{"id":69270,"date":"2024-03-26T13:00:17","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T17:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=69270"},"modified":"2024-03-26T11:10:34","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T15:10:34","slug":"teams-steal-their-divisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/03\/26\/teams-steal-their-divisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Teams That Could Steal Their Divisions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Each year, we make predictions, trying to see who will win each division. You think you got it all figured out, but that&#8217;s why they play the games. A team always pops up to win their respective divisions away from the sentimental favorites going in. Last year, not many had the Baltimore Orioles winning the American League East. Plus, winning 101 games to top it off. Who could it be in 2024? Fox Sports MLB&#8217;s Rowan Kavnar created six teams that could win their divisions this year.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Teams That Could Steal Their Divisions<\/h2>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Which clubs around the league deserve more attention? These teams didn&#8217;t make the flashiest moves this winter and aren&#8217;t projected to win their divisions but could end up worthy challengers.<br \/><br \/>Read more from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RowanKavner?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@RowanKavner<\/a> \u270d\ufe0f<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/moNs6yl9JQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/moNs6yl9JQ<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLBONFOX\/status\/1769834509451530747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 18, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\r\n<p>So, who are the surprise teams that could win their divisions? Let&#8217;s take a look.<\/p>\r\n<h3>Cincinnati Reds<\/h3>\r\n<p>Cincinnati might have the best chance of all these teams that could do it. They may not win 100 games but could be this year&#8217;s Orioles. With a nice crop of young talent led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/delacel01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elly De La Cruz,<\/a> Cincinnati won 82 games last year\u2014a big jump from losing 100 games in 2022. The Milwaukee Brewers, last year&#8217;s division winners, look to be rebuilding. The St. Louis Cardinals could bounce back but are surrounded by questions. The Chicago Cubs might be the Reds biggest competition. However, combined with their young talent, a pitching staff led by hurler <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greenhu01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hunter Greene<\/a>, and a very winnable division, the Reds have a great chance to make a name for themselves this year.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h3>Cleveland Guardians&#8230;Or Detroit Tigers?<\/h3>\r\n<p>It&#8217;s all about pitching for the Guardians from one Ohio team to the other. It&#8217;s just the way it has been for the last several seasons. However, even if the pitching is strong, their lack of scoring runs that aren&#8217;t from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/ramirjo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez<\/a>\u00a0will return to haunt them. It&#8217;s why it does seem like it&#8217;s the Minnesota Twins division to lose. They can pitch, but they&#8217;ll have trouble winning games if they can&#8217;t score. The team that could make some noise in this division is the Detroit Tigers. AJ Hinch is still at the helm. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/skubata01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tarik Skubal<\/a>\u00a0leads the rotation, and there&#8217;s a possibility of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/f\/flaheja01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jack Flaherty<\/a>\u00a0rebound season. Plus, they added good pieces like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/canhama01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Canha<\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/u\/urshegi01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gio Urshela<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h3>Tampa Bay Rays<\/h3>\r\n<p>The Rays will do what the Rays will do. They will lose pieces every season and still be competitive, and they should still be relatively competitive. In this division, however, it might be difficult. With Wander Franco&#8217;s off-the-field situation leading to his expected removal from the Rays 40-man roster, the trade of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/glasnty01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Glasnow<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcclash01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shane McClanahan<\/a>&#8216;s getting Tommy John Surgery, it&#8217;ll be a tough road to the playoffs for Tampa. The Toronto Blue Jays could be a team that steals the division away from the New York Yankees or the Orioles, but that all depends on whether their pitching holds up and if the offense fulfills its potential.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h3>Arizona Diamondbacks<\/h3>\r\n<p>The reigning National League champions are seemingly getting disrespected yet again. ESPN has them at 84 wins again, and the over\/under is 83.5 for Arizona. It&#8217;s easy to see why expectations are where they are for the Diamondbacks. They came out of nowhere to shock National League powerhouses such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies to win the pennant. The Dodgers have improved drastically by signing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/o\/ohtansh01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shohei Ohtani<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hernate01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/y\/yamamyo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a>\u00a0and acquiring Glasnow. Arizona added <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rodried05.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eduardo Rodr\u00edguez<\/a>\u00a0to their rotation with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kellyme01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Merrill Kelly<\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/galleza01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zac Gallen<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carroco02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Corbin Carroll<\/a> emerged last season. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/marteke01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ketel Marte<\/a>\u00a0is still one of the most underrated players in baseball. Arizona, however, isn&#8217;t the only team that could win this division that isn&#8217;t the Dodgers.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h3>San Diego Padres<\/h3>\r\n<p>It&#8217;s a fresh start for the Padres after the disappointments of 2023. They traded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sotoju01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Juan Soto, <\/a>they upgraded their bullpen with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kingmi01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael King <\/a>and they acquired <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/ceasedy01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dylan Cease<\/a>. Cease pairs up with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/musgrjo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joe Musgrove<\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/darviyu01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yu Darvish<\/a>\u00a0in the rotation. They still have an offense led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tatisfe02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fernando Tatis Jr<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/machama01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Manny Machado<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bogaexa01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Xander Bogaerts<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h3>San Francisco Giants<\/h3>\r\n<p>Then there&#8217;s the Giants. A team has decided they want to go for it and make the playoffs. San Francisco signed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/bullpen\/Jung-hoo_Lee#:~:text=Jung-hoo%20Lee%20was%20a%20Korea%20Baseball%20Organization%20MVP,the%20first%20round%20of%20the%202017%20KBO%20draft.\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jung-hoo Lee<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chapmma01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Chapman<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/solerjo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jorge Soler<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/snellbl01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blake Snell<\/a>\u00a0in free agency. A new skipper is also now in charge with Bob Melvin, a proven winner over his managerial career. If the Giants don&#8217;t win this division, they should be in it for one of the wild card spots.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h3>Seattle Mariners<\/h3>\r\n<p>The American League West is home to the last two World Series champions. The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers look to be championship contenders again in 2024, and both will battle it out for the division crown just like last year when it came down to the wire. Now, what about the Seattle Mariners? Their pitching staff is strong, and as of now, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/verlaju01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Justin Verlander<\/a>\u00a0(Astros), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/scherma01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Max Scherzer<\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/degroja01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jacob deGrom<\/a>\u00a0(Rangers) out for a point of time, Seattle has the best rotation in the division. It&#8217;s a rotation that was 4th in starters ERA last year, led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/castilu02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luis Castillo<\/a>. With the Astros and Rangers having problems in their rotations, why not the Mariners? It falls on their offense. They added <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hanigmi01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitch Haniger<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garvemi01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitch Garver<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/polanjo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jorge Polanco<\/a>\u00a0to the offense. If <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rodriju01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Julio Rodr\u00edguez<\/a> takes a massive leap, the Mariners will be very formidable.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h3>Philadelphia Phillies<\/h3>\r\n<p>It&#8217;s not easy being one of the strongest teams in MLB, and they could probably win other divisions but be stuck in the same division as another powerhouse. That is the case for the Philadelphia Phillies once again. They are trapped in a National League East dominated (again) by the Atlanta Braves. Or are they? While Philadelphia has made the playoffs via the Wild Card the last two years, they&#8217;ve also beaten the Braves in the playoffs in both years. They have a one-two duo in the rotation with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wheelza01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zack Wheeler<\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nolaaa01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aaron Nola<\/a>. They have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harpebr03.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bryce Harper<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/schwaky01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Schwarber<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/turnetr01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trea Turner<\/a>. The Phillies are not afraid of Atlanta and their potent lineup. Still, them winning the division would come as a surprise, but if they can win games against the Braves in the regular season and stay in range of them when September comes, maybe they can hoist their first division crown since 2011.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Main Photo Credits: Zach Dalin-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each year, we make predictions, trying to see who will win each division. You think you got it all figured out, but that&#8217;s why they play the games. A team always pops up to win their respective divisions away from the sentimental favorites going in. Last year, not many had the Baltimore Orioles winning the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4682,"featured_media":69273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1071],"tags":[315,1524,5899,1625,596,43,2178,3082,1245,6553],"class_list":["post-69270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-bryce-harper","tag-dylan-cease","tag-elly-de-la-cruz","tag-fernando-tatis-jr","tag-jose-ramirez","tag-manny-machado","tag-shohei-ohtani","tag-tarik-skubal","tag-tyler-glasnow","tag-yoshinobu-yamamoto"],"modified_by":"Evan Mazza, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4682"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}