Winter may still be in full force (especially on the East Coast) and the offseason still not complete, but baseball season is closer than we realize, with less than a month to go before pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

It seems as if we spend an inordinate amount of time each winter breaking down, debating and ranking which players and teams are the biggest winners and losers of the hot stove league, but what about divisions?

Sure, there’s still one big-name free agent left (James Shields) and some high-profile talent that could still be traded, shifting power and changing a division’s profile, but by and large, what we see is what we’re going to get when St. Louis and Chicago get the season underway April 5.

What better time to take a broad look at the comings and goings within each of baseball’s six divisions and rank them? Perhaps the more important question to ask is how do we rank them?

These rankings put more emphasis on the good rather than the bad. For example, a highly competitive division with multiple contenders is going to come in higher on our list than one that has an overwhelming favorite and a bunch of mediocre clubs.

Let’s get to it.

Begin Slideshow