Opening day for the MLB is rapidly approaching, and it is time for my predictions for this season. I will go through each division and predict the standings and then quickly run through my way-too-early playoff predictions.

NL West:

1. Dodgers

2. Rockies

3. Diamondbacks

4. Giants

5. Padres

Coming off a World Series appearance, I think the Dodgers will repeat as NL West champions. The Giants added some nice pieces, namely Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen, and while this will improve their roster, McCutchen looked a bitwashed up last year and they don’t have much else beyond that. Their starting pitching is still iffy once you get past Madison Bumgarner, and their bullpen is notoriously bad. The Diamondbacks will be good, and they might fight for a wildcard spot, but I don’t think they can match the Dodgers or Rockies. Colorado added Wade Davis to sure up the bullpen and they are a young team that is a year older. I think they will take another leap forward. They are the greatest threat to the Dodgers. The Padres are the Padres, eternally terrible.

NL Central:

1. Cubs

2. Brewers

3. Cardinals

4. Reds

5. Pirates

The Cubs are amazing. I don’t think there is much question that they are one of the best teams in baseball, but don’t sleep on the Brewers. They added both Christian Yellich and Lorenzo Cain to an already good team. They still have question marks on their pitching staff, but their offense might be good enough to negate that. This will be a great division race. The Cardinals are in a bit of a retooling year, and the Reds are still young. The Pirates are going to be a dumpster fire after gutting most of their team. I believe that this division will produce two playoff teams, the Cubs and the Brewers, and they will both be in contention for a World Series.

NL East:

1. Nationals

2. Mets

3. Phillies

4. Braves

5. Marlins

This is the Nats’ division to lose. They are returning most of last years great team with a healthy Adam Eaton, and the possibility to call-up top prospect Victor Robles mid-season. The Mets will be decent, if they can stay healthy, but that is a big if – their pitchers have shown no ability to do so. The Phillies added Jake Arrieta, but he has not been able to replicate his Cy Young winning season. They will improve, but I’m not sure they will be very good. The Braves will continue to develop their young talent and have some surprise-team potential, but they will likely be around average. The Marlins could be the worst team in the league after trading their two best players. All in all, I see this as a one team division.

AL West:

1. Astros

2. Mariners

3. Angels

4. Rangers

5. Athletics

The Astros are coming off a world series win and, impressively, they somehow got better. They added Gerrit Cole to their rotation and he will make an extremely formidable top-3 with Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel. The Mariners added Dee Gordon and should fight for a playoff spot, but we will have to see whether Felix Hernandez looks like King Felix this year as that will determine their success. The Angels added Japanese phenom Shohei Otani, but he is still a rookie. They could push for the playoffs, but they are likely a year or two away. The Rangers and Athletics did not do much and it is unlikely they will factor in to the playoff race.

AL Central:

1. Indians

2. Twins

3. White Sox

4. Royals

5. Tigers

The Indians have become consistent World Series contenders, and I think that will continue. They are returning mostly the same team and should be great again. The Twins added some nice pieces to their rotation and bullpen, and their lineup was already potent. I believe they will take another step forward this year. The White Sox have the best farm system in baseball and it is inevitable that they will call up some of their young talent to the majors. That will improve their team, but they won’t be good enough to make the playoffs. The Royals lost some key pieces to free agency and the Tigers are going through a rebuild. I don’t think either of them will factor into the playoff picture.

AL East:

1. Red Sox

2. Yankees

3. Blue Jays

4. Orioles

5. Rays

What, you think the team who added the best slugger in baseball should be first? Wrong. The Red Sox are a much more complete team than the Yankees, and they added their own world class slugger in J.D. Martinez. They still have Mookie Betts and get another year of Rafael Devers. The Yankees are a little weak in the infield and they could use another starter. This could be the best divisional race in all of baseball this year but I think the Red Sox will come out victorious. The Blue Jays have a great rotation but their lineup is a little thin. They will need their young players to step up in a big way. The Orioles are the same story every year. They have a good lineup but atrocious pitching ,and I think that will continue. The Rays traded away most of their talent and will pay for it.

NL Playoff Predictions:

1. Nationals

2. Cubs

3. Dodgers

4. Brewers

5. Rockies

Brewers beat the Rockies in the wild card game.

Nats beat the Brewers in the NLDS.

Cubs beat the Dodgers in the NLDS.

Nate beat the Cubs in the NLCS.

AL Playoff Predictions:

1. Astros

2. Red Sox

3. Indians

4. Yankees

5. Mariners

Yankees beat the Mariners in the wild card game.

Yankees beat the Astros in the ALDS.

Red Sox beat the Indians in the ALDS.

Red Sox beat the Yankees in the ALCS.

World Series Prediction:

Nationals beat the Red Sox in 7 games.

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