As a new season of baseball dawns upon us, the weather beckons warmly to spring and the summer beyond with all its lazy evenings and hot dog feasting. Spring training sessions are wrapping up and the players are getting comfortable in their new surroundings at Major League ballparks all throughout America (and Toronto). So what’s set to happen in the 2016 MLB season?

Well, if history gives us any guide, just about anything is possible. Based on last season’s results, and the 2016 free agency and trade period, the experts are widely touting the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and reigning World Series champions the Kansas City Royals as the favorites to contend this year. But baseball is a funny and finicky sport; just when one team seems to have erected a dynasty, a few ill-timed injuries and a drop in play can send a team crashing back to mediocrity. Certainly not all of these mid-market clubs can expect to return to the MLB playoffs?

Instead, look for a Boston Red Sox resurgence behind the arm of David Price. Expect the Los Angeles Dodgers and their free spending ways to finally come to fruition. And don’t ever count out the tried and tested methods of the St. Louis Cardinals. Oh yeah, and don’t you dare forget about the San Francisco Giants’ and their run of 3-straight World Series titles in even-numbered years since 2010.

Amazingly enough, we still haven’t even touched on the New York Yankees. My, how far have they fallen? Which makes me slightly nervous and expectant that they might just be the ones to separate themselves this year. With a usually powerful lineup and a stunning back-end to the bullpen, I think the Yankees may just get enough out of their starters (and probably trade for someone else midyear in a blockbuster deal) to make a serious run. Could a 41-year-old Alex Rodriguez possibly earn such a glorious redemption? Who knows, with such a wide open season maybe I should have picked my hometown team of the Cleveland Indians instead… You never know!