MLB Power Rankings: Cubs looking for the repeat

One day. Regular season baseball is one day away.

As the excitement and anticipation of a new season reaches its boiling point, most teams around the bigs have finalized their Opening Day rosters with the hopes they will be the ones to end the season raising the greatest prize of them all.

It's here folks. Baseball has returned, and with its arrival comes theScore's first edition of our regular season power rankings. Take a look.

1. Chicago Cubs

The reigning champs - yep, it really happened! - will bring back essentially their entire roster from 2016 save for Aroldis Chapman, whom they replaced with Wade Davis, and get full seasons from Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras. Look out.

2. Cleveland Indians

Confident their staff is going to dominate, the Indians decided to bolster their lineup this winter, adding Edwin Encarnacion to an offense that finished seventh in the bigs in OPS (.759) last year. Michael Brantley is back, too, so they might really rake.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

It wasn't cheap, keeping the band together, but it should pay off. Justin Turner was the Dodgers' second-best player in 2016, after all, while fellow returnees Rich Hill and Kenley Jansen were integral parts of a staff that finished third in the majors in fWAR (22.9).

4. Boston Red Sox

Most teams would be terrified if their $217-million ace suffered an elbow injury in March. For the Red Sox, who now employ Chris Sale and Rick Porcello (and an elite offense, even sans Big Papi), David Price's wonky elbow is more of a minor inconvenience. Well, maybe.

5. Washington Nationals

They won 95 games last year and still managed to get better this winter, adding Adam Eaton while offsetting the loss of Wilson Ramos with Matt Wieters. If Bryce Harper returns to his 2015 form, the Nationals could have their first ever 100-win season.

6. Houston Astros

Boasting one of the game's top collections of young position players and a new cadre of productive veterans (from Carlos Beltran to Brian McCann to Josh Reddick), the Astros can get the division title eluding them since 2001 if their rotation (4.37 ERA; 4.17 FIP in 2016) rebounds.

7. San Francisco Giants

Their tire fire of a bullpen seemingly extinguished with Mark Melancon's arrival, the workmanlike Giants could give the Dodgers a run for their money if a couple things - like Hunter Pence staying healthy and Matt Moore turning in another full season - break right.

8. Toronto Blue Jays

Despite losing Encarnacion, there's still going to be plenty of thump up north, with newly re-signed Jose Bautista - and offseason additions Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce - helping Josh Donaldson et al support what was quietly the AL's top rotation in 2016.

9. New York Mets

Re-signing Yoenis Cespedes was great, and all, but the Mets aren't going to be able to compete with the Nationals if their starters aren't good and healthy. (Reminder: Steven Matz didn't make the Opening Day roster due to an elbow issue).

10. Seattle Mariners

Jerry Dipoto's myriad marginal moves - and the addition of Jean Segura - should get the playoff-starved Mariners into the postseason conversation, but nothing would help their chances more than a bounce back from Felix Hernandez and Yovani Gallardo.

11. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals may be the only legit challenger to the Cubs in the NL Central. Stealing Dexter Fowler away from their Chicago rivals was a big boost, and if Carlos Martinez can jump into superstardom on the mound this team will mean business.

12. Texas Rangers

Is this the final season of the Yu Darvish-Cole Hamels combo? The Rangers better hope not, since both Darvish and catcher Jonathan Lucroy can walk after this season. But they don't have to worry about that until the winter; all that matters today is that this Rangers team, as constructed, can play with just about anybody.

13. Detroit Tigers

Detroit still belongs to Miggy and Verlander, but the clock is ticking. These Tigers are scary on paper, but if the supporting cast doesn't perform and can't stay healthy enough to make one last run this core's window may finally slam shut.

14. New York Yankees

The Baby Bombers are here at last, and they're taking the Bronx by storm. But even if Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird perform in the regular season, the Yankees will only surprise if their pitching - namely, Masahiro Tanaka - holds up. Watch out for this pesky Yankees crew (when was the last time we said that?).

15. Pittsburgh Pirates

Andrew McCutchen has shifted to right field, but he's still in Pittsburgh and still leading one of the best outfield trios in baseball. These younger Bucs are transitioning but still have eyes on winning, and aside from a McCutchen bounce back, the young pitchers must step up if they're to make a run again.

16. Colorado Rockies

What's this? The Rockies have decent pitching? Jon Gray looks like he might be the one to finally conquer Coors Field, and if he does he'll give the Rockies the true ace they've lacked for decades. With Nolan Arenado just hitting his stride, these Rockies are aiming to surprise in the competitive NL West.

17. Baltimore Orioles

Manny Machado is a ridiculously good baseball player, but aside from Adam Jones, his supporting cast is a bunch of wild cards. The starting depth is thin, and Buck Showalter is going to need it to hold up all season to get the Orioles back to October for more than one game.

18. Kansas City Royals

A hot start is key for these Royals, who are treading the line between going for it one more time with this crew and tearing it all down. With a core that won a World Series together two years ago, these Royals are capable of another run, though the pitching behind Danny Duffy isn't exactly championship caliber.

19. Miami Marlins

You just can't replace a pitcher like Jose Fernandez, and the Marlins didn't even try to do that. Instead, they have a semi-patchwork rotation led by free agent Edinson Volquez, along with a lineup that could scare a lot of teams. Now the question becomes, can this core finally make the leap?

20. Tampa Bay Rays

Pitching, pitching, pitching. If Chris Archer's 2016 was a one-off, these Rays - fueled by a great starting rotation - can be a threat in the AL East. But with very little offense behind them, the Rays' staff may have to carry too much of the load, making for another long year at the Trop.

21. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels spent the offseason improving the club's defense with the additions of Danny Espinosa, Ben Revere, and Martin Maldonado, but it will likely be another season of wasting Mike Trout's excellence in Los Angeles.

22. Atlanta Braves

The Braves spent the winter signing the two oldest active pitchers in major-league baseball to a combined $20 million, making it easy to overlook the fact that the club does have some nice pieces in its lineup. It will be exciting to watch a full season of NL Rookie of the Year front-runner Dansby Swanson alongside Freddie Freeman and Ender Inciarte. The Braves aren't there yet, but they're closer to the postseason than they have been in a long time.

23. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies open life without Ryan Howard for the first time since 2004, though the painful rebuild still lives on. Odubel Herrera, Vince Velasquez, Maikel Franco, and J.P. Crawford remind you that it's not so bad in Philly, it's not so bad.

24. Arizona Diamondbacks

One year removed from postseason aspirations, the Diamondbacks open the season hoping Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller improve enough that new GM Mike Hazen can dangle them at the trade deadline.

25. Oakland Athletics

Sonny Gray starts his comeback season on the disabled list, handing the Opening Day honors to Kendall Graveman. The rotation is young and inexperienced, which doesn't bode well for a team's winning chances when combined with an offense that projects to rank in the bottom third in the league.

26. Milwaukee Brewers

All eyes in Milwaukee will be on Eric Thames as the slugger brings his 126 home runs from the Korean League to the great state of Wisconsin. He'll need to replace the NL-leading 41 homers lost from Chris Carter, who was non-tendered this winter.

27. Minnesota Twins

The Twins lost 103 games last season - the most losses since 1949 when they were the Washington Senators. There is reason for optimism in the Twin Cities, though, and things shouldn't be as bad in 2017 if Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, and Miguel Sano can turn their flashes of brilliance into more consistency.

28. Chicago White Sox

A long rebuild is always more easy to swallow when there are young stars waiting in the wings, and boy, are the White Sox ever loaded. Dumping Chris Sale and Adam Eaton netted the South Siders Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Michael Kopech.

29. Cincinnati Reds

Scott Feldman starts Opening Day for the rebuilding club. The right-hander started in just five of his 40 appearances last season and posted an 8.40 ERA over his final 15 innings with the Blue Jays. Pray for Joey Votto, who for some reason wants to stay in the Queen City.

30. San Diego Padres

When you're rolling out Jhoulys Chacin, Clayton Richard, and Jered Weaver in three of your first four games, you start at the bottom.