The birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming, which means spring is upon us. With spring, comes the start of the 2024 Major League Baseball season. The 2023 season gave us iconic moments, legendary seasons, and the first-time World Series Champions in the Texas Rangers. The Twins won their first playoff game in over a decade, Ronald Acuna became the first player ever to steal 70 bases and hit 40 home runs, and the Diamondbacks went to the World Series for the first time in 20 years. With so much talent on the field and so many teams poised for glory, 2024 is looking to be an exciting season.
First and foremost, let’s take a look at how New York’s teams, the Mets and Yankees, are doing. The Mets are coming off of one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. 2022 was a breakout year, where the Mets won 100 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2016, only to be eliminated in the first round by the San Diego Padres.
However in 2023, due to the injuries of Starling Marte and Edwin Diaz and the underperformance of several big-money superstars such as Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, the Mets wildly under delivered, finishing with only 75 wins and missing the playoffs.
2024 isn’t shaping up to be any better for the team, as the Mets enter the season with only two formidable starters, and one of them, Kodai Senga, will start the year injured.
Mets General Manager David Stearns has outlined his strategy of fostering young talent that the Mets can rely on for years to come. The Mets are betting the young talents they have developed such as SS Luisangel Acuna and 3B Brett Batty will make a major impact within the next few years. However, it’s safe to say Met fans will have to wait a little longer to see their team return to the playoffs.
However, on the other side of town, the Yankees are preparing for the most anticipated year of the last decade. After the disaster that was 2023, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman went out and completed several offseason acquisitions that put the Bronx Bombers right back in the Pennant Race.
Cashman acquired 25 year old outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, who fits perfectly in the Yankees Lineup right beside Aaron Judge. He adds a high on-base percentage which fits perfectly with the home run hitting abilities of Aaron Judge. Cashman also signed veteran Marcus Stroman into a multi-year deal, who adds much-needed stability to the Yankees Pitching Staff, along with several other bullpen arms giving the Yankees a deep bullpen with several reliable, talented options.
Despite the noticeable improvements, many questions are still raised for the Yankees. Starting Pitchers Nestor Cortes, and Marcus Stroman bring with them solid pitching to the field, but the Yankees are largely dependent on a bounce-back season in 2024 from left-hander Carlos Rodon. He posted a 6.85 Earned Run Average in 2023, largely thanks to abnormally high numbers of walks and home runs. Even then, the Yankees are hoping ace Gerrit Cole is in good health following his injury to his pitching arm. Moreover, the Yankees do not have a fifth starter entering the season. The team is also betting that many of the veteran players in the lineup will bounce back, such as Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton.
It is safe to assume the Yankees will be competitive for the American East Division Title in 2024. But how are the other teams in the division doing? The Blue Jays and Rays are in a similar position, as both teams will enter the season with solid rosters, after quick exits in the postseason last year. The biggest threat to an AL East Division Title for the Yankees is the Baltimore Orioles. They won 101 games last year, which was good enough for the Division Title. However, they might be eliminated quickly in the ALDS by the eventual World Series Champions, the Texas Rangers, a team with far more playoff experience collectively.
The Orioles have young talent up-and-down the lineup in the form of Gunner Henderson, Adley Rutchsman, and MLB Pipeline #1 Prospect Jackson Holiday. They have 28 year old fireballer Felix Bautista closing out games, and they recently acquired ace Corbin Burnes from the Brewers. Baltimore’s young talent is only going to improve, meaning they will remain a contender for years to come and enter the season as the favorite to win the Division.
The American League is home to the other very interesting Division Race. The AL West is home to the defending World Series Champions, the current dynasty of MLB the Astros, and the young upcoming Seattle Mariners. If history has told us anything, it’s that you can never bet against the Astros. The Rangers and Astros enter the season with elite lineups stacked with stars such as Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Corey Seager, and Adolis Garcia. Both teams also have reliable starters up-and-down the rotation.
The two teams diverge in the bullpen. Rangers enter the season with closer Jose Leclerc, David Robertson, and Kirby Yates as the only reliable arms. Meanwhile the Astros have Rafael Montero, Byran Abreu, Luis Garcia, Ryan Pressly, and newly acquired power-lefty Josh Hader. This bullpen will be one of the best in baseball, making the Astros the favorites to win the Division.
Unfortunately, the other divisions aren’t shaping up to be as exciting. The AL Central, NL West, and NL East are each set up to be one-sided affairs, with the Twins, Dodgers, and Braves expected to run away with each division respectively. Alternatively, the NL Central is a division of mediocrity, where the champion will be the team that loses the least. Last year, the Brewers were the only solid team in the division and they have gotten significantly weaker since ace Corbin Burnes went to the Orioles.
Despite the lack of intriguing division races, 2024 is set up to have an action-packed Wild Card Race, with many teams in each league poised to make a run for October. The Reds are poised for a breakout year, with a roster that is stacked with young talents. Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Nick Martinez are talented pitchers who are expected to take major steps forward in 2024. The Reds also have a lineup stacked with talented players such as Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer, Jonathan India, and Noelvi Marte. These players are new to the sport, but have shown tremendous potential over the past few years. Contained in a Division of mediocrity, the Reds are poised to make a serious run for the NL Central Title and should definitely make a spectacle for the Wild Card.
The set of teams that will make a run to October is clear coming into 2024, but the teams that have a serious chance at winning the World Series are not clear. First and foremost are the teams who have good odds on becoming favorites to win the World Series. The Dodgers enter the season with a super-team. Their lineup starts with the three-headed monster of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani, and hidden talent beyond that in the form of Gavin Lux, James Outman, Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, and Chris Taylor. The rotation is just as fearsome, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, and Tyler Glasnow headlining a star-studded rotation.
Despite the obvious talent of the Dodgers, the World Series can never be guaranteed, as it seems to be an annual occurrence for the Dodgers to fall short during the postseason. Then we have teams such as the Braves, Rangers, and Astros, who have established themselves as formidable threats come October and could very well be champions once again.
Beyond the established juggernauts, the playoff picture is faint to say the least. The Orioles are talented, but lack the playoff experience to be recognized as a favorite to win it all. The Yankees made significant steps to increase their odds in October, but have too many looming questions left to bet on. Then there are teams such as the Phillies, Mariners, Rays, Twins, and Bluejays that lack the talent to compete with the established juggernauts.
All in all, 2024 is set to be an exciting year for baseball, as the sport hosts many series across the globe with many teams poised for success. While we can make fact-grounded predictions about the winners and losers of 2024, the beauty of baseball is we never know what can happen. Oftentimes, one underdog team makes a run late and shocks the baseball world. Only time will tell us which team is destined to emerge victorious by the end of the year.
And with that, let’s play ball.
While we can make fact-grounded predictions about the winners and losers of 2024, the beauty of baseball is we never know what can happen.