Over the past few years, 100-win seasons have become commonplace. The Houston Astros and New York Yankees have won at least 100 games in each of the past two seasons, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have averaged more than 100 wins over the past three years -- and seem likely to do so again after trading for Mookie Betts.
Major League Baseball is seeing more high-end teams enjoy sustained success at the top of the sport, but that success can be fleeting. We've seen a potential Cubs dynasty unravel, and teams in Boston and Cleveland have taken steps backward as well. Even the reigning world champion Nationals have had inconsistent success despite tremendous talent on their roster each season.
Right now, the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers can be clearly classified as baseball's superteams given their track record over the past few seasons. All three will head into the 2020 season with high expectations to contend. The more interesting question is which teams might join that trio -- or even displace them -- in the coming years. For each league, I've chosen a prime contender and a wild card or two.
American League: Tampa Bay Rays
How might the Rays break into the ranks of the Dodgers and Yankees despite continually running with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball? After notching 96 wins last year, they are already on the verge, and they boast one of the most talented farm systems in the game. Last season, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Brandon Lowe missed time with injuries, and now top prospect Brendan McKay should spend a full season with the club, as should oft-injured former top prospect Brent Honeywell. The team traded away Tommy Pham but also acquired Hunter Renfroe, Randy Arozarena and Jose Martinez to lighten the blow. Nick Anderson is one of the best relievers in the game, and the Rays should get their first full season of his services as well.
It's not just the 2020 outlook that appears promising for the Rays. They have no key free agents departing after the season, no huge arbitration awards to contend with, and Snell and Lowe are already locked up long term to team-friendly contracts. The team has only around $30 million committed per season over the next few years, which should provide even the budget-conscious Rays some payroll flexibility.
On top of the talent already on the major league roster and their promising financial situation, even more help is on the way. Wander Franco is the best prospect in baseball. He might be ready to contribute at some point in 2020, but he'll be just 20 years old in 2021 and has all the makings of a future star. In addition to Franco and the previously mentioned McKay and Honeywell, the Rays have a number of other prospects among the best in the game who will be ready to contribute over the next few seasons.
Winning 100 games is no easy task for any franchise, but the Rays looked poised to get close in 2020 with a chance at sustained success. From 2008 to 2013, the Rays won an average of 92 games per season, making the playoffs four times and winning one American League pennant behind a core trio of Evan Longoria, David Price and Ben Zobrist. This next stretch of Rays baseball has a chance to be better than that.
Wild cards: The Minnesota Twins -- if their pitching works out -- and Los Angeles Angels if they actually acquire some pitching to go with Mike Trout and potential star Jo Adell.
National League: Atlanta Braves
After a surprising 90-win season in 2018, the Braves defended their division title by winning 97 games before suffering a second straight National League Division Series loss. The Nationals, their main competition for the division, lost their best player, Anthony Rendon, in free agency. The Mets are still trying to move pieces around to make a run, while the Phillies are hoping for another step forward after a .500 season. Meanwhile, the Braves have Freddie Freeman under contract through 2021, with Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies locked up for nearly a decade at embarrassingly low salaries.
The team did lose veterans Josh Donaldson and Dallas Keuchel to free agency, but it signed Marcell Ozuna and Cole Hamels to make up for their departures. Ozuna was only a little above average after his breakout 2017 season with the Marlins, but a change of scenery and a better park for hitting could spark a great season. A full year of Hamels likely will be better for the Braves than the half-season from Keuchel. The bullpen should be better with a full season out of Mark Melancon to go along with the addition of free agent Will Smith. If Austin Riley can make a few adjustments and Mike Foltynewicz can show that the first half of last year was an aberration, the Braves could improve on last year's win totals. Or maybe they will trade for Kris Bryant?
With Melancon, Ozuna and Hamels all free agents after 2020, the club should have a lot of money to play with for the future. Despite a $160 million payroll this season, the team has just $68 million committed to their 2021 budget.
The team's farm system isn't quite as loaded as Tampa Bay's, but it is full of talented players ready to contribute almost immediately. Cristian Pache and Drew Waters are close to coming up and giving Atlanta one of the best young outfields in the game, while Ian Anderson, Kyle Wright and Bryse Wilson give the Braves' rotation some young, cheap options this year to join Mike Soroka, Foltynewicz, Max Fried and Hamels. If the youngsters aren't quite ready, the club should have the prospect depth to trade from to add proven options.
There are going to be questions about whether Liberty Media will allow the Braves to spend at a high level, but the club has a base of young, locked-in talent headed by one of the best players in the game in Acuna. If their next wave of prospects breaks right and ownership continues to supplement the team in free agency, Atlanta could dominate the NL East for the next half-decade.
Wild card: The San Diego Padres, if MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patino turn into aces as Fernando Tatis Jr. blossoms into a star.