As we wind down the 2016 regular season, a few contenders have emerged from the pack and will now turn their attention to the playoffs. From dominant starting pitching to stellar hitting to a lockdown bullpen, all of these teams have a path to winning it all. The key for each of these contenders is to stick to their guns and play off of the guys who got them to this point, so here's what each team is going to need to do in order to lift the Commissioner's Trophy when it's all said and done.

1. Texas Rangers

Keep getting above-value production from Ian Desmond, Carlos Gomez, and Cole Hamels. The Rangers boast the best record in the American League because of their power bats and shrewd pickups for the outfield. Nobody would even look at Desmond last winter in free agency except for Texas, and one year later, the former shortstop has been a revelation in center field, and Gomez was released by Houston a couple of weeks ago before blossoming since joining the Rangers. If Hamels can continue to shore up the rotation with his quiet Cy Young-worthy campaign, combined with more stellar production from Rounged Odor and rookie Nomar Mazara, the AL's best team may also be their most dangerous in October.

2. Cleveland Indians

Let dominant starting pitching do their thing until Andrew Miller gets into the game. Any staff that features a former Cy Young winner in Corey Kluber, as well as Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco is going to be deadly. Trevor Bauer, a number two starter on just about any other team, is their fourthstarter. Not to mention this team has offense, from Puerto Rican sensation Francisco Lindor, to the timeless Mike Napoli, to former All-Star Jason Kipnis. Cleveland boasts the second-best record in the AL without arguably their best player in Michael Brantley, who has been out for the entire season due to a shoulder issue. And that Andrew Miller guy they picked up at the deadline? He's pretty good at ending ballgames with his team in the win column.

3. Toronto Blue Jays

Let that offense swing the bat. If the Indians are the cream of the Junior Circuit in pitching, then that title rests north of the border when it comes to hitting. The Jays lineup boasts quiet MVP candidate Edwin Encarnacion, the guy who's looking to win that same award for the second year running in Josh Donaldson, the everlasting Troy Tulowitzki, the flare and passion of Jose Bautista and arguably the strongest middle-to-bottom lineup in baseball. Guys like Russell Martin and Michael Saunders will keep the hurt on opposing pitchers even when the big names aren't at the plate. If Marco Estrada and Marcus Stroman can come up big in the Postseason on the mound, the Rogers Centre could be mounting another World Championship banner from its rafters.

4. Boston Red Sox

Let the Three B's go to work, and send Papi out with a bang. The Three B's include Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts, who were all All-Stars this year, and are all under age 27. That's a seriously talented young core of hitters, especially considering the strides Betts has taken this year, forcing his name into the MVP conversation. Daivd Ortiz, or Big Papi, is having the best age-40 season in sports history, becoming the first 40-year old to ever hit 30 homers over a full season in August, when there were still two months remaining in the campaign. Ortiz has already said that this will be his final season, and his team hopes to claim their fourth championship since 2004 to send out the future Hall of Famer on top. MLB's best offense statistically-speaking have covered for lackluster pitching this year, although Boston fans will hope David Price can recover his ace form come October.

5. Chicago Cubs

Don't get caught up in the hype. For the first time since 2004, this really could be the year to end the longest championship drought in sports history at 108 years. The Cubs are the best team in baseball by a country mile this season, as they have superstars all across the diamond, from 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta, to Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant. Throw in the deadline acquisition of flamethrowing closer Aroldis Chapman, and the Cubs have the look of one of the best teams in baseball history. On paper, no one should even have a chance at denying this team a World Series ring, but the hype of ending the drought could end up coming back to haunt them. It sure has every other time the Cubs have been good since their last World title.

6. Washington Nationals

Allow Bryce Harper to lead from the front. Every contender needs its superstar, and even though Harper has not looked the part by any stretch of the imagination this season, it hasn't mattered for Washington, who have posted the second-best record in the National League. Harper, the defending NL MVP, has had his share of the burden carried this season by solid pitching lead by ace Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg who will give the Nats an edge every time they're on the bump in the playoffs. The true question is whether or not this postseason-untested team can come together and survive when every game counts.

7. Los Angeles Dodgers

Pray Clayton Kershaw can return to his dominance and finally find that elusive postseason success. After one of the greatest pitchers of this generation had the best season of his career thus far derailed by a back injury, the Dodgers rallied around the talents of Adrian Gonzalez and rookie sensation Corey Seager to lead them to the top of the NL West in the second half of the campaign. Kershaw is expected to return before the playoffs, barring any setbacks, but postseason performance is the only negative of his otherwise stellar career. He has yet to truly dominate in any postseason series and carry his team deep into October, so if that can change this year, we could see Los Angeles be in the conversation for their first World Series title since 1988.

8. San Francisco Giants

Treat the playoffs like an entirely new season, and forget what's happened in the second half. The Giants set the baseball world on fire before the All-Star break, challenging the Cubs for the National League's best record while boasting one of the most balanced rosters in the game today before a complete and utter meltdown to lose the NL West lead to the rival Dodgers. San Francisco has won every even-numbered year's World Series since 2010, and if they can utilize the balance between pitching and hitting that has made them such a powerful player in the playoffs, that streak could continue for their fourth title in the past seven years. The Giants have been the epitome of postseason success this decade, especially when playing as an underdog, so despite the horrendous second half, no one's worried in the Bay Area just yet.