The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres opened the MLB season March 20-21 in South Korea, but the other 28 teams will take the field for the first time in 2024 on Thursday. In preparation for Opening Day, here are 10 of the hottest topics of the season for teams that have yet to play.
Who are the best prospects to crack Opening Day rosters?
MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday didn’t make Baltimore’s Opening Day roster, but future stars Jackson Chourio of the Brewers and Wyatt Langford of the Rangers will make their debuts in the major leagues Thursday.
Chourio, who signed an eight-year, $82 million extension with Milwaukee this offseason, has the tools to become an elite center fielder sooner rather than later. The 20-year-old slashed .280/.336/.467 with 22 homers, 89 RBIs and 43 steals in 122 games for Double-A Biloxi last season before being called up for a six-game stint in the Triple -HAS. .
Meanwhile, OF/DH Langford, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, progressed quickly through Texas’ minor league ranks last season, slashing .360/.480/.677 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs over four levels. Expect the Florida product to be another impact bat for one of baseball’s premier offenses.
Left-hander Jordan Montgomery is still looking for a job
Agent Scott Boras overplayed his hand in several failed attempts to secure massive contracts with several high-profile clients this offseason, and Montgomery As a result, he enters the season unsigned. Montgomery had a career year in 2023, posting a 3.20 ERA between the Cardinals and Rangers. The 31-year-old was also instrumental in helping Texas win its first World Series title in franchise history, posting a 2.90 ERA in five postseason starts.
By CBS Sports’ Jim Bowden, Montgomery has two long-term contract offers on the table and interest from several other teams, including the Red Sox and Yankees. Given the number of injuries to pitchers, Montgomery might be able to raise his price while he waits to see how interested teams’ rotations play out in their first round of the season.
Injured aces and looming contract talks looming in New York
Both New York teams aim to bounce back from disappointing seasons in 2023, but they must overcome early adversity.
Yankees right-hander Gerrit Colereigning American League Cy Young Award winner, is struggling with nerve inflammation and edema in his throwing elbow. Meanwhile, Mets RHP Kodai Senga is dealing with a right shoulder strain. Every All-Star should be back in May.
Injuries aren’t the only major storyline to follow in New York. The impending free agencies of outfielder Juan Soto, the Yankees’ prized offseason acquisition, and Mets first baseman Pete Alonso will cast a shadow over both teams’ seasons.
The Yankees need to prove to Soto that they should be the team he spends the rest of his potential Hall of Fame career with. Alonso, meanwhile, needs to convince the Mets that he’s worth a huge long-term contract.
The reigning champions’ rotation also faces injury issues
The Rangers should be grateful to be able to score so much because their rotation is a problem. RHPs Max Scherzer (back), Tyler Mahle (elbow) and Jacob deGrom (elbow) will miss much of the season. Scherzer is expected to return the earliest of the three, perhaps as soon as June or July.
The front four, Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Dane Dunning and Andrew Heaney, will shoulder the majority of the load during the absence of the injured starters. Texas signed right-hander Michael Lorenzen to a one-year contract last week, potentially paving the way for left-hander Cody Bradford to return to the bullpen.
Royals hope offseason spending can propel them to playoffs
Contrary to popular belief, small market teams are allowed to spend big money in the offseason, something Kansas City proved last winter. To improve a roster that finished 56-106 in 2023, the Royals spent $110.5 million on free agent contracts, the sixth most among teams, according to Spotrac.
Kansas City’s most notable additions include right-handers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha and outfielder Hunter Renfroe, all of whom should significantly raise the team’s level.
As long as third baseman Maikel Garcia and star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. continue on their current trajectory, the Royals have a legitimate chance to earn a 2024 wild card spot.
Braves right-hander Spencer Strider looks like NL Cy Young favorite
Although he leads the majors in wins (20) and strikeouts (281) last season, Strider posted a modest 3.86 ERA, keeping him from being named an NL Cy Young finalist.
Strider’s dominant spring gives reason to believe he will win the award in 2024. With the help of his new curve, Strider posted a 0.79 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 35 strikeouts in 22.2 innings in spring training.
The race for second place in the National League West should be exciting
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the star-studded Dodgers should run away with their 11th division title in 12 seasons, but the NL West could ultimately produce three playoff teams. It will be fascinating to see how the rest of the division standings evolve… FanDuel Sports Betting predicts that the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants will each win 83.5 games in 2024.
Even though Arizona had a magical run to the World Series last season and San Diego still has plenty of talent, the Giants deserve the edge due to the late signings of third baseman Matt Chapman and LHP Blake Snell .
The Astros bullpen is in a class of its own
During the 2023 regular season, Houston’s bullpen recorded the sixth-best ERA among teams (3.56) and ranked 10th in WHIP (1.27), but that didn’t stop general manager Dana Brown from recruiting MLB’s best left-handed reliever during the offseason.
In January, the Astros signed five-time All-Star Josh Hader to a five-year, $95 million contract, creating baseball’s fiercest bullpen trio alongside Ryan Pressly (3.58 ERA in 2023) and Bryan Abreu (1.75 ERA in 2023).
Houston’s starting rotation raises questions, especially since Justin Verlander (shoulder) will open the season on the injured list. Still, with the back end of the bullpen the team boasts, don’t discount Houston’s chances of making an eighth straight appearance in the American League Championship Series this season.
Cubs ready for playoffs?
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer became a buyer at last season’s trade deadline to help his scrappy team reach the playoffs. Chicago, however, collapsed in epic fashion, posting a 7-14 in September, and he was eliminated from the playoffs on the penultimate day of the regular season.
Despite this, there are several reasons to be optimistic that the Cubs can return to the postseason in 2024. Most of last season’s roster returns, and the club has made some intriguing additions with the signings of LHP Shota Imanaga and reliever Hector Neris.
Of course, no arrival is more impactful than manager Craig Counsell, whose regular-season success should help Chicago take another step forward.
White Sox starting rotation has potential to be worst in MLB
FanGraphs projects White Sox starters to post the third-worst combined ERA in the majors this season (4.73), but this could end up being the worst rotation in baseball. While that might seem overly pessimistic, it’s easy to see why that might be just by looking at Chicago’s top three starters.
After all, converted reliever Garrett Crochet’s first career outing as a starter will be on Opening Day, and Chicago’s No. 2 pitcher, Mike Soroka, just made nine departures over the past four seasons due to injuries.
Additionally, starter #3 Erick Feddé, the 2023 KBO MVP, has a career 5.41 ERA over 454.1 MLB innings. The depth behind these starters isn’t particularly impressive, although Chicago will have to hope that RHPs Nick Nastrini and Drew Thorpe show signs of promise.
