The Kutty Katt's Thoughts

Overview

AL East: Blue Jays — 96 wins
AL Central: Twins — 87 wins
AL West: Astros — 105 wins
AL WC #1: Yankees — 95 wins
AL WC #2: Mariners — 93 wins
AL WC #3: Red Sox— 88 wins
NL East: Mets — 100 wins
NL Central: Cardinals — 91 wins
NL West: Dodgers — 104 wins
NL WC #1: Braves — 99 wins
NL WC #2: Padres — 96 wins
NL WC #3: Cubs — 88 wins

American League

Astros – The top of the American League will be run by the Astros until proven otherwise. The may have lost Verlander, but I expect Jose Abrue to be an MVP candidate with all the protection around him in that lineup. Top to bottom this roster is built to repeat as World Series Champions.

Blue Jays – The first potential surprise is the Blue Jays winning the American League East. Their Pitching rotation has a chance to be elite, and they have a lineup that top to bottom could make any pitcher pay. It will be a tight race but I think the Blue Jays pull out. A little worried about how the bullpen will shake out.

Twins – I went back and forth between putting the Twins or Guardians here. I think either team could win this division. I went with the Twins because I liked their acquisitions this offseason and believe their team is getting healthy. The Guardian’s always put out a strong pitching staff. This battle will go down to the last week of the season., but the Twins take it by a game.

Yankees – The Yankees did nothing but improve their team this offseason, yet I have the Blue Jays over them. Call it bias, but I think the Yankees are ageing and the young Blue Jays will get them this year. They will still put up a fight and end up getting the #1 Wild Card spot. The offense will take a step back this year, but they will beat the teams they need to beat and make it in.

Mariners – Another pick that is not surprising to most people. The Mariners made some noise last year and got into the playoffs. If the Mariners didn’t play in the same division as the Astros, I would pick them to win. The offense and pitching should hold up to the same caliber as last year, and that fanbase will certainly give them a boost at home games. They lose out on 6 easy games against the A’s but i don’t think it will end up mattering.

Red Sox – The team that ends up sneaking in with the last spot is the Red Soxs. Last year was a disappointment for this team. This offseason they not only got healthy but acquired some key pieces. I think they start the year off slow and then catch fire in the summer. This will be a fun team to watch in September.

National League

Dodgers – The dodgers lost a long list of players this season, including Trae Turner. The problem for the rest of the league was that they were stacked at every position anyways. Even if this team slides a bit, they have plenty of money and resources to go out and get a player at the deadline. This could be the year they fall in the west, but I am going to keep them at the top for now.

Mets – Time for the yearly “Mets vs Braves” debate. I just flipped a coin on this one. The Mets lost Jacob Degrom, but signed Justin Verlander. Not a bad trade off. The Jose Quintana signing solidifies the middle of the rotation, Pete Alonso is going to give them plenty of offense, and Edwin Diaz will continue to be lights out in the backend of games. Mets will make it to the NLCS this season.

Cardinals – I will avoid sharing too much light on why I think my favorite team will win the division. The retirement of Molina will hurt the pitching staff, even on days he wasn’t playing, he was helping with prep. At times Pujols was our only offense last year, we need someone to come in and fill his shoes. That might be a combination of Yepez and Gorman. The Cardinals have a lot to prove, but with a team this talented, with this many young prospects they have got to figure it out.

Braves – The Braves easily could win the division, but I think it will take time to get the offense up to full potential. I think the rotation will not be as good as it should be, except for Strider. They will still make waves in September but come up just short. All great dynasties will have some down years, the Braves down years just happen to be a wild card birth.

Padres – If the Padres do not make playoffs this year I think it will be time to blow it all up. Luckily in my world, that will not happen. This team is too good, has spent too much money, and is too willing to trade away pieces to not make playoffs. Most will think the signing of Bogaerts was the biggest offseason move, but Matt Carpenter with no shift could be extremely dangerous.

Cubs – The new look Cubs will make a lot of noise this year. A change of scenario of Cody Bellinger will make a huge difference. The Cubs had a top tier pitching staff the second half of season and I believe that carries over. The young rookies that got playing time last year get a chance to make a big step forward, and they will. Watch for the cubs to be a dangerous team in September.

Teams that will just miss

The Oakland Athle…… just kidding.

Some of the best teams to watch in September unfortunately do not make the playoffs. The 2023 playoff run will be the most exciting since 2011. The Angels and Rangers will battle it out with the Red Sox for the last spot. With the lack of depth for the Angels and Rangers coming back to bite them. The Guardians finish the year with an extremely easy schedule but their comeback falls short with Buxton carries the Twins to a sweep in Colorado to the end season. The Orioles give a strong run in the middle of the summer to capture a wild card spot, but will sadly fall off in September. The Kansas City Royals will be the surprise team in the AL. Some people will give them a shot to win the division, but they will fall short in September.

Over in the senior circuit the NL Central will come down to the final week. The Braves and Mets battle it out until the final series of the season. The Marlins make a strong push to get into the playoffs behind a young lineup that is hungry to make some noise but ultimately fall short. The Phillies are a team that misses out on the playoffs by a single game. The surprising team in the National League will be the Arizona Diamondbacks. The pitching staff steps up in a big way and the offense does its job. They will be eliminated before the last week of the season, but will have a fun time this summer.