Group at a Glance: Spain, Holland, Chile, and Australia.  The clear cut storyline is the rematch of the 2010 World Cup final facing each other to kick off the group.  The Dutch lost to Spain in 2010, but will look to get a bit of payback by trying to kick off Spain’s attempt at a repeat without points in the first match.  The Dutch also look to finally break through, after having finished runner-up three times without ever becoming champions.  In a November friendly at Wembley Stadium, Chile beat England 2-0 thanks to a pair of goals from Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez.  Australia will simply be out manned and out classed in this group.  They have been in poor form of late, and there isn’t an easy match in the group.

Favorites to Advance: Spain is by far the favorite to advance, and should be able to do so relatively easily, but the second spot might not be as straight forward as it seems.  ESPN actually gives Chile a near 75% chance to advance, Holland just about 40%.  2014 might be the last chance for the Dutch with their big three still in their relative prime.  Robin Van Persie, Aren Robben, and Wesley Sneijder will all be 30 at this World Cup, so it could be their last chance to make a run deep into the tournament.  The Chile-Holland match will determine who is the second team to advance from the group, and I give a slight edge to the Dutch.

Player(s) to Watch: The most intriguing player might be Chile’s Alexis Sanchez.  At the club level, he is stuck behind Lionel Messi and Neymar, but he has the chance to be the star for Chile at the World Cup.  The best goal scorer in the group is Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie, and needs to have an excellent tournament for Holland to do well.  Spain is the most talented squad in the world, so really anybody that takes to the pitch for them is a player to keep an eye on.

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Group at a Glance: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon. At first blush, host country and favorite Brazil would appear to have gotten a fairly easy path out of the group stage. In this case, the first blush is correct. Top to bottom, they’re stacked. Mexico and Croatia are not walkovers for most teams. The Croatians have a handful of players who feature prominently for big European squads, including guys like Mario Mandzukic, Nikica Jelavic, and Eduardo on the front line. The Mexicans have great chemistry and fitness, seeing as the Stadio Azteca is like three million feet above sea level, but lack size in defense and are thusly vulnerable to set pieces. Cameroon…well, Roger Milla is 61 now, so who is going to work the miracles? They have some guys who can play, like Chelsea’s Samuel Eto’o and Queens Park’s Benoit Assou-Ekotto, but let’s call it what it is. They can’t defend at the level required to deal with scorers in this group and will be overrun.

Favorites to Advance: Brazil is as close to a lock as you can get. It comes down to Mexico and Croatia for the second spot out of this group, and while I’d love to see the Mexicans and their up-tempo, pleasing-to-the-eye style move on, it will likely be the Croatians. They’ve simply got more players with experience on soccer’s biggest stages.

Player(s) to Watch: Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez. His propensity to be completely ineffective for long stretches is maddening. That said, he is one of the most talented forwards in the world, and if he goes on one of his streaks where he scores goals by the bucket load, it could fire Mexico out of the group stage. And then, of course, there’s Neymar. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe what he is capable of, and I can’t wait to see what he does on soccer’s biggest stage. If early returns at Barcelona for the 21-year-old are any indication (see: Champions League hat trick against Celtic), it could be magical. Plus, he has great hair.

Holy (soccer) balls, what a draw, huh? Over the next few weeks, Shaun and I will be dissecting the 8 groups that make up the first round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

To say the least, there were some…odd occurences. For one, the Swiss got one of the eight seeds, ensuring that they would not end up in a group with multiple tough teams. That’s not a huge surprise, as FIFA president Sepp Blatter is Swiss, and already has a lengthy history of corruption. In the interest of full disclosure, these allegations of corruption were never “proven,” though it was the Swiss authorities that cleared him of financial mismanagement over huge losses tied to FIFA marketing partner ISL’s collapse, while a potentially less biased Council of Europe alleged that he was aware of what was going on. When FIFA conducted an internal review, it was Blatter who halted it under some pretense of confidentiality breach.

And then, you have UEFA President Michel Platini, whose French shares a group with the Swiss, and the unheralded Ecuador and Honduras. There might be those more trusting that ask, “but wait, if this was so corrupt, would the French have gotten a seed too, ensuring them a theoretically easier path out of the group stages?” Well, after their awful showing in South Africa in 2010, that would have been even a tougher sell. Platini was one of the greatest soccer players that ever lived, and that is beyond dispute, but he evidently isn’t above taking favors.

And then, you have Colombia and Belgium getting seeds over powerhouse teams and former champions like Italy and England. And while Uruguay isn’t bad by any stretch, they were somehow seeded ahead of last year’s finalist, Holland. FIFA defenders will tell you there is a points system that determines a team’s ranking in the World, but when Belgium, Colombia, Uruguay and Switzerland are ranked above Italy, England, Portugal, Holland, and even solid African sides like Ghana and the Ivory Coast, how reliable is that system?

Anyway, we hope you are looking forward to our analysis of the World Cup groups, as we are certainly looking forward to writing about it. There’s nothing like blatant skullduggery by those in charge to stoke the creative fires. I promise though, we’ll be impartial… mostly. Our first group is Group A, consisting of Brazil, Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon. See you Monday for that one!

Strengths:   Apparently a free spending owner.  We have heard for a few years that the Seattle Mariners were prepared to spend big in free agency with no big moves, until this year.  The massive Robinson Cano signing started it off, but they weren’t done there, and I don’t believe they are done yet.  The Mariners have added plenty of power by also signing Corey Hart and trading for Logan Morrison.  The Mariners also have a great one-two punch at the top of the rotation and several big league ready starters in the farm system.

Weaknesses:  Bullpen and center.  The Mariners do not have a guy who can be trusted to close out games, and currently have failed second baseman Dustin Ackley penciled in center.  In addition, the DH will likely be Justin Smoak with Jesus Montero waiting in the wings, but neither have proven they can do anything impressive at the big league level.

Off-Season Needs:  Rumors continue to swirl the Mariners are interested in trading for Matt Kemp, or singing Shin-Soo Choo or Nelson Cruz.  I don’t get the Cruz signing if they go that direction unless it is followed by trading both Ackley and Smoak, to open center for Michael Saunders and allow Hart and Morrison to spend some time at DH to rest both guys bad knees.

2014 Projection: I am pretty high on the Mariners, but still see them finishing third in the division.  I like what they are doing, and wouldn’t be surprised if they finish ahead of the Texas Rangers, but I think they will end up around 85 wins.  They probably need another year to work in their young pitchers and still need a piece or two to solidify the outfield and figure out if the left side of the infield is good enough to be a contender.

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Strengths:  Front Office.  I really like what the Houston Astros are doing.  They have had the past two first overall picks and will have the top pick again this year.  Carlos Correia projects as a solid shortstop in the future, maybe not a perennial All-Star, but he will make a few, Mark Appel is a top of the rotation starter, and likely top pick this year will be NC State star, Carlos Rodon, who might already be able to get big league hitters out at a decent rate.  They also have a potential middle of the order bat in Jonathan Singleton, and have George Springer, who came just three long balls shy of a record setting 40/40 minor league season.  Add to that plethora of talent coming up through the minor leagues, and take in to account they already have a solid DH in Chris Carter, and a mini star at second in Jose Altuve, and they have a great future. 

Weaknesses: Big league talent.  The roster this year is better than last year, but still not great.  Matt Dominguez is an ok third baseman, but is not a starter on a contending level team.  I like the addition of Fowler, especially since the expected future center fielder, Delino DeShields Jr., looks absolutely lost when running down fly balls in the outfield.  There might be some solid arms in the farm system, but both the starting rotation and bullpen need a significant amount of help if they are to be competitive.

Off-Season Needs:  The biggest need is a quality marketing pitch.  The Astros have made no excuses or hidden the fact they don’t expect to compete until 2015 or 2016, and I think they are on pace to do just that.  They will likely be a .500 club if they have a good off-season in 2014, and could compete for the division if they do the same after 2015, but this year, they are gonna struggle.

2014 Projection: Bad, but not the worst team in the league anymore.  They will finish fifth in the division, but I don’t see them getting the top overall pick in 2015.  They will probably lose somewhere between low-to-mid 90’s in terms of games, and be a top five pick, but they will break the streak of three consecutive years with the worst record in baseball.

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Strengths: The obvious one is Billy Beane. He continues to make the most of perpetually tight purse strings by bringing in productive players with team-friendly contracts. While I have always believed that Moneyball is a way overblown and overhyped concept, you can’t argue that building a line up with guys who get on pace, followed by guys that hit the ball out of the park, followed by guys who get on base, is a formula that works. You can’t tell me it took 150 years of professional baseball for that to be discovered…can you? The other big strength, accentuated by the recent acquisition of the underappreciated Luke Gregerson, is the bullpen. 

Weaknesses: Budget. While they’ve opened up the coffers a little bit to bring in Scott Kazmir and Jim Johnson (who may get upwards of 10 million in arbitration), they’re still hamstrung by finances and a lousy home ballpark. I’m not an accountant, but wouldn’t this team be scary if they had the resources to pursue a trade for a front-line starter like David Price and/or sign a middle-of-the-order bat like Robbie Cano while he was available?

Off-Season Needs: They’re pretty deep, and don’t really have any huge needs to fill in order to be competitive again in the AL West this year. That said, if they do want to be the out and out favorite to win the division, hitting pay dirt again with either a reclamation project, or a young player that vastly outperforms his projection would help. The last few years, the A’s have gotten more than they bargained or hoped for from Josh Donaldson, Josh Reddick, Bartolo Colon, and Coco Crisp. Is Craig Gentry the next guy to turn from borderline fourth outfielder with another team to semi-stud with Oakland? 

2014 Outlook: Quite strong, actually. They might very well be better than 50/50 to win the AL West, and if they don’t, they probably have the inside track on a wild card. Until they get some more money, they’ll never win a championship, but not everyone gets to. This ain’t the 80s anymore.

Strengths:  The Infield.  The Texas Rangers have as good an infield as there is in baseball.  Now that Miguel Cabrera is likely to be back at first base in Detroit, one can certainly argue Adrian Beltre is the best third baseman in baseball.  Elvis Adrus is a top tier shortstop, and the Texas Rangers have dealt away Ian Kinsler to make room for one of the best young players in the game, Jurickson Profar.  Kinsler was not dealt away for nothing, in fact, they got a whole lot of a first baseman in Prince Fielder.  They also have a pretty good top of the rotation.  Yu Darvish is one of the top five pitchers in baseball, Derek Holland is an All-Star, and Neftali Feliz has incredible stuff and can be an excellent closer.

Weaknesses: Outfield.  Nelson Cruz is currently a free agent, and missed 50 games to suspension in 2013.  Alex Rios is still there and the Rangers are very high on center fielder Leonys Martin, but currently in left, they have former Oakland A’s prospect Michael Choice, who has not done much at the big league level.  They have also lost A.J. Pierzynski, and resigned Geovany Soto, but Soto ‘s best year of his career was his rookie season when he won the Rookie of the Year Award.

Off-Season Needs:  With the Winter Meetings having kicked off, there are plenty of rumors swirling around, one of which has the Rangers interested in Shin-Soo Choo, and that makes sense.  They likely won’t go back to Nelson Cruz, but do need another bat in the outfield, and Choo can be a middle of the order guy, or a top of the order guy.  They could also use another starter, and possibly a veteran arm in the bullpen.

2014 Projection:  The AL West will likely be a three team race, between the Rangers and two teams we have yet to highlight, hint, one won’t be the Houston Astros.  The Rangers have stumbled the past two years despite being preseason division favorites, but this year is different.  So far, the four other teams in the division have gotten better, but I am not sure the Rangers have.  They will still flirt with 90 wins, but are far from the hands down favorites going into 2014.

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Strengths: Power and baseball’s best player. There is a lot of pop in this lineup. As many as four guys could theoretically smash 35 or more home runs. One of those four, Mike Trout, is barely in the infancy of his career but is already baseball’s best player. The front of the rotation shapes up pretty formidably as well, with Jered Weaver and CJ Wilson. The falloff is pretty dramatic thereafter, however.

Weaknesses: Pitching depth and bad contracts. The rotation is very much a question after Weaver and Wilson. The epic failures of Tommy Hanson and Joe Blanton were a big reason for last season’s struggles. Allowing the quietly solid, if unspectacular, Jerome Williams to depart is a bit of a head scratcher too. It’s not like there was a surplus of guys who were both versatile and durable on the staff. The specter of decline also seems to be hanging over Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. Unless they rebound significantly in 2014, their contracts could be albatrosses to a club who has grown used to success and the recruiting ability that comes with it.

Off-Season Needs: Shore up the bullpen and the back of the rotation. The Cubbies might be willing to part with Jeff Szamardzija if Mark Trumbo was involved. Cheap bullpen help may not be quite as simple, as most of the proven names on the market will be commanding a good chunk of money. Heck, Brian Wilson just got ten million for 2014 after throwing fewer than 20 innings in 2013. Joe Smith is a nice addition, but also a bit overrated after a nice 2013. An interesting option might be looking across the ocean to Japan. In 2006, Takashi Saito came to the Dodgers at age 36 with no fanfare, and for chump change, and proceeded to pitch wonderfully. Why can’t the Angels find similar magic?

2014 Outlook: Not good. Not bad either, but not good. The Rangers are legit. So are the A’s. Seattle looks more like a contender than not after signing Robbie Cano. That’s not to say the Angels can’t hang, but three tough teams in one division is a lot to overcome. They may win 85-88, but that won’t be enough for a playoff berth.

Strengths:  CarGo and Tulo.  Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki are both superstars in their prime.  The Rockies have other quality pieces, Nolan Arrenado being at the top of the list, but and a decent rotation given the home ballpark.  Despite the humidor, the Rockies will never be a destination for free agent pitchers, but they have two power arms in the minors that may be able to shine for the Rockies, problem is they are still another year or so away.

Weaknesses: Right side of the infield.  The biggest weakness is at first base and I am not completely sold on DJ LeMehieu.  Jordan Pacheco at first base is clearly not who they want to go into opening day with.  The bullpen could also use an extra arm or two, but it could be difficult to convince quality arms to head to Mile High.

Off-Season Needs:  First Base.  Corey Hart makes a ton of sense here.  He is a power bat that can play first or outfield (Michael Cuddyer isn’t exactly a spring chicken) and is looking for a one year deal after missing all of 2013.  The thin air at Coors Field might be the perfect spot for him, and the Rockies could benefit from another power bat.

2014 Projection:  There is talk of the Rockies moving Tulo, and if they do, they will probably lose about 90 games, but that also might not be a bad thing.  They have two excellent arms still a year away, and with Tulo inching toward free agency, a reload might be a smart move for this team.

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Strengths:  Talent.  Believe it or not, this team is loaded with talent.  They added Josh Johnson to their rotation and he should be able to turn his career around in spacious PetCo Park and is an excellent #2 behind Andrew Cashner.  Chase Headley has proven he is for real, the outfield is solid, and the Padres have two starting caliber catchers.  In addition to quality starting players at every position, they have quality utility men in Alexi Amarista and Logan Forsythe to serve as depth.

Weaknesses: Top level talent.  While the Padres have quality players at every position, they do not have a star.  Their top two prospects won’t fit the bill either.  Max Fried has the potential to be a top of the rotation pitcher, and there is nobody in the minor leagues I am higher on than Austin Hedges, but Hedges is a defensive wiz and is average at best at the plate.  While Headley has proven he is a legit middle of the rotation bat, he is far from a superstar. 

Off-Season Needs:  A difference maker.  Problem is, the Padres aren’t exactly big spenders, and there isn’t a difference maker that can come at a reasonable price.  Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, and Curtis Granderson will simply cost too much for the Padres.  The Padres ballpark doesn’t make it a popular destination for one year contracts, so Corey Hart, Mike Morse, and Nate McClouth aren’t legit options.  The signings that might fall within budget and fit the team best would be surprises, but former Red Sox Jonny Gomes and/or Stephen Drew could lift the Padres to playoff contenders.

2014 Projection:  .500.  The Padres have enough talent to not be bad, but not enough to be good.  They are the epitome of a .500 club.

You can follow Shaun Kernahan on twitter @shaunkernahan, add him to your network on Google, and like Shaun on Facebook.