Lc5Q8wHT

1Welcome to DarkImperiator's 2018 MLB Season Predictions
2
3These predictions are my opinions (obviously) and I'll try to make them completely unbiased.
4
5First I will do my analysis on each team by division in alphabetical order then I'll rank them 
6
7(I'm aware there are some key free agents unsigned but this is what I have so far) 
8
9American League
10
11AL East
12
13Baltimore Orioles- The Orioles didn't do much this offseason. They re-signed some of their players and let others walk (Welington Castillo). The Orioles did not address their pitching problem after having one of the worst pitching in the league. I can see them just barely be around .500.
14
15Boston Red Sox- The Red Sox let John Farrell go and brought in Alex Cora. They re-signed Mitch Moreland and Eduardo Nunez to respective deals. After a long few months, they finally countered the Yankees acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton by signing J.D. Martinez to a 5 year deal. Martinez brings in the much needed power for the Red Sox. He will definitely help the team's offense, but will it be enough to retain the division title? The Red Sox really need David Price and Rick Porcello to return to form. Expect them to compete for the division title.
16
17New York Yankees- The Yankees had a very busy offseason. They let longtime manager Joe Girardi go for the inexperienced Aaron Boone. How will he do with his first season of being the manager? They acquired the NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton to pair up with the MVP-runner up Aaron Judge. The Yankees don't have many problems (well injuries of course). They had a top offense and pitching last year and they pretty much kept almost all of the squad. Todd Frazier walked and Chase Headley was traded for salary dump. The big question is who will man second and third base? Is Miguel Andujar ready to man? The Yankees did acquire Brandon Drury to help fill in depth. Expect the Yankees to compete with the Red Sox for the division title.
18
19Tampa Bay Rays- The glorious tank has arrived for the Rays. They traded away franchise player and beloved by the fans, Evan Longoria to the Giants. They also traded Steven Souza, Jake Odorizzi, and Corey Dickerson. The Rays offense stunk last season and it'll get worse. The Rays will most likely be at the bottom of the division. 
20
21Toronto Blue Jays- The Blue Jays made some few minor additions to the team. The added the likes of Aldemys Diaz, Yangervis Solarte, and Curtis Granderson. The Blue Jays have the pieces to be a playoff team, but is it really enough? It'll be tough for the Blue Jays to beat out the Yankees and Red Sox. 
22
23AL Central
24
25Chicago White Sox- The White Sox currently have the best farm system in the MLB. They did sign a lot of minor players, but nothing too big. They did sign Welington Castillo for veteran presence. I don't see the White Sox becoming a playoff team just yet, but with the farm system they have, they'll be scary in a few years.
26
27Cleveland Indians- The Indians didn't bring in anyone major besides bringing in Yonder Alonso for Carlos Santana. However, they did lose key players like Jay Bruce and Bryan Shaw. Despite these losses, the Indians will most likely win this weak division. Don't expect the Indians to have too much trouble competing with their division rivals. 
28
29Detroit Tigers- The Tigers are a rebuilding team who still has the declining Miguel Cabrera. They did trade Ian Kinsler to the Angels. I don't think they'll be a playoff team, I can see them being as high as 3rd or low as 5th. 
30
31Kansas City Royals- The glorious tank has arrived in Kansas City. The Royals did not have a lot of money to re-sign all their players. They did re-sign Alcides Escobar, but let Eric Hosmer, Jason Vargas, and Lorenzo Cain walk. Mike Moustakas remains a free agent. The Royals will regress rapidly from last year. I expect the Royals to finish 4th or 5th.
32
33Minnesota Twins- The Twins are a team looking to return to the playoffs after a loss to the Yankees in the Wild Card. They kept pretty much the same team while adding Jake Odorizzi to their rotation. The Twins will have competition for a wild spot, will they be able to hold out? The Twins will probably finish 2nd behind the Indians. 
34
35AL West
36
37Houston Astros- Do I need to say much? They are the reigning MLB champions and they kept practically almost the whole team. They boosted their rotation by acquiring Gerrit Cole from the Pirates. They might have a little problem with their bullpen, but it really shouldn't bother them. The Astros will more than likely repeat as division champs. 
38
39Los Angeles Angels- The Angels had quite a busy offseason. They won the Japanese Phenomena Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes. They boosted their infield defense by signing Zack Cozart and trading for Ian Kinsler to play along with Andrelton Simmons. The Angels could be a really scary team with a healthy Mike Trout, Justin Upton, and Kole Calhoun as the outfield. The big question is how will they handle Ohtani. I don't see the Angels beating out the Astros for the division title, but I can see them finishing behind and making a wild card spot. 
40
41Oakland Athletics- This rebuilding team is slowly going on the rise. The A's don't have the pieces to be a serious playoff contender, but they'll eventually be one in the years to come. They could finish 3rd but honestly I really see them finishing at 4th place. 
42
43Seattle Mariners- The Mariners have a lot of offensive weapons that could scare pitchers. Their main problem is the rotation. They need to have all their pitchers to be healthy and they could be contending for the playoffs. I can see the Mariners finishing 3rd, but let's see how they play out.
44
45Texas Rangers- The Rangers haven't really done much. Their rotation is gonna be really bad with an aging Cole Hamels. They were ranked 9th last year on offense, but I don't think it'll be enough to make the Rangers serious playoff contenders. Expect them to finish 4th or 5th.
46
47National League
48
49NL East
50
51Atlanta Braves- The Braves are a team on the rise. They have top prospect Ronald Acuna coming up soon and it'll be interesting to watch Dansby Swanson. With a healthy Freddie Freeman, the Braves could be a pretty good team. I don't think they'll make the playoffs just yet, but they'll make it maybe in a year or two. They could finish 2nd or 3rd.
52
53Miami Marlins- The glorious tank has arrived in Miami. Derek Jeter went into full tank mode by trading away NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees, all star Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals, and Christian Yelich to the Brewers. JT Realmuto had requested a trade from the Marlins, but nothing happened. The Marlins will be competing for the first pick of the draft and might be the worst team in the league. (Oh yeah and thank you for Stanton, Jeter)
54
55New York Mets- The Mets went into big spending mode this offseason. They brought back Jay Bruce, signed Todd Frazier and Adrian Gonzalez to deals. They'll get all their pitchers back from injury while Michael Conforto might be out for a little longer. With a healthy team, the Mets could easily be playoff contenders. Their bullpen is still kind of weak, but they have pieces to overcome that. The Mets will most likely be competing for a wild card spot. 
56
57Philadelphia Phillies- The Phillies are another team on the rise. They have a bunch of young players such as Rhys Hoskins ready to play. The Phillies did sign Carlos Santana for veteran presence. The Phillies probably won't be competing for the playoffs yet, but they will make it not too long from now. They could finish 3rd or 4th.
58
59Washington Nationals- This is it. This season is the final one of Bryce Harper's contract. The Nationals really need to try to win it all. If not, they could potentially lose Harper. The Nationals pretty much kept the same time with Adam Easton returning from an ACL injury. They will most likely win the NL East once again.
60
61NL Central-
62
63Chicago Cubs- The Cubs look to win the division title once again. They lost closer Wade Davis to the Rockies but brought in Yu Darvish to their strong rotation. The Cubs have the offense and the pitching to win the division once again. Expect them to compete with some of the fellow division rivals. 
64
65Cinncinnati Reds- The Reds still won't be a good team. They lost all star Zack Cozart to the Angels. The Reds will most likely be competing for a top draft pick once again. Not much to say about this team. 
66
67Milwaukee Brewers- The Brewers had a busy offseason. They signed Lorenzo Cain and traded for Christian Yelich to their already crowded outfield. The Brewers did say Ryan Braun will try to play first base. While the Brewers certainly have the offense to compete for the playoffs, how will the rotation be? If the rotation does solid, I could see them competing for a wild card spot. Expect them to finish 2nd or 3rd. 
68
69St. Louis Cardinals- After failing out to acquire Giancarlo Stanton from the Marlins, not too long after they decided to trade for Marcell Ozuna. Now Ozuna helps add power to the Cardinals lineup. If everyone stays healthy, they could compete for a wild card spot. I can see them finishing 2nd or 3rd. 
70
71Pittsburgh Pirates- The glorious tank has arrived in Pittsburgh. They traded away franchise player Andrew McCutchen to the Giants and pitcher Gerrit Cole to the Astros. The Pirates will not be a playoff team this year and they'll most likely end up 4th or even 5th.
72
73NL West
74
75Arizona Diamondbacks- The Diamondbacks lost a valuable piece in J.D. Martinez. They replaced him by signing Jarrod Dyson. The Diamondbacks also traded Brandon Drury in a three team trade while acquiring Steven Souza Jr. from the Rays. They still have a good enough team to compete for a wild card spot, but they'll have a lot of competition. 
76
77Colorado Rockies- The Rockies are another team trying to compete for a wild card spot. They signed Wade Davis to be their new closer while Greg Holland remains unsigned. They still have their dynamic offense and their solid pitching to still be competing for a wild card spot. Like the Diamondbacks, they'll also have competition. 
78
79Los Angeles Dodgers- The reigning NL champs had a very quiet offseason. They let Yu Darvish walk and didn't do much else. However, the Dodgers still have the team to become division champs once again. The offense is still their as well as the pitching. Kenley Jansen is still the best closer in the league. 
80
81San Diego Padres- The Padres had some few acquisitions while making a big one. They traded for Chase Headley and traded away Yangervis Solarte. The Padres signed Eric Hosmer to a massive 8 year deal to help boost their league worst offense. I don't see the Padres being threats to their fellow division rivals, but they could make some noise in the upcoming years. 
82
83San Francisco Giants- After also failing out on trading for Giancarlo Stanton, the Giants then traded for Andrew McCutchen to help their power. They also traded for Rays franchise player Evan Longoria to also help their power. I don't see the Giants become playoff threats this season and I don't know when they will be. Their roster is too old and they need to start a proper rebuild. Expect them to finish 4th.
84
85What are your guys opinions on this?