West
- Houston Astros: 100-62 No doubt a juggernaut, especially when they will get Verlander for the whole season and have an addition in Gerrit Cole. The defending champs should keep rolling, as other than Wild Card type teams at best in the Angels and M’s there is no competition in that division.
- Los Angeles Angels: 87-75 Clearly this LA team means business after the offseason they had. After the additions of Cozart and Kinsler the Angels have one of the deepest lineups in baseball. Speaking of deep, their whole major league roster is deep, that is if the pitching staff can stay healthy, as it is better than the M’s.
- M’s: 79-83 Good addition of Gordon in the offseason, as the lineup is still very deep, but Seattle still doesn’t have the pitching, especially with Felix Hernandez not being as elusive as he used to be. Diaz is an up and coming elite closer, but other than him the bullpen is average at best.
- A’s: 76-86 The trade for Piscotty and signing of Lucroy will make the offense interesting in Oakland, but this will be the A’s first full season without their true ace in Gray and solidified closer in Doolittle. That is what separates the A’s from the M’s.
- Rangers: 67-95 Other than Hamels everyone in the starting rotation is a question mark and the bullpen is just pitiful. After the trade of Darvish, the Rangers have just accepted that they are in a grey area deciding what direction to go next. Sure Gallo is a rising star and Andrus is consistent at short, but Beltre is getting old and everything else is falling apart.
Central
- The Tribe: 93-69 Due to being in a division of some heavy bats, the injury prone rotation may get ruffed up a bit, but the lineup is the deepest its been in years. Naquin is back this year, Zimmer is coming into his own, Kipnis is fully healthy and Alonso is off to a hot start. Lastly, off course, Francona is still at the helm.
- Twins: 85-77 Trading for Odorizzi then signing Lynn was huge for the rotation as they will join veterans Hughes and Santana. Bats like Buxton, Kepler and Escobar are starting to wake up, and Minnesota has a new closer.
- KC: 81-81 The health of the rotation is going to be key, as the lineup is plenty deep enough including the bench to give that staff some support. The bullpen is very short and the excitement has begun to leave Kauffman, as an era is coming to an end.
- Tigers: 73-89 Ron Gardenhire is the new man at the helm and he certainly knows that division. Detroit still has some dangerous bats in the lineup and a couple decent starters, but all in all Gardenhire is what will get the team 73 wins.
- White Sox: 72-90 Still in the rebuild stage with young guys finding their stride, but this should be an exciting season despite the win total as multiple young prospects will be shifted on and off of the 25-man roster to give the fans a sneak peak into the 2020 Championship team.
East
- Yankees: 89-73 NY may not be quite as deep as the Red Sox due to a musical chairs infield, but the bullpen is lethal and the starting rotation has a high ceiling. Bret Boone brings an exciting presence to the locker room that should help keep the Yankees on a hot train from 2017.
- Red Sox: 88-74 The key is David Price returning to his true form. If that happens than borrowing a few things the Sox could convincingly win the division, but that’s a big if, plus the bullpen is not that deep. However, JD Martinez will not only hit bombs for himself, but up the confidence of every other hitter.
- Rays: 75-87 Tampa knows how to compete possibly the best of any team in this division, and they always have incredible young pitching talent handling heavy lineups. The outfield is possibly the most underrated in baseball; as well as their closer. However, they have signaled what seems to be a rebuild after trading Longoria.
- Jays: 71-91 Its all hanging on the rotation, as the health of Stroman, Happ, Sanchez and Estrada could mean a Wild Card race, but could also mean lack of performance just like the lineup.
- O’s: 68-94 Been a long long time since the O’s had an above average season from their rotation. Doesn’t mean anything that the bullpen is good because they will be too worn out halfway through the season to make a difference. Adam Jones is declining and so is Chris Davis. Beckham was a nice find, but will start to get struck out as the season goes on. Although Machado and Scoop will do their best to keep the O’s in the hunt.
