Cubs: Standings prediction for the 2020 MLB season

Chicago Cubs: Not everyone is high on the North Siders this year, but a lot can happen in just 60 games.

The long-waited Chicago Cubs and 2020 MLB season is slated to begin this week. A 60-game season with a universal DH, automatic runner on second in extras, and empty ballparks will likely see some crazy things. Baseball is an odd game, and a small sample size can allow for teams to surprise people for better or for worse. In the end, predicting standings for this season and the Cubs is hard. The biggest hope is that they can play safely during the pandemic, which has to be taken very seriously.

With that said, we will make predictions anyway. While a 60-game sample size might not necessarily reflect how good or bad each team is, these predictions will mostly be based on the talent level each team has and what direction they are trending in. Each division will be covered in both leagues and will include a prediction of which teams will be postseason bound.

Of course, since this a Chicago Cubs website, there will be an emphasis on where they finish. Based on other predictions from experts, it is fair to say people are not overly high on them, but there is still some optimism they could be postseason bound. Without further ado, here are predictions for the 2020 MLB season.

Fair to say, the Bronx Bombers are favored by many to go to the World Series, but they are not the only exciting team in the division.

1st place: New York Yankees

Nobody questions the talent the Yankees have. Their lineup is stacked with the likes of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres and Sanchez. In true Yankees fashion, they opened up their wallets and added All-Star ace Gerrit Cole to their rotation. On paper, this team should be favored to win the pennant, but the biggest question is health as they have dealt with many injuries and saw closer Aroldis Chapman test positive for COVID-19.

2nd place: Tampa Bay Rays

Impressive what the small-market Rays have done. They have some really young talent in the likes of Austin Meadows and possible promise in Tyler Glasnow. The rotation is headed up by 2018 AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell. On paper, the casual fan might now be as impressed, but they have found ways to be successful and have a good farm system that can add more talent to the mix in the near future.

3rd place: Boston Red Sox

This is an odd “transition” year for the BoSox. They traded away superstar Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers and lost ace Chris Sale to Tommy John surgery this year. The Sox can still be decently competitive with the likes of J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Andrew Benintendi on the squad but not expected to be a postseason bound team.

4th place: Toronto Blue Jays

Our friends to the north are going through a bit of a rebuild, all centered around young slugger Vlad Guerrero Jr. The key players who took the team to the postseason a few years ago have all but moved on with their significant addition this year being starter Hyun-Jin Ryu. Much of the current MLB roster is filled with veteran journeymen right now, so do not expect the rebuilding Jays to contend this year.

5th place: Baltimore Orioles

Do not be ashamed if you look at the Orioles roster, and you honestly know nothing about 80% of the players. They are a ways away from being contenders. Hopefully, their fans can at least get some enjoyment from their crop of prospects. Sorry Orioles fans, it is going to be a long, short season.

There will be some interesting teams in this division, and they will want to take down the shamed front-runner.

1st place: Houston Astros

Shamed for their dark deeds in 2017, the Astros look to prove they can win even without trash cans banging in the dugout under new manager Dusty Baker. The fact of the matter is, they are still a very talented team and a favorite to win the pennant. Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, George Springer, and Jose Altuve still hold the lineup together with Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke at the top of the rotation. They will not have to face the chorus of boos from opposing fans, but teams will not forget what they did.

2nd place: Los Angeles Angels

Now is the chance for the Angels under new manager Joe Maddon to step up. For the sake of baseball, the Angels need to get better and not waste the talents of Mike Trout. If the lineup can stay healthy, they can accomplish more in a short season. The addition of Anthony Rendon this offseason was huge, and they still have Albert Pujols, who in his old age can still hit for decent pop as well as Shohei Ohtani and Justin Upton. The pitching is likely not going to be anything special, but the bats can help make them competitive. It seems bold to put them higher, but they can be a surprise candidate.

3rd place: Oakland Athletics

This team has been able to win 97 games the past two seasons and make the postseason. 3rd baseman Matt Chapman has made a name for himself, as has Matt Olsen, who hit 36 homers last year. Marcus Semien and Khris Davis also consistently add power to the lineup. The pitching never looks great on paper, but they have found ways to perform above expectations. If Sean Manaea is healthy and back to form, that is a big help for them. How will they fare in a short season? Time will tell, but they should be in the mix.

4th place: Texas Rangers

This team is interesting. The Rangers have some home run thumpers in the batting order with the likes of Rougned Odor, Joey Gallo and Danny Santana. They also added veteran slugger Todd Frazier to the mix. Biggest acquisition this year was former AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber from the Indians. Is there talent on the team? Yes. However, they are still flawed. The team is not going to have a big OBP lineup and the bullpen does not look very strong. They can be somewhat competitive, but doubt they are contenders.

5th place: Seattle Mariners

It has been nearly 20 years since the Mariners have made the postseason. Unless the 60-game season gets weird, then the drought will continue. The team has some decent pieces in starting pitcher Marco Gonzales and former Cubs farmhand Dan Vogelbach, who hit 30 homers and put up a .341 OBP and .780 OPS. Not many other big names outside that. If there is one thing that can give Mariners fans hope, they have a reliable farm system, and maybe they can finally mold that into something in the future.

Many wonder if the defending champions can make a run to repeat.

1st place: Atlanta Braves

On paper, this team is one of the most talented young teams in baseball. Freddie Freeman is returning from a fierce battle with COVID-19, but he hopes to be fully ready to play. Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and Ronald Acuna Jr. (hit 41 homers .883 OPS in 2019) will make up core along with Freeman. Nick Markakis opted out of the season, but they did add former Cardinals slugger Marcell Ozuna to the mix. The bullpen looks pretty good with Will Smith and Mark Melancon and the rotation can be solid as well with Max Fried and former Cub Cole Hamels (if he is healthy).

2nd place: New York Mets

Here is a team that can make some noise in 2020. Adding Marcus Stroman to pitch alongside Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom can make the top of the rotation deadly. Hopefully, deGrom can be healthy for the season. Young slugger Pete Alonso is joined by veteran Robinson Cano, Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto, and finally Yoenis Cespedes, who has not played since 2018. On paper, this team can be outstanding, and somewhat of a dark horse this year. Health will play a significant factor.

3rd place: Washington Nationals

The defending World Series champions quest to repeat will not be easy. They have tough competition in the division and lost Anthony Rendon, but they still have a good of a squad. Sensation Juan Soto will continue to grow, and there is a lot of hope for infielder Carter Kieboom. They have added former Cub infielder Starlin Castro and former Brewer slugger, Eric Thames, as well. The pitching staff should still be good with superstars Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in the rotation and Sean Doolittle in the pen.

4th place: Philadelphia Phillies

It will be interesting to see what Bryce Harper does in these 60 games. He has looked good in spring training 2.0 so far. The Phillies lineup also features J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura. There are some excellent hitters on the squad, and the rotation added former Mets starter Zack Wheeler to pitch alongside 2018 All-Star Aaron Nola and former Cub ace Jake Arrieta. However, they still need to get over the elusive .500 hump with this core. Talent is there, but they have to prove it as a team first. Depth is going to have to step up.

5th place: Miami Marlins

Mr. November’s team is in the middle of a major rebuilding phase. MLB.com has ranked their farm system fourth in baseball. The MLB team itself will still not be outstanding. However, they did add some veteran pieces, including Jesus Aguilar, Corey Dickerson and reliever Brandon Kintzler. It will be interesting to watch pitcher Sandy Alcantara who made 32 starts with a 3.88 ERA at age 23. They still have a long way to go to contention, but they are looking to climb further.

Can the Chicago Cubs get back to the MLB postseason this year? They should at least be in the mix.

1st place: St. Louis Cardinals 

This team’s greatest asset is their young electrifying pitching staff. Jack Flaherty looks like one of the best young pitchers in baseball, with Dakota Hudson looking very promising as well. The back end of the bullpen seems solid with Andrew Miller at closer. Jordan Hicks has opted out this year, but they still have enough arm talent to win games. Most significant bats in the lineup include All-Star slugger Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter and Paul DeJong. The offense will not be incredible, but it will not be bad by any means. This team always seems to find a way, and they can never be counted out.

2nd place: Milwaukee Brewers

This team has had a great run under Craig Counsell the past two years, making the back-to-back postseason years in 2018 and 2019. Christian Yelich has developed into one of baseball’s biggest stars and is supported by veterans Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun. There is also a lot of hope in young infielder Keston Hiura. They lost Yasmani Grandal, Eric Thames, and Mike Moustakas and added outfielder Avisail Garcia, catcher Omar Narvaez and Justin Smoak. Their pitching staff again does not look fantastic on paper overall, but they always seem to find ways to be successful. Brandon Woodruff will be the ace and Josh Hader will still be closing.

3rd place: Chicago Cubs

There is a lot of “what ifs” and “hopefully they” surrounding the Cubs. One could still argue the core of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber is still the most talented core in the division. However, the supporting cast has holes and questions. The top of the rotation looks good in the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish, but the rest is questionable, especially with Jose Quintana’s thumb injury and Jon Lester’s age. The bullpen is also worrisome after a poor year last year and the likes Craig Kimbrel and Jeremy Jeffress looking to bounce back. If the pitching can improve and guys like Ian Happ, Albert Almora, David Bote and Nico Hoerner can perform to the expected level, that can make a big difference in them contending or not.

4th place: Cincinnati Reds

Optimism is relatively high among many regarding the Redlegs in 2020. This makes sense considering their rotation of Luis Castillo, Trevor Baurer and Sonny Gray look pretty dang good. They also added Nicholas Castellanos, Mike Moustakas and Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama. This is a team that already has Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez. On paper, they look much better. It just has to mesh together, and it very well can. They just feel like a “they need to prove it” type of team. While the prediction is not high, there is room for them to either disappoint or finish much higher.

5th place: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Buccos struggled last season. Their pitching in 2019 put up the fifth-worst ERA in baseball last season, and not much was added to improve it as they are trying to fix guys like Joe Musgrove and Trevor Williams. The lineup does not have a lot of power outside All-Star Josh Bell. They hit the fourth-fewest home runs last year, and they traded away their other power hitter Starling Marte to Arizona. Pirates can be a pesky team with a lot of slappy hitters, but they are not expected to be contenders.

Hard to see a team not named the Los Angeles Dodgers win the division.

1st place: Los Angeles Dodgers

They are the favorites to go all the way for several reasons. Star Mookie Betts was acquired from Boston to play along with Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Max Muncy and Joc Pederson. That is a scary lineup. The rotation features baseball’s best in Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Julio Urias. A team does not want to enter the ninth inning trailing against them and having to face stud closer, Kenley Jansen. Anyone who follows baseball knows this team is stacked, as is their farm system. Feels like a matter of time before they finally win it all.

2nd place: Arizona Diamondbacks

This team surprised many last year winning 85 games, which was much more than predicted. Christian Walker, Ketel Marte, and Eduardo Escobar provide good power and run production with young catcher Carson Kelly showing some decent promise. A lot of baseball fans were amazed when the Diamondbacks acquired former Giants ace, Madison Bumgarner, to top off the rotation. Will this team be good enough to make a long run? Probably not. But they can be competitive and be in a playoff race.

3rd place: San Diego Padres

Year two of Manny Machado will be interesting for the Friars. They boast some of baseball’s best prospects, including Fernando Tatis Jr., who we got a good taste of last year. Veterans Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers and Tommy Pham will try to provide some decent production in the lineup. Chris Paddack looks like a promising young starting pitcher and Kirby Yates is as an elite closer. There is a lot of talent in their system, and the next few years can be very exciting, though there is still some building to be done.

4th place: Colorado Rockies

Star third baseman Nolan Arenado will be in year two of his eight-year, $260 million, extension. The offense will score some runs as usual with Charlie Blackmon (who is recovering from COVID-19, Trevor Story and Daniel Murphy. They will not have Ian Desmond has he opted out of the 2020 season. They did add veteran Matt Kemp who will likely play DH this year. The rotation’s best pitcher is probably going to be Jon Gray, but the staff overall will not be spectacular. After winning 71 games last year, the team has not made many upgrades.

5th place: San Francisco Giants

This team has been going through significant changes in the past few years. Losing Bumgarner was tough for them, but somewhat expected. Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija are being relied on to be the top starters. The lineup is not exactly murderer’s row, especially with the team’s biggest star, Buster Posey, opting out of the 2020 season.

Evan Longoria and Pablo Sandoval are well past their primes, and there is just not a lot of pop at all in the lineup. The biggest guy to watch is Mike Yastrzemski, who showed last year he has 20-homer power even being a late bloomer. The biggest question is if he can keep building on it. Their farm system is getting better, and the future for them looks better than now.

Buckle up for very odd MLB season folks. A lot can happen, and these predictions can be completely wrong. Let’s just hope they can get through it safely and healthy.