Fansided

5 favorites to win the 2016 World Series

By John Buhler

Nov 1, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (35) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the New York Mets in the 9th inning in game five of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (35) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the New York Mets in the 9th inning in game five of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 26, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) celebrates with third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) after hitting a three run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) celebrates with third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) after hitting a three run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports /

Last season, the Toronto Blue Jays ended a 22-year long postseason drought, as the Blue Jays went on to win the American League East by six games with a 93-69 record. Toronto took off in the second half and made it all the way to the American League Championship Series where the Blue Jays lost to the eventual Kansas City Royals in six games.

Entering 2016, Toronto will again field one of the better teams in the American League and should be a contender to win it all this year. Though Toronto will overwhelmingly be an offensive-minded team again in 2016, what American League staff will routinely contain a batting order that has Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, and Troy Tulowitzki in it?

Toronto feels like an easy favorite to repeat in the American League East and that bodes well for the Blue Jays to hopefully avoid the AL Wild Card Game and best position themselves for another deep run in the AL postseason.

Overall, Toronto’s window to win a World Series with this corps intact is firmly open in 2016. If their pitching staff can improve enough to make this year’s Blue Jays team a more balanced club, there isn’t any reason to think that Toronto can’t get back to the ALCS and possibly win its third World Series in franchise history in 2016. That batting order in Canada will again be one of the best in Major League Baseball in 2016.

Next: 4. San Francisco Giants

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