Bold MLB rankings for all 30 teams heading into 2017

Tier two: World Series threats

8. Washington Nationals

As you can see, we’re not 100-percent sold on the Nationals. Max Scherzer’s injury isn’t serious, but it’s worrisome. Stephen Strasburg is talented, but it’s hard to imagine him staying healthy for a full year. Bryce Harper is good, but he needs to find his 2015 form, especially if Daniel Murphy comes back to earth at all.

Still, it would be foolish to ignore how talented this team is. Scherzer is a two-time Cy Young Award winner. Harper is a past MVP. Murphy was second in MVP voting a season ago. Anthony Rendon is one of baseball’s best young players. Adam Eaton isn’t a superstar but is simply very good at everything he does. Even if the Nats do have some questions that need to be answered, they have a great deal of talent. We’re not totally sold on Washington, but this team must be taken seriously.

Prediction: 85-77, T-third place, National League East

7. Boston Red Sox

Like the Nationals, the Red Sox have questions. What happens if David Price doesn’t bounce back? What if Rick Porcello regresses, even just a little? Can Chris Sale handle the Boston media? Can David Ortiz’s bat be replaced?

The thing is, not all of those questions need to be answered in a positive way for the Red Sox to contend. This is one of baseball’s most talented teams. The lineup is strong, even if Ortiz is not adequately replaced. The pitching could be a problem. But the odds don’t exactly point to Price, Porcello and Sale all struggling. Even with some uncertainty, Boston is the unquestioned team to beat in a competitive American League East.

Prediction: 92-70, first place, American League East

6. New York Mets

It would be a mistake to judge the Mets for their second-half struggles a season ago. That team, and especially the starting rotation, is vastly different than the one we’ll see this season. Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey will be back to compliment Noah Syndergaard. Steven Matz eventually will be, as well. Offensively, Jay Bruce and Yoenis Cespedes will provide ample power, as will Lucas Duda and Curtis Granderson. The potential addition of Amed Rosario makes New York even more intriguing.

Of course, like every team issues persist. The pitchers are talented but have generally been guarded. How will their arms respond to more innings? How will Jeurys Familia come back after a disappointing end to the season and an ugly off of the field incidnt (to say the least) in the offseason? The questions are there, but even still the Mets enter 2017 as one of baseball’s best teams and a real championship threat.

Prediction: 90-72, first place, National League East

5. Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles has won four straight NL West titles. We’re stopping short of saying that the Dodgers will make it five, but they should land a playoff spot with ease. The Los Angeles offense is stacked and the addition of Logan Forsythe will only make things better. Yasiel Puig is a never ending question, but even if he flames out the Dodgers’ outfield is deep with other options.

With the obvious exception of Clayton Kershaw, the starting rotation is worrisome. Kenta Maeda did fine in 2016 but struggled at the end of the season. Rich Hill was fantastic in 2016 but is also 37. But even if those concerns prove valid, the Kenley Jansen-led bullpen is awesome and will cover a lot of the issues up. So, the worst case scenario for Los Angeles is that it ends up in a Wild Card Game. Say what you will about Kershaw’s playoff stats, but would you really want to see him facing your team in a winner-take-all scenario?

Good luck with that.

Prediction: 89-73, second place, National League West

4. San Francisco Giants

The Giants get a slight edge over the Dodgers because their rotation is deeper and because of a few missed playoff appearances. They haven’t had as much wear-and-tear over the last four seasons. But in truth, very little separates these rivals.

San Francisco’s issue remains its bullpen, which was almost impossibly bad in 2016. But guys like Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo and Javier Lopez are now gone, and while those players were cornerstones of three World Series wins, their best days are behind them. Those departures will help the Giants. Additionally, the signing of Mark Melancon will provide stability in the late innings. Like Los Angeles, San Francisco’s worst-case scenario is a one-game Wild Card showdown. Based on his history, who in their right mind would volunteer to go against Madison Bumgarner.

Prediction: 91-71, first place, National League West

3. Cleveland Indians

The Indians have unfinished business in 2017. Fortunately for Cleveland, it has the necessary pieces to take that last step. The starting rotation will get a jolt with the returns of Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar. The bullpen will now get to enjoy Andrew Miller for a full season. Additionally, Encarnacion will bring those awesome numbers to Cleveland from Toronto.

The Indians are not a team with many holes. Not many teams have come closer to winning a World Series without actually doing so than Cleveland did a season ago. We wouldn’t be even remotely surprised to see the Tribe there again.

Prediction: 91-71, first place, American League Central

2. Houston Astros 

Admittedly, this seems a little out of left field. How can we rank the Astros ahead of such strong playoff teams like the Indians and Red Sox? Well, consider this. Houston started 2016 1-0, but didn’t get to above .500 again until almost halfway through the season. At one point, the Astros were 17-28. Still, they won 84 games. Houston was young in  2016 and maybe needed to crash down to earth after 2015’s playoff year, but the Astros are still very good.

It doesn’t get much better than Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve. Houston’s offense will get another jolt with a full season of Alex Bregman. We believe in George Springer. We also love the offseason acquisitions of Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann. When it comes to finishing games, Luke Gregerson and Ken Giles are well above average. The Astros are abundantly talented. Look for that to show throughout the 2017 regular season and expect a deep playoff run to follow.

Prediction: 94-68, first place, American League West