Chicago Cubs win total 88.5 - Over

The Cubbies won 92 games a year ago and made the playoffs. The addition of Alex Bregman and an overhaul of the bullpen says Chicago is looking for more.

Edward Cabrera was also signed to bolster the starting rotation. Good move because Shelby Miller was also signed to bolster the starting rotation.

They lost Kyle Tucker among others this offseason but signed Pete Crow-Armstrong to an extension, keeping the young star in Wrigley for the future. There’s a good mix of youth and experience here. If Bregman still has gas in the tank and the bullpen additions (Phil Maton, Jacob Webb among others) pan out, the Cubs are fighting Milwaukee for the division. Do they have enough offense? Probably.

Prediction is Chicago wins 90 games and steals the division away from Milwaukee.

Atlanta Braves win total 87.5 - Under

Was last year an aberration? The Braves got off to a horrible start and never found their footing. Pitching was below par, offense couldn’t do a thing. Not something
I’m used to seeing with this club. They need to bounce back in a big way because the Mets and Phillies will be right back where they were. The talent is there. Ronald Acuna is as good as it gets. Matt Olsen is consistently reliable. Ozzie Albies can still play.

I believe they’ll be ok. Pitching is an issue. Chris Sale is a few days away from turning 37, Charlie Morton is gone. Spencer Strider will start the year on the injured list. The bats will carry the Braves early. The pitching staff will need to catch up.

Prediction is the Braves improve but fall under the total. 83 wins and a third place finish.

Philadelphia Phillies win total 89.5 - Over

The win total seems a little low, possibly due to an increase in Atlanta’s win total. Philly’s roster stays as formidable as ever with the additions of Adolis Garcia (for his bat) and Max Kepler (defense) in the outfield. The pitching staff got better with the acquisition of Jesus Luzardo to help Aaron Nola and company. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber return to anchor the lineup.

It will be fun watching the Phillies try to fend off the Mets and possibly the Braves. Prediction: 95 wins and a division title.

Arizona Diamondbacks win total 79.5 - Over

Something about this intrigues me. 80 wins last year. Fourth place finish. I’m looking for a good underdog story this year. I believe the Diamondbacks will be it. They signed a top of the rotation guy in Corbin Burnes. Paul Sewald is back and will stabilize the bullpen. Josh Naylor was brought in to take over for Christian Walker who left in free agency. The roster had a group of guys you’ve probably never heard of save Nolan Arenado. This is a gut pick but prediction here is 86 wins and in the hunt for a wildcard berth.

Los Angeles Dodgers win total 102.5 - Over

Scary to think about, but this club got better. They signed Kyle Tucker and pitcher Edwin Diaz. The best baseball player on Earth, Shohei Ohtani will either hit .400 or throw a no hitter. Probably both. The lineup is a modern day murderers row. Ohtani. Tucker. Freeman. Betts. Muncy. The starting pitching is almost as scary. Ohtani. Snell (on IR to start the year). Yoshinobu Yamamoto is incredible. Their only question mark may be the bullpen. Not a huge concern however as Keynan Middleton and Yency Almonte were signed to provide depth. Those two signings were underrated in my opinion. The Dodgers will score a lot of runs and pitch well enough to win games by default. An old adage is you’ll win 50, lose 50 and the other 62 games are up to you.

With this club, I think it goes to 70 wins no matter what. Prediction is Los Angeles wins 108 games and again wins the World Series.

Outside of the West, the National League will be fun to watch. The Central and Eastern divisions will likely go down to game 162. Take the over on Los Angeles winning the west by 14 games unless the San Diego Padres realize their potential and keep things interesting.