MLB Power Rankings: Washington Nationals top our preseason rankings

. Previous: . San Francisco Giants. 11. team. 40. Sometimes it is tough to write off the defending World Series champions, but then again, sometimes it isn’t. For the San Francisco Giants, it’s hard to tell exactly what you’ve got there. Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner are easily the faces of the team, and its most important contributors, but the pieces around them are all questions. <p>Can Tim Hudson and Jake Peavy muster another season of usefulness despite their ages? Can Matt Cain put his lost season behind him and return healthy? Can Tim Lincecum ever get back to the pitcher he was, or even a shadow of it? Can Casey McGhee replace Pablo Sandoval in the line-up? This just looks like a team that got old really quick.</p>

I’ll give it to the Red Sox, they didn’t sit on their laurels this winter, hoping that their vast minor league talent was ready to lead them to the promised land. They could have easily used 2015 as another bridge year and licked their wounds afterwards. Instead, they went out and did more than any other team outside of San Diego by landing Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Justin Masterson, Alexei Ogando, and Ryan Hanigan. <p>For all of those additions, the Red Sox are markedly better than in 2014, but question marks over the lack of a staff ace (can Clay Buccholz seize the day?) and what the final outfield may look like  may inhibit the progress they made off the field. Additional moves are still needed, but can the Red Sox parlay some of their excess talent into needed components to field a champion?</p>. . Previous: . Boston Red Sox. 12. team. 14

team. 9. For three years, we’ve been waiting to see Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer unveil their master plan in Chicago, and this winter, it began to take shape. With the hoard of young talent the Cubs had, the team finally decided that it was ready to build upon that by adding key veteran pieces, including ace Jon Lester, center fielder Dexter Fowler, and catcher Miguel Montero. There are hopes of contention in the air in Chicago. <p>Of course, that all revolves on the development of key young players as well, with Jorge Soler and Javier Baez being depending on heavily. If the Cubs can manage a few weeks of having top prospect Kris Bryant in the minors, 2015 could be a dramatic turnaround. Then again, if Joe Maddon can coax usefulness out of Kyle Farnsworth’s arm, he’ll find a way to make these young pups into a winning team again.</p>. . Previous: . Chicago Cubs. 13

. Previous: . Chicago White Sox. 14. team. 128. You don’t often see a headline battle outside of New York, but the Cubs and White Sox did their best to steal the thunder from one another all winter long.The pick-ups of Adam LaRoche, Jeff Samardzija, Zach Duke, Melky Cabrera, and David Robertson were all great moves to plug very specific holes. <p>That said, there are some significant question marks around the rotation, with Chris Sale’s foot injury at the forefront. This is also a rotation that is expecting to see heavy innings from John Danks and Hector Noesi at the back-end of the order. Of course, top prospect Carlos Rodon is ready to step in as soon as one of them falters. In an offensive heavy division, pitching will be key and the despite their dual aces, the White Sox may be lacking enough of it.</p>