How do we sum up a 2022 season and 2022-23 offseason that saw the Detroit Tigers bellyflop to fourth place in the American League Central (and inherit the longest playoff drought in MLB — by a few hours over the Los Angeles Angels), the Philadelphia Phillies ride a managerial firing and a slugger-heavy lineup constructed by Dave Dombrowski (where have we seen that before?) to the NL pennant, the Cleveland Guardians sneak away with the AL Central title, the Houston Astros win their second World Series in six seasons, Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa signing with the San Francisco Giants, the New York Mets and, eventually, landing back with the Minnesota Twins on a longterm-ish deal. And, oh yeah, ex-Tigers righty Justin Verlander jumped from the Astros to the Mets (where he’ll be reunited with ex-Tigers righty Max Scherzer) on a short-term deal.
Oh, well, that almost sums it all up, eh?
But what about 2023? That’s where Free Press sports writers Ryan Ford and Evan Petzold come in, ready to answer the questions you might have about this MLB season.
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Will the Astros repeat? Can the Phillies float long enough to get Bryce Harper back from elbow surgery, Rhys Hoskins back from knee surgery and ex-Tiger Gregory Soto back from not throwing enough sliders for strikes? Will the Guardians repeat, or will the Twins’ bevy of moves — including dealing AL batting champ Luis Arraez for right-hander Pablo López — pay off. And, speaking of paying off, what exactly will the Texas Rangers get from Jacob deGrom (making roughly $37 million this season with 6⅔ innings thrown in spring training), besides a tax write-off.
We may not have all the answers, but we have some thoughts about how the six divisions will shake out (Is this the Seattle Mariners’ year?), who’ll win it all (How much do the San Diego Padres have to spend?) and who’ll take home all the awards (Will there be a Blue November?). We’ll get the answers soon enough, but here are our predictions:
*Denotes wild-card berth
AL Central
Ryan Ford
1. Chicago White Sox.
2. Cleveland Guardians.*
3. Minnesota Twins.
4. Detroit Tigers.
5. Kansas City Royals.
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Evan Petzold
1. Cleveland Guardians.
2. Minnesota Twins.
3. Chicago White Sox.
4. Detroit Tigers.
5. Kansas City Royals.
AL East
Ford
1. Toronto Blue Jays.
2. New York Yankees.*
3. Tampa Bay Rays.
4. Boston Red Sox.
5. Baltimore Orioles.
Petzold
1. Toronto Blue Jays.
2. New York Yankees.*
3. Baltimore Orioles.*
4. Tampa Bay Rays.
5. Boston Red Sox.
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AL West
Ford
1. Houston Astros.
2. Seattle Mariners.*
3. Texas Rangers.
4. Los Angeles Angels.
5. Oakland Athletics.
Petzold
1. Houston Astros.
2. Seattle Mariners.*
3. Los Angeles Angels.
4. Texas Rangers.
5. Oakland Athletics.
NL Central
Ford
1. St. Louis Cardinals.
2. Milwaukee Brewers.
3. Chicago Cubs.
4. Cincinnati Reds.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates.
Petzold
1. St. Louis Cardinals.
2. Milwaukee Brewers.
3. Chicago Cubs.
4. Cincinnati Reds.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates.
NL East
Ford
1. Atlanta Braves.
2. New York Mets.*
3. Philadelphia Phillies.*
4. Miami Marlins.
5. Washington Nationals.
Petzold
1. New York Mets.
2. Atlanta Braves.*
3. Philadelphia Phillies.*
4. Miami Marlins.
5. Washington Nationals.
NL West
Ford
1. San Diego Padres.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers.*
3. Arizona Diamondbacks.
4. San Francisco Giants.
5. Colorado Rockies.
Petzold
1. Los Angeles Dodgers.
2. San Diego Padres.*
3. Arizona Diamondbacks.
4. San Francisco Giants.
5. Colorado Rockies.
The postseason
(League seeds in parentheses)
Ford
AL WC: Guardians (6) over White Sox (3); Mariners (4) over Yankees (5).
NL WC: Phillies (6) over Cardinals (3); Mets (5) over Dodgers (4).
ALDS: Mariners (4) over Astros (1); Blue Jays (2) over Guardians (6).
NLDS: Padres (1) over Mets (5); Braves (2) over Phillies (6)
ALCS: Blue Jays (2) over Mariners (4).
NLCS: Padres (1) over Braves (2)
World Series: Padres over Blue Jays.
Petzold
AL WC: Guardians (3) over Orioles (6); Mariners (4) over Yankees (5).
NL WC: Phillies (6) over Dodgers (3); Braves (4) over Padres (5).
ALDS: Blue Jays (1) over Mariners (4); Guardians (3) over Astros (2).
NLDS: Cardinals (1) over Braves (4); Mets (2) over Phillies (6).
ALCS: Blue Jays (1) over Guardians (3).
NLCS: Cardinals (1) over Mets (2).
World Series: Blue Jays over Cardinals.
The awards
Ford
AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays.
AL Cy Young: Alek Manoah, Blue Jays.
AL Rookie of the Year: Anthony Volpe, Yankees.
NL MVP: Manny Machado, Padres.
NL Cy Young: Corbin Burnes, Brewers.
NL Rookie of the Year: Jordan Walker, Cardinals.
Petzold
AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Angels.
AL Cy Young: Framber Valdez, Astros.
AL Rookie of the Year: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles.
NL MVP: Trea Turner, Phillies.
NL Cy Young: Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks.
NL Rookie of the Year: Jordan Walker, Cardinals.
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