Obi, we haven't argued about baseball in months. This should be fun!

AL East:
Red Sox - They're back and they're loaded.
Blue Jays - Lots of good pieces, but they still can't win the division.
Yankees - #fucktheyankees
Rays - Friedman and Maddon are gone, Longoria's getting old, Zobrist is about to leave. It's just gonna keep getting worse.
Orioles - Whatever dark magic they've been practicing is about to run out.

AL Central:
Indians - They look really good.
Tigers - They're getting old. This team might have a wildcard or two left in them, but I don't think they'll win one.
Royals - Last year was a fluke and the team has gotten worse. Just no.
White Sox - If the Padres hadn't gone all Padres, everyone would be laughing at them for their dumb offseason direction. They're not in a place to spend to win.
Twins - Lol.

AL West:
Mariners - It's time. Cano, Cruz, Seager is a formidable middle of the order even if the Cruz deal is stupid, the rotation is the best in the AL, the bullpen isn't far behind, young guys like Miller and Zunino have potential for big growth, and the team doesn't have any glaring weaknesses.
A's - They made some weird moves, but that's what Beane does. The team still looks pretty good.
Angels - The rotation's a problem, second base is a joke, and Mike Trout's inability to hit a high fastball is slowly downgrading him from "best ever" to "best currently."
Astros - Still not there, but they're getting closer. Lot's of good young talent and a smart, ruthless front office.
Rangers - Lol.

NL East:
Nationals - The rotation is beyond ridiculous.
Marlins - Best outfield in baseball, backed by not much else.
Mets - Maybe next year, Obi.
Braves - Need to go full into rebuilding soon.
Phillies - Need to go full into rebuilding several years ago.

NL Central:
Cardinals - Big shock here.
Cubs - I'm more low on the Pirates than I am high on the Cubs. The NL kind of sucks.
Pirates - They're good enough to be wildcard contenders again, but they're having trouble taking the next step.
Brewers - Very boring.
Reds - Just getting worse.

NL West:
Dodgers - One of the best all around teams in baseball. Kershaw's amazing.
Padres - The offseason was really stupid, and the organization is going to suffer for it, but the division sucks so much that they'll finish in second.
Giants - Sabean's done getting lucky.
Rockies - Bad.
DBacks - Also bad.

WC:
Blue Jays over A's
Cubs over Pirates

DS:
Dodgers over Cubs
Nationals over Cardinals
Mariners over A's
Indians over Red Sox

CS:
Dodgers over Nationals
Mariners over Indians

WS:
Dodgers over Mariners

Tigers will still pull out a playoff spot.

Maybe. The WCs will be crapshoots, as they should be.

GO SF GIANTS!!!!!

I need my laptop for this...

Indians in the post season! I love it!

Go Tribe!


My prediction: The Astros will surprise a lot of people.

@ghug's predictions (lol, here we go...) ;)

1. I think the Red Sox are stuck in transition, whereas the Orioles are on a roll now and the Evil Empire in the Bronx has finally fallen (FOR NOW...)

2. On that note--#fucktheyankees :p

3. If last year was a fluke for the Royals, it was one HELL of a fluke...mere innings away from winning the World Series. A lock-down bullpen, speed (which will age, but one year later, that's not a big concern) and their primary obstacle, Detroit, is on the decline. The Indians are on the rise, so KC and Cleveland will battle for the division...I have the Royals missing out but winning a Wild Card, one of which you give to the Athletics--THEY'RE the team that's gotten worse thanks to Beane's immolating the team via that ill-fated Cespedes trade. What's more, the AL Central's an easier division than the AL West overall, so an easier schedule for the Royals...I'll take them winning a Wild Card over Oakland.

4. I can see the Mariners winning the division, though I still think the Angels are the safer bet overall. Either way, again, the A's have the feel of a team to me that's in danger of already seeing the window, if not shut completely, squeeze tighter. They'll be in the hunt...if this were the NHL wherein 8 teams from each conference/league got in, they'd be in for sure. With 5 teams, I see them as a #6 or #7 seed and thus just missing the cut, unless Beane pulls off the reverse of the Cespedes trade and makes a big move for a big boost come trade deadline time.

5. Yeah...2016 is a more realistic timetable for my Mets, but it's (almost) April, I can hope, maybe, just maaaaybe...Harvey, deGrom, Niese, and then Gee and Colon for now and with Syndergaard and other pitching prospects in the pipeline almost ready to come up...with the Phillies and Braves broken down...I'd have more faith if Wheeler hadn't gotten hurt, but we shall see. I still think at least the first winning record since 2008 is feasible, though, and meaningful ball in August and September, hopefully. That being said, I still like the Mets' chances over the Marlins', and I'd put them ahead of the Fish.

6. The Nats, Dodgers, Giants, Cardinals, Pirates, the Cubs and Mets on the rise...how does the NL suck?

7. I agree on the Pirates--I'm glad they're finally back to being relevant, but they can't seem to get over the hump (hence why we both pick a team to beat them in the Wild Card.)

8. What even happened to the Reds, they broke through a couple years ago and have just been declining ever since...if they're going the way of the post-2006 Mets (another team with one breakout year, a couple good-but-disappointing follow-ups, and then total futility, they're in trouble...and they didn't even make it to Game 7 of the NLCS as did that Mets team.)

9. So the Mariners are basically your 2014 Royals...

10. NO WAY the Dodgers are the 2014 Giants, though--I'm not picking them to win *a* series, let alone *the* Series, until Kershaw in particular proves he can keep it together in the postseason. Madison Bumgarner isn't Clayton Kershaw in the regular season...but the reverse is true in the playoffs. Mad-Bum's proven he can win, win repeatedly, and win when the pressure's on...Kershaw's 1-6 or so in the playoffs. He's baseball's best pitcher, but until he's proven to be one of its best *postseason* pitchers, he's Clayton Manning, and we all know how Peyton does in the playoffs.

1. The Orioles are not a very good team. Their pitching is beyond awful, and there are too many holes in the lineup to make up for it. The Red Sox are disgustingly deep and well rounded.

2. #fucktheyankkes #cantbesaidtoomanytimes

3. The Royals were several wins better than they should have been by run differential, BaseRuns, WAR, common sense, or any other metric you want to throw out, and they just got worse. Their bullpen's gonna be useless when the starters never give them leads, last years performers are primed for progression, and they're potentially weak at first, second, third, DH, and one outfield position. They barely made the playoffs last year, and they're not going to do it again.

4. As for the A's, the Cespedes trade didn't break that team. Pitching coming back down to earth, Donaldson and Moss slowing production, and a ton of injuries broke that team. This year, yeah, the trade hurts them a little bit, but last year it actually helped soften the blow a little bit.

5. I think the Mets would be better off if Wheeler were still around. I also think they have a decent chance of pulling off a .500 season, but much more than that is going to be really really tough. Just too many questions. They could end up being kind of like last year's Mariners.

6. The Giants suck. The Pirates are not on the rise. The Dodgers and Cardinals are probably closer to the ends of their windows than the starts, though they'll likely stick around for too long because they're rich and well-run. Regardless, my point is that there are three *really* good teams in that league and then a bunch of mediocre ones competing for wild card spots that they'd have very little chance of winning in the AL. The AL is just stronger.

9. The 2014 Mariners were better than the 2014 Royals. The 2015 Mariners have plugged their giant holes in DH, RF, and CF, set themselves up to replace starts from terrible pitchers with starts from top prospect Taijuan Walker and mediocre innings eater J.A. Happ, and look to see improvement at SS, C, and 1B. Damn good team.

10. No. The Dodgers are a good team. The giants weren't. Kershaw's a better pitcher than Bumgarner despite an amazing performance over a relatively small number of innings, and the rest of their team is also vastly superior.

THE CUBS, enough said

AL East:
Red Sox - there is not enough pitching on this team to carry them deep into the postseason, but for the first time in a long time, the AL East looks comparatively weak to other divisions. 90 wins.

AL Central:
Indians - with the top competitors last year losing some big-name pitchers, the Indians have a chance to show off their Cy Young Award winner.

AL West:
Mariners - they're pretty fucking good. I'll go as far as to say they'll have the best record in the AL as long as the pitchers stay healthy.

Wild cards:
A's - don't ask me how, but they always seem to pull it off.
Blue Jays - tons of offense, not much pitching. Not a recipe for a deep run but enough to make it.

NL East:
Nationals - a little insulting to the Mets, who have the second best rotation in baseball, to get beaten by the team with the best rotation in baseball.

NL Central:
Cardinals - the Cubs are good, but come on, beating the Cardinals? Ha. This team is a dynasty.

NL West:
Dodgers - they'll have the best record in baseball.

Wild cards:
Padres - terrible offseason. Absolutely pathetic choices by this organization, but desperation makes people stupid. It'll pay off with an elimination in the play-in.
Mets - I love the pitching. If they all stay healthy (if**), they'll be in the wild card. If not, the Cubs will be, led by Kris Bryant and his sexy swing.

Divisionals:
Indians over Red Sox in 4
Mariners over Blue Jays in 3
Dodgers over Mets in 5
Nationals over Cardinals in 5

LCS:
Indians over Mariners in 7
Dodgers over Nationals in 6

WS:
Dodgers over Indians in 6