If we wanted to start taking a look at the 2017 MLB season we should obviously start with the teams who played the final game of the past season. This of course means we’ll be looking at the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians, the World Series winner and runner-up from the 2016 season. What an amazing seven-game series they were a part of. It’s quite reasonable to expect to see both make a push in the playoffs in 2017.
The Chicago Cubs were the World Series winners and should honestly be in the NL Championship series barring any injuries. They’re loaded with young talent like Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. This offseason the Cubs didn’t try to do anything but supplement the great team they already had. They added talented relievers Wade Davis and Koji Uehara and added depth in the outfield by bringing Jon Jay into the fold. While the team lost Dexter Fowler and Aroldis Chapman to the Cardinals and Yankees, this team has more than enough to make it back to the World Series in 2017.
The Cleveland Indians made a few bigger moves this offseason, signing Edwin Encarnacion to a three-year deal and adding outfielders Brandon Guyer and Austin Jackson. EE as they call him will surely hit in the middle of the order and be a terror to American League Central teams. More recently, the Indians signed lefty specialist Boone Logan to a one-year deal to help make that bullpen even more deadly. With the White Sox, Twins and Royals seemingly pushing to become younger and the Detroit Tigers likely succumbing to the negatives of older players, this Indians team should easily make the playoffs this season.
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