5. New York Mets
No team remade itself more in the offseason than the New York Mets. Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt will team with Jacob deGrom to form arguably the top three of any rotation in Major League Baseball, and Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar are offseason additions that should boost the lineup. The Mets look good on paper. Will it translate over to the field?
4. Atlanta Braves
New York, of course, will be chasing the defending World Champion Atlanta Braves in the division and for the right to represent the National League in the Fall Classic. Matt Olson takes over as the new first baseman and Kenley Jansen takes his place among one of the best back ends of a bullpen in MLB today. Atlanta comes into 2022 looking every bit like a team that could repeat as World Series champions, but will it all come together for the Braves like it did in the postseason in 2021?
3. Boston Red Sox
Signing All-Star shortstop Trevor Story to play second base was one of the biggest and most interesting moves for the Red Sox all offseason. He and Xander Bogaerts should be one of the most exciting double play combinations in all of baseball. If James Paxton, Rich Hill, and Michael Wacha can fulfill their promise in the rotation, Boston could be one of the teams to beat when October comes around.
2. Toronto Blue Jays
Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi are now part of the Toronto rotation and Matt Chapman is set to handle third base. A late spring trade with the Colorado Rockies brought a left-handed bat to the outfield in Raimel Tapia, one of the few hitters in the Toronto lineup who may not mash 20 or more home runs this season. The Blue Jays enter the regular season as the highest-ranked American League team in our power rankings and have the talent to flex their collective muscles against any competition this season.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Freddie Freeman joins the Dodgers this season, making the World Series favorites even stronger. Keeping Chris Taylor and Clayton Kershaw, while adding Freeman gave Los Angeles plenty of chances to flex its muscles. The Dodgers, however, will have to see how quickly Max Muncy is back to 100 percent and if Cody Bellinger can recapture his form in the regular season. Yes, the Dodgers have questions, but they seem to be fewer than any other team, which lands them at the top of our MLB power rankings.