In baseball as in life, there are unavoidable problems, things that could not have been foreseen or avoided. The Giants couldn't really do much about Madison Bumgarner's decision to go dirt biking on his off day, nor was there any real way to replace their ace one they lost him. Events like that are mostly out of a team's control, and are the variables that limit a team's chances to guarantee themselves a successful season. Sometimes, stuff just happens.
But not every problem is a bad break. Right now, a number of contenders (or should-have-been contenders) are struggling with headaches of their own making. Let's take a look at the five biggest issues that are causing problems that were both predictable and avoidable.
1. Third base, Boston Red Sox
Over the winter, Dave Dombrowski decided to not only bet on a return to form from Pablo Sandoval, but also to double down on that bet, trading away the team's potential third baseman of the future (Yoan Moncada -- though to be fair, he helped get them Chris Sale) and useful third baseman of the present in Travis Shaw. Without Shaw and Moncada, the team effectively handed the starting job back to Sandoval, despite the fact he produced two wins below replacement level in 2015, and then missed all of 2016 with a shoulder problem.