World Series Odds 2017: Breaking Down Each Teams Chances Before Spring Training

We're just a few short weeks from the start of MLB spring training, so naturally, it's time to start making World Series predictions.

The old expression that "hope springs eternal" is never more evident than when spring training begins and all 30 MLB fan bases have at least some semblance of hope and excitement for the season ahead.

For a good chunk of the league, those hopes are about to be dashed.

Apologies in advance.

Ahead, we've taken a crack at predicting the World Series odds for all 30 teams.

Last year's record and what teams have done to rework their respective rosters this offseason were the biggest factors in determining everyone's odds.

Teams are ordered from worst odds to best odds, with teams sharing the same odds listed alphabetically.

Note: For the sake of comparison, we've also provided the latest Vegas odds for each team, courtesy of OddsShark.com.

Last World Series Title: 1995

2016 Record: 68-93, 26.5 GB in NL East

Outlook

The Atlanta Braves went 20-10 over the final 30 games of the 2016 season, looking more like a team gearing up for a postseason run than one in the midst of a significant rebuild.

If they can just sustain that pace over a full 162-game season, they'd be on their way to 108 wins.

Alright, that's probably not going to happen.

However, this team is headed in the right direction, and the additions of Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey and Jaime Garcia to the starting rotation will bring some valuable experience and stability to the pitching staff.

A modest improvement to something like 75 wins seems like a realistic expectation as they continue to build toward the future.

B/R Odds: 100-1

Vegas Odds: 200-1

Last World Series Title: 2005

2016 Record: 78-84, 16.5 GB in AL Central

Outlook

Trading away Chris Sale and Adam Eaton is a pretty clear indication that the Chicago White Sox have no intention of contending in 2017.

Chances are they're just getting started, too.

Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, David Robertson, Melky Cabrera and others could all find themselves playing elsewhere by this time next year.

That being said, this rebuild was long overdue, and the front office's wheeling and dealing at the winter meetings has loaded up the farm system and made them one of the biggest winners of the offseason.

After hovering around the .500 mark the past few seasons, the White Sox finally have a direction.

Now the fan base just needs to be patient and let the process play out. They need look no further than the North Side of town to see what the finished product of a successful rebuilding looks like.

B/R Odds: 100-1

Vegas Odds: 150-1

Last World Series Title: 1990

2016 Record: 68-94, 35.5 GM in NL Central

Outlook

The fall from contention was a precipitous one for the Cincinnati Reds.

NL Central champs during a 97-win season in 2012 and a playoff team again the next year when they won another 90 games, they quickly tumbled to the bottom of the NL Central with three straight losing seasons.

The front office has been proactive in trading off veteran assets and building up the farm system, though, and the 2017 season should see plenty more young talent joining veteran superstar Joey Votto at the MLB level.

A starting rotation of Homer Bailey, Brandon Finnegan, Anthony DeSclafani, Scott Feldman and Robert Stephenson has a chance to surprise some people, and the bullpen can't possibly be worse than it was a year ago.

This team isn't quite ready to contend just yet, though.

B/R Odds: 100-1

Vegas Odds: 300-1

Last World Series Title: Never

2016 Record: 73-89, 30.5 GB in NL Central

Outlook

At this point, the Milwaukee Brewers have dealt essentially every veteran on the roster with any semblance of trade value, other than Ryan Braun.

The result is a loaded prospect pool that took the No. 3 spot in Bleacher Report's latest farm system rankings and a bright future for a team that is still searching for its first World Series title.

There might be no team in baseball with more starting pitching depth than the Brewers have heading into spring training. As many as 13 guys could be vying for a spot in the starting rotation.

However, unless out-of-nowhere rookie standout Junior Guerra can duplicate his unlikely numbers from a year ago, it's largely a collection of back-end starters and unproven prospects.

Guys like Eric Thames, Jonathan Villar, Orlando Arcia and Keon Broxton will be fun to watch, but this team figures to be battling for fourth place in the division once again as opposed to contending.

B/R Odds: 100-1

Vegas Odds: 250-1

Last World Series Title: 1991

2016 Record: 59-103, 35.5 GB in AL Central

Outlook

How in the world did the Minnesota Twins go 83-79 two years ago?

It's not often you see a 24-win swing in either direction, and it makes it hard to nail down exactly what to expect out of this team in the season to come.

The pitching staff ranked 29th in the majors last season with a 5.08 ERA, and with no significant additions made this offseason—unless you count signing Jason Castro to handle catching duties—that figures to be a weakness once again.

There is some serious upside here, though.

Former top prospects Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano and Jose Berrios are all capable of taking a huge step forward, and there's more young talent on the way headlined by left-hander Stephen Gonsalves, who could debut at some point in 2017.

They're nowhere near as good as what we saw in 2015, but they're not as bad as we saw in 2016 either.

B/R Odds: 100-1

Vegas Odds: 100-1

Last World Series Title: 1989

2016 Record: 69-93, 26.0 GB in AL West

Outlook

It's been a somewhat busy offseason for the generally thrifty Oakland Athletics.

Matt Joyce, Trevor Plouffe and Rajai Davis were all added to the lineup, while veteran reliever Santiago Casilla joins Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson at the back of the bullpen.

While those are not exactly the kind of moves that are going to make a 69-win team a contender, it should help bring some stability to the lineup and experience to what will be a young relief corps aside from the aforementioned trio.

All eyes will be on ace Sonny Gray as he looks to bounce back from a dreadful 2016 campaign.

If he does, he could be the prize of the trade deadline, assuming the front office continues its recent trend of turning quality young players into even younger, cheaper players.

With plenty of young arms ready to make an MLB impact and top prospects like Franklin Barreto and Matt Chapman also knocking on the door, a youth movement of sorts is coming in Oakland.

B/R Odds: 100-1

Vegas Odds: 150-1

Last World Series Title: 2008

2016 Record: 71-91, 24.0 GB in NL East

Outlook

Will another year of experience for the young rotation, a handful of veteran offseason additions and the impending arrival of more top prospects be enough for the Philadelphia Phillies to make a run at a winning record?

It's not completely out of the realm of possibility.

That being said, an 82-win season looks like the best-case scenario for this group, as they are still a few years removed from having any hopes of contending for a title.

Young starters Aaron Nola, Vincent Velasquez and Jerad Eickhoff are all capable of taking a step forward, and they'll soon be joined by highly regarded prospects J.P. Crawford and Jorge Alfaro on the position-player side of things.

If nothing else, this team is going to make life difficult on the New York Mets and Washington Nationals.

B/R Odds: 100-1

Vegas Odds: 100-1

Last World Series Title: Never

2016 Record: 68-94, 23.0 GB in NL West

Outlook

The San Diego Padres' current projected rotation, per Roster Resource: Jhoulys Chacin, Clayton Richard, Trevor Cahill, Christian Friedrich and Paul Clemens.

Yikes.

The arrival of top prospects Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot, as well as young catcher Austin Hedges, will give fans reason for excitement and a glimpse at what might be in store for the future.

We're at ground zero of the team's rebuilding efforts, though, and it might be several years before we see the next Padres team with a winning record.

B/R Odds: 100-1

Vegas Odds: 200-1

Last World Series Title: Never

2016 Record: 68-94, 25.0 GB in AL East

Outlook

Trading Drew Smyly to the Seattle Mariners and Logan Forsythe to the Los Angeles Dodgers netted the Tampa Bay Rays some good young talent, but neither move made them better for the upcoming season.

They finished a distant last in the AL East a year ago, and it's hard to envision them finishing anywhere but the cellar once again as the other four teams look to be capable of posting a winning record at the very least.

With that being said, there is some upside here.

A bounce-back season from Chris Archer, a step forward from Blake Snell and a healthy Alex Cobb could conceivably make the rotation better even without Smyly.

The additions of Wilson Ramos and Colby Rasmus will also help replace the production of Forsythe, and both players offer significant upside relative to their contracts.

Still, a .500 record looks like the absolute best-case scenario for this club.

B/R Odds: 75-1

Vegas Odds: 100-1

Last World Series Title: 2001

2016 Record: 69-93, 22.0 GB in NL West

Outlook

At this time last year, the Arizona Diamondbacks were a trendy pick to contend in the NL West after a busy offseason that included the additions of Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller.

Now, they're little more than an afterthought following a 93-loss season.

So why the optimism?

While they didn't make quite the same offseason splash, a return to health from both A.J. Pollock and David Peralta stands to be equivalent to a pair of huge free-agent signings.

The starting rotation appears to have a budding star in Robbie Ray and Greinke was rock solid after a shaky first month. Add to that newcomer Taijuan Walker and former top prospects Archie Bradley and Braden Shipley and the staff has a chance to be vastly improved.

The bullpen appears to be the one glaring weakness, as they've entrusted Fernando Rodney with the closer's job and done little to insulate themselves from a potential implosion.

Still, if everything breaks right, this team could easily boost its win total by 15 or more games.

B/R Odds: 60-1

Vegas Odds: 100-1

Last World Series Title: 2015

2016 Record: 81-81, 13.5 GB in AL Central

Outlook

It looked like the Kansas City Royals might be gearing up for a firesale when they shipped Wade Davis to the Chicago Cubs during the winter meetings.

That's been the only significant trade of the offseason, though, as they will instead make one more attempt at contending with the current core of players.

After this season, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar are all free agents, and there's no way the small-market club will be able to afford all of them long-term.

What was already a weak starting rotation was dealt a devastating blow when Yordano Ventura tragically lost his life in a car accident in the Dominican Republic.

That leaves Danny Duffy and Ian Kennedy to headline the rotation ahead of a bullpen that still has some quality arms but has undoubtedly taken a step back following the departure of Davis.

Don't be surprised if this team is wheeling and dealing by July.

B/R Odds: 60-1

Vegas Odds: 60-1

Last World Series Title: 2002

2016 Record: 74-88, 21.0 GB in AL West

Outlook

The Los Angeles Angels have added a lot of mid-level talent this offseason.

Danny Espinosa, Cameron Maybin, Ben Revere, Luis Valbuena, Jesse Chavez and Martin Maldonado are all useful big league pieces.

However, the Angels still look to be a notch or two below the Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers in terms of overall talent among AL West clubs.

A healthy season from Garrett Richards on the pitching side would go a long way, and the early reviews were positive as he looks to return from a partially torn UCL following an offseason of rest and PRP treatment. Having him as the clear-cut ace of the staff comes with some inherent risk, though.

The team's payroll is currently projected to drop from $171 million last season to $156 million this year, per Roster Resource.

Spending for the sake of spending is never a good idea but neither is wasting another year of Mike Trout.

B/R Odds: 60-1

Vegas Odds: 50-1

Last World Series Title: 1979

2016 Record: 78-83, 25.0 GB in NL Central

Outlook

If the Arizona Diamondbacks were the most disappointing team in the league last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates were a close second.

After three consecutive postseason appearances and a 98-win campaign in 2015, all signs pointed to them being a significant factor in the NL Central race once again last season.

Finishing 25 games back in the division and 8.5 games out of a wild-card spot was not what they had in mind.

Ace Gerrit Cole battled injuries and ineffectiveness, star center fielder Andrew McCutchen had hands down the worst season of his career and the pitching staff as a whole took a huge step backward.

Now, they're set to rely on a stable of young arms behind Cole and veteran Ivan Nova in the starting rotation, while McCutchen will look to rebuild some value after the team failed to move him during the winter meetings.

There's enough talent on this roster to think they can improve on their 78 wins from a year ago, but it's also not out of the question to think they could continue heading in the other direction as well.

B/R Odds: 60-1

Vegas Odds: 50-1

Last World Series Title: 1983

2016 Record: 89-73, 4.0 GB in AL East

Outlook

Standing pat in the starting rotation will be the Baltimore Orioles' downfall.

Maybe they'll sneak into the playoffs with a wild-card spot again on the strength of their powerful lineup, and heck, maybe they'll even win a Wild Card Round game since anything can happen in a winner-take-all game.

Can anyone really envision this team winning a World Series with a rotation of Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Ubaldo Jimenez and Wade Miley, though?

Sure, they have one of the best bullpens in baseball, and yes, the Kansas City Royals won a title with a less-than-stellar rotation, but the Orioles don't have the same dynamic defensive or game-changing speed on the bases that played such a significant role in the Royals' success.

A repeat of last season seems like as good as it's going to get with this current group.

B/R Odds: 50-1

Vegas Odds: 36-1

Last World Series Title: Never

2016 Record: 75-87, 16.0 GB in NL West

Outlook

The Colorado Rockies have not finished with a winning record since 2010, and they have not reached the postseason since 2009.

Things are finally looking up, though.

Jon Gray has the makings of a true staff ace, and he's not alone in the rotation as Chad Bettis, Tyler Anderson and Tyler Chatwood all enjoyed some level of success in 2016.

The offense should be stacked once again and perhaps even better with the addition of Ian Desmond, so the biggest question appears to be the bullpen.

A healthy season from Adam Ottavino in the closer's role and the addition of Mike Dunn will help, and pitching behind a rapidly improving rotation could add some extra incentives for their other veteran relievers to kick it into gear.

They may not be ready to make a run at the San Francisco Giants or Los Angeles Dodgers just yet, but there's a good chance they finish closer to the top of the division than to the bottom in 2017.

B/R Odds: 50-1

Vegas Odds: 66-1

Last World Series Title: 1984

2016 Record: 86-75, 8.0 GB in AL Central

Outlook

Remember when this was going to be a busy offseason for the Detroit Tigers?

Well, unless you consider trading Cameron Maybin for a mid-level pitching prospect and re-signing Alex Avila to a one-year, $2 million deal to serve as backup catcher exciting, things haven't quite played out as expected.

So where does that get them?

The offense is still in good shape with the core of Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez, Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez returning and Justin Upton coming off a monster month of September (1.132 OPS, 13 HR) and perhaps ready to live up to his contract.

Meanwhile, the rotation has a terrific one-two punch in Justin Verlander and Michael Fulmer, but lots of question marks behind them, and the bullpen figures to be average at best.

While a push for a wild-card spot seems possible, this doesn't look like a team built for a long postseason run.

B/R Odds: 50-1

Vegas Odds: 33-1

Last World Series Title: 2003

2016 Record: 79-82, 15.5 GB in NL East

Outlook

The Miami Marlins strategy to build one of the league's best relief corps in hopes of propping up an average-at-best starting rotation might just be crazy enough to work.

Brad Ziegler and Junichi Tazawa will join a bullpen that already featured the terrific trio of David Phelps, Kyle Barraclough and A.J. Ramos, while veteran Dustin McGowan also returns after a surprisingly productive season.

That group will look to support a rotation of Wei-Yin Chen, Adam Conley, Tom Koehler and newcomers Dan Straily and Edinson Volquez, with fellow newcomer Jeff Locke serving in a swingman role.

The offense will have a full season of speedy table-setter Dee Gordon and a healthy Giancarlo Stanton in the middle of the lineup. Whether he can stay healthy remains to be seen, but he's healthy for now.

This team overcame a lot to win 79 games a year ago, and they look like a better team on paper heading into 2017.

B/R Odds: 50-1

Vegas Odds: 75-1

Last World Series Title: 2009

2016 Record: 84-78, 9.0 GB in AL East

Outlook

The "22-1" Vegas odds on the New York Yankees are more indicative of how popular a bet they are than how likely they are to win the World Series in 2017.

The return of Greg Bird, a full season of Gary Sanchez and the eventual arrival of Aaron Judge as the everyday right fielder could give the offense a major shot in the arm. Then again, we're talking about a trio of young, fairly unproven players being asked to shoulder the run-production load alongside veteran Matt Holliday.

It's the starting rotation that looks like the biggest question mark, though.

The trio of Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda is not good enough to prop up a back end that will feature some combination of Luis Severino, Chad Green, Luis Cessa and Bryan Mitchell.

The Yankees have finally committed to building from within, and they've rather quickly assembled the No. 1 farm system in all the land.

The long-term payoff of another year on the outside looking in for a playoff spot will be well worth it.

B/R Odds: 50-1

Vegas Odds: 22-1

Last World Series Title: Never

2016 Record: 86-76, 9.0 GB in AL West

Outlook

Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto won't rest until he's acquired an entire new roster.

Or maybe it just seems that way.

As it stands, there are 17 newcomers on the 40-man roster, including 10 guys who are projected to break camp with the team, per Roster Resource.

Headlining that group will be the new top-of-the-order duo of Jean Segura and Jarrod Dyson and back-of-the-rotation starters Yovani Gallardo and Drew Smyly, who all have a chance to be key contributors.

All of that retooling has made it clear the team has its sights set on the playoffs, and Dipoto didn't mince words when talking to reporters about expectations for the upcoming season.

I’ll say it as plainly as I can. When you have Robinson Cano, who arguably had the best year of his career last year and is playing in his mid-30s at an All Star level; when you have Nelson Cruz, who’s roughly led the league in homers for three years running; when you have Felix Hernandez at 31, a former Cy Young Award winner who last year failed to throw 200 innings for the first time in about a decade; when you have one of the preeminent third baseman (Kyle Seager) in the league who can do a lot of things offensively and defensively, and you’ve committed at roughly $75 million annually for those players, you are in a `win-now’ mode.

The potential is certainly there for them to make some noise. They're still chasing the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros at this point, though.

B/R Odds: 40-1

Vegas Odds: 28-1

Last World Series Title: 2011

2016 Record: 86-76, 17.5 GB in NL Central

Outlook

The St. Louis Cardinals had two major holes to fill: center field and left-handed reliever.

Two free-agent signings and $113 million later those holes have been filled, as Dexter Fowler and Brett Cecil are the newest members of the team.

Despite finishing 17.5 games back in the division last year, the Cardinals came just one game short of claiming a wild-card spot.

The return of Lance Lynn gives the team an abundance of starting pitching—even after Jaime Garcia was traded to the Braves—and it could wind up that Michael Wacha and Alex Reyes are battling for the No. 5 starter job with the loser becoming a key piece of the relief corps.

Losing Matt Holliday and Brandon Moss means some of the pop from the lineup is gone, but this team improved defensively, and the addition of Fowler means that Matt Carpenter can move into more of a run-production role.

There's a reason this team has made the playoffs 12 times in the past 17 years, and anything can happen in October.

B/R Odds: 30-1

Vegas Odds: 25-1

Last World Series Title: Never

2016 Record: 95-67, won AL West

Outlook

The Texas Rangers have taken a surprisingly cautious approach to the offseason.

Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross and Dillon Gee have been the big additions to a starting rotation that boasts a pair of aces and significant question marks, while the first base and DH spots have yet to be addressed following the departures of Mitch Moreland and Carlos Beltran.

Some combination of Ryan Rua, Joey Gallo and Jurickson Profar is currently slated to compete for those vacant jobs, though the overwhelming feeling seems to be that Mike Napoli will inevitably find his way back to Texas.

A healthy season from Yu Darvish would give the rotation a boost after he made just 17 starts last year, and there's a reason guys like Gallo and Profar were so highly regarded as prospects.

Still, does this look like a better team than the one that was trounced by the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS a year ago?

It's a good team and perhaps the favorite for the AL West title once again, but it might have a hard time contending with the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians come October.

B/R Odds: 25-1

Vegas Odds: 22-1

Last World Series Title: 1993

2016 Record: 89-73, 4.0 GB in AL East

Outlook

For all that was made of the Toronto Blue Jays' juggernaut of an offense heading into last season, it wound up being the starting rotation that was the team's biggest strength.

That group returns intact, aside from R.A. Dickey, who will be replaced by deadline addition Francisco Liriano, and should be one of the best in the league once again.

The same question we asked about the Texas Rangers applies here, though.

Is this team better than the one that was swept out of the ALCS a year ago?

Swapping out Edwin Encarnacion and Michael Saunders for Kendrys Morales and a platoon of some sort is a step back for the offense, and aside from J.P. Howell, no significant additions have been made to a bullpen that lost Joaquin Benoit and Brett Cecil.

That starting pitching makes them a dangerous team in the postseason, but first, they'll need to get there.

B/R Odds: 25-1

Vegas Odds: 16-1

Last World Series Title: Never

2016 Record: 84-78, 11.0 GB in AL West

Outlook

While the Houston Astros haven't found the front-line starter they were seeking to anchor the starting rotation, that hasn't stopped them from improving this offseason.

They've essentially made the following swaps to the lineup:

• Jason Castro>>>Brian McCann
• Luis Valbuena>>>Carlos Beltran
• Colby Rasmus>>>Josh Reddick

Throw in full seasons of Alex Bregman and Yulieski Gurriel and there's reason to believe this could be a top-five offense in all of baseball, as the homegrown trio of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and George Springer now has some significant support.

The pitching still will be banking on a return to ace form from Dallas Keuchel and a healthy season from Lance McCullers, though.

Opting against trading away top young pitchers Francis Martes, David Paulino and Joe Musgrove might hold them back in 2016, but it could also pay off big down the line.

B/R Odds: 20-1

Vegas Odds: 10-1

Last World Series Title: 1986

2016 Record: 87-75, 8.0 GB in NL East

Outlook

The New York Mets were beset by injuries last season, and a starting rotation that was heralded as the best in baseball wound up needing reinforcements from the likes of Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo to propel the team into a wild-card spot.

Healthy seasons from Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler would completely change the complexion of this team. At the same time, the fact that there are that many injury question marks leaves them as something of an enigma.

The offense isn't going to carry the load.

Re-signing Yoenis Cespedes and also bringing back Neil Walker kept the offensive core intact, but they're core pieces from a group that ranked 25th in the league with 4.14 runs per game.

How much difference can a healthy Lucas Duda really make?

Pitching will be enough to keep the Mets in the hunt and could propel them to a division title if everyone stays healthy. That's a big enough "if" to keep them at 20-1 here, though.

B/R Odds: 20-1

Vegas Odds: 14-1

Last World Series Title: 2014

2016 Record: 87-75, 4.0 GB in NL West

Outlook

The San Francisco Giants were done in by a porous relief corps a year ago.

It should be no surprise then that finding a reliable closer was the club's top priority this offseason, and they did just that with the addition of Mark Melancon.

He's been the only real notable addition of the offseason, though, as they simply don't have the payroll room to make any other major moves.

Full seasons of Hunter Pence and Joe Panik could make a major difference for the offense, while the continued emergence of young arms like Derek Law, Hunter Strickland and Steven Okert will be counted on to support Melancon in a new-look bullpen.

With a good starting rotation, deep lineup and improved pen, all the pieces are there for a run at the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and a potentially dangerous draw come October.

B/R Odds: 14-1

Vegas Odds: 12-1

Last World Series Title: 1988

2016 Record: 91-71, won NL West

Outlook

This looks like another case where the popularity of a bet might have driven up its odds, as the Los Angeles Dodgers at "7-1" makes them the third only to the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox among World Series favorites.

Don't misinterpret that as an indictment on the Dodgers' chances of winning this season.

Teams like the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Indians just look like a better bet.

The Dodgers' starting rotation situation will be interesting to minor this spring as veterans Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu are all healthy for the time being and set to battle with Julio Urias, Ross Stripling and Brock Stewart to fill the two rotation spots behind Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda.

Re-signing Justin Turner and acquiring Logan Forsythe certainly helps the offense, though they're putting a lot of stock in Yasiel Puig and Andrew Toles at the corner outfield spots. Trayce Thompson and Andre Ethier are in the mix there as well, but that's still a question mark.

However, the bigger question mark is the bullpen, which has thus far been unaddressed aside from re-signing Kenley Jansen.

At this point, the Dodgers look like co-favorites in the NL West, and that's enough to hurt their odds compared to Vegas.

B/R Odds: 14-1

Vegas Odds: 9-1

Last World Series Title: Never

2016 Record: 95-67, won NL East

Outlook 

It may hurt down the line, but the addition of Adam Eaton gives the Washington Nationals a dynamic duo atop the lineup with Trea Turner joining him as a speedy on-base machine.

A return to form from Bryce Harper is the obvious key for the offense, and after his BABIP plummeted from .369 to .264, he's due for some positive regression. Whether he returns to MVP form is another question entirely.

The starting rotation doesn't have the same depth after trading Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, and that could be an issue down the line.

However, the Opening Day rotation of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark, Gio Gonzalez and Joe Ross stacks up to any staff in baseball.

For all that's been made of the team's failure to replace Mark Melancon at the back of the bullpen, Shawn Kelley has all the tools to not only fill that role but thrive in it.

The window of contention for the Nationals is still wide open. Harper likely won't be around forever, though, so the time is now to seize the opportunity.

B/R Odds: 12-1

Vegas Odds: 12-1

Last World Series Title: 2013

2016 Record: 93-69, won AL East

Outlook

The Boston Red Sox odds improved considerably when they added Chris Sale in a huge winter meetings trade.

That's not enough to make them a clear favorite ahead of the Cleveland Indians among AL teams, though.

Replacing David Ortiz in the middle of the lineup still looks like the most daunting task facing the Red Sox this season, as they've essentially plugged Mitch Moreland into his vacant spot in the lineup.

The offense is still stacked and still capable of being one of the best in baseball. They just might not be significantly better than everyone else like they were a year ago.

As for the pitching staff and the addition of Sale, the team now has six legitimate MLB-caliber starters, and that depth will serve them well over the course of a long season.

The relief corps also added a key arm in Tyler Thornburg, though it lost a lot with Brad Ziegler, Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa all leaving in free agency.

If the addition of Sale can offset the loss of Ortiz and the bullpen can fall into place around Thornburg and closer Craig Kimbrel, this could be a 100-win team.

B/R Odds: 8-1

Vegas Odds: 13-2

Last World Series Title: 1948

2016 Record: 94-67, won AL Central

Outlook

On the surface, it looks like the only major addition the Cleveland Indians have made this offseason is signing Edwin Encarnacion to replace Mike Napoli.

Undoubtedly an upgrade, but enough to keep pace with the Boston Red Sox for AL supremacy?

Maybe not, but you also have to factor in the returns of Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes—all four of whom were non-factors during the team's postseason run a year ago.

Suddenly, this team looks like it has improved as much as anyone, and that's a scary proposition for the rest of baseball.

They'll also have a full season of deadline-addition Andrew Miller to deploy out of the bullpen, and they've finally found a quality left-handed reliever after Boone Logan was signed on Thursday, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

To put it simply, it's hard to bet against the Indians repeating as AL champions at this point.

B/R Odds: 8-1

Vegas Odds: 13-2

Last World Series Title: 2016

2016 Record: 103-58, won NL Central

Outlook

The Chicago Cubs are still the team to beat and the best team in baseball from an overall talent standpoint.

However, there's a reason we've only seen a team repeat as World Series champions three times in the past 30 years.

It's really hard to do.

With that in mind, putting 4-1 odds on anyone to win the World Series seems aggressive, even the runaway best team in the league from a year ago.

A full season of Kyle Schwarber could make a huge difference for the offense, though replacing Dexter Fowler in the role of catalyst will be no small task.

The No. 5 starter job is a bit convoluted with injury-prone Brett Anderson the leading candidate for the job and fellow lefties Mike Montgomery and Rob Zastryzny waiting in the wings.

All things considered, it's hard to poke holes in this roster, and unless things go horribly awry, they should once again finish atop the NL Central standings and be ready for a long postseason run.

B/R Odds: 5-1

Vegas Odds: 4-1

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Refereince.com and FanGraphs.com, unless otherwise noted.