Some of this years clubs have new faces running the teams. Detroit (Ron Gardenhire), Philadelphia (Gabe Kapler), New York (Mickey Callaway), Boston (Alex Cora), Washington (Dave Martinez) and New York (Aaron Boone) are all looking to see how well their new bench bosses are going to handle their clubs. We also have had some big names switch cities. Miami dropped a bombshell by trading league MVP Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees. In order to try and keep pace with the Yankees, Boston went out and managed to land JD Martez from the market. It a move that the Red Sox hope will help them win the East for the 2nd year in a row. The big free agent coming in from overseas, Shohei Ohtani, shocked the baseball world by picking the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over everybody else in the sport. They weren't the only ones to make moves. The Cubs bolstered their starting rotation by adding Yu Darvis (if he can stay healthy and produce). San Francisco is trying to fight back in a tough NL West by adding Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen. San Diego got a little bit better by adding Eric Hosmer on a big contract, hoping that the combination of him and Will Meyers will bring the Padres back into a tough race in the West.
While all these moves are, on paper, making teams better, there's still a few questions that need to be answered. Can the Astros be the first team in 18 years to repeat as World Champions? Is this the year that the Indians can shake off the heartbreak of the last two years to be the one to stop Houston? Can Washington finally get over that hump come playoff time? Will this be the year that the Dodgers break through? Is the NL West the toughest division in all of Baseball? Could this be a year where both New York teams are back in the playoffs again?
Here's how we see the 2018 Major League Baseball season going down.
American League
AL East:
1. New York Yankees (95-67)*
This is a club that acme within one win of reaching the World Series a season ago, with a team that was projected to be a .500 team at best. Now, with the off season that the Bronx Bombers just had, its not hard to see why they're going to be a strong World Series contender. The biggest move they made was bringing in last year's National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton, which combined with Aaron Judge, makes for a modern day Bash Brothers. Only one other time in Yankees history have the Bombers had two guys hit 50 or more home runs in a season, that coming in 1961 (Maris hit 61 and Mantle hit 54). If both Stanton and Judge can stay healthy, they should have no problem being able to do that again this year. To add more weapons to the Yankees offense, the team got rid of Chase Headley and Starlin Castro (who was traded for Stanton) for Brandon Drury and Neil Walker. You have a healthy Greg Bird coming back into the mix this year, which adds yet another power bat into the lineup. This Yankees team is deep, and if it can stay healthy, a very dangerous lineup. Lets not forget about the pitching staff in the Bronx. Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Sonny Gray and Jordan Montgomery make up a solid rotation with David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman due out of the pen. Its a team that new manager Aaron Boone walked into and has a chance to really run with. He's got the horses to be able to win the division, the question is by how much.
2. Boston Red Sox (94-68) (WC)*
Boston has managed to walk away with the American League Eastern Division title the last two years, finishing with the exact same record each year. Boston finished last year with 168 home runs which was last in the American League a season ago. Three Yankees biggest sluggers hit one more then them combined, which shows how much the Red Sox needed to improve in that department. They went out and did that, a little bit, with the addition of J.D. Martinez, who is coming off a fantastic year a season ago. Its something that will bolster an already solid lineup. They had a solid year from Mookie Betts, Mitch Moreland, and a great rookie year from Andrew Benintendi. Boston is expecting Hanley Ramírez to have a big year again in terms of the year he had in 2016. The top of Boston's pitching staff being headed up by Chris Sale, David Price, and Rick Porcello is going to be, at least on paper, one that's going to be tough to deal with. Brian Johnson, and Hector Velasquez are going to have a lot on their shoulders to try and keep pace with the top three pitchers in Boston. The Bullpen, which is headed up by Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly are going to have a lot of pressure put on them. Its going to be trying to compete with the Yankees and try and come back to win a third straight division title.
3. Toronto Blue Jays (83-79)
This could be one last true shot that the Blue Jays have with the current core in tact, as they finished under .500 for the first time in thAs bad as Tamparee years. Troy Tulowitzki is going to be counted on when he gets healthy to try and carry this team again. Toronto brought in Yangervis Solarte to help out with infield depth, while Randal Grichuk and Curtis Granderson were brought in to add some depth in the outfield and at the top of the batting order. The only thing is that Granderson Russell Martin, and Kendrys Morales are all in their mid-thirties and the clock is ticking. What is going to help keep this team afloat, at least for a while, is going to be their pitching staff. Aaron Sanchez and J.A. Happ, if they could stay healthy, could restore the starting rotation to a strength. They are slated in the rotation behind their ace Marcus Stroman. Throw in Marco Estrada and Jaime Garcia, and you got yourself a solid pitching staff. If they stay healthy, Toronto has enough talent to be able to finish over .500 again this year and get back going in the right direction.
4. Tampa Bay Rays (72-90)
This past winter was a rough go of it for the Rays, a team that finished two games under .500 last year. During the offseason, Tampa traded away franchise player Evan Longoria to the San Francisco Giants for Denard Span, Christian Arroyo, and two other prospects. Getting rid of a guy who is the face of this franchise was a tough move for the Rays but one that had to be made. Tampa also got rid of Steven Souza Jr. to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three team trade. With what the Rays have left near the top of their lineup in Denard Span, Matt Duffy, Kevin Kiermaier and Carlos Gomez, they might be able to push a few runs across the board but I have this feeling that its not going to be enough to help them get the job done. Pitching too is something strong to look at. Chris Archer is without a doubt the ace of the pitching staff. Blake Snell and Nathan Eovaldi are solid starters, but Jacob Faria leaves a few questions as to how reliable he could be. I just have this feeling that this team isn't going to have enough talent to get to .500 this year.
5. Baltimore Orioles (70-92)
As bad of a year and offseason as it had been for the Rays, its going to be worse for the O's this year. They won 75 games a season ago, and they'll be lucky to try and hit that mark once again this year. A part of me does feel bad for Manny Machado because he's on the final year of his contract and really doesn't have much of a chance to get into the playoffs in Baltimore this year. He's not the only one slated to leave at the end of this season, as center fielder Adam Jones, and closer Zach Britton are each slated for free agency after the year, as are manager Buck Showalter and general manager Dan Duquette are all going to be at the end of contracts when the year is up. They've got a few thunder sticks in that lineup that can be able to push runs across the board. As is going to be a theme with a lot of teams this year, starting pitching is going to be critical. Alex Cobb signing is a solid one for the O's who already have Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Andrew Cashner, and likely Chris Tillman going behind him. Who knows, maybe they have enough talent behind him to be able to surprise people.
AL Central:
1. Cleveland Indians (102-60)*
The American League Central has had to go through Cleveland the last two years, including a major year last year. 102 wins a year ago, including a 22 game winning streak. Pretty impressive numbers when you think about it. The only downside was that it didn't end the way the tribe would have hoped, getting beaten by the Yankees in the Divisional Round. It was a quite offseason for the Tribe, who lost s Carlos Santana, Jay Bruce, Austin Jackson, Bryan Shaw and others. Yonder Alonso was brought in to replace Santana at first, a solid bat to replace another solid bat. Throw him into a lineup that already consists of Michael Brantley, Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez, then you got something you can really run with, so there should be no problem pushing runs across the plate. While scoring runs is attractive, keeping the other team from scoring is just as attractive, and the Indians have the arms to do it. They have a loaded starting rotation with Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Danny Salazar and Josh Tomlin, which in and of itself is going to be tough to beat. Then you get to the bullpen which has Andrew Miller and Cody Allen at the back end of it. Once the Tribe get a lead and turn it over. For the third year in a row the AL Central will belong to the Indians.
2. Minnesota Twins (86-76)
Minnesota kind of snuck up on a few people last year,winning 85 games which was good for 2nd in the division. Since the end of July through the end of the season, nobody scored more runs in baseball then the Twins. This year, Minnesota won't really be sneaking up on anybody. They added to a good team and got a little bit better in the offseason. First lets start with the pitching. Jake Odorizzi was brought in from Tampa to bolster the pitching staff, which kind of looks sketchy at the outset of the season, which has Odorizzi, Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson, Adalberto Mejia, and Phil Hughes. There is Ervin Santana, who's out with an injury to start the year, who is the ace of the staff and will take over as the ace when he comes back. Fernandez Rodney and Addison Reed anchor the pen and will make things easier if the starters don't go deep in a game. Logan Morrison was the big name that was added to the Twins balanced attack that had the likes of Brian Dozier, Max Kepler, Joe Mauer, and a guy who many are expecting a big year from in Byron Buxton. Miguel Sano is also going to be counted on bigtime for the Twins. If he can stay healthy, Sano is going to be a major threat in the lineup with Brian Dozier, who lead the team in RBI last year. Bottom line is if the pitching staff can hold up until Santana gets back and healthy and the lineup can live up to expectations, then the Twins can possibly make it back in a wild card spot again this year.
3. Chicago White Sox (74-88)
Chicago went into full blown rebuild mode a season ago. Winning 67 games last year didn't help the cause much, as the Sox take the next step in trying to rebuild the team and bring it back to prominence. José Abreu without question is the brightest star on this baseball team, there's no dispute there. He does have Avisail Garcia to be able to protect him in the lineup, but there's not much else to go off of in that batting order right now for the White Sox. Eloy Jimenez, who was the centerpiece in the Quintana trade last year, is expected to come up during the course of the year and is expected to have a pretty solid impact in Chicago this year. James Shields is the top man in the White Sox rotation, one that also includes Miguel Gonzalez, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Carson Fulmer. A lot of people believe that Giolito could emerge as the ace of this pitching staff by the time this year is over. Alec Hansen, Thyago Vieira, and Connor Walsh could also be factors for this pitching staff as well, once they get called up. This will be a poor year for the Sox but they are starting to make steps into the right direction.
4. Kansas City Royals (74-88)
Kansas City won 80 games last year, but the core of the team that took them to the 2014 ALCS and 2015 World Series is pretty much high and dry. Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer to free agency, but they did manage to find a way to bring Mike Moustakas back into the fold. He joins Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez as the heart and sole. They also brought in some added power by signing Lucas Duda. He adds an extra element for that Royals lineup. Same thing with Alex Gordon getting help in the outfield with Jon Jay. There might be a good enough offense in Kansas City to surprise a few people. They have a decent pitching staff with Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy and Jason Hammel standing at the top of the rotation. Jake Junis and Nate Karns round out the pitching rotation. There a new look to the bullpen in Kansas City, as Wade Davis and Greg Holland are both gone. Kelvin Herrera and Brandon Maurer are taking over as the one two punch at the back of the pen. Maybe this could be a quick turnaround in a rebuild for Kansas City. Only time will be able to tell.
5. Detroit Tigers (59-103)
This was a team that had, earlier in the decade, gone to four straight ALCS's. Last year, they hit bottom with the worst record in all of baseball. New manager Ron Gardenhire will have to deal with J.D. Martinez, Justin Wilson, Alex Avila, Justin Upton and longtime ace Justin Verlander, all being dealt last year. Those moves left Miguel Cabrera as the face of the franchise. Miggy is coming off a downer of a year last year and is expected by some to have a resurgence this year. Miggy is viewed as a guy who's untouchable on this team, same goes for Victor Martinez, though at Martinez is entering the final season of his contract, so that could be done with by the end of this year. Nicholas Castellanos is possibly going to be looked upon as the future of this Tigers team from an offensive perspective. Martinez will be out by the end of this year and who knows how much longer Cabrera is going to be able to hang around. Looks like things will be rough in Detroit. Now with Verlander and Anabal Sanchez gone, Michael Fulmer is heading up the starting rotation. Matthew Boyd, Jordan Zimmermann, Mike Fiers and Daniel Norris round out the rotation in the Motor City. Its going to be a long year in Detroit.
AL West
1. Houston Astros (101-61)*
These guys are the defending World Champions and are going to be really close to defending that very title again this year. Oh and the Astros just got better. Lets start with the pitching. First, they get a full season on the hill out of Justin Verlander, who still has something left to prove in that he's one of the top pitchers in all of baseball. Now throw in a new starter in Garrett Cole, who was traded from the Pirates during the winter. Two great arms are added to a rotation that has Dallas Keuchel,Charlie Morton, and Lance McCullers. Hector Rondon, Collin McHugh and Ken Giles are responsible for holding down the pen, which is going to be huge for an already loaded rotation. Not only can Houston pitch, they can hit pretty well too. They won't miss out on Carlos Correa, who missed almost two full months because of injury last year. He's back, he's healthy and he adds a solid one two punch in the middle of the lineup with Jose Altuve. They add another solid hitting outfielder in Josh Reddick. Its a loaded lineup that's going to be tough for anybody to try and beat. This is a team that won 101 games last year, and got even better then they were a year ago. This is going to be a fun team to watch. They've got a lot of expectations on them, now its time to live up to it.
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (87-75) (WC)
This is a team that's been in a working rebuild that might finally payoff. The Angels haven't won a game in the playoffs since 2009, so this could be a year to build on for a club that had a pretty good winter. One of the biggest moves of the entire winter, not just for the Angles, but around the league, was the signing of Shohei Ohtani. He's been considered to be the Babe Ruth of Japan, he's that good. When you've got that kind of a tag on you, you've got a lot to live up to. If he can do that, then the Angels are going to be in a very good place. They already had the best player in the game in Mike Trout, and they've added to him in that lineup. They are now getting a full season out of Justin Upton, who they picked up last year at the trade deadline. Then they go out and get Ian Kinsler and Zack Cozart to add into the mix. And then there's Albert Pujols, who still has enough left in the tank to be able to push runs across the plate. If there might be one flaw on this team it could be the pitching staff. Ohtani is joining Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Andrew Heaney, Tyler Skaggs, and J.C. Ramirez in the starting staff.They don't know who's slated to close games out in Anaheim at the moment yet, which could be a bit of a hick up in close games. This Angels team isn't at the Astros level yet, but its got a chance to make a lot of noise in the American League this year.
3. Seattle Mariners (81-81)
Seattle took a bit of a step backwards last year, finishing with 78 wins, this coming after winning 86 games two years ago. Seattle is looking to try and get back into the fight in the AL West and General Manager Jerry Dipoto made a few good moves to make this team better. Dee Gordon was brought in to play a fantastic brand of center field, something he is very very good at. Having Gordon in the lineup puts him in the leadoff spot and will probably drop Jean Segura down to the two spot, hitting just ahead of Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, and Kyle Seager. Ichiro Suzuki has also been brought back into the fold for one final year in Seattle as well, maybe just to give it one final shot with the team that drafted him. The offensive core of this team isn't getting any younger, so the window is closing quick. The offense could be there but the pitching I'm a little nervous about. James Paxton has taken over as the top man in the rotation and may have passed Felix Hernandez as the ace of the staff in Seattle. King Felix has something left in the tank, and throw in Mike Leake to round out the top three pitchers on this staff. Seattle might just have enough in the tank to at least get back to being a .500 baseball team.
4. Texas Rangers (80-82)
This team won 78 games last year, which was tied for 3rd, but this year they will take a step in the right direction. If all can stay healthy, Cole Hamels, Mike Minor, Matt Moore, Doug Fister, and Martin Perez have enough talent to keep the Rangers in the race. At least long enough to get the offense to help come around. They have a deep rotation but who knows exactly how productive this team is going to be based on the pitching. Its decent at best, which means the offense is going to have to try and carry things here. Nomar Mazara is a pretty good young outfielder who's got a shot at making a big impact with this team. He going to be pegged to hit near the top of the batting order with Delino DeShields Jr and Sin-Shoo Choo. Those three guys are going to be viewed as the table setters for Adrian Beltre, Joey Gallo, Elvis Andrus, and a hope to be rebounding Rougned Odor. On paper, there might be something brewing here in Texas, but again what happens on paper and what happens on the field are going to be two different things.
5. Oakland Athletics (77-85)
Oakland hasn't looked very good the last three seasons, finishing in last place each of the last three years. One thing worth taking note of was that the A's managed to break the 70 win mark last season, which shows some signs of life out of the young team. Matt Joyce, Jed Lowrie and Khris Davis are going to be counted on to carry the offensive load out in Oakland. Jonathan Lucroy was also brought in as a bonus for the A's, he still has a lot left to prove. Hell Stephen Piscotty was brought in from St Louis, so it looks as if this group is built to slug. What's going to be a determining factor for how bad this team is going to be is the pitching staff. Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea, Daniel Mengden, Andrew Triggs, and Paul Blackburn are the starting five, but on paper that's not going to be very good. Oakland went on to add Yusmeiro Petit, Emilio Pagan, and Ryan Buchter through free agency and trades to bolster the bullpen. There might still be some fight within the A's but it looks like it could be another long season in the Bay Area.
National League
NL East:
1. Washington Nationals (101-61)*
Its becoming a regular thing now, seeing the NL East flag fly in Washington. They've won the East four times in the last six years, including the last two years in a row. Washington might possibly be better then last year, a season in which they won 97 games. This is going to be a monster year for Bryce Harper. He's on his last ride, possibly, in Washington. And since the Nationals have never won a playoff series in DC, this has a lot riding on it this season. This year, they've got a little competition since the Mets and Phillies both got better during the winter. For as good a team as Washington has, Matt Wieters leaves a little to be desired behind the plate as he isn't quite at the level he had been playing at. So Wieters needs to step his game up. When you have a lineup that has Adam Eaton, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Daniel Murphy, and Ryan Zimmerman at the top of the batting order, its a good sign. Most other teams in the National League would love to have that kind of a lineup. Its kinda nice to have Miguel Montero, Howie Kendrick, and Matt Adams coming off the bench, which is good depth to have. As good as the hitting looks, the pitching looks even better. When your rotation has Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Gio Gonzalez, its kind of pretty good. Tanner Roark and A.J. Cole round out that starting rotation. Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson are expected to be holding down the back end of the pen, which shouldn't be much of a problem. Dave Martinez has a lot to look forward to as the manager of this team. Washington is set for another strong run as the top dog in this division.
2. New York Mets (88-74)(WC)*
There was a smidge of hope for the Mets going into last year, with a hope of them making the postseason as a wild card team. It was a flat out disaster for the Mets, seeing a few key players miss time with injuries, like Noah Syndergaard and Yoenis Cespedes. When it was clear that the team wasn't going to be making the playoffs, they started selling off pieces. Neil Walker, Lucas Duda, Curtis Granderson, and Addison Reed at the trade deadline to restock the prospect cupboard, though the trades didn't yield an impact piece. Something happened this winter that hasn't happened in quite some time under the guide of current ownership. The Mets actually went out and got players during free agency. New manager Mickey Callaway has some new toys to play with in his roster, as Jay Bruce was brought back into the mix after being traded at the deadline. Todd Frazier was also brought on board to help solidify 3rd base and try and provide some offensive pop. They are being thrown in with a decent lineup that already has Adrian Gonalez, another free agent signee, Brandon Nimmo, Yoenis Cespedes, Jose Reyes and when he's healthy a returning Michael Conforto. A name Mets fans are going to be happy seeing on the team from the start of the year is going to be Amed Rosario, who showed some spark last year that he can have an impact on this team. The offense looks like, if it can manage to stay healthy, it could have little trouble pushing runs across home plate. As for the pitching staff, Jason Vargas joins one of the better starting staffs in all the game. When fully healthy, the starting rotation of Vargas Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and Matt Harvey. Aside from the health of the rotation, I just question how effective Harvey and Matz are going to be because they are coming off injuries and underperforming last season. To take the load off the bullpen, Anthony Swarzak was brought in to help out Jeurys Familia, Jerry Blevins, and AJ Ramos. IF the team can manage to stay healthy they could be a major threat for being a wild card club this season.
3. Atlanta Braves (77-85)
Being a team in a rebuild mode is starting to pay off for the Atlanta Braves, a team that won 72 games last year. The Braves have two young guys up the middle who could be bigtime impact players on this team for years to come. First its their new second baseman Ozzie Albies, who has a very high celling according to some sources close to the team. He plays a solid second base and is pretty good swinging a bat as well. Same thing can be said about Braves shortstop, Dansby Swanson. He had a rough go of it in his rookie year, but remember Swanson is 24 years old, still getting adjusted to playing at the Major League level and is still considered by many to be one of the top five prospects in all of the game. Swanson has a bright upside, so does Albies. Atlanta has some power in the middle of the lineup with Freddie Freeman, Tyler Flowers, and Nick Markakis, plus they have Lance Adams and Kurt Suzuki coming off the bench. What worries me about the Braves is pitching depth. They've got top end starters in Julio Teheran, Mike Foltynewicz, and Brandon McCarthy. Sean Newcomb still has a little something to prove and Scott Kazmir hasn't really been the same pitcher since he left Tampa. Atlanta's bullpen looks to be average at best. Atlanta's got a core that's just settling into place, so give it another year or two before the Braves really start hitting the upswing to becoming a contending team again.
4. Philadelphia Phillies (76-86)
The same argument that's being made in Atlanta can be made in Philadelphia as well. They had a run of five straight division titles that was stopped in 2012 and the core of that team has since been broken up in favor of a rebuild, which looks like it could be starting to pay off. New manager Gape Kapler has a nice mix of talent to work with on this baseball team. They have young guns in Cesar Hernandez, Odubel Herrera, Rhys Hoskins, and Maikel Franco. Herrera, Franco and Hoskins all have tremendous upside. Hoskins has hit, and hit for power, at every level he's played at since turning pro. To add a little more protection, Carlos Santana was brought into the mix, hoping to prove that he can still be as productive as he was in Cleveland. There's no doubt he's going to get that chance here in Philly. As for pitching, well outside of the top two guys in the rotation, Jake Arrieta and Aaron Nola, you don't really know what you're getting. Vince Velasquez has potential but who knows if the consistency can show up. Same thing with Nick Pivetta and Ben Lively. Philly's pen got a little better by having Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek back there, but there still leaves something to be desired with the Phillies staff.
5. Miami Marlins (61-101)
This was a team that was supposed to be a contender, and they were for most of last year. Winning 77 games showed that the club was going in the right direction, but not this year. Pretty much everybody who had skill and was an impact player on this Marlins team is now gone. Their major pieces, in the form of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, and Marcel Ozuna are all now playing ball in other cities. With them gone, Derek Dietrich, Starlin Castro, Justin Bour, J.T. Realmuto and Cameron Maybin are expected to lead this club, but don't be surprised if some of them are also delt before the year is over. Now they have a weak offense backed by one of the worst starting rotations in baseball. Jose Urena, Odrisamer Despaigne, Jacob Turner, Elieser Hernandez, and Caleb Smith make up that rotation that is going to be without Dan Straily and Wei-Yin Chen. Its going to be a long year in Miami.
NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs (93-69)*
Looks like the NL Central title will be going through the Windy City for the 3rd year in a row. Chicago's win total went down from their World Series year to last year. This year they will bounce back a little in that department. One question that's going to surrounding the offense is who's gonna be the leadoff hitter, something that the Cubs haven't been able to find since Dexter Fowler left town. Looks like its going to be a split in time between Albert Almora and Ian Happ, both of whom can play a solid center field. They've got a loaded one two punch in the middle of the lineup with Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant. After getting off to a rocky start last year, and even seeing some playing time down in the minor leagues, Kyle Schwarber is expected to be back at his old form and will have a big impact in the Windy City. Chicago is also expecting big, bounce back years from players like Addison Russell, Jason Heyward, and Javier Baez. Then there's the pitching staff. Jake Arriett is gone, but has been replaced at the top of the rotation by Yu Darvish, who is looking to return full forThey got a big boost ce to his old, dominating self again. He joins al already solid rotation that consists of Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana, and Tyler Chatwood. Brandon Morrow, Carl Edwards, Steve Cishek, and Justin Wilson are going to anchor the back end for the Cubs pitchers. This team is deep, they're good, and they are bound for another division title.
2. Milwaukee Brewers (87-75)
Last year saw a bounce back year for the Brew Crew, who managed to finish ten games over .500 and six games back of the Cubs in the Central. This year the result will be better then it was last year in Milwaukee. They got a big boost to their outfield by adding both Christian Yelich (in a trade with the Marlins) and Lorenzo Cain (who signed on as a free agent. They join an already solid lineup that consists of Travis Shaw, Eric Thames, Domingo Santana, and Jonathan Villar. Plus they got Ryan Braun and Stephen Vogt set to be impact players coming off the bench. Having as many outfielders and possible first baseman does create a bit of a log jam for manager Craig Counsell to try and sort out. Knowing him, it shouldn't be much of a problem, or take very long for that matter, to get figured out who he wants to have playing where and when. Chase Anderson, Zach Davies, Jhoulys Chacin, Yovani Gallardo, and Wade Miley make up a starting rotation that could be hit or miss. They have the balance on offense but pitching leaves a lot to be left hanging for the Brewers. Something that I don't really trust on paper at the start of the year. Sure they may have enough to make things interesting in the race for the wild card spots, but it sure won't be enough to catch up to the Cubs for the division.
3. St Louis Cardinals (85-77)
This is a team that is coming off 83 wins last year and Mike Matheny and company are trying to build off of that solid year. Jedd Gyorko is going to be used a lot in a utility situation, possibly a regular at third base depending on the health of other players. The outfield looks a little different in St Louis this year as both Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk have been traded away. Marcell Ozuna and Tommy Pham are expected to come in and pick up the slack with those two guys gone. St Louis has a solid res of the lineup as Dexter Fowler, Matt Carpenter, Yadier Molina, and Kolton Wong are expected to deliver this year in Bush Stadium. They have a solid starting rotation that consists of Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha, Luke Weaver, Adam Wainwright (who may miss time at the start of the year because of injury), and Miles Mikolas. They have the pitching staff that could out throw the Brewers and make things a very tight race at the top of the Central division. Can Luke Gregerson hold up in the closer's role? That might be the biggest question surrounding the Redbirds. St Louis has the talent to make things really interesting in the division.
4. Cincinnati Reds (73-89)
Cincinnati has been in a rebuild each of the last three seasons, finishing dead last in the division each year and not winning more then 68 games. This year, the Reds start to step their game up. There's an old saying that speed kills, and Reds leadoff hitter Billy Hamilton is going to be listed as a mass weapon. One of the fastest guys in all of baseball, Hamilton will again be a major threat to lead the league in stolen bases and will be a major table setter for this Reds lineup. He can help get things going for the bigger bats in the Reds lineup like Adam Duvall, Joey Votto, and Eugenio Suarez. Hitting could be able to keep the Reds in a few of the games but pitching is where I'm left to wonder. When the starting rotation consists of Luis Castillo, Anthony Desclafani, Brandon Finnegan, Homer Bailey, and Robert Stephenson leaves quite a bit on the table., Descalfani Finnegan and Bailey all have the skill set to help keep the Reds in a lot of baseball games. Like any other team in the league, the bullpen might not be able to hold up the end of its bargin. The Reds have something to work with when it comes to their younger talent, but its going to take a while for it all to come together.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (68-94)
This year is going to be a big step backwards for the Pirates. Trading away Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole essentially closed the door on a group that made three straight postseason appearances. There's two names that have been thrown around from within the Pirates system who could have a big impact on this team: outfielder Gregory Polanco and starter Tyler Glasnow. Should either develop into what used to be expected, the tides of fortune could change in a hurry. They aren't quite at the level of McCutchen and Cole, but given time, the talent level of the young guys might be close to it. With McCutchen not in the lineup, Josh Harrison and Starling Marte are going to have to try and pick up some slack. Francisco Cervelli, Jordy Mercer, and former World Series MVP David Freese coming off the bench are going to be looked upon to lead this team and help guide the young talent. Jameson Taillon, Ivan Nova, Chad Kuhl, Trevor Williams, and Joe Musgrove make up the starting rotation that don't scare anybody. Lets face facts, this rotation is filled with guys who wouldn't be higher then a third and MAYBE a two starter on a good baseball team. Things don't really look to good in the Steel City this year.
NL West:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (98-64)*
For five straight years, the NL West title has resided in the City of Angels. This year, will mark six in a row that the title stays in LA. things will look a little different for the Dodgers to start this year off. Yu Darvish, Brandon Morrow, Curtis Granderson, and Andre Ethier all left as free agents. Meanwhile Adrian Gonzalez, Charlie Culberson, Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy have all departed via trade in exchange for new outfielder Matt Kemp. And Justin Turner is going to be missing playing time at the start of the season due to an injury. Even with that being said the Dodgers are a loaded baseball team. One of the big things the Dodgers have going for them is depth, just look at what happened when Adrian Gonzales got hurt last year, Cody Bellinger acme right in and Los Angeles didn't skip a beat. The young talent here in LA, guys like Kyle Farmer, infielder Rob Segedin, outfielder Trayce Thompson and starter Brock Stewart would make the big-league roster out of spring training on several other clubs. When you have a starting order in LA that looks like Chris Taylor, Corey Seager, Chase Utly (till turner gets healthy), Cody Bellinger, Yasiel Puig, Austin Barnes, Joc Pederson, and Logan Forsythe, and a guy like Matt Kemp coming off the bench, that's scary to think about. If the offense didn't scary you the pitching might. Los Angeles has a starting rotation that consists of Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Alex Wood, Kenta Maeda, and Hyun-jin Ryu, its a bit of a tough draw. it may not set the world on fire, but its the 3rd best rotation in the National League, along with the Nationals and Mets. And like those two teams, if the rotation can stay healthy it can be very good. Only thing is there just isn't a lot of depth with this staff, which could be a worry if they can't stay healthy for the entire season. Still with all that taken into account, this could very well be the best team in the lot in the National League and all signs point to this being the year for the Dodgers in the National League.
2. Colorado Rockies (88-74)(WC)*
Colorado now appears to have the horses to be able to make it to the Wild Card game. Its a home grown lineup, with a few minor changes made to it. During the winter, Chris Iannetta was brought in to help solidify the catcher position for what was an already solid ballclub. The core of the Rockies is Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, and Nolan Arenado but the window of opportunity maybe closing on this group quicker then it wants to. Gerardo Parra, Trevor Story, Ian Desmond, and Carlos Gonzalez round out the heart of this Rockies offense. Colorado's lineup is going to be one that's tough to handle this year and will be right up there in the race with the other heavy hitting teams in the National League this year. What's going to get the Rockies over the mark is going to be their pitching staff. The starting rotation, which is mostly home grown talent, consists of Jon Gray, Chad Bettis, Tyler Anderson, German Marquez, and Kyle Freeland could very well be enough to keep the Rockies hanging around in the West. What's going to be the saving grace for this staff is the bullpen, mostly the two big acquisitions for this team Wade Davis and Bryan Shaw. Both of whom are expected to play major roles and improve on an already solid staff. Colorado now I think has what it takes to be able to push past Arizona and Milwaukee and get that other Wild Card spot in the National League. It will make for a fun year out west, that's for sure.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (87-75)
Last year, the Dimanondbacks surprised quite a few people and managed to win 93 games, the first winning season the club has had since 2011. One of the big contributers down the stretch for last year's club, J.D. Martinez, is no longer on the team, having signed with the Red Sox over the winter. In order to try and make up for that production, Arizona went out and grabbed both Jarrod Dyson and Steven Souza Jr. in deals. They won't put up the eye popping numbers that J.D did while in the Desert, they are still quite capable to be able to play the outfield and produce at the plate. Those two guys join a solid hitting lineup that consists of David Peralta, A.J. Pollock, Paul Goldschmidt, Jake Lamb and Alex Avila. So hitting and driving in runs, at least on paper, shouldn't be a problem. Then you got a starting rotation that consists of Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, Taijuan Walker, Zack Godley, and Patrick Corbin. Its a solid pitching staff, which is kinda topheavey, with Greinke and Ray leading the charge. Brad Boxberger is now going to be counted on to close out games, something that is going to be a challenge for anybody. Boxberger is going to be able to do a fine job holding down. Shelby Miller is also going to be counted on from the pen, but it depends on how well he can produce because he's coming off Tommy John Surgery. All the pieces are in place, but can they recapture the magic from last year. I'm really not sure.
4. San Francisco Giants (82-80)
They aren't going to be at a level where they can really challenge for the division just yet, but boy did the Giants get better this winter. First, San Francisco sent Christian Arroyo, Denard Span, and minor leaguers to Tampa Bay for Evan Longoria. Then they went out and traded Kyle Crick, minor league players and pool money to the Pirates for Andrew McCutchen. Getting both of those guys addressed huge holes, solidifying 3rd base and center field. Longoria is near the tail end of his career but now he gets a fresh start and a chance to try and prove to the rest of baseball that he still has plenty left in the tank. Same thing two with McCutchen, who just won MVP in the National League a few years ago and wants to try and get back into that form once again. He now gets a fresh start to be able to do that in the Bay Area. They join a lineup that consists of Joe Panik, Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Brandon Crawford, and Austin Jackson. This lineup has the potential to rival the rest of the West, that's how good it is. Their starting rotation that consists of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Ty Blach, and Chris Stratton could be tough to deal with. That's how good the top three are on this staff. The duribility of that starting staff and the back end of the bullpen could be what decides how far the Giants go this year.
5. San Diego Padres (69-93)
Its been a rough go of it in San Diego the last few years, having not had a winning season since 2010. San Diego has a solid middel of the lineup in the form of Wil Myers, Eric Hosmer, Chase Headley, and Freddy Galvis. Hosmer was the big signing for the Padres, a guy that San Diego can really be able to build around and make a strong showing out of. Clayton Richard, Tyson Ross, Bryan Mitchell, Dinelson Lamet, and Luis Perdomo make up the starting rotation. They have some young talent to work with in that starting staff. Same thing can be said about the Pen win Brad Hand leading the way. It's still a few years away from being a real threat in the Western Division, but the Padres have the right pieces in place to be able to make noise.
World Series: Astros over Dodgers in 6!
That's how I see the 2018 Season going down!
