And I have my doubts about the current group.

Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan had a tough go of it in spring training. Associated Press

But that’s not all. Former AL MVP Justin Morneau had a tough spring training, joining another rehabbing teammate in closer Joe Nathan. Now I try not to pay much attention to spring numbers. But if there were two veterans that had to be treating spring training like it was the regular season this year, it was these two. And neither showed much.

Morneau hit .152 in 10 spring games. Nathan had a 9.72 ERA in nine appearances.

To me, Nathan might be the most important player on this team, which pains me to say since we’re talking about a guy who will probably throw only 70 innings this season. But it’s tough to imagine the bullpen being effective without Nathan being his old self again.

Even with Nathan, it’s a shallow ‘pen. Without him, Matt Capps slides into the closer’s role, which isn’t a big deal except for the fact that there isn’t a solid right-hander left to take over the eighth-inning job. Jose Mijares is pretty trustworthy as the lefty, but beyond that, who do you trust? I think Kevin Slowey could be decent as the long man. Dusty Hughes and Glen Perkins are question marks as the other southpaws. And I’m convinced Jeff Manship is on this team because there were no other reliable options. The guy has a career ERA over 5 and a spring ERA over 5. That means he didn’t win the job, but rather that others lost the job.

Combine the fact that many of the team’s starters – notably Francisco Liriano and Nick Blackburn – aren’t considered the typical workhorse starters, and this is a team that can ill afford to not have depth in the bullpen.

The Twins can always make a midseason trade to keep pace with the Chicago White Sox – who boast a much better pitching staff than the Twins – and the Detroit Tigers. But if they fall too far behind, it might be too late.

But enough raining on your parades. It’s opening day. Enjoy it. And the Twins should be a team you can enjoy. While I might not have picked them to win the AL Central, it’s a good lineup – with or without Morneau slugging – and a team that should be reckoned with in the division.

Before I get into my Major League Baseball postseason predictions, it’s time for one last plug of our Twins preview coverage.

Coming in Friday’s sports section, we’ll have a preview story and column, along with a graphic for the team’s schedule, player capsules for the entire 25-man roster, last year’s stats, predictions by myself, Tom Mix and Andrew Gottenborg and a lot more. Check it out.

Adrian Gonzalez and the Boston Red Sox look poised for a World Series run. Associated Press

I was on “Dizzo’s Den” with Dom Izzo tonight on 970-AM WDAY and was asked my prediction for the World Series this year. Last year I had the Yankees over the Cardinals, and that didn’t work out so well for me.

This time around, I find it hard not to like the chances of the Boston Red Sox. They got it all. Deep lineup. Deep rotation. Deep bullpen. Championship experience. What’s not to like here, other than the fact that they’re in baseball’s toughest division, which looks as tough as it ever has looked?

Picking the team to win the National League is much tougher. I like the Phillies. I like the Giants. And I think I like the Atlanta Braves, too.

I’ve finished my division-by-division breakdowns. Here’s my postseason picks:

ALDS: Boston over Chicago; New York over Texas
NLDS: Philadelphia over St. Louis; San Francisco over Atlanta
ALCS: Boston over New York
NLCS: Philadelphia over San Francisco
World Series: Boston over Philadelphia in six games

Here’s a few other predictions for the season:

• As I said on “Dizzo’s Den” tonight, this is the year Alex Gordon lives up to the hype from a few years ago. On a bad Royals team, he could be the All-Star, though Joakim Soria might have something to say about that.
• I once was a Delmon Young hater, but I see the light. He’s hitting this spring, and everything being hit is being hit HARD. He will be as good as he was last year, maybe better.
• Alexi Casilla won’t be the everyday shortstop by July 1 for the Twins. If Trevor Plouffe gets turned around in the minors after a rough spring training, he could be next in line.
• Kevin Slowey will thrive in the bullpen. You know I had to do it!

While the Minnesota Twins brought back the likes of starting pitcher Carl Pavano and designated hitter Jim Thome, the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers added significant pieces to their teams this past offseason.

For the White Sox, their lineup should get a jolt from new designated hitter Adam Dunn, who can be penciled in every year for 40 homers, but also a ton of strikeouts.

For the Tigers, catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez joins a lineup that already boasts one of the best hitters in the game in Miguel Cabrera.

The gap between the Twins and the rest of the division could be closing. And I wonder if it has closed completely.

That’s why this year, unlike last year, I don’t think the Twins will win this division. There are a lot of question marks, maybe too many. There’s the health of returning stars Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau. Nathan struggled quite a bit during spring training, while Morneau has just started playing back-to-back games again.

Then there’s the bullpen. The Twins can feel pretty good about Matt Capps and Jose Mijares, but what can be expected from the likes of Jeff Manship and Glen Perkins? What about the transition of Kevin Slowey into a relief role?

A lot of things about this team make me squirm a bit. But fear not, Twins fans. Because more often than not, Minnesota isn’t the preseason favorite in the AL Central. And that hasn’t stopped the Twins from winning six division titles in nine years.

Here’s my division standings:

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Kansas City Royals

Here are my predictions from the other divisions:

NL Central. AL West. NL West. AL East. NL East.

The American League East is often considered the best division in baseball. And why not? In each of the last four years, the division has produced the wild card team.

Plus, baseball’s two dominant franchises – the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox – both reside in it.

Expect big things from Boston Red Sox addition Adrian Gonzalez this year. Associated Press photo

And then there’s the darlings of baseball over the last few years, the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite a tiny payroll, the Rays have been postseason-bound two of the last three years.

Well, I would argue that division might be tougher this season than at any point in the last decade when it comes to depth. Boston got better. The Yankees are still the Yankees. Despite losing a star and a bullpen, Tampa should still be good. I think Baltimore got better. Toronto should continue to be good. There’s not much let-up here.

Let’s start with the Red Sox. I love the offseason moves this team made. They got outfielder Carl Crawford when everyone thought he’d join the L.A. Angels. They were proactive in getting first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego. Added some relievers in Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler. Let’s face it: Tampa’s loss was Boston’s gain. If they can keep Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Co. healthy, look out!

The Yankees are a playoff team too. Dominant lineup. Dominant bullpen, with Rafael Soriano serving as a bridge to Mariano Rivera. Pitching staff has a couple of concerns, but let’s face it: What team isn’t worried about it’s No. 4 or 5 starter? There aren’t many that have solid contributors there. And the teams that do have other concerns.

I don’t expect the Rays to go away. They have a great farm system. Despite an unknown at closer, I like some of the arms they’ve added to the bullpen. Evan Longoria is who we thought he is. And Joe Maddon’s a great manager.

And I think the O’s and Blue Jays are close. The Orioles have some good young arms and a veteran lineup. Will their bullpen allow them to take the next step this year? My guess is not. The Jays are bringing back most of those power bats from last year, but this division is too loaded to expect too much from Toronto.

1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays