Forecasting the 2022 MLB season: Who will win each division, major award?
Our MLB editors Michael Bradburn, Josh Goldberg, Bryan Mcwilliam, Tom Ruminski, Travis Sawchik, and Brandon Wile put their heads together to decide what will transpire this season. Here are their predictions for 2022:
AL East
The "offseason winners" wind up being victors of the actual season as well, winning the AL East and clinching the top seed in the Junior Circuit. It won't be a cakewalk, though, as the three wild-card clubs will also come from the division, with the Rays winning more than 90 for the fourth straight year (omitting the pandemic-shortened 2020 season) while the Red Sox and Yankees squeak in.
AL Central
The new-look Twins and Tigers make some strides but ultimately fall short of challenging the White Sox for the division crown. Chicago definitely looks good heading into 2022, but the team also didn't take any meaningful steps forward this winter, losing Carlos Rodon with only internal replacements to fill in. Meanwhile, the Twins finish tantalizingly close to one of those final wild-card berths the Red Sox and Yankees occupy. With enough luck, Minnesota could absolutely steal one of those spots, assuming new recruits Carlos Correa, Sonny Gray, and Gary Sanchez hit the ground running - and a healthy season from Byron Buxton certainly wouldn't hurt either.
AL West
Despite a pretty damning offseason, including losing Correa, the Astros enter the campaign as an unequivocal front-runner. That's largely because Houston's developed Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez while managing to retain Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve in an elite lineup. The Astros aren't the only club going through changes in the division, as pretty much every team in the AL West has gone through a bit of a facelift - other than the A's, who underwent ... whatever's the opposite of a facelift.
The Mariners are a dark horse contender thanks to young stars Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez, and Logan Gilbert, along with the acquisitions of Robbie Ray, Adam Frazier, Jesse Winker, and Eugenio Suarez. The Angels have some legitimacy in the rotation now with Noah Syndergaard, and the Rangers made the biggest splash of them all by landing Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. It'll be a fascinating division to follow all year.
NL East
The defending champs reign supreme in the NL East, which might actually boast a 90-win team or two this year. The Mets look like a legitimate challenger. New York's biggest key will be keeping its rotation healthy, and that's already taken a hit with Jacob deGrom set to miss extended time to start the year. A little further down, the Phillies should make their first postseason appearance since 2011, thanks to a much-improved lineup.
NL Central
The Brewers appear poised to repeat in a weak division thanks to the trio of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta, which produced a combined 16.2 fWAR with 640 strikeouts last season. The Cardinals are very strong defensively and have some solid bats, but the club's rotation has uncertainties, especially the health of ace Jack Flaherty. The Cubs have a few fun pieces like Marcus Stroman and Seiya Suzuki on a team that needs several impact players before it can leap to contender status. And lastly, the Reds and Pirates will fight it out for the basement after Cincinnati dumped a bunch of talent to shed payroll.
NL West
The Dodgers have assembled one of the greatest lineups in recent memory and enter the season as strong favorites in the National League. Many are writing off the Giants' remarkable 2021 division crown as a one-off, but this still looks like a well-constructed team capable of making a return trip to the postseason. After an epic collapse in the second half of 2021, the Padres appear primed for another underwhelming campaign with Fernando Tatis Jr. sidelined for a significant amount of time. The hope is that the pitching staff can rebound and keep the squad afloat until their star returns.
World Series
The Blue Jays lead the way with three selections to win, the Dodgers are barely behind with two picks, and the reigning champion Braves pick up one. To their credit, the remade Mets - who are entering the season injured - were picked as the NL pennant winner twice as well. If healthy in October, New York's rotation could be a world-beater.
AL MVP
Not a single voter picked an encore performance from two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, speaking to how rare of a sight his 2021 campaign was. Instead, last year's runner-up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gets two picks, and the rest of the field is very split. Mike Trout could possibly pick up his fourth, or dark-horse candidates Rafael Devers, Byron Buxton, or Kyle Tucker could win their first.
NL MVP
Juan Soto is the in-vogue selection here after finishing runner-up last year and fifth the season before as a 21-year-old. The other three votes go to a Dodgers hitter - either Trea Turner takes it, or Betts becomes the first and only player since Frank Robinson to win MVP in both leagues.
AL Cy Young
Gerrit Cole and Lucas Giolito lead the pack with two selections each, while Giolito's teammate Dylan Cease gets a somewhat surprising pick. Meanwhile, Bieber was among the league's most elite starters from 2019-20 and was only held back last year due to injuries, which makes him a very interesting bounce-back candidate.
NL Cy Young
Buehler paces the field with three picks after putting up another remarkable showing to finish fourth in voting last year. Meanwhile, some see breakout Brewers ace Burnes as a legitimate repeat candidate following his somewhat controversial win over Zack Wheeler.
AL Rookie of the Year
The race is seemingly between Bobby Witt Jr. and Julio Rodriguez - the Nos. 1 and 3 prospects in baseball, respectively - and it'll begin Opening Day after both, as well as Torkelson, broke camp with the team. Detmers, meanwhile, made his major-league debut last year to middling results, but the left-hander should play a key role in the Angels rotation.
NL Rookie of the Year
After coming over from Japan this winter and hitting 38 homers last year for Hiroshima, the Cubs will guarantee that 29-year-old Suzuki gets a ton of playing time on a five-year, $85-million deal. Cruz may have received just as much recognition if the Pirates weren't holding him out of the majors to start the season.