Odds to win the 2017 World Series

The Cubs finally ended their 108-year championship drought in 2016 and are the overwhelming favorites going into 2017. While they could lose Dexter Fowler to free agency, Kyle Schwarber is set to return, along with their young core that includes Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras. The rotation also returns its top four.

The Indians came oh so close to winning it all, falling to the Cubs in seven games in the World Series after a 3-1 lead in the series. They accomplished that feat without Carlos Carrasco in the playoffs and also didn't have Danny Salazar until the World Series. The team has staying power with a core that includes Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis, Jose Ramirez, Andrew Miller, their three ace pitchers and the return of Michael Brantley.

How will the post-David Ortiz era look? The Boston lineup should be fine without him, especially with the emergence of Mookie Betts, though the rotation could stand to get deeper behind Rick Porcello and David Price.

The Dodgers came up short against the Cubs in the NLCS, and the team's front office has an interesting offseason ahead. The team is loaded with young pitching to go along with Clayton Kershaw, while the lineup could see some adjustments with Justin Turner's pending free agency.

The Nats lost in the playoffs without Stephen Strasburg and are very hopeful that his elbow will be healthy in spring training. They also hope Bryce Harper can rebound after a subpar season, but they have quite a future with Trea Turner in the leadoff spot. Catcher remains a question mark with Wilson Ramos headed to free agency after tearing his ACL.

Houston had some bad luck after a surprising 2015 season, with Dallas Keuchel's struggles and Lance McCullers' arm issues. There's plenty of exciting young talent on the way, including pitchers David Paulino and Francis Martes, to go along with hitters Alex Bregman, A.J. Reed and Cuban signing Yulieski Gurriel. The Astros should be considered a major sleeper in the AL.

The Mets were fortunate to win a wild card spot considering their injuries, which included Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and Neil Walker. The team could lose Yoenis Cespedes and Walker to free agency, while closer Jeurys Familia could also be questionable due to an offseason arrest for domestic issues.

It's not a sure thing but very unlikely that Toronto will be able to bring back both Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion as they head toward free agency. That pair will be tough to replace, but the Jays still have a scary lineup that includes Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Donaldson. The team could have to lean more on its rotation, including Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman and J.A. Happ.

The Yankees are getting younger following the losses of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira and have great young talent on the way after trading Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. They'll have to fill in in the short term to cover for their losses.

The Giants disappointed in 2016, winning a playoff spot but getting easily defeated by the Cubs. New acquisition Johnny Cueto was everything the Giants could have hoped, but Jeff Samardzija was far from great. The back of the rotation and bullpen have major issues to be addressed this offseason.

The Rangers' pitching didn't perform up to snuff during the playoffs and has some major depth issues behind Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish. The team also could lose Ian Desmond in free agency, though hitting depth isn't a big problem in Texas.

Baltimore's powerful lineup and elite bullpen helped win a wild card spot, but the team was limited by its rotation. There isn't much available in the way of starting pitching in free agency, so the front office may have to get creative.

The Cardinals disappointed in 2016, particularly their rotation. Carlos Martinez emerged as the clear ace, but behind him there have been major issues. The team hopes young starters Alex Reyes and Luke Weaver can solve those issues, but that's far from a sure thing. The outfield is also changing, with Matt Holliday and Brandon Moss expected to depart in free agency.

The Tigers fell short of the playoffs in 2016 but did see a complete rebound from ace Justin Verlander. The lineup remains among the elite in the game, especially after Justin Upton's second-half rebound. Still, the team has promised offseason changes and could be forced to cut payroll.

The Royals had a fall to .500, due in part to injuries and are likely to lose DH Kendrys Morales in free agency. They desperately need rebound seasons from lineup staples Mike Moustakas and Alex Gordon, along with starting pitcher Yordano Ventura.

Felix Hernandez continues to decline, but the M's hope the rest of their rotation can start to make up for him. The lineup is still producing plenty, led by Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager.

The Pirates have exciting young talent, including Josh Bell and starters Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow. Ace Gerrit Cole missed much of 2016 due to injury and will need to rebound for the Pirates to compete in the competitive NL Central.

The White Sox are set at the top of their rotation with Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon, but then it gets shaky. They didn't get the contribution they wanted from James Shields after acquiring him and had a merry-go-round in the fifth rotation spot. The lineup also has holes at catcher and center field. 

Miami made some noise in 2016 but ran out of gas in the second half after Giancarlo Stanton got injured again. Jose Fernandez's tragic death leaves a huge void in the starting rotation.

Colorado hired former Padres manager Bud Black to right the ship, and he has plenty of young talent. Outfielder David Dahl shows star ability, while Trevor Story might have won the NL Rookie of the Year if not for a late-July injury. The rotation also has some building blocks, including Jon Gray and Tyler Anderson.

Tampa Bay has rotation depth that extends well into the minors, and the lineup showed surprising power in 2016. The Rays still need to show much more offense than last season, which they could address in the trade market.

Arizona was the most disappointing team of 2016, and the competition really isn't close. The Diamondbacks still have plenty of talent for the new regime to work with, including Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, Jake Lamb and Brandon Drury, to go along with Zack Greinke and a host of other upside arms.

Atlanta will open a new ballpark with one of baseball's youngest teams. The Braves did add some punch to the lineup with Matt Kemp protecting Freddie Freeman and have high hopes for former No. 1 overall draft choice Dansby Swanson. Still, the rotation needs help behind Julio Teheran.

The Reds traded Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce over the last year, but it's their pitching that is the organization's biggest need. They have pitching talent in the upper minors, but it will certainly need time to mesh. Franchise player Joey Votto's contract has somewhat handicapped the organization.

Philadelphia probably overperformed with 71 wins last season based on their -186 run differential, but fans have reason to be excited. Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez showed huge upside, while the team has prospects to add to the lineup that includes Maikel Franco, Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez.

Milwaukee got huge seasons out of Ryan Braun and Jonathan Villar and has high hopes for young shortstop Orlando Arcia. The Brewers need much more to compete in the NL Central but have Zach Davies and Junior Guerra to lead the rotation.

San Diego seems to be in full rebuild mode, but the outfield will be impressive in 2017 with top prospects Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe ready to help. The pitching is a different story and really needs some starters to emerge.

Mike Trout remains the face of the Angels organization, while Albert Pujols and Kole Calhoun are also productive. After that, the Angels have problems. They hope Garrett Richards avoids Tommy John surgery with his current rehab regimen, but Nick Tropeano wasn't so lucky.

Oakland desperately needs Sonny Gray to a rebound from an awful year, but that won't be enough to return Billy Beane's boys to contention. The team has several holes and limited resources to address them.

The Twins won only 59 games in 2016, but few teams have more exciting young hitting talent. Byron Buxton started to come into his own late in the year, while Miguel Sano has elite power if he's able to make more consistent contact. Those pieces still won't be enough given how poorly the team pitched last season.