After a somewhat boring offseason with little-to-no free agency signings or trades, the 2024 MLB season is ramping up.
With Spring Training officially underway, there are still five big name players on the market, including Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery and Matt Chapman. These players are all represented by the same agent, a common factor among players who take time before signing contracts.
Snell was the league leader in multiple stat categories last season and has yet to come to terms on a deal with the Padres or another team. Their agent, Scott Boras, is known for playing the long game with teams attempting to earn more money and better overall deals for his players. Montgomery, a World Series champion with the Rangers last season, is also a Boras client and has not yet signed a contract although he is entering his age 32 season. Pitchers typically begin a decline entering the 32-34 age range, and Montgomery is looking for a deal well higher than the average price range of pitchers his age.
Other than those top five players not signing deals yet, the biggest name of the offseason was two-way player Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani had played with a struggling Los Angeles Angels team and entered free agency last fall. He ended up signing a record breaking contract with the Dodgers for 10 years and $700 million.
The biggest story headlining Spring Training so far have been the atrocious new uniforms provided by Nike and new producer Fanatics. The jerseys are cheap material, and nothing is stitched as it was in years past. The colors are off and look like they are from a middle school fabrics class. The pants are see-through and fit none of the players correctly. This situation will be the most interesting thing to play out in 2024.
The top contenders for the 2024 World Series as of now are mostly playoff teams from 2023. Leading the list in odds are the Dodgers, Braves, Astros, Yankees and last year’s champion Texas Rangers.
The Dodgers boast a star-studded roster highlighted with free agent signing Ohtani and reigning National League MVP Mookie Betts. The Dodgers returned a roster with seven All-Star game appearances last year, including new pick-ups. The Braves have one of the best starting pitching rotations in the league, including their ace, Spencer Strider, who led the league with over 280 strikeouts last season and finished 3rd in the Cy Young Award voting. Strider led all of MLB in strikeouts, was Top 20 in earned run average (ERA), first in wins and Top 10 in walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP).
Following Strider are veterans Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Chris Sale. Rookie Bryce Elder rounds out the starting rotation after making his debut in the middle of the 2023 season. The Braves have a loaded lineup at the plate as well with perennial MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr and first baseman Matt Olson who led the MLB in home-runs last season. The Astros have made the playoffs 8 out the last 9 seasons and have made the World Series four times winning two titles.
The Rangers find themselves atop the list after winning the World Series last season and returning one of the better lineups with veterans Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. Along with World Series MVP Adolis Garcia and young phenom Evan Carter, the Rangers are in a good position to make another run in the playoffs.
The playoffs in baseball are up for grabs almost every season. My current favorites to reach the postseason are the Orioles, Astros, Mariners, Twins, Rays and Rangers from the AL. The Orioles have the best young core in the MLB along with the Mariners who have a really solid pitching rotation and bullpen. The Twins have a lot of talent and offense that carried them last season, and the Rays always find a way to make the playoffs and play good baseball down the stretch. My favorite teams from the NL are the Braves, Phillies, Dodgers, Diamondbacks and the Brewers.
My bold “sleeper” prediction for this season is the Chicago Cubs. After a season that saw more success in 2023, playoff baseball will return to Wrigley Field in the National League Wild Card round. The Phillies have an electric environment in October, and the Diamondbacks have a good enough core to carry them to the playoffs. The Brewers have one of the best defenses in the MLB, but making it to the playoffs will be the end of the road. Going to the American League pennant series will be the young Orioles and a Cinderella run from the Minnesota Twins. The NL side will see yet another NL East team in the Phillies taking on the Cubs. The Phillies will make it to their second World Series in three seasons when they take on the Orioles. The lack of experience on the Orioles roster will be exposed in Game 7 of the World Series when the Phillies bring home their first World title since 2008.
The most disappointing team will be the Dodgers. Although they make the playoffs, their star-studded lineup will not be able to make enough noise in the playoffs as they sizzle out. The biggest surprise team this season will be the Los Angeles Angels. After losing debatably the biggest player in their lineup, they will put together a winning season in an extremely good AL West division with three playoff teams. Taylor Ward will have a breakout season for the Angels and make the All-Star game as an alternate. The AL MVP winner will be Julio Rodríguez; after having two incredible seasons, he has earned the award. The Cy Young winner is up in the air with so many talented arms, but Corbin Burnes is above the rest and will win the award in his first season in the AL. The American League Rookie of the Year will be won by Jackson Holliday. Although that is a safe pick, it is the most logical. The NL sides of the awards are just as competitive, but I think the MVP will be Bryce Harper on the championship Phillies. The Cy Young will be won by another Phillie, Zach Wheeler. The NL ROTY favorite is hands down Paul Skenes who is fresh off a record-breaking college career.
No matter what, the 2024 season will be yet another exciting season of America’s National Pastime.
