Staff Predictions for the 2016 MLB Playoffs and World Series

Spring training is about to break up for the 2016 season, meaning there's only one thing left before opening day.

We all have to make ourselves look like giant fools.

Each year, the baseball season unleashes a boatload of wonkiness, throwing wrenches at otherwise astute preseason observations. Looking back at the end of the season, you're going to feel like an idiot for one prediction or another.

We might as well at least put those predictions on paper so you all can laugh with us.

Here's what the numberFire MLB staff thinks will go down this year with our playoff predictions. You can also check out each team's playoff odds on our power rankings page, which includes World Series odds and projected records. But it's no fun to laugh at computers for wrong predictions, so here's a look at our thoughts on the 2016 playoff picture.

John Stolnis

Twitter: @FelskeFiles

AL East: Boston Red Sox 
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Texas Rangers
AL Wild Cards: Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays
NL East: Washington Nationals
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Cards: New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals

World Series Pick: Rangers over Nationals

The Red Sox improved dramatically this offseason and hurt their division rivals by landing David Price. Boston's rotation still doesn't have that star-level starter outside of Price, but neither does Toronto's. The Jays' lineup is stacked, but Boston will score runs as well. New York just has too many injury problems to be taken seriously.

In the Central, I'd love to pick the Indians to win it, but I do think the Tigers have one more run in them. Cleveland could maybe sneak in as the wild card, but the Royals are on the outside looking in. I think the Rangers and Astros battle for the West, with Texas' superior pitching staff the difference.

I'm a bit concerned about all the extra innings the Mets' starters put on their arms last year, and I'm also not sure their defense is going to do their pitchers any favors. And while on paper the Mets have the better rotation right now, that could all change by midseason, when Lucas Giolito is expected to be in the rotation. I like Trea Turner to supplant Danny Espinosa at shortstop at some point, too.

The Cubs seem like the easy choice to win the Central (of course it's always scary putting the words "sure thing" and "Cubs" right next to each other), and in the West, the Dodgers and Giants have real problems. L.A. is having serious health issues, and with so many quality players on that roster, I'm not sure how manager Dave Roberts is going to be able to pull the right strings. San Francisco's rotation, outside of Madison Bumgarner, could be a disaster (of course, it could also be a huge advantage, if Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija don't stink). Arizona's additions of Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller will help an offense that was already one of the best in the National League.

The Mets and Cardinals will do enough to win the wild cards, with the Giants and Dodgers both finishing out of the NL playoff hunt.

As for the World Series, sorry, I can't pick the Cubs to get there no matter how much I want to. I mean, how often does the obvious choice get in? And the Rangers feel like the best team in the AL. They'll use last year as a springboard.

Ben Bruno

Twitter: @BenBBruno

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Houston Astros
AL Wild Cards: Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners
NL East: Washington Nationals
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Cards: San Francisco Giants, New York Mets

World Series Pick: Nationals over Astros

I’m going with the Diamondbacks to win the NL West this year because I agree with what fellow contributor John Stolnis said back in August. They were largely held back by an inferior starting rotation in 2015, and after acquiring Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller, their biggest need was quickly filled. They’re relying on a few key guys, most notably Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock, so any significant injuries could quickly derail the success of this team. If not, look for Arizona to reach the postseason for the first time since 2011.

I went with the Mariners to win the second wild card in the AL because I expect bounce-back seasons from both Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez. Cano had a monster second half (.926 OPS, 15 HR) and entering 2016 fully healthy, he should return to his old ways. Taijuan Walker showed signs of improving last season, reducing his walk percentage from 11.3 in 2014 to 5.7%, without his strikeout percentage suffering. He’s always had “ace” potential, and I expect the 23 year-old to take another step forward in 2016, helping the Mariners make the playoffs.

John Drury

Twitter: @jdrury12

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Houston Astros
AL Wild Cards: Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers
NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Cards: Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals

World Series Pick: Dodgers over Astros

Depth goes a long way in baseball. While losing Zack Greinke hurts, a lot, the Dodgers are still by far the league's deepest team. After losing a few starters early, they still look to have a stout rotation, with guys like Hyun-jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy, Julio Urias, and Brett Anderson all likely to contribute at some point.

Even with recent injuries to Andre Ethier and Yasmani Grandal, the Dodgers can plug a Carl Crawford/Scott Van Slyke platoon in the outfield and let A.J. Ellis man the plate.

While spring hasn't been kind to the Dodgers, they were my initial World Series pick, and I just can't see two or three months without Ethier and a few weeks without Grandal changing that, especially after getting good news on Corey Seager's knee. The Dodgers are the deepest roster in the game, and come October, it will show.

Sean Murphy

Twitter: @bpsmurph

AL East: Toronto Blue Jays
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Houston Astros
AL Wild Cards: Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins
NL East: Washington Nationals
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Cards: Arizona Diamondbacks, St. Louis Cardinals

World Series Pick: Nationals over Astros

Everything that should have clicked in 2015 will click in 2016 for the Nationals. Stephen Strasburg will put together a Cy Young season. Lucas Giolito will be this year's Noah Syndergaard. Bryce Harper will win his second MVP in as many years, and new manager Dusty Baker will lead the team past his old club, the Cubs, to play in the World Series. There, they'll face AL MVP Carlos Correa and win it with Jonathan Papelbon closing it out in dramatic fashion.

Austan Kas

Twitter: @sports_KASter

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
AL West: Houston Astros
AL Wild Cards: Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians
NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Cards: Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates

World Series Pick: Cubs over Astros

While the Cubs and Astros are lauded for their plethora of young talent -- and rightfully so -- the Red Sox have a pair of 23-year-old emerging MVP candidates in Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts. The addition of David Price anchors the staff and vaults them over the pitching-needy Blue Jays, who really need the electric Marcus Stroman to become an ace a year or two before he’s ready to do just that.

I sort of love what the White Sox did this offseason. Todd Frazier was a great low-key addition who fills a massive need and pairs with Jose Abreu to form a potent middle-of-the-order duo. Chris Sale is a bad, bad dude, and Carlos Rodon should continue to improve. Cleveland has stupid-good pitching, with Carlos Carrasco, Corey Kluber, and Danny Salazar all among the game’s most talented arms. I’m banking on a healthy Michael Brantley and the Tribe finding just enough offensive support from somewhere, possibly a midseason trade. Cleveland could be the Mets of last season.

Wouldn’t it be great if the Cubs could win it all? Whenever it happens, it will be one of the coolest sports stories of all time. Chicago is no Cinderella, though. The Cubs have a loaded lineup, a wizard for a manager, and darn good pitching. A matchup with Houston would be great for the game -- two young teams with a lot of flashy talent. Count me in.

Cameron Poole

Twitter: @CamWPoole

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Kansas City Royals
AL West: Texas Rangers
AL Wild Cards: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros
NL East: Washington Nationals
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: San Francisco Giants
NL Wild Cards: Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets

World Series Pick: Red Sox over Giants

The AL Central is undoubtedly the league's deepest division with the two-time AL champion Royals and the perennially competitive Tigers, but don't count out the boys from the south side. The addition of Todd Frazier will pay massive dividends in affording Jose Abreu lineup protection, while also slotting Melky Cabrera and Avisail Garcia into more comfortable roles. The White Sox rotation may not have the cache of some division rivals, but Chris Sale is a bonafide ace, and Jose Quintana is quietly one of the most consistent in the game. Pair those two with Carlos Rodon, who is poised to take a definitive step forward in his second year, and you have the potential for one of the best rotations in baseball. Look for the White Sox to rally around the Drake LaRoche debacle and punch their ticket as the second Windy City team in the playoffs.

Like their counterpart in the American League, the NL Central is extremely deep and talented. The Cardinals have been a postseason staple since 2010, but this is the year the division depth will finally catch up to them. The supremely talented Cubs will win the division title, but the Pirates will also sneak by the Cardinals as a result of one thing: health. The Cardinals have already lost Jhonny Peralta, and with Matt Holliday on the back nine of his career, this club could seriously struggle in the power department. Finally, the rotation simply has too many question marks. If Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Jaime Garcia, and Michael Wacha somehow start 25 to 30 games apiece, then this team should be right in the thick of things. Health is never a guarantee with the players on that list, though, cutting the Cardinals' playoff odds a bit.

Jim Sannes

Twitter: @JimSannes

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Houston Astros
AL Wild Cards: Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners
NL East: Washington Nationals
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Cards: San Francisco Giants, New York Mets

World Series Pick: Astros over Cubs

Both leagues' playoff representatives are hard to pin down this year, but it's for wildly different reasons. The American Leauge has a bunch of fringe teams who should hover near .500 and possibly make a run while the National League has at least seven or eight solid contenders. That made for some tough decisions.

The final playoff spot in the AL could have gone to the Mariners, Royals, or Tigers, but Seattle just edged out the competition for me. Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano, and Kyle Seager all bashed with the best of 'em in the second half of last year, and Taijuan Walker started to look like the former first-round pick he is. The Royals and Tigers both have major questions in the rotation that could allow Seattle to break into the postseason.

It was hard to leave out the Cardinals and Dodgers in the NL, but injuries have me worried about the outlook for both. The Dodgers may be all right once their rotation comes back to health, but the offenses the Giants and Diamondbacks figure to sport this year could be too much to overcome.

The Astros and the Cubs are going to meet in the World Series some time within the next five years, so why not get the ball rolling now? The Astros already have a deep team with A.J. Reed knocking down the door to the big leagues, and it's hard to see the Cubs winning fewer than 95 games. This was largely a coin flip, but the Astros' pop may be too much to handle.