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It might not seem that long ago that we were watching the Atlanta Braves win a first World Series in over 20 years – and a lot of attention will be on the NFL playoffs right now. But real baseball fans will already be thinking about the new season starting at the end of March.
The majority of sports betting sites are not that confident that the Braves can repeat this year, liking the Dodgers, Astros and Yankees to have a better chance of World Series glory instead. But, whether Atlanta can upset the odds or not, which teams should we be looking out for this year?
Toronto Blue Jays
You have to feel for a team that finished last season with 91 regular season wins but was still only fourth in its division and missed out on the postseason altogether. It is fair to say that the Blue Jays currently find themselves in the toughest division in baseball and might not progress past September in 2022 either.
Team president Mark Shapiro has already indicated that the organization will spend even more this year than in 2021 though, and even just the frustration of missing out last year should act as a spur for the season ahead. If the 2021 rookies improve and there are some new faces, this ball club could do well.
Boston Red Sox
After finishing a way behind Tampa Bay in the regular season last year, the Red Sox then beat old rivals the Yanks – and then overcame the Rays – before ultimately coming up short in the ALCS. They have won over 84 games in each of the last five seasons now and will aim for the top spot in the AL East this year.
Offensively the team looks strong and Chris Sale should be able to offer a full season in 2022. There will need to be some new arrivals at Fenway Park though. The bullpen could do with some reinforcement and there are some good performances needed from their top players. But if that is the case, then Tampa Bay might have a bit more competition this year.
San Francisco Giants
The NL West looks set to be a two-horse race yet again as the Giants and Dodgers trade blows for the top spot. San Francisco came out on top last year, winning 107 games in the process. But LA still took the Giants down in the NLDS and crashing out after such a hard-fought regular season may well take its toll on the players.
There are some very big names coming up as free agents and the lineup last year was definitely on the old side as it was. The Giants are included here as a team to keep an eye on because everything could go dramatically wrong in 2022. Teams have had big fall-offs before after winning so many games – it could be San Francisco’s turn this year.
Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland makes this list mainly because we are just interested to see a new team name in the schedule. The Guardians will take to the field for the start of the 2022 season and look to get back to a winning record after finishing 80-82 last year as the Indians. That ended a streak of eight winning seasons and Cleveland will be keen to introduce the new name in style.
Catching the White Sox at the top of the AL Central might be too tough a task for Cleveland, but it will take a lot from the return of Shane Bieber, who only managed 16 starts in 2021. There looks to be some good rotation in the works as well, so hopefully there will be more to shout about than a new logo at Progressive Field this year.
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