Very Early Projected 2021 Standings

It is very early to predict the MLB 2021 MLB Standings. However, it is fun to do so and exciting. Below are the 6 six divisions, along with projected playoffs with different playoff structures. Note that this is a 162 game format and it is very possible that less games will be played if the MLB season is delayed.

National League East:

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1) Atlanta Braves (95-67)

The Atlanta Braves are one of the best teams in baseball and #2 in my power rankings. The Braves have a top lineup, bullpen, and rotation with the addition of Charlie Morton. The Braves are the best team in the division and although they likely will face a challenge from the Mets, they should be able to overcome it and win the NL East.

2) New York Mets (92-70)

The New York Mets are an upcoming team that are becoming much better. Steve Cohen, a billionaire bought the team a few months ago and his club, the Mets have been very aggressive signing both Trevor May and James McCann. The team is likely to add Springer and/or Bauer, and possibly even more than that. I project that the Mets will take the first NL Wild Card spot.

3) Washington Nationals (85-77)

The Washington Nationals had a poor season in 2020 and likely will rebound in 2021. The Nationals will be a contender in the Wild Card race and definitely could sneak in. Washington still has many holes in many areas including at catcher, 1st base, other areas of the lineup, and in their bullpen. The Nationals will miss out and finish a six games out of the second wild card spot.

4) Philadelphia Phillies (80-82)

The Philadelphia Phillies are in a crossroads right now and could be very good in 2021 depending on the moves they make this offseason with their new general manager. The Phillies will underperform once again in 2021 and will finish just below .500.

5) Miami Marlins (78-84)

The Miami Marlins were surprisely good in 2020 and made the playoffs for the first time in years. Miami had outstanding performances from so many players and have promise going forward. The team is likely to continue to improve. However, they are not ready to contend in the division and will struggle in 2021.

National League Central:

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1) St. Louis Cardinals (85-77)

The St. Louis Cardinals had a down season in 2020 despite a NL Central Division Title in 2019, in a very strong season. The Cardinals in 2020 had many issues including COVID-19 where they had many positive cases. 17 games were postponed it total which had an effect on the team’s performance. I expect the Cards to rebound in 2021 and win the NL Central, arguably the worst division in baseball going forward in 2021.

2) Chicago Cubs (83-79)

The Chicago Cubs are at a crossroads this offseason and might enter a rebuild. The Cubs will look to trade one or possibly two of their star players to get some prospects back. I expect the Cubs to have their worst season in years but still remain slightly above .500 and in the race for their division with the Cardinals up until the end of the season.

3) Cincinnati Reds (83-79)

The Cincinnati Reds are a team that had high expectations in 2021 and severely underperformed. The Reds pitching as expected was a strength with NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer who became a free agent this offseason. The loss of Bauer will devastate the Reds and they will not be able to replace him. The club will underperform again in 2021 and will finish two games out of the NL Central winner Cardinals, tied with the Cubs for second place.

4) Milwaukee Brewers (77-85)

The Milwaukee Brewers have made the playoffs for the last three years straight despite having a poor roster. The Brewers are not that good and for years have had virtually no pitching. Last year in 2020, their pitching was actually very good while their lineup led by Christian Yelich was not. The Brewers will have a down season in 2021 and they might trade closer Josh Hader before or during the season.

5) Pittsburgh Pirates (58-104)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are the worst team in baseball. The club has the worst roster and is considering trading the only good players they have left. The Pirates are only beginning their rebuild which will take years. The Pirates will be very bad in 2021 and will have their worst season since 2010.

National League West:

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1) Los Angeles Dodgers (108-54)

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in baseball by far. They have the best lineup, and arguably the best rotation, along with a top bullpen in game with depth. The Dodgers proved this by winning the World Series in 2020, after seven straight seasons of winning their division and losing in the playoffs. The Dodgers have built a powerhouse that wins year after year. This won is easy and there is no competition here as of now.

2) San Diego Padres (91-71)

The San Diego Padres are an upcoming team that broke out in 2020. They have a very good offense with stars, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado at shortstop and third base respectively. The Padres’ rotation and bullpen are both shaky but they are likely to improve in those areas. The Padres also have one of the best farm systems in baseball with many top prospects like MacKenzie Gore, and will dominate baseball for years to come.

3) Arizona Diamondbacks (79-83)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are a hard team to predict because they could easily make the playoffs or finish with the worst record in baseball. The Diamondbacks have a great rotation but their lineup and bullpen are both very shaky. I predict that the Diamondbacks will be decent in 2021, but will finish just below .500.

4) San Francisco Giants (70-92)

The San Francisco Giants are in the middle of a short term rebuild but due to their plethora of resources, the Giants might be able to contend fairly soon. The Giants do not have a good lineup or bullpen, and their rotation isn’t so good either. The Giants might be in the market for a few big names this offseason including Trevor Bauer. The Giants won’t be good in 2021 but will have some moments of promise, and might contend in 2022 and beyond.

5) Colorado Rockies (69-93)

The Colorado Rockies are a team that used to be good in 2017 and 2018, but have failed to make the playoffs in two straight seasons. The Rockies lineup is fairly good but their pitching is terrible especially in their bullpen, where they have almost no reliable arms. The Rockies could rebound in 2021 but also might be one of the worst teams in baseball as they have in the past 2 seasons. The Rockies almost might trade either Arenado or Story.

American League East:

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1) New York Yankees (96-66)

The New York Yankees have remained a top team in baseball that constantly underperforms and loses in the playoffs year after year. The Yankees have not made it to the World Series in 11 years and are desperate to win next year. However, it remains unlikely that the Yankees will do something big this offseason besides for bringing back their best player, DJ LeMahieu. The Yankees in 2021 will barely beat out the Rays to win the AL East, after losing the division in the short season in 2020.

2) Tampa Bay Rays (95-67)

The Tampa Bay Rays were fabulous in 2020, the best team in the American League and the second best in baseball. They proved this through their performance in the playoffs where they lost to the best team in baseball, the Dodgers in six games. The Rays will come back in 2021 and will try to prove themselves once again. They will narrowly finish second to the Yankees, and will win the first Wild Card seed in a standard format.

3) Toronto Blue Jays (90-72)

The Toronto Blue Jays are another upcoming team that is likely to make at least one big move this offseason. The team has a very solid offense with many young starts and might even add by trading for Francisco Lindor, or another top hitter. The Blue Jays rotation and especially their bullpen is a little rocky currently, but they will likely try to improve in those areas as well this offseason. Toronto will be in the race through the year deep into September and will finish second in a standard wild card format.

4) Boston Red Sox (80-82)

The Boston Red Sox as expected were not good in 2020 but they much worse then anybody would have expected. The Red Sox were the fourth worst team in baseball in 2020 and finished last in their division for the first time in years. The Red Sox will try to improve this offseason, especially in the pitching department. The Red Sox starting rotation has some good arms, man of which are also questions going into 2021. Their bullpen is very bad and has no reliable arms. The Red Sox will underperform in 2020 and will finish below .500, for the second straight year.

5) Baltimore Orioles (64-98)

The Baltimore Orioles over-performed in 2020 and finished with a poor 25-35 record, which was actually fairly good for them. The Orioles was as strength in 2020 and had some good performances from a few young players. The Orioles will not be ready to contend in 2021, as their roster is still pretty poor but some players of the future might come up this year including catcher Adley Rutschman.

American League Central:

Matt Marton / AP

1) Chicago White Sox (96-66)

The Chicago White Sox are an upcoming team that was very good in 2020. They finished third in their division but fifth overall in the American League and made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The White Sox will continue to improve and already have since their recent offseason acquisition of Lance Lynn and Adam Eaton. The White Sox will win their division in 2021 and will finish second overall in the American League.

2) Minnesota Twins (89-73)

The Minnesota Twins are a very good team that once again won their division in 2020 but lost in the first round of the playoffs, this year to the Houston Astros. In 2021, the Twins will once again be a good team but similar to 2018 will underperform and will miss the playoffs in a standard format to the Blue Jays. The Twins have a good lineup but their bullpen and especially their rotation is shaky.

3) Cleveland Indians (81-81)

The Cleveland Indians were good in 2020 in part due to their ace Shane Bieber who was the best pitcher in baseball and won the AL Cy Young award. Bieber will continue to dominate baseball in 2021 but it will not be enough for the Indians. The club will trade Francisco Lindor this offseason to one of many teams, of which I think the Blue Jays remain the most likely suitor for Lindor. The Indians rotation will dominate but their lineup will continue to disappoint and they will miss the playoffs in a standard format, and many other formats that will be shown below.

4) Kansas City Royals (66-96)

The Kansas City Royals are another team that struggles and are one of the worst in baseball. They are just beginning their rebuild and have not completely started it yet. The Royals signed a few veterans this offseason coming off of poor seasons, Mike Minor and Carlos Santana. Both of these players could be traded either this trade deadline or the year after, for prospects if they are playing well. The Royals will underperform in 2021 and will finish as the third worst team in the American League.

5) Detroit Tigers (64-98)

The Detroit Tigers at times showed promise for the future in part due to their first overall draft pick Spencer Torkelson. The Tigers will continue to be one of the worst teams in 2021 and will once again finish in last place in their division. The Tigers will once again show promise and will finish with a poor record in their division which is becoming a very tough division due to the White Sox and Twins at the top of it.

American League West:

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1) Oakland Athletics (90-72)

The Oakland Athletics were the second best team in the American League in 2020 and were dominant. The team had baseball’s best bullpen and a top lineup in the game. This offseason, they are losing almost every solid reliever in their bullpen including the best closer in baseball, Liam Hendriks who is a free agent. Shortstop Marcus Semien also is a free agent. The A’s will underperform a little in 2021 but will still win the second weakest division, the AL West.

2) Houston Astros (85-77)

The Houston Astros were a great team from 2017 to 2019, who won the World Series once and made the World Series another time against the Nationals. The Astros in 2020 underperformed and finished below .500 for the first time since 2014, and were not good during the regular season. However, the Astros beat the Twins and Athletics and then lost to the Rays in game 7 of the ALCS. The Astros will try to come back in 2021 but will underperform and miss the playoffs in the standard format.

3) Los Angeles Angels (83-79)

The Los Angeles Angels are a team that has one of baseball’s top lineups with Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, David Fletcher, and others. However, the Angels have almost no pitching in both the rotation and bullpen. The Angels will likely try to add in those areas and will be in the pursuit for Trevor Bauer, Brad Hand, and others. The Angels will try to improve in 2020 and will barely finish above .500, but will disappoint and miss the playoffs for a seventh straight year.

4) Seattle Mariners (79-83)

The Seattle Mariners currently are not ready to contend. They have not made the playoffs since 2001 and likely won’t make it in 2021 either. The Mariners will improve in 2021 due to their major league ready prospects who are some of the best in baseball. The Mariners will finish a little below .500 in 2021 but will contend and possibly even make the playoffs and maybe their division in 2022.

5) Texas Rangers (59-103)

The Texas Rangers tried to improve last offseason by acquiring Corey Kluber, who did very little for the club in 2020 due to injury. Mike Minor wasn’t good and was traded to the A’s. The Rangers are now going to enter a rebuild, especially after the trade for their ace Lance Lynnto the White Sox, who had a dominant season in 2020. The Rangers will now enter a long rebuild and will be one of the worst teams in baseball for years.

Playoff Format 1 (Standard, 10 Teams):