MLB Power Rankings: World Series Chances After Albert Pujols, CJ Wilson Deals

I wrote a piece a while back predicting the chances of each franchise winning the World Series next season. Obviously, some shock waves have shot through Major League Baseball during the winter meetings, so I thought that this would be a good time to update that slideshow. Some teams didn't make very many moves, so they may have even slipped farther back.

30. Houston Astros: 0 Percent

I hate to do it to you, Houston Astros fans, but your team is still last. By trading away Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn during the season, the team is officially in rebuilding mode. Wandy Rodriguez will probably draw interest, as many of the top arms have gone off of the market. This would even reinforce that perception of rebuilding further.

We will hear from the Astros down the road, but not next year.

29. New York Mets: 0 Percent

Jose Reyes left town. That is obviously a huge blow to the New York Mets. They do have some young talent developing such as Ike Davis, and David Wright will only be 29 when the season starts.

Again, the Mets are another team that is in the process of rebuilding itself. We will see how successful they will be in a few years.

28. Oakland Athletics: 0 Percent

The Oakland Athletics have been very aggressively selling players this winter. Because of this, even though Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey haven't moved yet, I assume that they will move.

The Athletics have started to rebuild their team, but the reason that I put them higher than the other two teams is because I believe that they have a future ace arriving this year in Jarrod Parker. Even though they are selling, they will be getting some major league-ready talent in return for Gonzalez and Bailey.

27. San Diego Padres: 0 Percent

I know that it is not a secret, but like I wrote in my previous article, the San Diego Padres have no offense. The strength has recently been their pitching, but they took a hit when Heath Bell left. Yes, they did trade for Huston Street to refill that hole, but that is still a slight decrease in performance if prior success is any indication. Without offense, it is hard to win baseball games no matter how good their pitching is.

26. Seattle Mariners: 0 Percent (Subject to Change Slightly)

I like the Seattle Mariners. The subject to change indicated above is essentially my way of saying that Prince Fielder might be an option for Seattle, and he would obviously help their chances. They have talent anyway, but Fielder is definitely a game-changer.

However, even if my speculation came through, the Mariners are most likely trapped behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Texas Rangers. It is hard to get a playoff spot in a division like that.

25. Baltimore Orioles: 0 Percent

I have always been a somewhat secret Baltimore Orioles fan. I think that they have a very nice young core of Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis.

They didn't make the move to acquire some pitching like I had hoped they would. Therefore, in a very crowded division with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays definitely ahead of them right now, I do not see how they would be able to hit a playoff spot and be in a position to win a World Series.

24. Minnesota Twins: 0 Percent

I wrote before that I believe that Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are incredibly important to the success of the Minnesota Twins. I still believe that, but I am not sure if Josh Willingham is the absolute best bat to support them in the lineup.

Nevertheless, I think that their pitching staff is young and exciting. Almost all of them are under 30 years old, and this could indicate that good things are about to happen.

This is still an outside shot, however, so I could not put them higher than this.

23. Colorado Rockies: 0 Percent

It hurts me to do this, because I believe that the combination of Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez is pretty awesome. I really like both of these players, and they both offer a pretty good combination of power and speed.

However, the Colorado Rockies did not do enough to help their pitching staff. The only addition they really made was flyball pitcher Kevin Slowey, and I do not understand how that works in the thin air.

Nevertheless, they have a great offense, and their pitching staff will be the obvious question.

22. Toronto Blue Jays: 1 Percent

The Toronto Blue Jays are in the running for Japanese phenom Yu Darvish. This would definitely help them.

However, like I have said in many other slides, the Blue Jays are another team that are stuck in a difficult division. They also have Jose Bautista, Colby Rasmus, and Travis Snider hitting the ball to accompany a rotation that will hopefully contain Darvish, Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow.

That said, even though this team would probably rank higher in terms of pure talent, I cannot put them very high because it will be very difficult for them to secure a playoff spot.

21. Pittsburgh Pirates: 1 Percent

Pittsburgh has been waiting for the return of baseball glory. I think that they made many positive moves this offseason, such as acquiring Erik Bedard and Casey McGehee and bringing back Nate McLouth. All three of these athletes have the potential to excel, and they are could become great bargains.

I think that it is very possible for the Pirates to do well, but I also remember what happened last season and how the Pirates fell apart halfway through.

20. Chicago White Sox: 1 Percent

The Chicago White Sox lost Mark Buehrle to free agency, and they really did not make a move to fill this void. They still have John Danks on the mound and Paul Konerko at first base, but it does make me a little nervous. Also, Carlos Quentin could possibly be on the move by the end of the winter. If they send him away, their lineup will be considerably weaker. A resurgence from Adam Dunn would be greatly appreciated, but the White Sox really didn't address the holes that they had this winter.

19. Kansas City Royals: 1 Percent

I, for one, was disappointed that the Kansas City Royals traded Melky Cabrera. He provided great all-around production from the middle of their lineup. However, trading him for Jonathan Sanchez made quite a bit of sense. They needed to reinforce their starting pitching, and their lineup seems to be in pretty good hands with Alex Gordon and Billy Butler. Trading from their strengths to reinforce the weakness was a positive move.

18. Cincinnati Reds: 1 Percent

The Cincinnati Reds haven't really made a lot of moves this winter. They could use a starting pitcher to combine with Johnny Cueto. However, since they will not be trading Joey Votto (not that I think they should either), it would be interesting to see if they are able to bring in that front-line ace they seem to want.

Offense will never be the problem in Cincinnati, but I do not believe that they will be able to reinforce the pitching staff enough through any trade without adding Votto.

17. Chicago Cubs: 1 Percent

The Chicago Cubs lost out on the Albert Pujols sweepstakes. They could have jumped a lot higher in the rankings if they had been able to bring him in, of course. I

t has not been a very busy winter so far in Chicago after they brought in Theo Epstein. Perhaps Prince Fielder could be a possibility, and if he was to come to Chicago, I think that they would move up the rankings. There could be a lot of excitement in Chicago this spring, but I'm not sure about their success yet.

16. Cleveland Indians: 2 Percent

The Cleveland Indians will be relying on a resurgence from Ubaldo Jimenez. He has the potential to be a front-line starter even though last year was difficult. With Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana in the lineup, they will score runs.

The question is going to be with their pitching staff. They did add Derek Lowe for some veteran depth, so I think that they actually could be a contender in a weak division (besides the Detroit Tigers, of course).

15. Washington Nationals: 2 Percent

It is very possible for the Washington Nationals to have a very good season. They have a good core with Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman. They will also have Stephen Strasburg returning this season to have run their rotation.

What if they were even able to bring in Yu Darvish? That would be a very nice starting rotation. However, I need to keep them somewhat low because of the division they are dropped in. They are kind of like the Toronto Blue Jays in that respect, but I think they are even better.

14. Los Angeles Dodgers: 4 Percent

Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp may very well be the best combination of headline pitcher and headline hitter in baseball. They are both phenomenally talented. Even the rest of their pitching rotation is pretty solid with Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly to highlight a few. However, the lineup around Kemp is not quite as strong.

That being said, the National League West is a pitching-dominated division anyway, so the Dodgers will fit in and should do well.

13. Miami Marlins: 4 Percent

Jose Reyes, Heath Bell and Mark Buehrle will make a difference. If you look at my previous article, you will definitely notice that the Miami Marlins made a huge jump. However, the reason I did not jump the Marlins higher is because they still have the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of them.

Yes, the Marlins will be a lot better, and I believe that they very well could do well. However, making the playoffs could be a tall order, and you can't win the World Series without it.

12. Milwaukee Brewers: 4 Percent

I don't want to jump to conclusions about Ryan Braun. He may very well be proved innocent. In that case, this ranking would be higher. However, without Prince Fielder and perhaps Ryan Braun, this team will be hurting.

They did however make the positive move of bringing in Aramis Ramirez. He will help fill that potential void.

I personally think that Braun will be innocent, but in my rankings, I had to think about the probability and implications of a lineup without last season's dynamic duo.

11. St. Louis Cardinals: 4 Percent

My previous decision of putting the kind of that No. 6 was contingent on them bringing back Albert Pujols. That didn't happen, so I had to drop them down. They will still be very solid with their lineup featured around Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday and Allen Craig. There will also have Adam Wainwright rejoining Chris Carpenter in the rotation, which will definitely help. The Cardinals will still be good, but Pujols is a lot to lose.

10. San Francisco Giants: 5 Percent

Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are one of the best one-two combinations in baseball. Although there was talk as to whether or not either one was going to be traded this offseason, that hasn't happened. However, their lineup will be a lot better than it was most of last year with the return of Buster Posey and the acquisition of Melky Cabrera.

With a rotation like they have, the main question is their run production. But they have made improvements in that area.

9. Atlanta Braves: 5 Percent

Yes, I do realize that they had an incredibly epic collapse last season. However, what I will say about the Atlanta Braves is that there is no worse position in baseball than behind the Braves after the seventh inning.

Eric O'Flaherty, Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel had a fantastic 2011. They have a very young nucleus, and I definitely think that they are only going to get better. It will be interesting what happens, however, if they trade away Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado. They might need to move down the list if that happens.

8. Arizona Diamondbacks: 7 Percent

They got promoted on this list mainly because of the acquisition of Trevor Cahill. He adds another great arm to a rotation that already has Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson.

On offense, you probably realize from my previous writings that the Arizona Diamondbacks are my type of team. Justin Upton, Chris Young and Ryan Roberts provide a great combination of power and speed. They can hurt you a bunch of different ways, and they have good potential this season.

7. Boston Red Sox: 7 Percent

They haven't changed a lot since last season. However, last season was definitely disappointing in a way that it ended. This season shouldn't be that way.

Just like last season, the Red Sox have the potential to go very deep into the playoffs. Carl Crawford should also have a rebound year. If he does, the Red Sox will have an incredibly talented outfield with a lot of speed. Bringing back David Ortiz will also help drive in these runs.

This year should not be as disappointing as the last.

6. Tampa Bay Rays: 7 Percent

At the beginning of the offseason, there was talk about James Shields being traded. Luckily, that didn't happen. With Shields, Jeremy Hellickson and David Price at the top of their rotation, they could definitely be very successful. They tend to turn out great young players every season, and it seems like the next one will be Matt Moore. They have a good lineup as well, and I think that they could fight for the top of the division again.

5. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: 8 Percent

Of course, Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson will make a huge difference for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They are both excellent players and will make be very productive in 2012.

The reason that the Angels are not higher than this is because of the Texas Rangers. Both of these teams are extraordinarily talented, and I think that the Wild Card will also be highly competitive. Because of that, I am not sure they will make it out of the division.

4. Texas Rangers: 8 Percent

Like I said on the previous slide, it is going to be very tight for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Texas Rangers. Because of that, I put the Rangers slightly ahead based on the offensive potential of their entire lineup.

Their pitching staff might not be as highly touted, and losing CJ Wilson will definitely hurt, but their lineup will provide a lot of runs and should be able to make up what they lost.

I have the Rangers and the Angels with the same probability of winning the World Series, but the Rangers got the nod by a very slim margin.

3. New York Yankees: 9 Percent

How can you talk about the World Series without mentioning the New York Yankees? They are highly talented team led by Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson and CC Sabaitha. They also have additional production that will be coming from the young Jesus Montero.

Although the Yankees do have a very tough division to compete in, it is very possible that they will come out on top again and will pursue another record-breaking world championship.

2. Detroit Tigers: 9 Percent

Justin Verlander is pretty amazing. However, the Detroit Tigers run a lot deeper than that. Doug Fister should have a very good season in Detroit. Also, Miguel Cabrera is one of the best all-around hitters in baseball. He is supported very nicely by Alex Avila and Victor Martinez as well.

They have come a long way from being the worst team in baseball. I think that they will be one half of the World Series next October.

1. Philadelphia Phillies: 9 Percent

The Philadelphia Phillies are getting older. However, you have probably noticed that I think that the National League is not quite as strong as the American League. Therefore, the Phillies have a very good chance of winning the National League.

They will be hurting without Ryan Howard for a substantial amount of time, but they still have a very powerful offense and one of the best rotations in baseball, if not the absolute best (Angels fans, I hear you).