Baseball is back. Spring training is winding down, big-league rosters are taking shape, service-time manipulation is unsurprisingly still a thing, and full-season predictions are permeating across the media landscape.
In one week, the Astros will begin to defend their American League title. Despite the loss of Carlos Correa, the general consensus is that the 2021 pennant winners are again expected to be one of baseball’s elite teams. According to FanGraphs’ playoff odds, the Astros have the second-best World Series odds in the AL, as well as a 70 percent chance of winning the AL West.