Correa is rapidly developing into one of the game’s best hitters and it wouldn’t surprise me if he hits over .300 with 40 home runs within the next two years.
In the National League, the Mets have Yoenes Cespedes all year and if David Wright can stay healthy, they have enough bats to win.
With their great young starting pitching, and if reliever Jeurys Familia can repeat last year’s numbers (1.85 ERA and 59 hits allowed in 78.1 innings), a 100-win season isn’t out of the question.
Bryce Harper may be the best player in baseball, but Washington can’t match the starting pitching depth of the Mets over a long season, so look for the Mets to win the N.L. Eastern Division.
Pittsburgh has a good club and could top the St. Louis Cardinals in the Central, especially since the Cards lost outfielder Jason Heyward and pitcher John Lackey to free agency. To make matters worse for St. Louis, Heyward and Lackey signed with their biggest rivals, the already powerful Chicago Cubs.
Even minus a couple of top hands the Cards have a strong lineup to go along with a good starting rotation and bullpen.
In the National League West, the Dodgers lost pitcher Zack Greinke, who had super numbers last year for Los Angeles (19-3, 1.66 ERA). Greinke signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, immediately making them contenders and weakening the Dodgers.
San Francisco signed starting pitcher Johnny Cueto, who pitched for Kansas City against the Mets in last year’s World Series – not a move that guarantees the Giants the top spot in the West, but a Greinke-less Dodgers should give San Francisco the edge.
Assuming the Yankees’ starting pitching proves to be healthy over the season, I feel safe picking both New York teams to appear in the 2016 World Series. Otherwise, I’m going with the Mets and Tigers.
Whether it’s the Tigers or Yankees in the American League, I’m picking the Mets in seven games in the Fall Classic.