After spending $1.2 billion in the offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, the top two free agents. After missing the playoffs the previous season, the New York Yankees made a trade for slugger Juan Soto. The Baltimore Orioles, who were in the process of winning 101 games in the American League, traded for Corbin Burnes, an ace.
We’ll soon know how those moves, along with many others, translate to the diamond as pitchers and catchers report. In anticipation of the 2024 season, we’ve asked ESPN MLB analysts to start spring training with the players and plotlines they’re most excited about.
Buster Olney: The summerlong pressure that will build on a handful of teams facing must-win seasons. If the Dodgers don’t win the World Series, their season will be regarded as a failure. The Atlanta Braves are right in the middle of their championship window, just before Max Fried and Charlie Morton depart as free agents. The Philadelphia Phillies should’ve won the World Series last fall, and that failure will drive them. The Yankees’ organization needs to take a big step forward in the postseason. This figures to be the last season of Alex Bregman with the Houston Astros. The Texas Rangers have to hang on until Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer return in midseason — and we’ll wonder then about what deGrom and Scherzer will bear this late in their respective careers, as Texas tries to go back-to-back. Every year, there are teams that hope to win the World Series, but this season, there are a lot of teams that need to win the title
Jeff Passan: The Braves and Dodgers’ season-long battle for dominance in the National League. Respect to the Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are now the NL East leaders and last year’s World Series victors, the Braves and Dodgers are baseball’s two most talented clubs—both loaded with talents and eager to win another pennant. Home-field advantage would be secured by recording the most victories during the regular season. Although the MLB postseason is too unpredictable to guarantee that the Braves and Dodgers would still be in the field when the NL Championship Series arrives, every little edge matters. These are two elite teams, and they will play three games together the two times they face off in the regular season. Dodger Stadium, May 3–5, four games in September
13–16 at Truist Park—might be signs of a memorable October series.
Alden Gonzalez Although I’m not very thrilled, I’m interested to watch how the craze that has surrounded Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani plays out. Every morning, just after daybreak, a group of around twelve photographers and camera operators congregate outside the Dodgers’ stadium in hopes of catching a sight of Ohtani pulling into the players’ parking lot. On Friday, over seventy members of the media were present during his first interview. Subsequently, when asked who member of his club might act as a spokesperson for Japanese media, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested Jason Heyward, presumably in jest.
The following morning, Heyward gave two speeches in front of his locker, drawing attention from over ten reporters each time. Though Heyward accepted it, he added, “Shohei’s the guy to talk about Shohei.” Though it’s early, the Dodgers have handled all of this attention rather nicely.
Jesse Rogers: I’m totally involved in seeing how many bunnies agent Scott Boras can take out of his baseball cap, though maybe excited isn’t the right word. Key free agents are four of his. At this late hour, can he find four teams willing to match his asking price? Three? That would be quite the Houdini performance, but don’t rule out the potential that everything works out for him and his clients.
Don’t get me wrong: Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, and Matt Chapman will all be wealthy no matter where or when they sign, but a shorter-term contract with opt-outs, which means they’ll have to prove themselves to potential employers once again, is a welcome perk.
David Schoenfield: We had a fantastic rookie class in 2022 that included Oneil Cruz, Corbin Carroll, Josh Jung, Tanner Bibee, Elly De La Cruz, Eury Perez, Adley Rutschman, Michael Harris II, Spencer Strider, Bobby Witt Jr., Jeremy Pena, Steven Kwan, George Kirby, and Oneil Cruz. We may have another one in 2024.
I want to see how Jackson Holliday, Jackson Chourio, Jackson Jobe and Jackson Merrill look in spring training and especially whether Holliday and Chourio will make the Opening Day rosters for the Orioles and Brewers. And that’s just the Jacksons! We have Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter (who we’ve already seen playing a big role in the Rangers’ title run), Junior Caminero, Paul Skenes and Colson Montgomery, among others, to watch. This rookie class might be even better and deeper than the previous two.
Bradford Doolittle: This is going to sound overly sentimental, but here goes: I can’t say I’m excited in a way that is unique to the current moment in the sport.
In typically, the few weeks leading up to the start of spring training are when I become the most excited about the next season. Right now, everything is fresh, but I am aware of all the milestones in the yearly baseball cycle that lie ahead, including the World Series, Opening Day, the playoffs, emerging stars, and the class of the next Hall of Fame in baseball. These events are all ingrained in my daily routine. What’s important is to solve this new riddle, MLB, 2024. Though there are some story strands I’ll be following based on patterns and offseason movements, it would be good if there wasn’t still so much significant offseason business to finish.
What I find most enjoyable, though, are the unfolding storylines that are yet unknown to us.
Olney: Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be interesting to observe in light of the intense attention paid to him throughout the winter, his contract that set a record, and whether or not any of that is related to his performance. Though he’s getting paid like a No. 1 starter, many talent evaluators think that he’s really more of a middle-of-the-rotation player who earned huge money because he was able to exercise his free agency at such a young age. Is he going to be flawless? Will he become an elite? Will his previous competitive arrogance help him adjust to life in the big leagues during his rookie season? Will the output live up to expectations?
If Yamamoto stumbles, he will either perpetuate the stereotype against tiny pitchers or, like Pedro Martinez, momentarily erase it.
Passan: This winter’s marriage between one of this generation’s top hitters and MLB’s winningest organization has gone unnoticed, maybe because Juan Soto is scheduled to become a free agent after the season and the Yankees are coming off a dismal 2023 year. But all the pieces are falling into place for an incredible season, and it is tremendously exciting to think that Soto and Aaron Judge may score consecutive runs. Soto adores being in the spotlight. He loves right field’s short porch.
He’s also in the prime of his career, having just finished a season in which he played in all 162 games and hit a career-high 35 home runs. At 25, he’s healthy and ready to prove to the San Diego Padres that the Yankees’ trade of a five-player package for a single year of club control was ultimately worthwhile.
Gonzalez: You might argue that Corbin Burnes (sorry, Juan Soto) was the player who most altered the dynamics of his new division. The Orioles have the finest youthful core in baseball. Even though several of those players were still in the early phases of their careers, they managed to win 101 games last year.
They ought to continue climbing. To strengthen the top of their rotation, though, they need a major move. Burnes delivers it, for sure. Despite not being as successful as he was in 2021, he still had an excellent season for the Milwaukee Brewers last year, with a National League-best 1.07 WHIP in 193â…” innings. He’s about to start his walk year and will be joining Grayson Rodriguez (who should improve in Year 2) and Kyle Bradish (who is already very talented). Now is the Orioles’ time to shine.
Rogers Though not because it’s Soto’s free agency season, I agree with Jeff. The Yankees were able to acquire one of the three potential players this winter who could have revolutionized their offense.
Bellinger and Ohtani made up the other two. With depressing consequences, Brian Cashman has embarked on a multiyear crusade to balance his lineup. Not Joey Gallo did it. Neither did Brett Gardner. In the end, Matt Carpenter was unable. There are countless lefties on this list. Though they received one of the greatest from the left side of the plate, Anthony Rizzo’s assistance was still needed. For the Yankees offensively, it’s all or nothing, and with Soto, they may very well be back on top—that is, if they don’t get hurt.
Schoenfield: I’m going with Yoshinobu Yamamoto since he moved from the Orix Buffaloes to the Dodgers.
His Japanese numbers, which include ERAs of 1.39, 1.68, and 1.16 over the last three seasons, like something from the deadball era. The Dodgers awarded him a 12-year, $325 million contract because of his command and three excellent pitches (a mid-90s fastball, a splitter, and a curveball). They obviously thought he could be a No. 1 starter. We’ll have to watch how he adjusts to that new environment since he’ll be facing a lot more power hitters than he did in Japan, where total offense is far lower than in MLB.
Doolittle: Perhaps this is simply a counterintuitive response to the main big league baseball approach these days, but I’m growing more and more infatuated with retro, high-average hitters who can control the bat and offer
Pitchers who strike out fits. Luis Arraez has thus emerged as one of my favorite active players. In light of that, I am eager to watch if Jung Hoo Lee—possibly even with a little more pop—can develop into that kind of bat at the top of the San Francisco Giants’ everyday lineup. He struck out just 55 times in the previous two years while playing for the Kiwoom Heroes, walking 115 times. Starting when he was eighteen, he had seven KBO seasons hitting.340. It’s fantastic to watch him attempt, however I doubt he’ll be able to convert it to Major League Baseball.
Olney: The Red Sox of Boston. While they were teetering on the edge of contention a year ago, Boston is currently going through a significant transformation and has significant issues. Ignore the nice title of “adviser”; Theo Epstein will be the most powerful voice in baseball operations, and manager Alex Cora is about to reach the final year of his contract at a time when the organization appears to be struggling financially. The Red Sox have been accustomed to being a financial powerhouse and a contender for championships, but they appear to be as far from that level of status as they have been in over 25 years, especially while playing in the challenging AL East. East, which with the Orioles’ rise has become even more fearsome. It will be intriguing to watch Craig Breslow and Epstein’s initial efforts toward revitalizing the Red Sox.
Passan: The Detroit Tigers may win the American League Central a year early. However, the Central is the best division for a rising team to play in. The defending champion Minnesota Twins lost Sonny Gray, who came in second in the AL Cy Young voting, and added three free agents this winter: Josh Staumont, Jay Jackson, and Carlos Santana. Even little has been done by the Cleveland Guardians. The Royals of Kansas City acquired a large number of free agents, yet they just finished with 106 losses.
The White Sox of Chicago are rebuilding. Which means that Detroit, a squad with plenty of youthful talent currently in the major leagues, like outfielder Riley Greene and left-hander Tarik Skubal, has a very easy route ahead of it. Colt Keith, who inked a pre-debut extension, ought to begin at second base. Don’t forget to watch Jackson Jobe. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if the former No. 3 overall choice shows up at Comerica Park in 2024; he will move quickly.
Gonzalez: By far the D-backs. They made it all the way to the World Series last year, but at this point I didn’t consider them a serious contender
What intrigues me so much, though, is how they’ve now doubled down. After the Dodgers’ amazing offseason, the D-backs could have been forgotten. Like many teams, they might have pretended that the RSN uncertainty was a good reason to hold off on spending. Rather, they invested $80 million on Eduardo Rodriguez, who was a fantastic match for the middle of their rotation. They also added Joc Pederson and brought Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back with more than $50 million. They are among the National League’s top five teams, although they are not superior to the Dodgers.
Rogers: The Reds of Cincinnati. In the end, we could reflect on why we were blind to this explosion’s warning signals the previous year. Though I’m not sure it will all work out, Cincinnati, out of all the clubs in the second or third division, has the best potential to seriously improve in a winnable division. That youthful crew will likely have the last say, but Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft, and Brandon Williamson are the ones with the substance. They now need to use it more effectively. The Reds are favorites to win the division because to their mix of skill on the mound and on the field, making them contenders in the NL Central.
Orioles: Schoenfield. They were coming off an 83-79 season a year ago and appeared to be a.500 club, which was interesting but not very fascinating. They have a number of intriguing young players and rookies like Jordan Westburg, Heston Kjerstad, and Coby Mayo who might make an effect on the roster. They are also adding Holliday and Burnes to the mix after finishing with 101 wins last season. Grayson Rodriguez has the potential to be an All-Star in his second year, and they have a young catcher in Samuel Basallo who might finish the season as one of the top three prospects. Baltimore is returning to its heyday, and I have a sneaking suspicion that in 2024 I will be watching them more than any other team.
Royals: Doolittle. Really, no. I must admit that I was really irritated with them last year since it didn’t seem like they were doing anything as a group. Furthermore, I doubt that has altered. To start with, I don’t believe I’ve seen even one Royal mentioned on a Top 100 potential list this year. For a large league club that has just finished with 106 defeats, how is it possible? Still, the Royals made a genuine effort throughout the offseason. They signed athletes who are well-known. Bobby Witt Jr. received an epic-length extension from them. In order to bring about the creation of a new ballpark, they are taking the initiative.
While none of their new additions are particularly disruptive, players like Adam Frazier, Hunter Renfroe, Will Smith, and Michael Wacha together improve the team’s standing. All of their young players will have to gain one or two levels of experience. Witt is one of them; he may be MVP material. However, that’s probably soft contention if the Royals can stay close to.500 in the AL Central — a very large if — and then you can build from there. Although it’s a small glimmer of optimism, it’s more than what was feasible at the close of the previous season.
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