The 2016 Major League Baseball season is upon us! Pitchers and catchers are reporting to various locations in Florida and Arizona to begin the long trek to October. Now that the champagne has settled in Kansas City and the Royals and their fans are still basking in the glow of their World Series Championship, it is time to turn our focus to October, where many teams will be met with heartbreak, but when it’s all said and done, one will stand above the others as World Champions. After a busy offseason filled with flurries of moves, let’s look at who the likely playoff contenders will be.

American League East

In years past, either the Yankees or Red Sox would be considered locks to win the division. Now the Yankees have an aging roster and a rotation led by the now sup-par CC Sabathia, whose regression has become more obvious with each year that passes. The Red Sox are being picked by some sportswriters to win the division after their acquisition of David Price in the offseason, but I’m not convinced that he’ll be enough to lead them back to October. Much of their hopes rest on the yet-unproven Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackie Bradley, Jr., and, while a talented bunch, I don’t think that they’ll stack up to the reigning division leaders, the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are bringing back the best offense in baseball, led by reigning MVP Josh Donaldson, former home run champion Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki, Edwin Encarnacion, and Russell Martin. Bautista and Encarnacion are set to be free agents at the end of the season so the Jays’ time is now. If they don’t win this year, it might be a while before they find themselves in a serious position to contend. The Orioles and Rays, with all of their homegrown talent, have the means to stay in the race and offer the Jays some competition, but they are more likely to win either of the Wild Card spots than dethrone the Jays.

Pick: Blue Jays.

American League Central

This has the potential to be the most competitive division in the league. The Royals are slowly becoming a dynasty, one that has the potential to dominate for the next half decade or so and have a young, powerful, experienced offense. At the same time, the Tigers have revamped their roster during the offseason, picking up Jordan Zimmermann and Justin Upton. Zimmermann paired with a Justin Verlander who finally looks like the former Cy Young Award Winner and MVP that he was just a few short years ago makes for one of the most dominant 1-2 punches in baseball. Miguel Cabrera is still the best player in baseball and with the support of Upton and a bounceback season from Victor Martinez, the Tigers have the potential for both a dominant offense and rotation. The Indians are slowly but surely becoming relevant again. They have the potential to go far, but I think that it will be another year or two until they can fully compete with the Royals and Tigers. Right now, they would be solid Wild Card contenders, provided Corey Kluber continues to dominate on the mound. The Twins and White Sox won’t be as lucky. In a few years, the Twins could very well be in the same position that the Astros were this year and might be able to surprise people by pushing their way into the playoffs against all odds, but if that happens it won’t be this year. Ultimately, it will come down to the Royals offense versus the Tigers pitching.

Pick: Royals

American League West

Last year, the Rangers managed to win the division with a mere 88 wins, the fewest of any division leader in baseball. The story will be much of the same this year, but there’s the potential for a much stronger push for the Astros to win the division after they got their first taste of October baseball after three consecutive years of finishing with the worst record in the game. Now that their rebuilding period is over, the Astros now boast arguably the best minor league system in the game. Their roster is deep, with contributors from all across the diamond instead of relying on one or two aging superstars. Led by Dallas Keuchel, who came into his own last season, the Astros will be even better than last year. Yes, the Rangers won last year, but they benefitted from playing in the AL West. In any other division, they would have finished at least second, possibly third. If Yu Darvish returns to form, the Rangers might have a chance to finish close to the top, but it’ll be hard for them to usurp the Astros. The same goes for the Angels, whose power does rely in two superstars, one of them aging. Albert Pujols is returning from offseason surgery and currently not on track to start Opening Day. Mike Trout, arguably the best player in the game, is in line for yet another superb season, but it doesn’t mean much of anything if no one can get on base ahead of him. For the Angels to really be contenders, they need to get men on base before Trout and Pujols. The Mariners have young talent and potential but haven’t been able to do anything with them for the past few years. The pieces are there but they aren’t clicking. For the A’s, they are lacking major league ready talent. Billy Beane’s moneyball style of managing is coming back to bite him, especially after he traded away Josh Donaldson in the offseason before he won the MVP Award. Until they get talent ready at the major league level and manage to keep it for a year, the A’s don’t stand a chance.

Pick: Astros

Wild Card Picks: Tigers and Red Sox

National League East

The Mets boast what is perhaps the most talented rotation in Major League Baseball, led by Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, and Zach Wheeler, upon his return from Tommy John surgery. After he led them to the postseason for the first time since 2006, they also brought back Yoenis Cespedes on a team-friendly contract. Add in a healthy David Wright and the Mets are poised to be serious contenders. Their main competition will undoubtedly be the Nationals, who have yet to live up to the potential that their stacked roster offers. With the best hitter in the NL in Bryce Harper, who has finally lived up to his potential, and one of the best right-handed pitchers in Max Scherzer, supported by Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, the Nats have the potential to be scary good. But they’ve had that same potential for the last two seasons and have yet to be as good as they should be on paper. The Marlins, with a healthy Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton, might also make things interesting, but they are still lacking the necessary experience to make it all the way to October. On the other hand, with the Phillies and Braves in the midst of rebuilding, they don’t currently offer much of a threat. In a few years they might return to the powerhouses that they once were, but for now it’s probably a safe bet to assume that a trip to October will have to wait.

Pick: Mets

National League Central

This was the toughest division in baseball in 2015 and that competition is set to resume this season. The three teams with the three best records in baseball came from this division and all three are set to return to October once again. The Cardinals are perhaps one of the most prestigious teams in the game, boasting the second highest amount of World Series victories. They managed to win 100 games last season, all without having their ace Adam Wainwright for the vast majority of the season. After appearing in relief roles at the end of the season, Wainwright reported to camp at full strength and ready for Opening Day. Many predict the loss of Jason Heyward to have a negative impact, but I disagree. I was against the Heyward trade from the beginning because it came at the cost of promising pitcher Shelby Miller and Heyward didn’t start to prove his worth until the last few months of the season, when the Cardinals were already entrenched in first. His presence will be easily filled in right by Stephen Piscotty, who had a spectacular showing in his short time in the majors. Randal Grichuk is one of the most exciting young players in the game and was even on track to have better numbers last season than Kris Bryant before he got hurt. A full season of Wainwright, Grichuk, and Piscotty, combined with one of the best closers in the game, a deep starting rotation, and seasoned veterans like Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina, will bode well for the Cardinals. Much of the preseason hype, however, surrounds the Cubs, who stunned the Cardinals and the baseball world when they signed Heyward out from under the Cardinals. They further boosted their roster by adding the ultra versatile Ben Zobrist and veteran John Lackey, who also defected from the Cardinals. Jake Arietta had a 2015 season that no one predicted but that, unfortunately, he will most likely not be able to repeat, if his career numbers are any indicator. The Cubs also have young stars by the names of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and co., but it is hard to tell how so many young players will be able to stand up to a full season of high expectations and pitchers and teams adapting to them. Many players have suffered from the dreadful “Sophomore Slump” and even Kris Bryant might not be immune to its effects. If the Cubs can adapt and maintain, they will be the best team in baseball, but until they can and have shown it, the Cardinals will remain the team to beat. The Pirates can also provide some fireworks to the equation, but the Reds and Brewers are in the midst of rebuilding.

Pick: Cardinals

National League West

With a rotation led by Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke the past few seasons, the Dodgers had a rotation that was so good it was almost scary. But now, thanks to Greinke leaving, injuries, and a failed offseason attempt at Hiashi Iwakuma, the Dodgers have question marks after everyone not named Kershaw in the rotation. Greinke’s new home, the Arizona Diamondbacks, aren’t in much better shape. They signed Greinke to the largest contract, on a yearly average, in history, at $34 million/season after he posted the lowest ERA in decades. They traded away some of the top talent in the game for Shelby Miller, who also has the potential to become an ace, but can be inconsistent. Their offense, led by Paul Goldschmidt, might be the best in the division. Being an even-numbered year, it’s impossible to count out the Giants, who won the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014, and are trying to win it again for the fourth time in seven years. They bolstered their rotation, adding veterans Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija to Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain. Always with a powerful rotation, again the Giants might well have the best rotation in baseball, especially in terms of experience. Both the Padres and Rockies underperformed in 2015 and haven’t made any significant additions that might change that. If anything, with the Rockies trading away Tulowitzki and apparently considering trading away Carlos Gonzalez and the Padres letting Justin Upton walk and trading away Craig Kimbrel, both teams might be heading towards a rebuilding year or two.

Pick: Out of all of the divisions, this one proves to be the most difficult to choose a winner. The Dodgers will hurt from losing Zack Greinke. The Diamondbacks got Greinke and Miller and still boast a productive offense, but there are still a lot of question marks with their roster. The Giants have a powerful rotation and the potential for big things to come from their offense, if key players remain healthy. I’d have to go with the Giants winning the division here

Wild Card Picks: Cubs and Dodgers