5 Major League Baseball teams built to win right now

The San Francisco Giants might be Major League Baseball’s defending champions, but the 2015 season looks as wide open as it has ever been. Many teams are primed and ready to make a run in their respective divisions, while some teams have come out of nowhere to threaten the game’s top clubs.

Here are five teams built to win right now:

Seattle Mariners

Sep 28, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (34) throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Mariners declared their intent to run the table this season with the signing of right-handed power-hitting Nelson Cruz in the offseason. Cruz, 35, is coming off a season with the Baltimore Orioles during which he launched a league-high 40 home runs into the stands. The Mariners needed that type of power in their lineup. Paired up with Robinson Cano in the middle of the lineup, Seattle should give opposing pitchers nightmares.

All the pieces are in place behind Cruz and Cano. There’s Felix Hernandez, of course. The dominant ace whose stuff never seems to waver. Kyle Seager, who evolved into a superstar in 2014, hitting 25 home runs and driving in 96 runs while flashing Gold Glove leather at third base. Teams would be foolish sleep on young pitchers James Paxton and Taijuan Walker. Heck, if they can manage to get anything out of Jesus Montero the season would be a success.

The Mariners are no slouch. And playing in an inconclusive AL West, they just might sail right into the postseason.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Sep 16, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Yasiel Puig (66) runs the bases after hitting a home run during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers have been ready to win for a few years now and have been unable to deliver. If they can’t get it done in 2015, don’t be surprised if the front office decides to make wholesale changes.

They’ve held a stranglehold on the NL West (winning four of the last seven division titles), but the Giants continue to outshine them in the postseason when it matters most. With Clayton Kershaw at the top of the lineup, and Yasiel Puig and company in tow, the time is now for the Dodgers. Fangraphs currently projects the Dodgers to win a league-best 91 games (tied with the Nationals) and Vegas appears to agree with their potential, as Los Angeles is currently a 13/2 favorite to win the World Series.

The losses of Hanley Ramirez and Dee Gordon look devastating on paper, but Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick should do just fine filling the voids, even at their age (36 and 31, respectively). Rollins likely won’t produce as much as Ramirez, but he’ll be an improvement in the field. Kendrick, meanwhile, is one of the more underrated players at his position, boasting a career OPS+ 108. Fangraphs projects him at a line of .275/.323/.397 in 2015; Gordon was marginally better in 2014 at .281/.331/.375.

San Diego Padres

Sep 26, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Ian Kennedy (22) throws to the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of their MLB baseball game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

The usually subpar Padres went all-in this winter, making surprising move after surprising move to make themselves legitimate contenders in the NL West. The trades for Justin Upton, Matt Kemp and Wil Myers may not make them the best in the division, but the Friars should compete.

Will Middlebrooks and Derek Norris should do wonders for the Padres as well, but their pitching staff is the difference maker. Ian Kennedy, Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner and Odrisamer Despaigne should all play pivotal roles in the Padres’ turnaround. The team’s offensive improvements will be for naught if they can’t depend on the pitching staff to shut down opposing teams.

Despite these improvements they have made on paper, the Padres are probably the most uncertain team on this list—Kemp and Upton could be major busts. For years they’ve been waiting on top prospects hoping for them to develop, but they’re finally ready to commit to the present. Unfortunately for them,the Dodgers and Giants stand in their way. It should be difficult to get out of the NL West unscathed.

Boston Red Sox

Jul 26, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (15) against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps it should be no surprise that coming off a last-place finish in the AL East, the Red Sox are prepared to compete for another World Series title. They went out and did what was necessary to put themselves in that position, while the others in the division kept mostly silent this winter.

With a good balance of youngsters and veterans, the Red Sox are a talented enough team to stay atop Major League Baseball for the duration of the year. They added Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval and bolstered an already quality pitching staff. In the process, they held onto pieces that could be valuable should they pursue a trade for a No. 1 starter like Cole Hamels or Stephen Strasburg.

If the Red Sox can acquire a true ace, they might be unstoppable. Even without one, they should stand tall among the league’s best teams.

Washington Nationals

Jan 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams (left) smiles as Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (right) puts on his jersey during a press conference introducing Scherzer as a member of the Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

This one is obvious. The acquisition of Max Scherzer made the Nationals an instant World Series favorite with good reason. They already had one of the league’s most dominant starting rotations. Scherzer makes them deadly.

Factor in a lineup that includes Ryan Zimmerman, Yunel Escobar, Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper, among others, and it’s a wonder if the Nats won’t win 100 games. Based on the moves they made this offseason, however, they don’t want to just dominate the regular season this year—it’s World Series or bust for Washington.

The bullpen took a few hits, namely the trade of reliable reliever Tyler Clippard, but the Nats aren’t exactly playing in the most offensively potent division in baseball. An average bullpen should suffice until the playoffs. There isn’t much more the Nationals can do, honestly, except maybe add a quality arm or two in the ‘pen. If they can’t win the World Series this year, they may never do it.