As has been mentioned, Buster Olney has been doing his "Top 10" series for the past week or so. Today, he released his Top 10 teams.
The rest of the Top 10:
2. Dodgers
3. Astros
4. Nationals
5. Yankees
6. Cubs
7. Red Sox
8. Cardinals
9. Angels
10. Diamondbacks
Buster Olney said:Here are the top 10 teams, based on the input of evaluators, with help from ESPN researchers Mark Simon, Paul Hembekides and Sarah Langs. It’s subject to change before the start of spring training, of course, with so many veteran free agents still unsigned.
1. Cleveland Indians
It’s important to remember a couple things about the Indians:
(1) When the regular season ended, before anybody knew that Corey Kluber would pitch hurt against the Yankees, Cleveland was regarded as the favorite to roll through the postseason, after compiling a 22-game win streak that stretched over the better part of a month.
(2) Among all contending teams, the Indians again appear to have the easiest road into the playoffs because most of their division is rebuilding -- the Tigers, the White Sox and the Royals.
So while it’s true the Indians lost really important bullpen pieces in Bryan Shawand Joe Smith and solid hitters in Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce, Cleveland is still the safest bet to get to October -- with Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Andrew Miller, et al. It’s a great team in a division that may be noncompetitive. The Indians have been relatively quiet this winter so far, but they’re still in the market for a right-handed hitting outfielder or super utility man -- Eduardo Nunez might be the perfect fit -- and a right-handed reliever.
From Sarah Langs of ESPN Stats & Information: The Indians generated 33.3 WAR from their pitchers in 2017 -- the second-highest total from any pitching staff ever (2011 Phillies, 37.3).
The rest of the Top 10:
2. Dodgers
3. Astros
4. Nationals
5. Yankees
6. Cubs
7. Red Sox
8. Cardinals
9. Angels
10. Diamondbacks