Amidst all the talk about great Wild Card races, as MLB enters the stretch run, it is beginning to look like three teams really have a chance to capture the 2016 World Series -- the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cubs have been so good for so long, and they deserve to be a big favorite to win their first World Series since becoming the first team in baseball to win back-to-back World Series in 1907 and 1908. The Cubs have appeared in seven other World Series since 1908, the last in 1945. And clearly with a plus-217 run differential, the largest in baseball, and a record that shows them 34 games above .500, they still have a psychological test in front of them.
That leaves the door slightly ajar for the other two teams. Let's take a peek at the Dodgers first. There's no question hiring manager Dave Roberts has been a huge plus. Having a manager who is going to evolve into one of the sport's best is great. But more important is the fact that the team knows he has the full-backing of the management that runs the team now. That couldn't be said about former manager Don Mattingly.