Well, some practical research and baseball expertise to be sure, but it's still one person's or one group of people's opinion on something undetermined. In the end, they might be logical and accurate but they also might end up being plain loony.
Before we get all Criswell for MLB.com's predictions, let us retire first to the magazine rack, where we'll find the more traditional sources of annual baseball projections:
The Sporting News
The "Baseball Bible" recently merged with another preseason staple with staples -- Street and Smith's. The 2008 Sporting News Yearbook is one of the few publications going with the Red Sox as repeat champions, winning the World Series over the Cubs -- a far more popular pick to reach the World Series across the different publications.
World Series: Red Sox over Cubs