They didn't re-sign Miley and traded away franchise icons Winker and Suarez in a salary dump before signing Tommy Pham, Donovan Solano, Colin Moran and trading for Mike Minor. The pitching staff is worrisome. 2022 Year to Date: 2023 Projected Rest of Season: 2023 Projected Full Season: Team G . The AL East is the best division in baseball, and it doesn't take a model to know that. Most of all, the Rockies will continue to flex their muscles in Coors Field, where they were 48-33 last season. Acquiring Sonny Gray improves the rotation, but it could still use a front-line starter. However, pitching is a major concern. That doesn't mean anyone should sleep on New York. The team has pieces that will help it win games, with Frankie Montas at the front of that rotation and top prospect Cristian Pache immediately slotting into the outfield with Ramon Laureano. Let's start things off with a prediction about one of my favorite players to target in fantasy baseball drafts. Even over 162 games, surprises abound. There are two MVP candidates in the lineup and the Trevor Story signing creates one of the best infield in MLB. Even if they are the only one this time around, I like the Dodgers to keep MLB's 100-win streak going. Everyone is just waiting forthe Angelsto finally live up to their potential. The amount of money the Mets have dished out is absurd. Cactus League. But as you might expect, they don't agree on everything. Losing Robbie Ray and Steven Matz will hurt the rotation, but the addition of Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi, along with a full season of Jose Berrios and Alek Manoah will help bolster the pitching staff. ET (ESPN). Team: Wins: Losses: Chicago White Sox: 85: 77: They've lost key names over the past several years from George Springer to Justin Verlander (for a season due to injury) and now, most recently, Correa. From now on, all these projections will update every morning to reflect the latest . Someone is going to have to take the crown away fromthe Astrosbefore anyone, even the model, would consider picking against them. Brendan Rodgers and Ryan McMahon showed they can make a promising tandem fans of the franchise can build around. Toronto has the best odds of winning the pennant at 16.9 percent, while the White Sox and Astros trail narrowly behind at 15.2 and 13.9 percent, respectively. It isn't that simple, even if it sounds like it should be. But more than anything, the model is high on the pitching, with Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery and a healthy Luis Severino leading the team in 2022. The predicted standings for each team are the average wins and losses in the 20,000 simulations. Fans of the Yankeesare disappointed that New York wasn't able to land any major name in free agency, but that doesn't stop the model from being bullish on the Bronx Bombers' chances to make the playoffs. ZiPS projects both the Mariners and Angels for 85 wins, putting the two clubs in a tie for the third AL Wild Card spot behind the Blue Jays and Rays. Standings. Is the NL West a two- or three-team race? Add them together with JT Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins and Jean Segura, and this is a deep lineup capable of doing plenty of damage. We do like the Sean Manaea addition, it solidifies one of the best rotations in baseball. 1 overall spot in the AL. Picks, tools and data that give you an edge in NFL survivor and knockout style pools. If Jack Flaherty is unavailable for a majority of the season, though, that significantly changes the Cardinals outcome. But we're making a call to the bullpen and asking five MLB.com writers to give it their best shot. There just isnt enough talent around Reyes and Ramirez to make this a playoff-caliber lineup and that will prove costly over a full season. Here are predictions for the 2022 MLB season, including complete standings, playoff teams and the World Series winner. The Piratesremain fully in rebuild mode, but the young talent in the system is starting to reach the big leagues. Unfortunately, the starting rotation and lineup arent remotely good enough to even challenge for 72 wins. For now, well keep the Yankees in the No. The Guardians did virtually nothing this winter, yet it wouldn't be shocking to see them finish second or third. The Padres are absolutely a fringe playoff contender in the NL, but I'm not seeing them on the cusp of 90 wins. Like the Tigers,the Royals are loaded with MLB-ready talent from Bobby Witt Jr., MJ Melendez and Nick Pratto all expected to reach the big leagues at some point during the season to add to an offense that already includes Salvador Perez, Nicky Lopez and Whit Merrifield. 7. Fernando Tatis Jr. is one of the brightest stars when he's healthy and Manny Machado gives him powerful protection in the lineup. Instead, their big additions were Mitch Haniger, Michael Conforto, Sean Manaea, Ross Stripling and Taylor Rogers. C'mon Rocks! Are the Blue Jays even with the Yankees, or way behind? We like the Zack Greinke return and have optimism for the Royals future, but 2022 wont be great. The Rays have won the division two years in a rowbut didn't do much to upgrade,and have a lot riding on Wander Franco (and his new 11-year, $182 million contract)taking a significant step forward Yankees fans may have hated the offseason, but the team didn't get significantly worse over the winter. The rest of the AL Central is largely thinking about the future. The rotation is still thin and the bullpen is a mess, so they will fall short of being swept in the 2022 MLB postseason. [ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA] After the break for the 2022 World Cup, the Premier League . The Rockies don't figure to be in the mix for the playoffs in 2022, but that lineup could be fun to watch. With the new campaign comes the intrigue over how it will turn out. CHW Chicago White Sox. 3 (Freddy Peralta) and a potential Rookie of the year candidate (Aaron Ashby). I don't think they are bottom-feeder level (Orioles, Pirates, Diamondbacks), though. The model likes the Dodgers to win the pennant and finish with the best record in baseball, while the Giants are the second-most likely team to win the pennant, barely edging out the Braves, who are likely to earn the second bye by virtue of winning their division with the second-best record among division winners. The 2022 Major League Baseball season is nearly upon us. Behind the Jays, it could go either way between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. There are six divisions in the MLB, divided into three . As for the Washington Nationals, the greatest hitter in MLB (Juan Soto) cant fix their rotation, bullpen nor take multiple spots in the batting order. However, concerns at catcher and in the outfield put SF a tier below the Dodgers. Toronto's lineup starring Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez is the best in the American League, and its offense will carry it through the season to one of the league's best records. Victor Robles still flashes big potential, but has yet to make everything click. Jesus Luzardo wasn't sharp in his Miami debut, but he's shown off his electric skillset and sky-high potential in Spring Training and will likely be a popular breakout pick. Spring Training is in full swing, free agency is off the rails, and baseball is officially back. After winning 99 games in 2022, the Yankees were able to re-sign Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo in free agency, and they inked All-Star lefty Carlos Rodnto a six-year contract. With Sean Manaea also gone, its even easier to predict fewer wins. As for Colorado, signing Kris Bryant feels like a move for ticket sales as this is still one of the worst teams in MLB. As for the Rays, the Wander Franco hype is real. Major League Baseball's 2022 season has arrived. In fact, they lost their top free agent, shortstop Dansby Swanson, to the Cubs. 2. PECOTA projects both the Twins and Guardians for 88 wins, with the White Sox at 78. The lineup dips after Jose Ramirez, and even with the powerful bat of Franmil Reyes, Cleveland lacks true support for its star third baseman. MORE:Seiya Suzuki has won over Cubs' clubhouse; next impression will come with bat. Here are the way too early MLB 2022 standings predictions for the American League. I took the Rays' under (it was 86) last year and got badly burned. The NL Central has not had a team repeat as division winner since the Cubs repeated in first place in 2016 and 2017. The Braves, on the other hand, werent a major player in free agency. 3. Bellinger is coming off of a dreadful 2021 campaign that saw . We felt great about New Yorks rotation trio and even liked some of the depth behind it. A lineup that already featured the reigning MVP in Bryce Harper added the dynamic bat of Nick Castellanos and left-handed slugger Kyle Schwarber. The Duke Blue Devils (22-8, 13-6 ACC) finish the season against the North Carolina Tar Heels (19-11, 11-8) Saturday in Chapel Hill. There is some volatility in our projections for theBraves, who look like the favorite to win the NL East but finish as low as third place in the division standings. MLB, NBA, CBB, GOLF, NHL, HORSE RACING AND MORE - PLUS ADVANCED COMPUTER SIMULATIONS, WINNING . The Blue Jays will, once again, be one of the best fourth-place finishers since MLB went to the six-division format in 1994. This year is going to be a bit of a mixed bag forthe Nationals. There are question marks all over the place, as I explained in the preview. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, It bucks conventional wisdom, sure, but there are a few factors I can't ignore. As for the Cubs, neither system likes their postseason chances despite the signings of Swanson, Cody Bellinger, Jameson Taillon, Trey Mancini and Eric Hosmer. MORE:Trading for Matt Chapman a better fit for rising Blue Jays than signing Freddie Freeman. Calling up Gabriel Arias could help with that. 15 seasons. As far as my place in all this, feel free to jump over to my SportsLine page to see my picking acumen from last season. The Line: Man City -240 / Newcastle United +550 // Total: 2.5. The NL Central hasn't had a repeat champion since the Cubs in 2016-17, and PECOTA expects that trend to continue in 2023, giving the Brewers a two-game edge over the Cardinals. The Detroit Tigers farm system leads us to believe they are a future World Series contender, but the big leap isnt coming until 2023. Instead, the club went 81-81 and missed the postseason, finishing 11 games behind the upstart Guardians. New York Mets. MLB predictions 2022: Final standings, playoff projections, World Series odds for every team, Trading for Matt Chapman a better fit for rising Blue Jays than signing Freddie Freeman, Reds, As top list of five MLB fan bases experiencing post-lockout blues, Dodgers, Mets earn high marks; Yankees confuse, Seiya Suzuki has won over Cubs' clubhouse; next impression will come with bat, Cody Bellinger is struggling again, but Dodgers are so good that it might not matter. ZiPS projects the White Sox for 74 wins, closer to the Tigers (71) and Royals (70) than the Guardians (83) and Twins (80). The fourth and final 2022-23 regular-season meeting in the Battle of Florida is set for Tuesday as the Florida Panthers head to Tampa to take on the Lightning and their No.1 home offense. Those player stats are then merged in with their current teams to evaluate how good each team's lineups, rotation and bullpens will be in the 2022 season. Throw in a few more guys like Gunnar Henderson and DL Hall, and this team could be fun to watch in a few years. The Philadelphia Phillies committed to spending money this offseason, improving the lineup with Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. 3. Replacing set-up man Craig Kimbrel with outfielder A.J. With Shane Baz, Yonny Chirinos and Tyler Glasnow out from possible rotation spots in addition to relievers Nick Anderson and Pete Fairbanks, that's a lot of slack that needs picking up. The 2022 Major League Baseball season is almost here and Sportsnaut's MLB predictions offer projections for the standings, award winners and more.. MLB games today will offer daily predictions and the full schedule for the entire season from 2022 Opening Day to the World Series. There is going to be some competition in Texas soon enough for the AL West crown. The Orioleshope to see top prospect Adley Rutschman soon (but not too soon) and are going to lose 100 games again but have players worth watching inCedric Mullins andRyan Mountcastle. The defense is terrible. It does not expect full seasons out of both Trout and Ohtani, who have not in their four years together each had seasons where they both appeared in at least 120 games. mlb preview 2022. Max Scherzer and Justin . It should be a fourth consecutive last-place season for the Pirates, who hope Ke'Bryan Hayes bounces back and prospectOneil Cruz brings some excitement. Wed be even higher on this team because of its exciting rotation, if not for the fact Phillys defense is the worst in baseball. The bottom line is the recent history of teams that ducked and dodged their way past unseemly run differentials to post winning records isn't rosy in the ensuing season. Follow the American League and National League races here from USA TODAY. After all, the Friars signed Xander Bogaerts, will be getting back Fernando Tatis Jr. from injury/suspension and will benefit from having Juan Soto and Josh Hader for a full season after acquiring both at the 2022 Trade Deadline. The St. Louis Cardinals strengthened their rotation depth this offseason, signing Steven Matz. With Chris Bassitt, Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer lined up . My hunch this year is they'll be less extreme and steadily work toward somewhere in the low-to-mid 80s in wins. Sure enough, thats exactly what they did. The bullpen and rotation are stronger than last season and the lineup will be productive. The Cubsare engaging in a rebuild/reload to try and keep the team competition, while also building up its young core again. And I'd win the under. There's certainly a void in the lineup without Tatis (and once his wrist is fully recovered, do we trust his shoulder to stay put the rest of the way?)