West
- Astros (97-65): With the addition of Ken Giles, Houston could far and away have the best bullpen in baseball, while their rotation could be top 5 easily. Derek Jeter is cloned at shortstop, while the rest of the lineup is solid. The only problem is, will there be room on the 25-man roster when guys like Alex Bregman and A.J. Reed make their debuts.
- Rangers (89-73): Other than Diekmann and Tolleson in the pen, there is no one else worth mentioning. As for the starting rotation, until Darvish gets back, there are a lot of IF’s. No doubt the offense is there, so 89 wins is a safe bet.
- A’s (85-77): One of the most underrated lineups in the game. Have a three headed monster in the bullpen, along with a true ace atop the rotation. Good manager at the helm, but too many IF’s to get them the wild card.
- M’s (83-79): One year away from being contenders. Need to shape the rotation better, and get the bullpen healthy. Seattle is not going to jump straight to the playoffs in the first year with Depoto and Servais.
- Angels (75-87): The pitching staff sure looks sexy on paper, like it has the past few years, but it hasn’t exactly come through. Other than Mike Trout, the lineup is pitiful. Mike Scocia has over stayed his welcome.
Central
- The Tribe (91-71): For the past few years, Cleveland has just missed a wild card birth due to lack of offense. After bringing up Fransisco Lindor, the Tribe made a huge run for it in the second half of 15′ making it to the last week. Yan Gomes was out for a huge portion of 15′ as well. Clearly the pitching will be there, so if health is a non concern for the lineup, Terry Francona could finally get Cleveland over the hump.
- KC (90-72): One of the best lineups in baseball, the most fluid team chemistry, a healthy squad, and a rock solid bullpen. However, again, questions surround the starting rotation, can Davis continue coming through now that 16′ will be his first full season as the closer, and can the elephant in right field be solved by Ned Yost? Yes they are the champs, but after building for years, then winning it all after losing it all, is there enough drive left as they are already at the top of Everest?
- Tigers (88-74): Having a great closer is the key to a successful bullpen, but Detroit has contingencies behind K-rod. Jordan Zimmerman was a great sign, and Verlander seems to have found a second stint in his career, but will that be enough? A powerful lineup will surely produce run support, but there are elephants in the room, such as V-Mart’s health, Miggy’s age, a right-handed heavy lineup, and whether or not J.D. Martinez‘s 2015 campaign was a one-hit wonder. Also, 2015 was proof that Brad Asmus is not ready to be an impact manager.
- White Sox (85-77): Biggest question of all is the whether or not the bullpen can support David Robertson. The starting rotation may be one of the best in the AL, especially with Avila framing the plate. The lineup will be lethal. What could make this team a wild card contender in the second half is Tyler Saldino and/or Tim Anderson taking over at short on a productive level like Correa and Lindor did in 2015.
- Twins (75-87): Unless Buxton and Sano have breakout years in support of Brian Dozier in the lineup, 2015 will be qualified as a fluke. Pitching is not there, Plouffe is not that good, Mauer is done, and unless Paul Molitor is playing third base, he is not that valuable.
East
- NY Yankees (93-69): Once Chapman comes off of the suspension, the Yankees will hold every lead they may have going into the late innings, which is crucial for September/postseason ball. Masahiro Tanaka is healthy, Pineda finally pitched in a decent amount of innings in 15′, Eovaldi found his place in NY in 15′ winning 14 games, Sevrino had an ERA+ of 133 in 11 starts as a rookie in 15′, and CC (a former cy young winner) will be the #5. Injuries have been a concern with the Yanks, but the depth is impeccable, however, if healthy, the lineup is 9-men deep.
- Jays (90-72): The rotation’s success is contingent on Marcus Stroman, and the bullpen’s success is contingent on Roberto Osuna. Other than that, John Gibbons is arguably the best fir for Toronto the franchise has ever seen in it’s history, and the offense will be there no doubt. However, no matter how loud that Rogers Centre gets, it can be all quieted if injuries hit the Jays, as they have no depth.
- O’s (85-77): Will compete with the Jays and Astros for best offense in the league, but there is huge pressure on the pitching staff (especially the rotation). Again, the O’s front office has decided to pass up on making big moves to improve the pitching staff, and instead rely on guys like Kevin Gausman and Jimenez to live up to their potential, despite being disappointing the last few times. But, Buck Showalter is a magician.
- Sox (83-79): If a team’s pitching staff is not good, then at least have a good closer and an ace. Now the Sox have that. Lots of big IF’s for the lineup though: can Hanley’s bat be re-juvenated playing 1B, can Jackie Bradley Jr develop a decent swing, is Mookie Betts for real, Swihart the next Carlton Fisk, the questions go on. When a team has lots of question marks, a great manager is needed; John Farrell is not that. Yes he won the 2013 WS with the Sox, but the credit should go more to the front office and the pitching coach.
- Rays (68-94): There are minor league lineups better than the Rays’ lineup. Chris Archer may be the real deal, and Tampa is known for their pitching, but the amount of offense in the AL this year will get to the Rays staff. Side note, the franchise is looking for a new stadium location, in other words, they know they suck and are fed up with it, so they want a fresh start.
