The MLB offseason has a way of sorting teams into crudely drawn subsets. There are the risers, the fallers, the contenders, the long shots and the upstarts.

Then there are these guys, the locks—the no-doubt, gonna-be-there-when-it’s-all-said-and-done elite.

One hundred sixty-two games is but a formality for this group, a gilded road to the chaos of October and a shot at World Series glory. Sure, they might ebb and flow with the summer heat, but there’s too much talent and experience on these squads to run too far afoul.

It’s all part of the way baseball imposes order in its universe. Long exposure ensures that the cream always rises and the hierarchy of things rarely gets rearranged.

The good teams are good, and everyone knows it.

And now, with the near-certain addition of a second wild-card team in 2012, these top teams are even safer bets for entry into the postseason tournament.

Finishing in the top four was easy enough. Top five? That’s a cakewalk.

If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions.