It’s time for some meaningful baseball. No more spring training. No more speculation. The 162-game sprint to October begins now. I understand the word “sprint” is strong. But you get the point. Every result matters, even in April. And here in Boston, the only results we care about are that of the Red Sox. The Sox look to clinch the AL East for the third straight year. This time, they’ll try to do it under the guidance of a new manager in Alex Cora. Whether you liked former manager John Farrell or not, there’s no denying that Cora will have some big shoes to fill.
In his five seasons as Red Sox skipper, Farrell won the division three times, and won a World Series his first year on the job, in 2013. The pressure will be on Cora to help find a way to make it three consecutive division titles, especially with the much-improved New York Yankees right on their behind. The Yankees (-130) are actually the favorite to win the AL East in 2018, with the Red Sox (+120) having the second-best odds of winning the division.
Overall, the defending champion Houston Astros (+550) are the favorite to win the World Series again, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers (+575), Yankees (+600), Chicago Cubs (+700), Cleveland Indians (+800), Washington Nationals (+900), and then the Red Sox (+1000). Those aren’t great odds for the Sox. But crazier things have happened, for sure.
Whether they win the division for the third straight year, or sneak into October as a Wild Card winner, you have to get to the Postseason before you have a shot to win the World Series. And that brings me to my 2018 MLB predictions:
AL East: Boston Red Sox
-Having won 93 games in each of the last two seasons, I expect the Sox to be around the 93-win total once again, mainly because I feel that David Price’s presence in the rotation with Chris Sale makes for a dominating one-two punch, perhaps as dominating as you’ll see in the majors in 2018. Once those two get going, there might be some who stop calling the Yankees the “favorite” to win the division.
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
-This also comes down to pitching. Cleveland has won the AL Central the last two years. They won 102 games last year but lost to the Wild Card Yankees in the ALDS, one year after losing to the Cubs in the 2016 World Series. Still, I don’t see anybody in the Central knocking off the Indians this year.
AL West: Houston Astros
-The defending champion Astros are stacked once again. Justin Verlander will continue to lead them to success. But, so will newly-acquired starter Gerrit Cole. Cole was traded to Houston from Pittsburgh in January and could go down as one of the most underrated deals of the offseason. The Astros will win over 100 games in 2018.
AL Wild Card: New York Yankees over Baltimore Orioles
-This makes for three AL East teams advancing to the Postseason. I expect the Yankees to be better than the Orioles this year, but Baltimore has a very talented lineup, too talented for me to overlook.
NL East: Washington Nationals
-The Nats are looking to win their division for the third straight year. And they most likely will. They one team I would keep an eye on though is the New York Mets. If the Mets can keep their pitching staff healthy, they do pose a threat. But I wouldn’t put my money on anybody but Washington here.
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
-The Cubs added Yu Darvish this offseason and are looking to win their third straight division title. I don’t see any real threat to them in the Central, so expect Chicago to make a serious run at its second World Series championship in three years.
NL West: San Francisco Giants
-The Giants were horrible last year, finishing with just 64 wins. But San Fran is used to having an off year, then bouncing back into the postseason picture, which I expect to happen again this year. The Giants traded for Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen this offseason. And I look for them to knock the Dodgers off the top of the mountain.
NL Wild Card: Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Mets
-The Dodgers are too good to not be playing in October, and the Mets’ rotation should be good enough to make it interesting.
ALDS
-Houston Astros over New York Yankees
-Boston Red Sox over Cleveland Indians
ALCS
-Houston Astros over Boston Red Sox
NLDS
-Chicago Cubs over Los Angeles Dodgers
-San Francisco Giants over Washington Nationals
NLCS
-San Francisco Giants over Chicago Cubs
World Series
-Houston Astros over San Francisco Giants
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