The 2024 MLB Season opened on March 28, with all 30 teams looking to take home the World Series trophy. The ball clubs come in with expectations of success, but some fail as injuries or players’ talent hurt their hopefulness.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are undoubtedly the best team in baseball. Their already stacked team added Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dodgers also boosted their roster by trading for Tyler Glasnow, who joins Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. The Dodgers are the team to beat this year and could easily get up 110 wins and win the World Series with their talent.
The reigning World Champions, the Texas Rangers, are looking to repeat their success this upcoming season. Unlike recent offseasons, the Rangers didn’t make any major moves. Their roster has star Corey Seager, who finished last season with a .327 average, 33 home runs, 96 RBIs and was awarded World Series MVP. The Rangers rotation is in trouble with their two star pitchers, Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer, starting the season on the injured list. Still, the Rangers are hoping to go back-to-back and compete for yet another World Series title if injuries derail their season.
The New York Yankees are looking to bounce back after experiencing a roller coaster of a 2023 season. As their previous season came to a close, many question marks surrounded what general manager Brian Cashman had up his sleeve. They ended up making arguably one of the biggest offseason moves, acquiring Juan Soto. Soto is set to join another new trade acquisition in the outfield, Alex Verdugo. They also signed Marcus Stroman, an all-star pitcher from the Cubs. The Bronx Bombers are looking to dominate the AL East with a healthy Aaron Judge, but will now be without Gerrit Cole to start the season.
The Atlanta Braves are coming into the 2024 season as the favorite to win the NL East. Ronald Acuna Jr. is coming off an MVP season after hitting 41 home runs, 106 RBIs and stealing 73 bases during the regular season, making him the sole member of the 40-70 Club. The Braves didn’t do much in the offseason but still retained their big power hitters of Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Sean Murphy. Atlanta also has a stacked starting rotation consisting of players like Spencer Strider, Max Fried and Chris Sale. The Braves are going to cruise through the regular season, however, they have to continue that success into the postseason for any chance at a World Series title.
Shocking the whole world by reaching the 2023 World Series, the future of the Arizona Diamondbacks is bright. Breakout star and 2023 NL ROY, Corbin Carroll, had 25 HR with 76 RBIs and could be in contention for NL MVP this year. The Diamondbacks were busy during the offseason, re-signing Lourdes Gurriel Jr and adding pitcher Eduardo Rodriquez and outfielder Joc Pederson. Consistency is going to be key for the Diamondbacks if they want to have a chance of overcoming the Dodgers in the NL West and make it back to the World Series in back-to-back years.
The Baltimore Orioles are a young superteam in the making, with young stars like Adley Rutshman, Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez. The Orioles in 2023 were the only 100-win team in the AL and added to their stacked roster after trading for former CY Young winner Corbin Burnes from the Brewers. The Orioles’ young talent will help them reach the playoffs for the second time in two years and be on top of the AL East again.
