2018 Predictions

[General]

Yeah, I'd definitely offer you Jake Turner for Ojeda, but he's not a top spect.

[nick]

Ojeda's a nice player.... if I had anything that resembled a farm and didn't just lock myself up in James Loney longterm, he'd be intriguing.

[nick]

AL East:
1. Tampa Bay
2. New York Yanks*
3. Toronto
4. Baltimore
5. Boston

Baltimore lost Bedard last yr, and is getting older. Could contend for the division, or could fall into 4th. Since they have no GM right now, I'll put them in 4th because. Tampa Bay is the top of the AL, while the Yankees should win enough games to win the wild card again.

AL Central:
1. Detroit
2. Chicago
3. Kansas City
4. Cleveland
5. Minnesota

Can't argue with Zito's logic much, but coming fresh off a world series has to mean something for Detroit, and I think CHW are a year or two away from fully competing... otherwise agreed with his picks.

AL West:
1. Oakland
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Seattle
4. Texas

Oakland had a flukey down yr in a pretty easy division. Unless their staff is really out of gas, they should get back on top... Angels have a nice team on paper, and didn't have too many holes to plug this offeason. Depends on the success of his 4-man and bullpen... Seattle could just as easily finish 2nd. Texas is a bit off, though they have some young non-spects in AAA with unfulfilled talent that would be worth trying (SP Joey Fernandez, for starters) on a team that isn't going to really compete yet.

NL East:
1. Atlanta
2. Washington
3. Florida
4. Philadelphia
5. New York Mets

Atlanta simply has the best team in an underwhelming division, so I'll go with them by default. Hafdawg quietly has a very nice team, and very solid bullpen to anchor a legit 5-man (who knew the late Nick Adenhardt was 10-10-10 in this league? Has he always been rated that well? Nice trade, GhostDam.. Chad Cordero for a 10-10-10 SP..) ... his offense is really solid, and he could be the sleeper in the divison. FLA could win the division if ATL and WAS are huge disappointments, but otherwise 3rd looks good. Philly is only 4 because the Mets are in complete rebuild mode, but they're pretty brutal too until some of their prospects develop and they did nothing in FA. 3-team race at the top.

NL Central:
1. Milwaukee
2. Chicago*
3. Pittsburgh
4. St. Louis
5. Cincinnati
6. Houston

Pittsburgh would probably be my choice for Wildcard if they didn't lose Benedicto and Stringfield for the yr. Stringfield isn't a huge deal, he's been pretty boring for his whole career, but Benedicto was a nice SP... Villanueva filled in nicely for Lirano last year, and could probably do the same-- but there's always the chance Liriano misses some time at some point too. If Pittsburgh stays relatively healthy from here on, they could win the division or wildcard.. otherwise I'd say it'll be MIL-CHN* or CHN-MIL*

NL West:
1. San Diego
2. Arizona
3. Los Angeles
4. San Francisco
5. Colorado

San Diego should win the division again... 4 man worked for them then, don't see why it wouldn't now.. Zambrano could probably fill in for Cecil or whoever isn't going to be in there this year. Offense is still jacked. Arizona is probably right behind them, with a better starting staff, but less proven lineup. Martin & Phillips are nice additions and not clogging up a lot of payroll, but they're both aging and coming off of down years... if their numbers go up again, it would make ARI's order a lot stronger. I don't like ranking my team, but I think I can compete for 2nd... dunno if the division is within reach. I have a good staff, but the lineup is messy and who knows what I'll get out of guys like Texiera. SFN could finish 4th, maybe higher-- they're a crapshoot for now, but having a new GM that pays attention and knows he he's doing (unlike BJD, ehehehe) really helps. Their staff is solid, if their new pen arms can fill in cracks (SFN has notoriously had an awful pen over their existance) maybe they could finish as high as 2. I don't see any reason to think COL can compete this year when their pitching hasn't changed at all since last season, where they finished bottom-5 in the league. Paez fulfilling his ace-potential could help, but Joba, Anderson, and arguably Garcia are all better suited for the pen.. Lotzkar too, if you take his ratings into effect, but he has been OK as a SP. Still nothing more than a 3rd or 4th guy.

*=wildcards

World Series:
Tampa Bay > San Diego

I think that was my pick last year too, but you gotta think TB or SDN will do something in the playoffs sooner or later, yeah?

I'll edit with MVP choices and ROTY and all that shit.

[OrioleMagic]

I am only looking for a fair trade for Ojeda. I was just pointing out the paltry few truly elite pitching prospects.... Turner is worth more than Ojeda smartass...

[Kingdom]

Four man rotations always work for me.

[Porter]

AL East
1. Tampa Bay- They have the most complete team in the AL.
2. New York- Maybe this is the year father time catches up.
3. Toronto- They are improving but not on the level of that top 2
4. Balitmore- Might be 3rd if Witlon takes them on.
5. Boston- Rebuilding

AL Central
1. Detroit- They were rejuvenated last season and are the favorites to repeat the division title.
2. Kansas City- I also have the concern for their pitching but I feel....
3. Chicago (A)- ...These 2 teams can go either way. Chicago is capable of winning the division or finishing 4th.
4. Minnesota- Zod continues to improve in wins and the team gets any kind of pitching...
5. Cleveland- Shadow enters manic depression after watching his team implode.

AL West
1. Oakland- Its their division to lose. Last year was a fluke
2. Seattle- They find ways to win. But lets face it twinsfan's Giants were the worst playoff team ever (even with my +10, I would have been 81-81 vs Giants 80-82)
3. Los Angeles (A)- Its up to their taxed rotation and inconsistent pen.
4. Texas- Still a ways away.

NL East
1. Atlanta- Best 1-2-3 in baseball......after that their pitching has a major dropoff
2. Washington- Haf could easily be anywhere in the division.
3. Florida- Mission will find a way to win while rebuilding.
4. Philly- They are falling asleep at the wheel. No trades yet?
5. NY Mets- Maybe they can play better than the actual Mets.

NL Central
1. Chicago (N)- DMB quietly signs Dam to be CEO of the franchise.
2. Milwaukee- Brown stop the retirement and take this team to the WS.
3. Pittsburgh- Could sneak in and steal the division.
4. Cincinnati- Were still waiting for this team to perform
5. St Louis- Improving a lot but not enough
6. Houston- We have a problem.

NL West
1. Arizona- Will pay back the Padres for their massacre last season.
2. San Diego- Really worried about pitching? Want to trade staffs.
3. Los Angeles- the Yankees of the NL.
4. San Francisco- BJD leaves, They instantly improve.
5. Colorado- They could easily finish 3rd. The talent is there but they need performance

AL Playoffs: TB vs DET, OAK vs NYY
NL Playoffs: AZ vs ATL, SD vs CHC

ALCS: TB over OAK in 5
NLCS: AZ over SD in 7

WS: TB over AZ in 7

[ljshorty89]

AL East

1. Atlanta- Best 1-2-3 in baseball......after that their pitching has a major dropoff

I know the biggest knock on my team is my bullpen. But I would like to point out that I've been adding some choices. Meloan, Clinton, Harrison, Wainwright, and Casto all have solid ratings, and should be able to put up at least decent seasons (of course, they haven't been too good the past year or two). I've also added Craig Hansen, and now(as soon as Nick inputs it) Bobby Jenks. I have a couple other options in the minors who aren't stud relievers, but I mean, with enough options, I should be able to make it work.....I hope.

Plus, between Lester and Hanson(and Harrison, Casto, Clinton if necessary), I should be able to fill a damn good 4 man rotation.

[Kingdom]

You lack a top tier reliever, most contenders have one. Meloan is solid and of course I like him and wanted him, but he's no longer a dominant closer

[ljshorty89]

You lack a top tier reliever, most contenders have one. Meloan is solid and of course I like him and wanted him, but he's no longer a dominant closer

Agreed. I completely agree with your opinion. But I'd like to believe that by having a full stable of options, I can at least piece together a bullpen...

[cjkalt]

4. Philly- They are falling asleep at the wheel. No trades yet?

We are trying to develop from within and not spend money we don't have as a relatively small market... ohh and I made a trade early in the offseason.

[Slyder]

Wheres the concern with KC pitching fall? #3-5 in the rotation or the pen? Just wanting to get people's thoughts other than just "concerns about their pitching".

[Porter]

I personally think its both the back half of the rotation and depth in the bullpen.