The 2018 MLB season is almost upon us, which means another long, winding season of the unexpected, the entertaining and the down-right confusing.
Baseball is about as difficult to predict as the ending of a Christopher Nolan movie, but that won't stop us from trying.
Below you'll find the SN MLB staff's predictions and Twitter handles, so you can laugh at us and tell us how wrong we are.
MORE: Opening Day schedule for all 30 teams
Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan)
American League
East: Yankees
Central: Cleveland
West: Astros
National League
East: Nationals
Central: Cubs
West: Dodgers
Wild card
AL: Red Sox, Angels
NL: Diamondbacks, Cardinals
MVP
AL: Mike Trout, Angels
NL: Kris Bryant, Cubs
Cy Young
AL: Corey Kluber, Cleveland
NL: Noah Syndergaard, Mets
Rookie of the Year
AL: Dustin Fowler, A’s
NL: Lewis Brinson, Marlins
World Series
AL: Cleveland
NL: Dodgers
Expect another down-to-the-wire World Series classic between two of baseball’s best teams. I flipped a coin, and it came up L.A.
What I’m excited about: As always, I cannot wait to see the things I never even considered might happen. Baseball never disappoints. Out-of-nowhere stars. Rookies doing jaw-dropping things. Seemingly moribund teams bumrushing October. We love the game because the game continually surprises us.
Storyline to watch: The lead-up to this year’s trade deadline will be fascinating. So many stars will be free agents after the season, and watching teams try to decide which guys to trade and which guys to hold onto for playoff pushes will be intriguing. Which team lands Manny Machado? Will the Jays trade Josh Donaldson? If the Giants struggle, do they move Andrew McCutchen? How do the Orioles say goodbye to Adam Jones, the longtime face of the franchise? And if/when these teams decide to trade their free agents-to-be, which teams are actually buying? With so many teams content to rebuild, the number of teams that will actually be buyers doesn’t figure to be as large as years past, which makes it a buyer’s market.
Jason Foster (@ByJasonFoster)
American League
East: Yankees
Central: Indians
West: Astros
National League
East: Nationals
Central: Cubs
West: Dodgers
Wild card
AL: Red Sox, Angels
NL: Diamondbacks, Cardinals
MVP
AL: Mike Trout, Angels
NL: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Cy Young
AL: Chris Sale, Red Sox
NL: Max Scherzer, Nationals
Rookie of the Year
AL: Francisco Mejia, Indians
NL: Ronald Acuña, Braves
World Series
AL: Astros
NL: Cubs
The Astros will again provide great postseason fun, but they'll come up short this season as the Cubs win their second championship in three years. And this time, they'll clinch at Wrigley.
What I’m excited for: Among other things, I'm eager to see just homer many homers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton will hit this season. How many times will they go back to back? Will the total distance of their combined homers be more or less than 10 miles? Speaking of righteous moonshots, I'm also eager to see Ronald Acuña get called up and do his thing(s). He should be a good one.
Storylines to watch: Will Shohei Ohtani turn out to be a good major league player? If so, as a hitter or a pitcher? If not, how will the Angels handle him this season and beyond? ... When will the Braves call up Acuña? Will they wait the minimum number of days to secure that extra year of service time, or will they wait a week or two later to give the appearance that his callup was based on baseball things?
Joe Rivera (@JoeRiveraSN)
American League
East: Yankees
Central: Indians
West: Astros
National League
East: Nationals
Central: Cubs
West: Diamondbacks
Wild card
AL: Red Sox, Twins
NL: Dodgers, Mets
MVP
AL: Mike Trout, Angels
NL: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Cy Young
AL: Luis Severino, Yankees
NL: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Rookie of the Year
AL: Gleyber Torres, Yankees
NL: Ronald Acuña, Braves
World Series
AL: Yankees
NL: Cubs
The Yankees will beat the Cubs in the 2018 World Series. It is the greatest World Series ever played — each game goes 15-plus innings and lasts five-plus hours of non-stop action. The commissioner's office won't know what to do as the length of game/pace of play issues are compounded on the biggest stage of them all.
What I’m excited about: The youth movement continues in baseball: it’s a golden age for young talent across the sport — and there’s even more coming. Walker Buehler (Dodgers), Gleyber Torres (Yankees), Ronald Acuña (Braves), Amed Rosario (Mets) and not to mention Shohei Ohtani.
Also, I’m really excited for dingers. Lots of dingers.
Storylines to watch: The health of the Mets … again. Will the Blue Jays blow it all up? Will the Brewers make noise in the NL Central with all the moves they made? Will the Dodgers stumble out of the gate?
Tom Gatto (@tgatt_tsn)
American League
East: NY Yankees
Central: Cleveland
West: Houston
National League
East: Washington
Centra: Chicago Cubs
West: Arizona
Wild card
AL: Boston, Angels
NL: Dodgers, Milwaukee
MVP
AL: Mike Trout, Angels
NL: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Cy Young
AL: Justin Verlander, Astros
NL: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
Rookie of the Year
AL: Shohei Ohtani, Angels
NL: Ronald Acuña, Braves
World Series
AL: Houston
NL: Washington
Washington has the depth and talent right now to knock off L.A. and Houston in consecutive postseason series, but GM Mike Rizzo will make sure the roster is absolutely loaded heading into October.
What I'm excited about: Watching Shohei Ohtani try to change the game with his two-way talent. The races in both West divisions. One or two so-called "tankers" actually contending for wild-card spots (looking at you, Pirates and White Sox).
Storylines to watch: How many players will be adversely affected by signing late in the offseason, pitchers in particular? Will Giancarlo Stanton be comfortable with a DH/OF hybrid role in New York? Will the spread of 13-man pitching staffs and super utility players kill the idea of straight platoons other than at catcher?
