Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is upon us, which means it’s time to issue predictions that we’ll probably laugh at six months from now.
We’ve already previewed all six MLB divisions and let you know which players are due for big years. Now we tell you who we expect to win each division, each wild card spot, AL and NL MVP, AL and NL Cy Young, NL and AL Rookie of the Year and more. And of course, we also offer our picks for who will hoist the World Series trophy in October.
Alex Putterman
AL East – Red Sox
AL Central – Indians
AL West – Astros
AL WC1 – Mariners
AL WC2 – Blue Jays
AL MVP – Carlos Correa
AL Cy Young – Corey Kluber
AL ROY – Andrew Benintendi
NL East – Nationals
NL Central – Cubs
NL West – Dodgers
NL WC1 – Giants
NL WC1 – Pirates
NL MVP – Corey Seager
NL Cy Young – Clayton Kershaw
NL ROY – Dansby Swanson
Potential surprise team – Diamondbacks
Potential disappointing team – New York Mets
Bold prediction – Last year saw the end of the most famous streak in baseball, the Cubs’ championship draught, but this season we’ll see two more streaks fall: the Mariners’ run of 16 straight campaigns without a playoff berth and the Yankees’ run of 24 straight years finishing above .500. New York will hover around .500 most of the season but fall below that mark in August or September when the team enters full play-the-kids mode.
World Series — Cubs over Red Sox
The race doesn’t always go to the swiftest, but that’s the way to bet. The Cubs are again the best team on paper, with few real weaknesses. And if they decide mid-season they need an upgrade in center field or in the bullpen, they’ve got ample farm system firepower to pull off a trade. I’ll pick them to beat the similarly stacked Red Sox in a battle of no-longer-cursed franchises.
Matt Clapp:
AL East – Red Sox
AL Central – Indians
AL West – Astros
AL WC1 – Blue Jays
AL WC2 – Rangers
AL MVP – Mike Trout
AL Cy Young – Chris Sale
AL ROY – Andrew Benintendi
NL East – Nationals
NL Central – Cubs
NL West – Dodgers
NL WC1 – Giants
NL WC2 – Cardinals
NL MVP – Bryce Harper
NL Cy Young – Clayton Kershaw
NL ROY – Dansby Swanson
Potential surprise team – Angels
Potential disappointing team – Mets
Bold prediction – The trade deadline is going to be absolutely bonkers this year. The Royals will not contend, and Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Alcides Escobar are all free agents in the winter. They could all be gone. Jose Quintana and Ryan Braun will—finally—likely be traded. Players like Brian Dozier, Andrew McCutchen, Zach Britton, and Jose Bautista could be traded if their teams disappoint. The deadline will be very active and feature several big names.
World Series — Cubs over Indians
The Dodgers and Red Sox are so, so close, but at the moment the Cubs and Indians appear to be the best teams in their respective leagues, and should both win their divisions comfortably (this part is particularly big as the Dodgers especially figure to have a more difficult path, with the Giants in the NL West). Yes, it’s baseball, and odds are that neither of these teams make the World Series. And the odds that it happens in consecutive years would make it seem even more unlikely! But I feel that I should make this pick going by what teams have the best percentage chance rather than trying to be sexy, and these two teams would appear to have the best chance.
Joe Lucia
AL East – Red Sox
AL Central – Indians
AL West – Astros
AL WC1 – Rangers
AL WC2 – Mariners
AL MVP – Mike Trout. In the non-Trout division, Carlos Correa
AL Cy Young – Carlos Carrasco
AL ROY – Andrew Benintendi
NL East – Nationals
NL Central – Cubs
NL West – Dodgers
NL WC1 – Giants
NL WC2 – Mets
NL MVP – Anthony Rizzo
NL Cy Young – Clayton Kershaw. In the non-Kershaw division, Noah Syndergaard
NL ROY – Dansby Swanson
Potential surprise team – Diamondbacks
Potential disappointing team – Blue Jays
Bold prediction – The Royals *don’t* blow it all up, as they’re in the AL Wild Card race come the All-Star Break. That proves to be a mistake, as the team finishes under .500 and they get nothing for their impending free agents.
Also, Stephen Strasburg makes 30 starts, logs 200 innings, and avoids the DL. He’s done that once in his career, back in 2014.
World Series — Indians over Nationals.
I think Cleveland is head and shoulders the best team in the American League and they coast to something like a 96-66 season, dispatching their playoff opponents with ease when none of them can match their dominant rotation and bullpen. In the National League, I’m obviously big on the Cubs like every sane baseball fan, but I think they run into problems in the NLDS and then get overmatched in the NLCS by a Nationals team desperately trying to rip the playoff money off of their back. In the World Series, Cleveland triumphs when they don’t blow a 3-1 lead thanks to magic and curses and destiny and all that junk.
Ian Casselberry
AL East – Red Sox
AL Central – Indians
AL West – Mariners
AL WC1 – Astros
AL WC2 – Blue Jays
AL MVP – Mookie Betts
AL Cy Young – Cole Hamels
AL ROY – Andrew Benintendi
NL East – Nationals
NL Central – Cubs
NL West – Dodgers
NL WC1 – Giants
NL WC2 – Cardinals
NL MVP – Corey Seager
NL Cy Young – Madison Bumgarner
NL ROY – Dansby Swanson
Potential surprise team – Athletics
Potential disappointing team – Rangers
Bold prediction – What, picking someone other than Mike Trout for AL MVP isn’t bold enough? OK, but I’ll stay with the Angels. Mike Scioscia will be the first MLB manager fired this season. He won his power struggle with Jerry Dipoto, but when the Angels get off to a disappointing start, Arte Moreno will finally have had enough.
World Series — Red Sox over Cubs
This is the World Series we should have gotten last year. Unfortunately, Boston was steamrolled by the Indians in the ALDS. That’s the motivator John Farrell will use throughout the season, but especially when the Red Sox get to the postseason. It will be intriguing to see if the Cubs have difficulties with motivation during the regular season as defending World Series champs. But they certainly have the talent to get back, along with the right manager to handle that kind of challenge. Ultimately, I think the Red Sox are the deepest team with reinforcements that can either help out or be traded for key pieces.
