The offseason is barely underway. While some players have signed, the big-name free agents still remain on the market. On top of that, trade rumors are already brewing, and some significant players appear to be available. In just a few months, the whole landscape of baseball could change drastically.

What’s the fun in waiting, though? We here at The Stew are still astonished that the Chicago Cubs were able to win the 2016 World Series. And given the dramatic and exciting nature of their series against the Cleveland Indians, you won’t blame us if we’re focused on reliving those moments again.

With that in mind, we decided to conduct an offseason draft. Ten participants from the Yahoo Sports sphere got together and selected teams most likely to win the 2017 World Series.

It might be early in the offseason, but that’s the fun of a project like this. Our experts had to weigh how confident they were in which teams would make big moves this offseason, and which clubs would completely tear it down.

Let’s take a look at the draft order and introduce our brave participants:

Tim Brown, National Baseball Writer Marcus Vanderberg, MLB Editor Israel Fehr, Yahoo Sports Canada Mark Townsend, Big League Stew Kevin Kaduk, Blogs Editor Dalton Del Don, Fantasy Sports Writer Mike Oz, Big League Stew Liz Roscher, Big League Stew Jeff Passan, National Baseball Writer Chris Cwik, Big League Stew

Are the Cubs set for a repeat, or will they be dethroned by another team? Cleveland looked strong to finish the season, but are they really the second-best club in baseball? Which team will rise from obscurity and make a run no one saw coming? The Brewers?

Let’s just get into it.

The Cubs are poised to repeat as World Series champs. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) More

Chicago Cubs

With the first pick I chose the Cubs, because they are a hardball miracle and generational juggernaut that will never, ever lose another baseball game, and I found I could not pass on that. Plus, Schwarber. Beyond that, they are young enough, skilled enough, smart enough and Maddon enough to show up in spring with the intention of doing it all again. They stay upright and they cover the ninth inning, they have a pretty good shot at it, too. (Tim Brown) Los Angeles Dodgers

There’s nothing more dangerous in baseball than nerds with a blank checkbook. Andrew Friedman and his posse of the smartest people in the room will likely make the best out of a poor free agency class, starting with re-signing closer Kenley Jansen. And with the important role closers played this postseason, the Dodgers could be in play for another veteran closer like Brad Ziegler to beef up the setup role. As for finding that solid No. 2 starter behind Clayton Kershaw, NL Manager of the Year Dave Roberts might have found his man in 20-year-old lefty Julio Urias. After taking his lumps early on in his rookie season, Urias posted a 4-0 record and 1.99 ERA after the All-Star break. Urias isn’t ready? There’s always Zack Greinke, because, money ain’t a thing when your franchise is approaching a 30-year World Series drought. (Marcus Vanderberg) Boston Red Sox

Big Papi may be gone in Boston, but behold baseball’s new killer B’s: Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Andrew Benintendi. They’re young, talented and poised to keep the Red Sox rolling offensively and in the field for the next few years. Add in Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez and there’s no reason the best lineup in the majors in 2016 will take a step back, even without David Ortiz. The starting pitching? Well, it felt like a disappointment last season even as Rick Porcello won the Cy Young and David Price found his groove in the second half. An improved back end of the rotation would squarely put the Red Sox as the team to beat in the American League. (Israel Fehr) Andrew Miller and the Indians should boast a strong club in 2017. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Cleveland Indians

A World Series victory was within their grasp. Just one more win and they would have celebrated the end of a 68-year championship drought. That outcome is going to sting for a while, but this is still an excellent team that’s set up to contend in 2017 and beyond. Remember, we barely saw Michael Brantley at all in 2016. If he comes back strong and the Indians rotation has a little more luck in the health department, I fully expect them to make another deep postseason run. (Mark Townsend) Washington Nationals

I would’ve preferred to select a team that’s not so allergic to winning the NLDS. but I’m also fine taking my chances with the three-headed monster of Max Scherzer, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and the rest of that core. Even if that means rolling the dice with Dusty Baker in the playoffs. If the Nats can finally get some good injury luck (looking at you Stephen Strasburg) and not cheap out on re-signing Mark Melancon (ahem, Ted Lerner), the Nats can end a DC World Series drought that goes back to 1924. (Kevin Kaduk) New York Mets

The Mets were my pick to make the World Series last year, and they somehow still made the playoffs despite suffering a ton of injuries. The health of the starting staff will be key, but it has the upside to be the best in baseball. I strongly considered the Giants here, and as a homer, I hope I regret the decision. But New York has so much pitching (they had the lowest FIP in MLB last year despite all those injuries), and the bottom half of the National League East is bad, so there’s a nice path to the postseason here even if they can’t surpass the Nats. (Dalton Del Don) San Francisco Giants

With the seventh pick, I feared I might be right outside the elite teams for a draft like this. But getting the Giants here? I’ll take em. It starts with pitching. Any team returning four starters the quality of San Francisco’s will immediately be a contender. The Giants have some offseason work to do — bullpen help, another outfield bat — but you have to like a team that brings back a lineup and a rotation like theirs. (Mike Oz) Buck Showalter can work his magic on the Orioles again in 2017. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images) Baltimore Orioles

Buck Showalter barely had a rotation in 2016 and he took his team to the wild-card play-in game. Imagine what he could do with an actual, functioning rotation. And perhaps a little more flexibility when it comes to reliever usage, but that’s a lesson he learned the hard way. The Orioles will have to do it without Mark Trumbo, but they still have a lot to work with. (Have I convinced you? Yeah, me neither.) (Liz Roscher) Houston Astros

I was elated to see the Astros still available here, if only to affirm my affinity for doubling down on my misses. (I swear, the Betamax revolution is coming!) I picked the Astros to go to the World Series before the 2016 season, and that was before Jose Altuve grew into a complete monster, before Alex Bregman proved himself an All-Star-in-waiting upon arrival, before the Astros committed to a payroll hike this offseason. They need pitching, yes, but everyone needs pitching. This core, as constituted, is enough to win 90 games — and if it’s supplemented as it ought be, and gets a rested Dallas Keuchel and healthy Lance McCullers, I won’t hesitate to pick a Cubs-Astros World Series for the second straight season. (Jeff Passan) Texas Rangers

I’m more than happy to wind up with the team that won the most games in the American League with the 10th pick in the draft. The Rangers’ run differential may have been their undoing in the playoffs, but this is still a deep club with a good mix of veterans and youngsters on offense. They could use more help on the pitching side, though it’s tough to beat the 1-2 punch of Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish. Knowing their position, I would expect them to spend on a decent third starter and solidify their status as a strong World Series contender. (Chris Cwik) St. Louis Cardinals

Last year seemed like a disappointment, and yet the Cardinals still won 86 games. Looking over their roster, this is still a strong team capable of contention in the National League Central. The club could maybe use some depth in the outfield, and maybe another starter in case of injuries, but St. Louis has spent in the past, and should do so again this offseason. Oh, and don’t forget the one or two random, light-hitting infielders who suddenly reach the majors and mash 30 home runs a piece. I believe in Devil Magic! (Cwik) If Andrew McCutchen can get back to form, the Pirates will be tough. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images) Pittsburgh Pirates

Apparently I have a weakness for underachievers. The Pirates’ sustained success over the previous three seasons went up in an inferno of disabled-list days last season, and the questions about Andrew McCutchen’s days as a super-duper-star are valid. But with Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco in the outfield, Josh Bell ready to add another potent middle-of-the-order bat to Pittsburgh’s lineup and a reimagined defensive alignment that remedies the mess of 2016, the Pirates have big upside. Presuming, of course, the health of Gerrit Cole and Tyler Glasnow, and Ray Searage unearthing another piece of pitching clay and molding it into a statuesque third or fourth starter the Pirates so need. (Passan) Seattle Mariners

They nearly almost made it to the wild-card this year, which was a pretty big deal. If everything breaks right and they can keep up all the strides they made this year, they could do it. And if Felix Hernandez can rebound to the King Felix we all know and love, they could have a serious chance. (Roscher) Toronto Blue Jays

The Jays are set to lose a big bat or two since Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion are free agents, but they still have the framework to compete. After what we saw from Aaron Sanchez in 2016, their rotation could actually be a strength next year instead of their slugging lineup. Having Josh Donaldson ain’t bad either. The Jays were the last 2016 playoff team left on our draft board, and that makes them a pick I don’t hate right here. (Oz) New York Yankees

The Yankees are in a tough division, but they are getting younger and having a potential superstar at catcher is a huge leg up on everyone else. Fangraphs actually projects them to make the playoffs next year, so getting them in round two was a steal. (Del Don) If the White Sox keep Chris Sale, this ranking might be too low. (David Banks/Getty Images) Chicago White Sox

Yes, the White Sox are in rebuilding mode. But given that Jerry Reinsdorf’s Chicago Bulls stayed committed to their rebuild for about 15 seconds before going out and signing Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade for some inexplicable reason, consider me unconvinced the White Sox will do the same when it comes to actually dealing Chris Sale or Jose Quintana to restock the farm system. Given the White Sox have rarely been very good or very terrible the past 10 years, No. 16 seems like the right spot. (Kaduk) Colorado Rockies

It’s easy to dismiss the Rockies because, well, they’re the Rockies. It would also be lazy to dismiss them next season because the arrow is clearly pointing up under new manager Bud Black. For the first time, perhaps ever, Colorado has a starting rotation that looks pretty legit top to bottom. They also feature a dynamic lineup that’s about more than hitting home runs. If the bullpen isn’t a disaster and they stay reasonably healthy, they’ll be in the playoff hunt. (Townsend) Detroit Tigers

There’s some uncertainty around the Tigers and their future, specifically in regards to Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. Those two have been the cornerstones to the franchise’s recent success, but as they age and Detroit’s play dips, there have been some rumblings either or both could be traded to kickstart a rebuild. It would take quite an offer for the Tigers to do it, though, so the expectation is that Cabrera and Verlander will remain to lead the team next season. It should be a decent one, too. Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez, Nick Castellanos and J.D. Martinez are coming off productive years at the plate and Michael Fulmer and Jordan Zimmermann round out a strong front of the rotation. Detroit might decide not to spend like they used to moving forward, but what they bought in the past should keep them competitive in 2017. (Fehr) Kansas City Royals

It feels like forever since the Royals made back-to-back World Series appearances and eventually won the title in 2015. That’s what finishing a pedestrian 81-81 does to you. General Manager Dayton Moore went on record to say the payroll will “regress a little bit” in 2017, hence letting your best power hitter in Kendrys Morales walk in free agency despite the team finishing 23rd in runs scored and 27th in home runs. In order for the Royals to become relevant again in October, it will take some creative signings to beef up the offense and provide Eric Hosmer some protection in the lineup (hello, Pedro Alvarez/Rickie Weeks DH platoon?), the continued progression of possible Cy Young candidate Danny Duffy and most importantly, someone to play the Wade Davis role of 2014 in the bullpen. That, and Ned Yost doing Ned Yost things. (Vanderberg) A healthy Giancarlo Stanton would greatly increase the Marlins’ chances. (Rob Foldy/Getty Images) Miami Marlins

Because in a year and a world where Donald Trump gets to be president, Jeffrey Loria probably gets to raise a World Series trophy. May as well get it all over with at once. As for the baseball end of it, the Marlins have plenty of holes, they being the Marlins and all. Yet, maybe this is a year Giancarlo Stanton plays 155 games and is blessed with an attentive hitting coach and rakes (like he did in 2014). It’s a broken-hearted baseball town. It’ll be easy to root for the Marlins to help. (Brown) Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays were terrible in 2016. Ninety-four-loss terrible. Devil Rays terrible. In fact, the last time they were this terrible they shortened their name and went to the World Series. Not sure how one goes about shortening “Rays.” Go Ra, sun god of ancient Egypt. They turn it around with starting pitching – Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Alex Cobb, Blake Snell, Drew Smyly, either by pitching those five or turning one or two of them into special position players. It’s a long road back. They’ve covered it before. The sun god comes up tomorrow. (Brown) Los Angeles Angels

A team with the best player in baseball and a rally monkey will make the World Series eventually, right? (Vanderberg) Cincinnati Reds

The Reds still have at least one positive going for them: Joey Votto is an absolute monster at the plate. Votto’s excellence, and Billy Hamilton’s speed and defense, are about the only certainties in Cincinnati. The most pressing question for them now is to see what they have in their young pitchers, like Brandon Finnegan, Raisel Iglesias, Amir Garrett, Robert Stephenson, Tyler Mahle, Rookie Davis and Keury Mella. If one or two of those arms can step up, the Reds have the potential to improve and show Cincinnati that more winning is on the way. (Fehr) The Brewers boast a nice, young core, but is 2017 too soon for them to compete? (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) Milwaukee Brewers

I like what the Brewers are doing and see them as the rebuilding team with the best chance to surprise in 2017. Will that equate to a playoff push? Probably not, and certainly not if they finally go through with trading Ryan Braun. However, there’s a really good core developing at the major league and minor league levels, which should move them significantly higher up the list over the next two seasons. (Townsend) Atlanta Braves

Bartolo Colon in Games 1, 4 and 7 with RA Dickey in between. Come at me. (Kaduk) Arizona Diamondbacks

It’s slim pickings at this point, but the Diamondbacks do have some interesting young position players. Full healthy seasons from A.J. Pollock and David Peralta would help, and the bullpen is the easiest aspect to fix quickly. These are obviously all long shots at this point. (Del Don) Minnesota Twins

We’ve seen stranger things than the Twins turning themselves into World Series contenders in 2017. Especially if Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton find their way out of the Upside Down. For this spot in the draft — where we’re mostly drafting teams who are expected to lose — at least the Twins have a lot of upside. (Oz) Philadelphia Phillies

Lightning could strike! It totally could! The Phillies have a great, homegrown rotation that could make the jump from work-in-progress to serious threat. And their offense could really, uh, learn how to hit better. Or Mike Trout could get confused and wander into Citizens Bank Park one day and decide to stay. Or they could kidnap Bryce Harper, dye his hair, shave his face and convince him to play under the name Ralph Scrapple. If they could do either of those things, they’d really have a shot. (Roscher) Khris Davis is ready to mash for the 2017 Athletics. (Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) Oakland Athletics

Let’s focus on the good. Sean Manaea looks like he’s going to be at least a solid No. 3 and probably more. Sonny Gray can’t be as bad as he was last year. Kendall Graveman gobbles innings. Khris Davis hit 40 home runs (and his name autocorrects to Khrushchev, which is interesting). Ryon Healy has legitimate thunder, too. Stephen Vogt is a good player at a position with so few. And more than anything, the A’s in the past have made something of nothing. I’m not saying they’re going to win a World Series. I am saying, unequivocally, this is tremendous value at No. 29. (Passan) San Diego Padres

I didn’t choose the Padres, the Padres chose me. With that said, I’m not so sure they are the worst team in the majors. You have to squint to see the talent, but it’s there. Wil Myers has developed into a good player, Yangervis Solarte is a strong hitter and both Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe will have chances to impress next season. It’s a better start than some other clubs. The pitching might be a problem, but you just hope that big park helps suppress runs. I don’t think the Padres are the worst team in baseball, so … value pick? Look, the Cubs won the World Series in 2016. Stranger things have happened! (Cwik)

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – – –

Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik