The beginning of April in the sports world means the long 7-month baseball season is just around the corner, and the first week provided us with some cheers, new faces, and the end of misery in Chicago Cubs baseball. Here are some storylines to watch out for throughout the season:

The Diamondbacks Do Not Look Like a Waste of Money

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been a team who over the last few years have spent a lot of money on trying to keep their team relevant in the NL, but it hasn’t worked until now. Starting Pitchers Zack Greinke, Patrick Corbin, and Shelby Miller, and Relievers Taijuan Walker and Fernando Rodney have all started playing at their potential. The batting of Jake Lamb, Paul Goldschmidt, and Chris Owings has all come into fruition for this team as well. So far, they are 6-2, with 3 wins each over the San Fran Giants, and the defending AL Champion Cleveland Indians.

The Orioles Are Playing Like a Complete Team

For years and years, I have thought of the Orioles as a World Series threat, but never as a potential World Series champion, until now. Their offense has never been a problem, with guys like Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, and Chris Davis. Their pitching was inconsistent last year, to say the least. Starters Kevin Gausman and Ubaldo Jimenez both finished last year with losing records (9-12 and 8-12, respectively), and Dylan Bundy, while he had a winning record, was shaky at times. This year, they all look very solid, and Closer Zach Britton is at the top of his game. Expect this team to be a serious threat to win the AL, and possibly even the World Series this year.

The Nationals Will Be Better Than the Cubs

This is the boldest prediction anyone in the MLB can make at this point, but I believe this will hold true. The MLB hasn’t seen repeat champs since the NY Yankees 3-peated from ’98-’00, and the Cubs won for the first time in 108 years. While that was great, the Cubs will be a huge threat, but the Nationals have the roster to beat Chicago. Led by the great Bryce Harper, a supporting cast of Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman, and Trea Turner, and pitchers Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Gio Gonzalez, this could be the Nats year. An Orioles-Nationals Beltway World Series would be fun to watch, for sure.