Ranking the Top 10 World Series Contenders as 2013 MLB Seasons Nears

With the 2013 season on the horizon, which of the Major League's top teams has the best shot at the World Series?

The balance of power is as unstable as ever, with long-maligned teams stockpiling talent and classic title contenders lost in flux. This makes predicting the next World Series champ a foolish enterprise.

Looking ahead at next October, it's nearly impossible to say which team is going to be riding a hot streak. That's how the San Francisco Giants won in 2012, something no one could have guessed prior to the season.

However, it is still possible to say which teams are best positioned for a World Series run. Let's take a look at the preseason teams to beat in the MLB.

10. Texas Rangers

Josh Hamilton is gone, but the Texas Rangers are still a strong team.

The rest of the Rangers' core is still in place. Yu Darvish and Matt Harrison give Texas one of the strongest one-two punches in baseball atop the rotation, making the Rangers a difficult out in the playoffs.

Hamilton's absence will surely be missed, though. When you have Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz in the middle of your lineup, you're going to put up some runs, but with the strength of the league's top teams, losing the 2010 AL MVP definitely hurts.

Texas still has the skill to contend in the playoffs, but this team has weakened considerably this offseason.

9. Tampa Bay Rays

As usual, the Tampa Bay Rays are going to win with pitching.

It all starts with David Price, the 2012 AL Cy Young winner and a guy who may not have even reached the peak of his powers. James Shields may be gone, but the Rays have an embarrassment of riches in terms of starting pitching. With Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore and company, Tampa Bay has no weak links in its playoff rotation.

However, Evan Longoria still needs help in the middle of the Rays' lineup.

A big factor will be the maturation of top prospect Wil Myers, who came over from the Kansas City Royals in the Shields trade. If he makes it to The Show and produces by the home stretch of the season, Myers will be the shot in the arm this Tampa team needs.

8. St. Louis Cardinals

When it comes to putting runs on the board, the St. Louis Cardinals can hang with anyone.

It helps when you can put two perennial All-Star outfielders in the middle of your lineup. Both Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran lived up to their potential last season, and the Cardinals also got significant offensive contributions from Yadier Molina, Allen Craig and David Freese.

If not for the loss of Kyle Lohse, St. Louis would have a pitching staff that could match its strong lineup. Lance Lynn, Adam Wainwright and a full season of Chris Carpenter are nice, but the quietly ace-like Lohse could have made this rotation great.

Even so, the Cardinals probably have the talent to make a run if everything goes right for them, but they likely will come up a bit short.

7. Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers' relatively low ranking is a product of the league's strength, not their weakness.

There aren't many flaws to be found on this team. It's hard to complain when you have the tandem of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder at the heart of the order. With the improvement of Austin Jackson and the return of Victor Martinez, this lineup has the makings of a murderer's row.

If there is any area the Tigers could improve, it's their pitching.

That's an unexpected claim for a staff led by Justin Verlander and the still-improving Max Scherzer. Yet despite the $80-million deal Detroit gave Anibal Sanchez this offseason, he's just a cut below the level of a quality postseason starter. Either Sanchez needs to step it up in 2013, or the Tigers need to upgrade the middle of their rotation.

6. San Francisco Giants

And here we have the reigning champs, who won't likely get so lucky in 2013.

That's not to say the San Francisco Giants were unworthy of winning the World Series. Everyone knew their stellar starting pitching would carry the Giants once they made the postseason, but timely hitting from Pablo Sandoval and company made the difference.

The fact remains, though, that San Francisco peaked at the exact right moment in 2012. Sandoval played the best baseball of his career en route to being named World Series MVP, and the Giants somehow outhit the powerful Tigers' lineup.

Because of guys like Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong and Madison Bumgarner, the Giants are always a threat to win in October with their pitching. Nevertheless, Buster Posey and Sandoval aren't enough to consistently carry this team in the playoffs.

5. Cincinnati Reds

Everything is in place for the Cincinnati Reds to win now.

Johnny Cueto enjoyed a breakout season in 2012, riding a 19-9 record and a 2.78 ERA into Cy Young contention. The Reds finally have a true ace they can rely on in the postseason, and Aroldis Chapman has the potential to bolster this rotation even more now that he's moving out of the bullpen.

Cincinnati's real strength is in its batting, which has more than enough power to support a very good but not great pitching staff.

The middle of the order was already one of the league's best, featuring the likes of Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and Ryan Ludwick. Now the Reds have a fantastic leadoff hitter in Shin-Soo Choo to set the table for the sluggers.

That lineup is even stronger than the Cardinals', enough so that Cincinnati is the team to beat in the NL Central.

4. Los Angeles Angels

The strong got even stronger when the Los Angeles Angels acquired Josh Hamilton.

Sure, the Angels also lost Zack Greinke this offseason, but this lineup is borderline unfair.

Los Angeles already had the best rookie of a generation in Mike Trout, not to mention the slugging ability of Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo. Putting Hamilton in the middle of all that gives the Angels a fourth dominant batter and a third MVP candidate, which is an absolute nightmare for opposing pitchers.

Even without Greinke, who was only in LA for a short time, the Angels have more than enough pitching to get by with that hitting. Jered Weaver is an elite arm, while C.J. Wilson and the others will certainly thrive with the type of run support they'll be getting.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

As scary as the Angels are, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in their city.

Though the Dodgers don't quite have the bats their crosstown rivals have, they are a much more balanced team.

When homegrown talent wasn't enough, Los Angeles went out and surrounded Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier with the likes of Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez. That gives the Dodgers one of the most improved lineups in baseball. If Carl Crawford looks anything like his old self, that's just a bonus.

That's all in addition to one of the strongest rotations in baseball.

Zack Greinke joins Clayton Kershaw to give Los Angeles two aces, but the craziest part of this pitching staff is its depth. With Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano all around, the Dodgers have seven quality starters for five spots.

2. Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays very clearly won the offseason.

Riddled with injuries in 2012, the Blue Jays' rotation has been entirely revamped.

Whereas Toronto counted on Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero as go-to guys before, R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle are here to unburden them. The pitching staff is so stacked now that J.A. Happ has been squeezed out entirely.

These new pitchers will get plenty of run support, too. This team already had a powerful lineup in place with Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, but now Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera make it even more imposing.

Alex Anthopoulos is officially in a class by himself when it comes to dealing. Thanks to his work, the Blue Jays have emerged as the class of the American League before anyone has even taken the field.

1. Washington Nationals

For all the frenzy of the offseason, the steady Washington Nationals are the team to beat heading into 2013.

Washington did make a few acquisitions this offseason, trading for Denard Span and signing Dan Haren and Rafael Soriano. However, these moves simply serve to improve upon the team as it was already structured.

Span gives the Nationals a speedy guy to lead off and patrol center field, but he won't be taking any attention away from guys like Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond and Adam LaRoche.

Their slugging gives the pitching staff a much appreciated but little needed cushion.

The best rotation in baseball only got stronger this offseason. Stephen Strasburg won't be shackled again next season, while Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann and Ross Detwiler will continue to display the value of young arms.

Edwin Jackson is gone, but Haren might be even better for the back of the Nationals' rotation. And think about that for a second—on no other team in Major League Baseball is Dan Haren a fifth starter.

That's what makes the Nationals so dangerous. They can hit, and they have the best stable of arms come playoff time. Looking ahead months before the first pitch is even thrown, that makes Washington the best team in baseball in 2013.