Happy (almost) New Year!
Of course, for the baseball fans, the new year doesn't actually start until March 26, 2020. As we inch closer to Opening Day, we'll have more certainties and a better idea of what teams and players will be in the new league year.
But until then, let's get nuts with some ridiculous predictions.
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As we know, there's no such thing as an incorrect prediction — just players, teams and events simply don't follow through on them. In last year's edition of bold predictions , we got 1 1/2 out of 5 right, or 30 percent. That'll get you in the Hall of Fame, folks, so you can definitely trust what we're going to predict here.
So while you're freezing your rear off in the winter months, let these fire predictions warm you to the core:
No team will hit more than 275 home runs
Last year, we saw two teams eclipse the 300 home run mark, but don't expect that to be the case again in 2019 as the media dubs the un-juiced baseball as "DeflateGate 2."
Rumors of the juiced baseball were rampant, with players such as Justin Verlander openly speaking about how the ball was changed in 2019. MLB is doubling down on what they feel is nothing more than manufacturing imperfections, which could very well be the case.
But in larger quality-assurance issues, the baseball will be drained of its juices in 2020, and the home run craze will come crashing back down to Earth. After two seasons of record-setting homer numbers, no team will hit 300. In fact, no team will hit 275 long balls, dingers, or moonshots in 2020. Book it. I have spoken.
Double-bold bonus: The Twins will come up just shy of the 275 mark, with 273 on the season.
The Astros will not make the playoffs
The Astros, hammered by the public — and the potential punishment — for the sign-stealing allegations during the offseason, will miss out on the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
They'll be without Gerrit Cole, who was emerging as an ace. Verlander is emptying his career tank, but there's no telling how much he's got left in his arm, even coming off a Cy Young season. Zack Greinke, now 36, is in the same boat as Verlander.
Even with reigning, defending Cy Young winner, the Astros won't reach the top of the mountain again. In fact, they'll miss out on the playoffs entirely: The A's will finally get over the hump, winning the division, while the Rays and Angels take the wild card spots in the American League.
Double-bold bonus: The Angels break through and grab a wild card spot.
Kris Bryant will win MVP — for someone other than the Cubs
How quick we are to forget.
It wasn't long ago that Kris Bryant was the NL MVP — 2016 to be exact, the same year he helped the Cubs break the curse of the billy goat. But some injuries a few years later and all of a sudden the Cubs want to ship him off for the next Kris Bryant wannabes.
Kris Bryant isn't old! He's not run down! He's not some jamoke who forgot how to play baseball! He was a guy who played to a 4.8 fWAR in 2019 and, when healthy and right, is one of the best players in the National League. So what if he's going to cost money? Newsflash: Good players cost a lot of money. Teams need to stop ducking that fact, whether it's the Cubs, Red Sox or Indians when it comes to Bryant, Mookie Betts or Francisco Lindor.
But to bring it back: The Chicago Cubs of all teams shouldn't be scared of wanting to pay a great talent the money he deserves for lottery tickets from another team.
Now that that rant is over, let's revisit the prediction: The never-ending cycle of trading stars for prospects in baseball is tough to stomach for fans, and it'll be especially tough to stomach for the Cubs in 2020, when Bryant will win MVP for his new squad. There are only a handful of teams with the firepower and trade capital to pull off a deal for Bryant, and whoever that team is (check out the Double-bold bonus below), will be more than happy to have Bryant's services
Double-bold bonus: Kris Bryant wins MVP for the Braves, who give up the farm to get him.
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White Sox shock the world, win the Central
Years of half-measures and mediocrity in the White Sox rebuild come to a screeching halt as they overtake the Indians and the Twins to win the AL Central.
The Indians are in a confusing spot, coming off a surprisingly competitive season that saw them win 93 games, the majority of which without Corey Kluber. Now, Kluber is gone and it sounds like Francisco Lindor could be on his way out as well, which, well, is pretty stupid.
The White Sox already have a solid core of players, featuring Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Lucas Giolito and others, and supplemented that with Yasmani Grandal and Dallas Keuchel this offseason. They also got Nomar Mazara via trade, which means this ChiSox team could be better than people expect.
How much better? Well, they'll be AL Central champs, knocking off the Twins and their one-year wonder season in 2019. Chicago will complete a dramatic turnaround, winning 95 games and the division, their first since 2008.
Double-bold bonus: The Indians finish third in the division with 83 wins, behind the 95-win White Sox and the 90-win Twins.
The three-batter rule is a rousing success, and everyone loves it
Baseball fans are very, very resistant to change: baseball players, managers and those involved in the game, even more so. So when the three-batter minimum rule takes hold in 2020, the baseball world will be shook when everyone loves it.
Baseball has changed; baseball always changes. Maybe less so than other sports, but that's a testament to the game itself — it might not be perfect, but it's good enough that we haven't needed wholesale changes for 150 years.
So, of course managers hate the three-batter rule right now. A lot of them probably hated the DH rule when that came around, and look! We're still here! Baseball is still here! All is well. (Also, bring the DH to the NL, please).
So all of this offseason bellyaching about the three-batter rule will go by the wayside this upcoming season, when managers actually like the rule for both sides of the argument: It adds strategy when they believe it takes it away, and favorable matchups play into the hands of batting teams, which is a point people are just kind of overlooking right now.
So have fun debating it over Christmas dinner, because it won't matter in six months' time.
Double-bold bonus: Joe Maddon, one of the more vocal critics of the rule, does a complete 180 and extols the rule change.
