Fansided

Here’s how every MLB team will finish in 2018

By Joshua Sadlock

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 28: Manny Machado
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 28: Manny Machado /
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SARASOTA, FL – FEBRUARY 23: Manny Machado #13 and Adam Jones #10 of the Baltimore Orioles look on prior to a Grapefruit League spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Ed Smith Stadium on February 23, 2018 in Sarasota, Florida. The Rays won 6-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SARASOTA, FL – FEBRUARY 23: Manny Machado #13 and Adam Jones #10 of the Baltimore Orioles look on prior to a Grapefruit League spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Ed Smith Stadium on February 23, 2018 in Sarasota, Florida. The Rays won 6-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Baltimore Orioles: 73 wins

  • Baseball Prospectus: 70 wins
  • FanGraphs: 75 wins

The Orioles crashed and burned hard last season, finishing in last place in the AL East with 75 wins. It was their first losing season since 2011, and the undoing was one of the worst starting rotations in MLB history. There is finally reason for hope, though, as the Orioles surprised everyone by ponying up for four years of Alex Cobb.

Baltimore’s only big pickup to improve their rotation before signing Cobb was right-hander Andrew Cashner. He does not strike anyone out, pitches to contact and issues a fair amount of walks. That doesn’t sound like a recipe for success in the AL East, but Cashner is coming off a strong season with the Texas Rangers. Maybe the Orioles catch lightning in a bottle again with a starter who bucks the odds.

If the Orioles are going to get back to the playoffs in the final season before Manny Machado hits free agency, they will need an epic year from their new shortstop. Machado will return to his original position, something he had wanted to do for years. Chris Tillman will also have to find a semblance of command on the mound after allowing nearly a run an inning last year while dealing with a bum shoulder.

Conclusion:  Seventy-three wins was still available from most oddsmakers even after the Cobb signing. If the line does not move, jump all over it. That’s free money. With three legitimate starters at the top of their rotation, the Orioles will blow past 73 wins. If the total moves closer to 80, there may be more reason to stay away.

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