No Major League Baseball team has won back-to-back World Series titles in 20 years, but the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers head into 2021 as the favorite to reign again in October.
But things won’t come easy for the Dodgers. Just two hours down I-5, the San Diego Padres may be baseball’s second-best team and primed to challenge their rivals for years to come. Elsewhere in the National League, the Atlanta Braves had the Dodgers on the ropes in a seven-game LCS and their stacked lineup will be out for revenge.
In the American League, the New York Yankees are trying to get back to the World Series for the first time since 2009 but will find it tough to win the East, battling out with the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays. And of course, the ever-present Houston Astros who were just one win away from a World Series berth last year.
So how will things go in 2021? USA TODAY Sports’ MLB team gives its predictions for the new season:
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AL division winners: Yankees, White Sox, Athletics
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AL wild cards: Twins, Blue Jays
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NL division winners: Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers
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NL wild cards: Padres, Phillies
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AL champion: Yankees
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NL champion: Braves
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World Series winner: Braves
Awards:
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MVP: Matt Chapman (Athletics), Juan Soto (Nationals)
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Cy Young: Gerrit Cole (Yankees), Blake Snell (Padres)
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Rookie of the Year: Jarred Kelenic (Mariners), Dylan Carlson (Cardinals)
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AL division winners: Yankees, Twins, Astros
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AL wild cards: Rays, Cleveland
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NL division winners: Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers
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NL wild cards: Mets, Padres
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AL champion: Astros
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NL champion: Dodgers
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World Series winner: Dodgers
Awards:
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MVP: Jose Ramirez (Cleveland), Mookie Betts (Dodgers)
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Cy Young: Gerrit Cole (Yankees), Jacob deGrom (Mets)
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Rookie: Triston McKenzie (Cleveland), Ke’Bryan Hayes (Padres)
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AL division winners: Yankees, Twins, Astros
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AL wild cards: Angels, Rays
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NL division winners: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers
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NL wild cards: Padres, Mets
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AL champion: Twins
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NL champion: Dodgers
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World Series winner: Dodgers
Awards:
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MVP: Shohei Ohtani (Angels), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves)
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Cy Young: Lucas Giolito (White Sox), Jacob deGrom (Mets)
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Rookie: Andrew Vaughn (White Sox), Dylan Carlson (Cardinals)
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AL division winners: Yankees, White Sox, Astros
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AL wild cards: Rays, Twins
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NL division winners: Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers
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NL wild cards: Padres, Mets
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AL champion: White Sox
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NL champion: Dodgers
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World Series winner: Dodgers
Awards:
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MVP: Tim Anderson (White Sox), Juan Soto (Nationals)
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Cy Young: Gerrit Cole (Yankees), Jacob deGrom (Mets)
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Rookie: Randy Arozarena (Rays), Sixto Sanchez (Marlins)
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AL division winners: Yankees, White Sox, Astros
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AL wild cards: Twins, Blue Jays
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NL division winners: Braves, Cardinals, Padres
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NL wild cards: Dodgers, Mets
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AL champion: Astros
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NL champion: Padres
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World Series winner: Padres
Awards:
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MVP: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Juan Soto (Nationals)
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Cy Young: Gerrit Cole (Yankees), Yu Darvish (Padres)
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Rookie: Randy Arozarena (Rays), Ke’Bryan Hayes (Pirates)
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AL division winners: Yankees, White Sox, Athletics
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AL wild cards: White Sox, Astros
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NL division winners: Braves, Cardinals, Padres
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NL wild cards: Padres, Mets
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AL champion: Yankees
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NL champion: Dodgers
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World Series winner: Dodgers
Awards:
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MVP: Mike Trout (Angels), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves)
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Cy Young: Lucas Giolito (White Sox), Jacob deGrom (Mets)
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Rookie: Andrew Vaughn (White Sox), Sixto Sanchez (Marlins)
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AL division winners: Yankees, White Sox, Athletics
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AL wild cards: Twins, Blue Jays
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NL division winners: Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers
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NL wild cards: Padres, Mets
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AL champion: Yankees
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NL champion: Dodgers
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World Series winner: Yankees
Awards:
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MVP: Mike Trout (Angels), Francisco Lindor (Mets)
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Cy Young: Tyler Glasnow (Rays), Jacob deGrom (Mets)
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Rookie: Andrew Vaughn (White Sox), Ke’Bryan Hayes (Pirates)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB predictions 2021: Can the Dodgers win another World Series?