To celebrate the New Year, we project Braves’ 2011 lineup

How about 37 possible storylines for the next 52 weeks, with many more to emerge.

1. Another major baseball makeover. We don’t know exactly what form it will take, but significant change seems inevitable at this point, as Major League Baseball and the Players Association draw closer to the expiration of the current labor agreement at the end of this year. The playoff field probably will be expanded from eight teams to 10, and undoubtedly the issue of realignment will be raised — and perhaps tabled. But baseball’s basic format for 2011 will probably change for 2012.

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Alan Maglaque/US Presswire
Expanding replay will be a big 2011 topic.
2. More instant replay. Commissioner Bud Selig has sounded more and more open to the idea of providing umpires with more expansive use of 21st century technology. At the very least, this will be a topic collectively bargained for the next labor agreement — perhaps to extend to fair ball/foul ball calls and some safe and out calls on the bases. We’ll see.

3. The Albert Pujols negotiations. The slugger has become to the Cardinals what Cal Ripken once meant to the Baltimore Orioles, and he is set to enter the last year of his contract in a year in which he turns 31. Inevitably, the question will be asked: If not the Cardinals, then what team would be willing to pay Pujols what he will seek, at a time when the big-money powers in the Bronx and Boston have already filled first base? The Cubs? The Dodgers? The Angels? Other teams presume that Pujols will remain in St. Louis, after an extended game of chicken.

4. The Phillies’ fantastic four. Charlie Manuel has a nice problem: How should he align his rotation? The guess here is that out of deference to the pitcher who won the 2008 World Series for him, Cole Hamels will be placed in line behind Roy Halladay and ahead of Roy Oswalt; Cliff Lee, who will be getting the highest salary for any pitcher in any full season, could be lined up at No. 4. The possibilities of what they could accomplish, if they all stay healthy, could be extraordinary. “The problem they’ve created for themselves,” said one longtime veteran recently, “is that only one result will satisfy the expectations — they need to win the World Series. That’s not going to be easy.”

Twenty-eight managers not named Charlie Manuel — or Bruce Bochy — would love to have that kind of rotation quandary.

5. The Giants try to go back-to-back. What we saw from San Francisco — from Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Brian Wilson, etc. — was some of the greatest World Series pitching in history. It would be easy to forget what an arduous summer journey the Giants took to reach late October. Lincecum seemed to learn a lot in 2010, Bumgarner has much room for growth and the Giants will have Buster Posey for the entire season. But can they find other solutions? Can Aubrey Huff thrive again? Can Miguel Tejada be effective at shortstop? How much of an impact will Brandon Belt have? We’ll see.

6. The Dodgers’ ownership situation. Presumably, Frank McCourt will either resolve his divorce case and move ahead as owner of the Dodgers, or else the financial conditions created by his split will force him to divest himself of a franchise that should be a crown jewel of the sport, rather than fodder for gossip pages. And McCourt presumably understands this hard reality by now: Not many of the other owners are prepared to lend a helping hand, as they did with the Rangers. They want McCourt separated from the boys of summer.

7. Boston’s winter work is tested. Two years ago, the Yankees went into 2009 amid extraordinary pressure after spending about $420 million on CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett — and they won the title. Now the Red Sox are widely considered the team to beat in the AL after acquiring Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. They probably won’t win unless they have better performances out of Josh Beckett and John Lackey.

8. The Felix Hernandez watch. This is a situation that currently lies dormant, because Hernandez — who is just 24 years old — is signed through the 2014 season, and nothing is really pushing the Seattle Mariners to trade the guy who would probably be the first pitcher taken by 30 general managers if you threw all the players into one giant fantasy draft. Hernandez earned a lot of respect for the way he pitched and battled in 2010 despite getting the kind of run support typical of an early 20th century team, and so long as Hernandez doesn’t push the issue, it’s hard to imagine Seattle seeking a satisfactory deal. But remember: Johan Santana eventually forced his way out of Minnesota; Halladay quietly pushed his way out of Toronto; and Zack Greinke’s impatience with the Royals eventually led to his trade to Milwaukee. Those vultures you see circling the Mariners will be the executives of other teams waiting for any sign that King Felix wants to change thrones.

9. CC Sabathia’s out clause. Sabathia has the contractual right to void the rest of his deal at the end of this season, and he has stated repeatedly that he has no intention of exercising this right. But remember, Sabathia — who is two years younger than Lee — could have extraordinary leverage if he remains healthy all season, because he could become a free agent again, and the Yankees could lose their ace, theoretically. Could Sabathia seek an extension? Will the Yankees tack on a year or two, or a little extra money per year? Or would Sabathia opt out of his deal and again become the most coveted free-agent pitcher?

10. Jose Reyes’ status. On one hand, Reyes has long been seen as a foundation player by the Mets. On the other hand, he’s had a lot of injuries in his career; more recently, he’s played in 169 games in the past two years. He’s entering the final year of his contract, and the Mets’ new leadership must decide whether to invest another long-term deal in Reyes, who is 27 years old, or trade him before the July 31 deadline. The bet here is that the Mets will deal him.

11. Derek Jeter pursues 3,000 hits. He has 74 hits to go, which means he should get the big hit sometime around his 37th birthday in June.

12. Jim Thome pursues 600 homers. He’s got 11 more to go, and as he draws near, it will be fascinating to see if the treatment of his chase will be different than what we saw last summer as Alex Rodriguez closed in on his 600th homer.

13. The Brewers’ gamble. The Milwaukee front office has placed a big bet on 2011, the last season before Prince Fielder will become a free agent. Rival executives say that the Brewers traded their best prospects to get Zack Greinke and give new manager Ron Roenicke the kind of staff that can win a division. If the Brewers flounder early, it could get very ugly in Milwaukee.

14. Ozzie Guillen’s job status. He’s got a year left on his current contract, and while Guillen and White Sox GM Ken Williams have pledged to get along, 2010 ended with another Oney Guillen tweeting controversy. Whatever happens, it will play out like reality television because, as we have learned over and over, Ozzie does not hide his feelings.

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Jeff Griffith/US Presswire
Most feel Matt Garza being dealt is a matter of time.
15. The Rays’ window. Tampa Bay lost Crawford and Carlos Pena and is expected to lose Rafael Soriano as well, and so the diligent efforts of the team’s front office to build another wave of talent good enough to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox will be tested. If the Rays don’t play well early, then Matt Garza could become a major in-season trade chip.

16. The Heath Bell trade talks. The Padres intend to hang on to Bell into the 2011 season, to give the team a chance to win early, and to take advantage of what will probably be a heightened market for his services in July when they inevitably trade him. He was the sport’s best reliever in 2010, allowing one homer in 70 innings and converting 47 of 50 saves; if he continues to pitch at that level, he’ll be in the vortex of a major bidding war between the sport’s biggest powers.

17. The Rangers’ evolution. Texas reached the World Series for the first time and despite the fact Cliff Lee walked away, the Rangers will go into 2010 season as prohibitive favorites to win the AL West. That could depend largely on the development of young players like Derek Holland and Mitch Moreland.

18. The “year after” for Jose Bautista. At age 29, the longtime utility player dropped in your basic 54-homer, 124-RBI season, and soon the Blue Jays will have to decide whether they think he’s a one-hit wonder, or whether they want him locked up to a long-term deal that will not be cheap.

19. The future of the Oakland Athletics. The NFL’s investigation of the Jenn Sterger allegations took a long time, but by comparison, Major League Baseball’s examination (i.e. stall tactic to wait for a suitable resolution) of the Oakland ballpark situation is the Hundred Years’ War. The team has a chance to be good and contend this year, but at its core the franchise is rotting as it waits for some direction — some hope — from the commissioner’s office.

20. The debate over Jayson Werth’s value. This is a conversation that began as soon as word broke that the Nationals had agreed to a seven-year, $126 million deal with the outfielder, and the ongoing debate will be shaped by Washington’s performance.

21. The AL Central scrum. In a winter in which the Twins have had to shift their payroll, the White Sox have added slugger Adam Dunn and the Tigers landed Victor Martinez, there’s no clear leader. This should be a hell of a division race.

22. The Angels’ crossroads. Two years ago, the Dodgers appeared to be in serious decline and the Angels appeared to be making major in-roads into becoming the dominant force of the L.A. area. But the Angels took a big step back in 2010, fired scouting director Eddie Bane, lost out on the Carl Crawford bidding and now owner Arte Moreno is expressing shock over the cost of free agents.

23. The House of Troy. The Rockies have locked up Troy Tulowitzki through the 22nd century, but what they’ll need in 2011 is more of the first-half Ubaldo Jimenez, rather than the second-half Jimenez. Jimenez’s ERA before the All-Star break was 2.20, and 3.80 after. The Rockies need Jimenez to continue refining his ability to repeat his delivery.

24. The Mike Stanton show. He is one of the most dynamic young power hitters baseball has had in years — maybe good enough to inspire some season-ticket investors in the Marlins’ new ballpark. To review: Before the All-Star break, Stanton posted a .711 OPS; after the break, he was at .884.

25. Jason Heyward, Year 2. To borrow a thread from Dustin Pedroia: Just stand back and watch the laser show, as Heyward continues to learn.

26. Stephen Strasburg’s rehabilitation and Bryce Harper’s climb through the minors. The two star youngsters will spend most of 2011 in minor league cities, but will be watched closely by the Nationals’ big league eyes.

27. Grady Sizemore’s recovery. The Indians center fielder once ranked among the game’s biggest stars, but now, in the aftermath of microfracture surgery, nobody knows exactly what he will be going forward. Now 28 years old, Sizemore has played in 139 games over the past two years, and if he is to restore his trade value for an Indians organization that is trying to rebuild its pitching, he will need to play well early in 2011.

28. The Astros’ ownership situation. Drayton McLane has put his team up for sale, and in the meantime, the club’s payroll is locked down.

Buster’s New Book
Buster Olney is the author of the book “How Lucky You Can Be” about basketball coach Don Meyer. In 2009, Meyer was the honored recipient of the Jimmy V Award at the ESPYS.

“Surprising and unforgettable.” – Mike Krzyzewski

“Olney knows the beating heart of life and the pulse of humanity that makes sports matter.” – George F. Will

“A true inspiration.” – Pat Summitt

29. A new direction in Arizona. The Diamondbacks have veered sharply under new GM Kevin Towers, unloading swing-and-miss sluggers like Mark Reynolds and Adam LaRoche and adding pitching. Will it be enough to contend in the NL West?

30. The Pirates’ progress. The industry-wide perception is that the Pirates have made progress under general manager Neal Huntington and his staff. The team has more high-ceiling players than it has had in years. But eventually, the progress has to translate into more victories to satisfy the Pittsburgh ownership, as it faces a decision on whether to extend Huntington’s contract. The Pirates went 57-105 last season.

31. Chipper Jones’ future. He started to hit before blowing out a knee last summer. The future Hall of Famer, who has mused about retirement in recent years, will want to see progress in spring training.

32. The deep 2011 draft. Unlike last year’s draft, the 2011 version is said to be loaded with high-impact players — with Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon perhaps the favorite to be picked No. 1 overall. The Pirates have the first pick and the Rays own a huge number of early picks.

33. Mariano Rivera pursues Trevor Hoffman’s saves record. Rivera’s standing as the greatest closer in history is cemented, but the all-time saves record actually belongs to Hoffman, who has 601 for his career. Rivera has 559 and just signed a two-year deal; the 42-year-old Hoffman is said by executives to be looking for a chance to extend his career as a closer.

34. The Mike Quade job evaluation. The Cubs passed on their own Hall of Famer, Ryne Sandberg, to pick Quade. The reasons really don’t matter, in the current-day media cycle; the bottom line is that if the Cubs win, Quade will be cast as a genius manager. And if they lose, then GM Jim Hendry is going to be second-guessed on call-in shows for not picking Sandberg.

35. The Royals’ wave — will it grow? The perception of rival front offices is that Kansas City has a chance to put together the kind of on-field talent that the Rays pieced together in 2006 and 2007, as prospects like Mike Moustakas begin to reach the big leagues. The Royals’ attendance might suffer in a summer without Greinke, but the more important issue is the progress of the youngsters.

36. The Buck Showalter era, Year 2. The Orioles played better after Showalter took over as manager, but lest anyone think otherwise, know that, within the organization, there is a belief that Baltimore has a long, long way to go before contending with the big boys in the AL East.