Predicting every MLB team's 2019 season – in one sentence
As the calendar gets deeper into March, teams are getting closer to be fully prepared for the six-month grind that is the 2019 Major League Baseball season.
While a couple of top free agents remain on the market, we have a pretty good idea of where everyone stands approaching opening day. In a world of overwrought predictions (certainly ourselves included), we figured it was worth cutting to the chase and previewing the bottom line for every club: What can fans reasonably expect from their team in 2019?
Here's a one-sentence prediction on how the season will play out for all 30 clubs:
AL East
Orioles: Play in a ton of “meaningful” games down the stretch, trying to avoid breaking the MLB record of 120 losses.
Red Sox: Defending champs get back to the postseason – via the wild-card – but regret not doing more to improve over the winter.
Yankees: An impossibly deep bullpen proves to be the difference as the Yankees overtake Boston to win the AL East for the team’s first division crown since 2012.
Rays: They hang with the big boys in the division and fight their way to a wild-card spot with a group of pitchers as “bullpenning” continues to take the league by storm.
Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is as good as advertised and the Blue Jays finish around .500, but that’s only good for fourth place in the deep division.
AL Central
White Sox: Eloy Jimenez provides some excitement and a glimpse at the future but the South Siders endure their seventh consecutive losing season.
Indians: They win the division for the fourth year in a row on the back of the pitching staff, but it’s way closer than in years past.
Tigers: Miguel Cabrera stays healthy and sets himself up to reach the 500-home run and 3,000-hit marks in 2020.
Royals: Lead the league in stolen bases by a sizable margin, but lose 100 games for the second year in a row.
Twins: The offseason acquisitions pay off as Minnesota hangs with Cleveland in the division and pushes for a wild-card spot.
AL West
Astros: Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are dominant in their contract year as Houston wins 100 games for the third season in a row.
Angels: Mike Trout has another Mike Trout season and Shohei Ohtani hits some home runs but the club languishes below .500.
Athletics: They stay competitive and push for a wild-card spot, but the pitching staff just isn’t deep enough to see the season into October.
Mariners: The longest postseason drought in professional sports continues as the rebuild gets off to an ugly start.
Rangers: Pitching continues to be a problem and they finish last in the AL West for the second year in a row.
NL East
Braves: The young squad fights for the division title, but the failure to add depth in the winter results in a third-place finish behind Washington and Philadelphia.
Marlins: Lose about 100 games, but cause some frustration for the teams above them in the NL East.
Mets: The offseason additions pay off and they manage to hang around, but ultimately they’re the fourth-best team in the division.
Phillies: The massively-upgraded offense does damage as they push for the division crown and their first postseason trip since 2011.
Nationals: They overcome the departure of Bryce Harper as the rotation dominates and they make their sixth postseason appearance in nine years.
NL Central
Cubs: Kris Bryant has a big bounce-back season and the Cubs fight for a fifth consecutive postseason berth.
Reds: A fun season gives Cincinnati hope for the future, but the division is just too strong for the Reds to overcome a weak pitching staff.
Brewers: The high-flying offense leads the fight for a return trip to the postseason, but it’s the starting pitching that holds the team back from being the class of the division.
Pirates: Jameson Taillon continues his development into the team’s ace but the lineup struggles as they finish near the bottom of the division.
Cardinals: The trade for Paul Goldschmidt proves to be the biggest move of the winter as the Cardinals fight for their first division title since 2015.
NL West
Diamondbacks: They hang around for a few months but the first year of the post-Goldschmidt era ends with a losing record.
Rockies: They hang with the Dodgers in the division as Daniel Murphy wins the batting title, and they fight for a third consecutive postseason berth.
Dodgers: Get all they can handle from the Rockies, but win the NL West for the seventh year in a row.
Padres: There are definite signs of progress in their first year with Manny Machado, setting themselves up to be a trendy pick for 2020.
Giants: They finish last in the division, but Madison Bumgarner nets a nice return at the trade deadline.