MLB Power Rankings: Who are 2021 World Series contenders?

30. Colorado Rockies
29. Pittsburgh Pirates
28. Baltimore Orioles
27. Detroit Tigers
26. Seattle Mariners

At the outset of the 2021 season, you can make a case that the Rockies have the worst roster in baseball, and there's the potential for things to get even worse as the season goes on. The Rockies traded superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado (more on him in a minute) this offseason, and Trevor Story, one of the game's elite shortstops, is entering a contract year. With no evidence that the Rockies are going to mount a serious attempt to retain Story, a team that FanGraphs already projects to win just 67 games this year could get even worse if they decide to trade their shortstop this July.

25. Texas Rangers
24. Arizona Diamondbacks
23. Cincinnati Reds
22. Kansas City Royals
21. San Francisco Giants

The Royals aren't going to contend in what's becoming a crowded American League Central, but 2021 shouldn't be a lost year either. As many teams cut costs this past winter, the Royals acquired Mike Minor, Carlos Santana, Andrew Benintendi and Michael A. Taylor, while inking franchise icon Salvador Perez to a new long-term extension. With three of MLB Pipeline's top 30 prospects in baseball, the Royals are trending in a very positive direction organizationally.

20. Chicago Cubs
19. Miami Marlins
18. Washington Nationals
17. Milwaukee Brewers
16. Boston Red Sox

Even if everything goes right in D.C., the Nationals are probably too top-heavy. When you consider that some of those players at the top - 36-year-old Max Scherzer, injury-prone Stephen Strasburg - are far from sure things, you'll understand why we're projecting the Nationals to finish fourth in a crowded National League East. Juan Soto and Trea Turner are among the very best position players in the sport, but the team's roster as a whole isn't deep enough to win potentially the best division in baseball.

15. Los Angeles Angels
14. Cleveland
13. Oakland Athletics
12. Houston Astros
11. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies already have the longest playoff drought in the National League, and it will be a decade since there's been October baseball at Citizens Bank Park if they miss the postseason in 2021. With a full season of Alec Bohm and the re-signings of J.T. Realmuto and Didi Gregorius, Joe Girardi possess one of the more talented lineups in baseball. If offseason additions at the back-end of the rotation (Matt Moore, Chase Anderson) and in the bullpen (José Alvarado, Archie Bradley) prove successful, the Phillies could very easily win one of the two Wild Card spots in the National League.

10. Tampa Bay Rays
9. Toronto Blue Jays
8. St. Louis Cardinals
7. Chicago White Sox
6. New York Mets

While the teams at the top of the National League West and in the entire National League East may beat each other up, the Cardinals enter the 2021 season as pretty heavy favorites to win the National League Central. Even with a chaotic schedule brought on by COVID-19, the Cardinals reached the postseason in 2020, a year after appearing in the NLCS. With the offseason pickup of Nolan Arenado and a full season of Dylan Carlson, the Cardinals could become a World Series contender with the addition of another frontline starting pitcher this summer.