MLB SEASON PREVIEW 02

SportsBeat!

Written by Aaron Cantin

A fresh MLB season is unofficially kicking offspring. As I'm sure you remember, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally put their demons to rest, winning their first World Series since 1988 over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Dodgers were favourites entering the season last year, and they remain favourites this year. More on that later. Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. exploded on the scene in his rookie year with the Padres, and it will be interesting to see if he can improve on that monstrous campaign. Also, most importantly, we are back to an entire regular season schedule and old-school playoff format. Let's break this thing down by division.

2021 MLB Valuations; Source: Forbes

American League East - New York Yankees

There's no reason to doubt the Yankees. With Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon joining Gerrit Cole in the rotation and DJ LeMahieu back on a new six-year contract, the Bronx Bombers are the consensus pick to win this division in 2021, and rightfully so. The Tampa Bay Rays, who did make it to the World Series and win the division last year, had a very "Rays" like offseason shipping out pitcher Blake Snell to the Padres rather than adding. The Toronto Blue Jays also made big moves in the offseason, most notably George Springer and Marcus Semien, to have their say when all's said and done. Don't be surprised if we see three playoff teams in the A.L. East again.

American League Central - Chicago White Sox

The White Sox are on the rise, and I expect it all to come together this season. Losing 24-year-old slugger Eloy Jiménez to a torn left pectoral muscle is a devastating blow, but Chicago's roster is still impressive, bolstered by offseason additions Lance Lynn, Liam Hendriks, and Adam Eaton. The AL Central was one of the most exciting divisions in baseball last year, with the White Sox and Cleveland Indians finishing just one game behind the Minnesota Twins. The Indians are more likely to digress than improve, considering they shipped out star infielder Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets. The Twins will remain competitive, and I expect ace Kenta Maeda to be a dark horse Cy Young candidate. The Twins will be right there in playoff contention in September but maybe on the outside looking in.

American League West - Houston Astros

These Houston Astros are not the same Astros as the trash-banging champs we saw several years ago. Sure, they may have a couple of players still on the roster (Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, to name a few), but they have gone through roster-altering changes over the past year. Houston lost Gerrit Cole to free agency, 2019 AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander to Tommy John surgery after one start, and '19 A.L. Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez to double knee surgery after two games, leading to a 29-31 finish last season. However, the expanded postseason field allowed the Astros to make the playoffs, where they knocked off the Twins, and A's before nearly coming back from a three-games-to-one deficit against the Rays in the A.L. Championship Series. This would be considered an upset as both the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics check in above the Astros. The Angels have all the talent in the world but have been unable to put it together. If ever they do, they may be the strongest team in the league. The Athletics are sneaky good and lack any real weaknesses. I'm taking the Astros but if all three teams perform their best, the Los Angeles Angels can run away with the division.

National League East - Atlanta Braves

Only the Dodgers have a longer active division-title streak than the Braves, who have won the N.L. East in each of the past three years. This division could be one of the most competitive in baseball after the Mets' offseason bonanza, but Atlanta is my pick to finish first yet again. Although the Mets arguably improved more than any other team over the offseason, the Braves still have their own firepower with reigning NL MVP Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Marcell Ozuna leading the offence, and Max Fried, Ian Anderson, Charlie Morton, and Drew Smyly giving the club a strong rotation that will get even better when Mike Soroka returns from surgery to repair a torn right Achilles.

National League Central - St. Louis Cardinals

Despite the Cardinals making the postseason the past two years, it was clear the red birds needed to improve the offence. They did just that, trading for All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who comes to St. Louis with 235 career home runs and a .890 OPS, not to mention eight Gold Glove Awards in eight seasons. Adding to that, St. Louis' competition in the division, for the most part, digressed. Trevor Bauer and Yu Darvish -- last year's first- and second-place finishers, respectively, in the NL Cy Young Award race -- are no longer in the division. The Cardinals have a chance to run away with this one.

National League West - Los Angeles Dodgers

It's always a safe bet to go with the Dodgers. The roster, led by Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Clayton Kershaw, and then adding NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, shows no signs of slowing down. The only logical reason to doubt the Dodgers could be their hunger to win games in the regular season now that they are champions. The San Diego Padres will have something to say about this as well. The Padres could very well be the second-best team in baseball and finish well behind the Dodgers. San Diego has to stay healthy all season since they just don't have the Dodgers' depth. Pitchers David Price and Tony Gonsolin would be starting for most MLB teams. For this team, they are depth pieces. As a baseball fan, can these teams please meet in the National League Championship Series come October?