If you’ve been monitoring my preseason MLB predictions for the last couple of years, then you’ve already acted upon this season’s offerings.

You’ve wagered on the Nationals to lose the World Series.

Two years ago, I went with the Indians defeating the Cubs in the Fall Classic, only to see the opposite happen. Last year, I correctly forecasted the Dodgers to win the National League pennant, but I went too far in selecting them to beat a team that wasn’t the Astros.

Quite simply, the team I pick to win the World Series … loses the World Series.

As per annual tradition, here’s a deeper dive into my 2018 preseason picks. You can find the Post staff’s picks in their entirety here:

AL East

1. Red Sox

2. Yankees (WC)

3. Orioles

4. Blue Jays

5. Rays

No, I’m not as bullish on the Yankees as many others are — in the short term. In the long term, I love what they’re doing. Yet I think some regression from last year’s spectacular surge would be a natural phenomenon. Think of all their core guys who are coming off career years: Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge, Jordan Montgomery, Gary Sanchez and Giancarlo Stanton. Granted, many of these guys are young, yet we know from history how many players ride rollercoasters, even modestly structured ones, through their careers.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, can benefit from having a healthier David Price, who has the extra motivation of an opt-out in his contract at the conclusion of the season — how much would he give up just to escape Boston, which he clearly loathes? — and the addition of J.D. Martinez. I think, just like last year, the Red Sox will barely outlast the Yankees, whom I envision going 92-70.

I’m also betting on some more Buck Showalter magic to make the Orioles better than anticipated. The late signing of Alex Cobb will prove quite rewarding; Manny Machado will shine in his walk year; and Showalter will brilliantly run the bullpen until Zach Britton returns from surgery.

AL Central

1. Twins

2. Indians (WC)

3. White Sox

4. Royals

5. Tigers

Yeah, I like the Twins. I like how they capitalized on the extremely buyer-friendly free-agent market by acquiring starting pitcher Lance Lynn, bat Logan Morrison and relievers Addison Reed and Fernando Rodney. I like their young corps of Miguel Sano and Bryan Buxton. I like what they did last year, surprising the industry with the AL wild card, and I think they can build off of it.

The Indians? I like them, too. I just wonder whether all of those innings of the last few years will catch up to super-relievers Cody Allen and Andrew Miller.

AL West

1. Astros

2. Angels

3. Rangers

4. A’s

5. Mariners

Just going with the flow here, right? The Astros are so good that it’s hard to see them breaking too much of a regular-season sweat, even after playing 18 postseason games last year. The Angels’ exciting offseason became less exciting in spring training as rookie Shohei Ohtani gave off strong indications that he required some more seasoning.

ALCS: Twins over Astros. Yeah, what the hell. The Indians showed last year that a team can cruise through the regular season only to stumble in October. And I think the Twins are ready to make their mark with a deep, interesting roster, even if the starting rotation at this juncture doesn’t prompt you to start planning parade routes. This roster clearly is not a finished product, and it doesn’t need to be here in the opening week.

NL East

1. Nationals

2. Mets

3. Phillies

4. Braves

5. Marlins

Next year, when Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy might have signed elsewhere as free agents, will be the time to question the Nationals’ long-term viability. Right now is the time to see if the Nats can build on their guaranteed division title and win a playoff round for once already.

The Mets have to be better than last year, right? I think their best players — Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto — will deliver All-Star-caliber performances, and I believe supporting players like Jay Bruce, Todd Frazier and Jason Vargas will do just fine. Rookie Amed Rosario, too. This is not, however, a deep roster. And I think too many other guys will struggle to be even average. So these guys will finish 84-78 — a nice improvement from last year’s 70-92 fiasco, and also still out of the playoffs.

NL Central

1. Cubs

2. Brewers (WC)

3. Cardinals

4. Reds

5. Pirates

Count on a third straight division title for the Cubs, and then watch the Brewers — the only new playoff team of 10 I’ve predicted — build on their 2017 breakthrough courtesy of their new outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich. This team also has a big midseason trade in it — their owner Mark Attanasio is aggressive by nature — to upgrade its starting rotation.

NL West

1. Diamondbacks

2. Dodgers (WC)

3. Rockies

4. Padres

5. Giants

In the prior 10 seasons, three teams have posted repeat World Series appearances: The 2008-09 Phillies, the 2010-11 Rangers and the 2014-15 Royals. That’s three teams out of 20, a 15 percent likelihood. A World Series run drains most clubs that qualify, and luck has a way of evening out from one season to the next. All of this explains why I believe the Dodgers, who let Yu Darvish go to the Cubs, will take a step back just like their historic rivals in The Bronx who also are keeping their payroll below the $197 million luxury-tax threshold.

I like the Diamondbacks because I think their front office, headed by former Red Sox executive Mike Hazen, has a knack for coming up with solutions. I think Arizona’s primary solution for coming back without the slugger Martinez will be a terrific bullpen featuring Brad Boxberger and Archie Bradley.

NLCS: Nationals over Cubs: Finally, the Nationals break through — first against the Dodgers in the NLDS and then against a Cubs team that is simply exhausted in a fourth straight NLCS.

World Series: Nationals over Twins. Harper gets his first October platform and shines in this battle of historically aligned teams, as the first Washington Senators team moved to Minnesota to become the Twins in 1961. The folks in DC aren’t accustomed to having a party that doesn’t center on politics. The Nats and new manager Dave Martinez will mix it up positively.

— Let’s catch up on Pop Quiz questions. All come from Gary Mintz of South Huntington:

1) In the 2016 film “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” the title characters’ home features a banner listing a certain baseball team’s championships. What team?

2) In a 2017 episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Larry suggests that Leon use the name of a 1919 “Black Sox” player as an alias. Which player?

3) In a 2017 episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Leon assumes the name of a Negro League player. What is the player’s name?

— Congratulations to Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay, who is this year’s winner of the Vin Scully Award For Excellence in Sports Broadcasting, presented by Fordham’s WFUV. Kay will receive the award in a November ceremony.

— The love for Yankees power duo Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge isn’t limited to the real world. The two men have the highest combined DraftKings salary value of any non-pitching teammates duo in all of Major League Baseball for Opening Day. Stanton’s value is $5,300 and Judge is $5,100.

Your Pop Quiz answers:

1) The Yankees

2) Chick Gandil

3) Chappie Johnson

If you have a tidbit that connects baseball with popular culture, please send it to me at kdavidoff@nypost.com.