2016 MLB Power Rankings Ahead of Opening Day

30. Atlanta Braves

The Braves gutted a good portion of their roster over the offseason, but it is going to pay dividends in the future. Atlanta was able to acquire Dansby Swanson and other prospects while also adding Ender Inciarte. As with most teams trying to rebuild, the beginning is going to be rough. This team could be competitive again within three years, though.

29. Cincinnati Reds

Not only do the Reds play in the league's toughest division, but they are also extremely young. The rotation struggled last year with a lot of youth and that unit is going to take its lumps again in 2016. This looks like a team with plenty of tradable pieces at the deadline, and the team could be even worse down the stretch.

28. Oakland Athletics

Normally, when the Athletics have a weak offense, their stellar starting rotation is able to pick up the slack. However, outside of Sonny Gray, they don't have any legitimate stoppers, so they could struggle this season. If they hope to surprise some people in 2016, they're going to have to be great in low-scoring, close games.

27. Philadelphia Phillies

The rebuild is about halfway over for the Phillies, but they can't quite see the light yet. Infielder Maikel Franco is a breakout star candidate this year as he looks to take a big step in his career. The rotation has too many question marks and the lineup has too much youth to be depended upon all season long, so look for Philly to struggle through another tough year.

26. San Diego Padres

The 2015 offseason was a disaster for the Padres as they got rid of their promising farm system in order to compete right away. Of course, that didn't work and that forced them to be quiet this past offseason. With Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner potentially on the block at the deadline, they're not going to be getting better during the home stretch of the season.

25. Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee has the ability to be better than some would expect, but a lot would have to go right. The powerful middle of the order will have to cut down on its strikeouts and continue hitting the long ball. The rotation will have to get big performances out of the promising young arms of Taylor Jungmann and Jimmy Nelson. If they get those things to happen, they could be pretty competitive.

24. Colorado Rockies

As usual, the Rockies should score a lot of runs, but as usual, they won't have much pitching to preserve leads. For good reason, Colorado can't attract top pitchers to town and for that, they will continue to suffer. Despite great hitters like Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez being in the middle of the order, they are unlikely to reach the postseason in 2016.

23. Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore retained Chris Davis and added Yovani Gallardo, but the rotation is still a weak point of the organization. The American League East figures to be very mediocre this season, which means Baltimore should compete. When it comes down to it, they just don't have enough pitching to get it done when it matters, though.

22. Los Angeles Angels

Despite having several stars in the lineup, L.A. is trending toward the bottom half of the American League. This is because they continue to refuse to add top-of-the-rotation starting pitching. Garrett Richards could become an ace, but he isn't one yet. Due to that lack of pitching, L.A. will once again be hanging out at home in October.

21. Miami Marlins

With everyone healthy, the Marlins are actually a pretty good team. Unfortunately for them, though, their best two players are rarely healthy. Slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been very fragile over the last two years and Jose Fernandez hasn't remained healthy for long periods of time in his career. If those two stay healthy, the Marlins might be a wild card contender.

20. Minnesota Twins

Minnesota was very surprising for a good chunk of last season, but ultimately fell apart down the stretch. The Twins should be more consistent this year, especially if Byron Buxton stays healthy, but a lack of starting pitching will keep them from being competitive in the American League Central. This team needs another year to develop young players and another offseason to add arms before it can be competitive.

19. Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona would be much higher on this list, but the team announced Friday that star outfielder A.J. Pollock fractured his elbow, which will require surgery. Without one of the most important players on their roster, they could struggle to score runs. Of course, with Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller added to the rotation, that will hurt a little less.

18. Chicago White Sox

The strange Adam LaRoche situation earlier in spring training is either going to bring this team together or break it apart. Chicago added the likes of Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie to the mix, so they should be putting more runs on the board. If Chris Sale and Jose Quintana can prove to be a deadly 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation, Chicago could be very competitive in the AL Central.

17. Detroit Tigers

Detroit has one of the more dangerous lineups in baseball with Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez, but the first two have been injury prone as of late. Adding Jordan Zimmermann to the rotation will help that unit's consistency, but without a bounce-back year from Justin Verlander, the Tigers won't be playing in October.

16. New York Yankees

New York did very little this offseason as the team continues to conserve money for future offseasons. That doesn't mean they can't be competitive this year, though. After adding Starlin Castro to the lineup, the offense is more complete. If Masahiro Tanaka establishes himself as a true ace and Michael Pineda and Luis Severino both make strides, the team could make noise in the AL East.

15. Tampa Bay Rays

Don't underestimate the Rays and their talented young rotation. Chris Archer is already becoming a star and Jake Odorizzi is very close in his own right. Add Matt Moore, who has the chance to finally regain his old form this season and they have a pretty solid group. Tampa has the bullpen to compete as well. With so many quality arms, the Rays have a chance to reach the playoffs through the division or wild card.

14. St. Louis Cardinals

History has taught us to never count out the Cardinals, so we shouldn't. However, they have tons of question marks entering the 2016 season. Two players that need to step up are Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk, both of whom are capable of becoming stars. Someone also needs to pick up the slack from Lance Lynn, who will miss the entire season. St. Louis is baseball's model franchise, and they will need to prove their resilience again in 2016.

13. Seattle Mariners

Seattle was disappointing a year ago, but new GM Jerry DiPoto did his best to make sure this season is a success. The team added Nathan Karns to the rotation as well as Joaquin Benoit and Steve Cishek to the bullpen. Adam Lind, Nori Aoki, and Leonys Martin were the team's key additions to the lineup. In 2016, fans should once again have high expectations of the Mariners.

12. Washington Nationals

Speaking of disappointing teams from 2015, the Nationals fell far short of expectations a year ago. Don't expect that to happen under Dusty Baker this season, though. Bryce Harper is only getting better and the team improved this offseason. Former division rival Daniel Murphy is now in the nation's capital along with speedster Ben Revere. If young pitchers Joe Ross and Tanner Roark step up, Washington could contend for a playoff spot.

11. Cleveland Indians

The Indians have the potential to be baseball's surprise team of 2016. That's because they have an extremely deep starting rotation. Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar are a very capable three-headed monster, which makes the team a threat. Especially with slugger Michael Brantley set to return earlier than expected, this team could open some people's eyes quickly in 2016.

10. Toronto Blue Jays

This team has the best overall lineup in baseball, which will likely enable them to lead the league in runs scored once again. Toronto lost Price, and doesn't have much pitching depth. The team will need Marcus Stroman to develop into an ace quickly to reach 90 in the win column again in 2016.

9. Boston Red Sox

Boston's biggest problem last year was not having an established ace. After adding David Price this offseason, that's unlikely to be a problem in 2015. Despite their struggles, the Red Sox were actually very good offensively last year, so this team now looks poised to be the toast of the AL East. In Big Papi's last season, he might get one more shot in October.

8. Texas Rangers

Texas surprised a lot of people by winning the AL West a year ago, but this season will be about proving that was no fluke. With Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels at the top of the rotation and with a deep lineup, the Rangers are going to be a tough out again in 2016. With the Astros taking steps forward, though, a wild card might be the best they can hope for.

7. Pittsburgh Pirates

Offensively, the Pirates are still very deep, but the rotation took steps back this offseason. A.J. Burnett is gone and there is going to be even more pressure on Gerrit Cole to carry the team. Juan Nicasio has been stellar this spring, but that's no guarantee he will be better in the regular season. The x-factor will be whether or not the middle of the rotation with Francisco Liriano and Jon Niese can come out and deliver every fifth day.

6. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers, the league's new Yankees in terms of spending, enter 2016 with high expectations once again. L.A. has been a consistently great regular season team lately, but hasn't gotten it done in the playoffs. In a tougher division and without as much top-of-the-rotation pitching, the Dodgers will be battling to avoid a wild card spot in 2016. That desperation will make them more battle tested if they get to play in October.

5. New York Mets

After reaching the World Series last year, the Mets are set to establish themselves as a power in the National League. With a rotation consisting of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler, the team has the best pitching in the sport. If the offense can find consistency, another trip to the Fall Classic isn't out of the question for the Mets.

4. Kansas City Royals

Until someone actually knocks off the Royals, it's hard to bet against them. The team simply refuses to go away, even when most other teams would. Losing Johnny Cueto will hurt, but the team showed last year it could survive after a key offseason departure. The offense is mostly in tact and this team doesn't seem ready to lose its infectious enthusiasm any time soon.

3. San Francisco Giants

It's an even-numbered year, so we all know the Giants are going to show up. All coincidences aside, San Francisco is one of the most improved teams in the league. After adding Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and others, the Giants look like the favorite in the NL West. After being ravaged by injury in 2015, the team just has to stay relatively healthy to return to the playoffs.

2. Houston Astros

Houston certainly seems to be the cream of the crop in the American League entering 2016. With a young, deep lineup anchored by superstar Carlos Correa, the team is going to put runs on the board. With starters like Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh and Lance McCullers, the team should be pretty good at keeping others off the board as well. All of that adds up to a very promising season for the Astros.

1. Chicago Cubs

Dare we say it? The Chicago Cubs are the 2016 World Series favorites. This team doesn't care about a curse, they care about having fun and winning games, both of which they did a lot of in 2015. After adding Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, and John Lackey this offseason, the Cubs are absolutely stacked. As long as the starting rotation can stay healthy, this team is deep enough to do the impossible: end the 108-year championship drought.