It’s finally here! The long-awaited return of the MLB has arrived before the offseason has truly concluded and there are still plenty of questions for each team in the MLB. Here is one key question for all 30 MLB franchises pertaining to their future or.. like in some team’s cases in the further future!
Arizona Diamondbacks: Fluke or legit?
For the past decade, there were plenty of times where MLB fans like myself thought the Diamondbacks would finally breakthrough and dethrone the Dodgers in the AL West! Last year wasn’t quite one of those times. Yet, the young team played their hearts out and told an incomplete Cinderella story before they were knocked off in the World Series against the Rangers.
Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers have gotten much, MUCH better. They still would need to worry about a team like the Braves if they meet them in the playoffs. However, there are now expectations that come with the team. No one will beat them up for losing to the Dodgers in the playoffs, but just how legit are the D-Backs? Are they set for the regression or will they prove to be a top 3 team in the NL?
Atlanta Braves: Can the Braves’ master roster construction continue?
The Atlanta Braves have gained the reputation of being to turn pretty much any MLB player into a diamond. They have found great success from perceived damage goods such as Marcell Ozuna or gave direction to players with budding potential such as Sean Murphy. The Braves now have their hands on a few players including Chris Sale and Jarred Kelenic. Two more players that could become just two more weapons for arguably the best team in the MLB today. Oh, they also have Ronald Acuna.
Chicago Cubs: Do the Cubs have a Shota?
The offseason hasn’t always been kind to the Cubs. The Cubs recently signed Craig Counsell and didn’t do much else. They acquired Michael Busch from the Dodgers with hopes of getting production there, but they also had one Shota Imanaga fall into their laps. It’s not often we’ve heard a professional baseball player want to be a Cubs, but Imanaga was the exception. He signed a team friendly deal to do so.
Do the Cubs have a shot to make a playoff spot? Well, if Imanaga is what he appears to be, they definitely do. There are absolutely holes in the lineup, but they have some pieces to take advantage of an NL Central doesn’t appear to be as competitive in the past when the Cardinals held down the division. The team just has to use their “Imanagnation.” Okay, I won’t do that again.
Cincinnati Reds: Can Reds’ fans believe the hype?
It’s complicated for Reds’ fans. Just two seasons ago they were in the midst of another last place finish and 100 loss season. For many years, it felt as if the Reds were simply a lost franchise. However, 2022 finally saw a changing of the guard. A different changing of the guard. The Reds don’t have a team with the opportunity to make the playoffs, the team has a chance for sustained excellence along with the chance to prove to their fans, that the years of losing wasn’t without reason.
They have a talented player with upside at pretty much every position and also have a few pieces that could form a good pitching rotation. The Reds spent some cash on Frankie Montas with the hope that the A’s-Yankees-Reds formula works the same way it did for the Sonny Gray. The one downside with being so talented all over is that it’s truly a window. The Reds are unlikely to truly maintain most of their pieces, so they need to truly cash in their chips over the next few years. The good news is, they should have most of their players for the next years. Development and potential realizations all around could truly give the fanbase what they have deserved for sticking with the team through the years of mediocrity.
Colorado Rockies: Is there only one way to go at this point?
Have the Colorado Rockies hit rock bottom? (No pun intended) The fanbase has dealt with years of disappointment. The bright spots were getting behind franchise players such as Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story only to watch them depart. Any hopes for a better future was cashed in for Kris Bryant who hasn’t worked out thus far. The future seems bleak.
However, there is a path towards better days. The Rockies do have two potential future studs in their lineup. Nolan Jones has already proven to be a bright spot and a younger player like Ezekiel Tovar. They can also hang their hat on having 4 of the top 100 prospects on MLB.com. There is still a hill to climb. Even if all 4 top 100 prospects hit perfectly, there are still more holes to fill and there is still more restoration of trust that the Rockies won’t trade each of them once they reach stardom. They will almost certainly be contending for the 14th best team in the NL, but I would not mind being wrong.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Will they win their first of many World Series championships in 2024?
While some teams are looking to cash in on their future, the Dodgers already cashed out. The Dodgers handed out blank checks galore this offseason and have completed a team that is expected to be a multi-World Series team or it’s a bust. In just this offseason, the Dodgers have committed over $1 billion dollars to their already large commitment of money towards the team already there.
If Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and others weren’t enough for a championship, then certainly the additions of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshi Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernandez and the already existing team of elites has to be. The Dodgers have an opportunity to sit next to the Los Angeles Lakers as one of the most winningest franchises or a chance to sit next to the Dallas Cowboys as one of the most impressive losing franchises of all time.
While it’s true this will be an easy team to root against for many, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to root against Shohei Ohtani after seeing the clip above.
Miami Marlins: What do we have here?
What do we do with the Marlins? This is a team that can truly go to two extremes. The team is loaded with potential and talent up and down the lineup. Some have a higher ceiling than others. There is a definitely a path to where the Marlins surge up the standings and make a run in the playoffs. However, there is also a path to where this team falls flat and proves to be average at best. Bryan De La Cruz, Jake “Barrel King” Burger, Jazz Chisolm, Josh Bell and newly acquired Tim Anderson fit that same mold.
The rotation also has potential to be great if Sandy Alcantara can join a continued surging Jesus Luzardo and Eury Perez, the Marlins will be able to contend in the NL East. It’s a lot of if’s and will be fun to watch this playout.
Milwaukee Brewers: Is the team about to go down Bernie’s Slide?
The Brewers are in a similar place to the Marlins. Is the franchise about to take their turn down Bernie’s Slide? After trading away Corbin Burnes and reportedly shopping Willy Adames, we might be one the cusp of a quick Brewers rebuild.
However, as currently constructed, the Brewers still have a solid team that could contend in the NL Central. Jackson Chourio is on the cusp of breaking through the majors with high expectations. He is expected to join other young stars like Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell to form a potentially top notch outfield. The team also still has veterans such as Christian Yelich, Williams Contreras and newly acquired Rhys Hoskins.
The pitching rotation is where things are a little dicey with Corbin Burnes being gone and being without Brandon Woodruff for a year. That said, it will be interesting to see what the team is able to do with DL Hall and whether or not Freddy Peralta can continue taking steps forward. The Brewers don’t appear to be headed towards Colorado mediocrity, but this might be a “let’s see what we have” year for the Crew.
New York Mets: Should Met fans be patient?
The Mets future outlook and expectations the moment Steve Cohen took over the helm. As a Yankee fan, Cohen was operating in a way that had me jealous as a Mets fan. He’s shown a willingness to throw money wherever necessary to build for a contending team. His first idea was to assemble a rotation that old and short term in hopes of making a push when he signed Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer to short, yet high AAV contracts and unfortunately for Cohen, injuries and other factors got in the way.
However, he quickly undid his experiment and acquired some youth in the process. Some Met fans are now growing impatient and worry because the Mets steered clear of a big acquisition and have even heard rumors about the possibility of Pete Alonso being traded. On the outside looking in, it appears that Cohen simply didn’t like what he saw in the open market. He reportedly tried his hand at Yamamoto and likely took a shot at Ohtani and it simply never worked out. So, instead the Mets have loaded up on 1- and 2-year deals with some being reclamation projects. Deals that can be erased in a year if nothing works out or could potentially bring in younger talent before Cohen brings out his wallet.
All of this is to ask the question, should the Mets be patient? Unfortunately, they may have no choice. Even as a Yankee fan looking in, the future looks bright for Queens.
Philidelphia Phillies: They are good, but will they ever be good enough?
On paper and on the field, the Phillies are a contending team. They have a roster led by Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and more that would probably be enough in a lot of years of baseball. The good news, they are in the conversation for best teams in the National League in 2024, but it really feels like there are two dominant teams being the Braves and Dodgers, with everyone else hoping for a crash.
The Phillies have two prospects in the top 100, with one of them being Andrew Painter who is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won’t be active until 2025. The team hoped Painter would be battling with them, because it appears this current construction of the team is all or nothing. They nearly made it something before being eliminated and upset by the Arizona Diamondbacks in last year’s NLCS and being knocked off in the World Series by the Houston Astros in 2022.
Do they have enough? Will this particular team ever have enough?
Pittsburgh Pirates: Are they finally out of the pits?
The Pirates are still considered and will be considered in the lower echelon of National League teams. That said, there are two types of bottom feeding teams. There are teams like the Rockies who are seemingly directionless and just stink or there are teams like the Orioles who had a clear plan towards a better future and seem to be on the brink of breaking out the same way the Houston Astros did about a decade ago.
For a while, the Pirates were the worst franchise in sports. Are they finally moving towards a better future? They have finally spent some money to lock up guys like Mitch Keller, David Bednar and Bryan Reynolds, while hoping to see development from a young core of talent led by O’Neil Cruz. Fans should expect the Pirates to still be near the lower end of the totem pole, but hopefully it will be a year of leaving signs of better things to come.
San Diego Padres: Is the dream over before it began?
We are not that far off from where many considered the Padres a perfect team. They expected to have a ridiculously great offense led by Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis, while have a good pitching staff led by Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish. There bullpen wasn’t incredibly deep, but had the Slender-man like Josh Hader waiting to shut down opposing teams. Unfortunately, a suspension costed them Tatis for most of the year and financial issues that caused the team to take out of a $50 million loan costed the team Soto. They lost Hader, but gained Yuki Matsui.
That said, the team only lost Soto and Hader to the Yankees while acquiring pieces to round out their roster and a promising pitcher in Michael King to absorb the loss of Soto. They will have Tatis back to join Machado and Xander Boegarts. They lost Hader, but gained Yuki Matsui. The possibility also remains that Snell could opt to return as his quest for $300 million has taken the expected course to nowhere.
Will it be enough to still keep the dream alive or is it over before it even started?
San Francisco Giants: Were The Signings Desperation or Well Calculated?
No one can accuse the San Francisco Giants organization for a lack of effort. They have fallen on hard times, but it isn’t really anyone’s fault. They made a hard push for Aaron Judge during the 22-23 offseason, but ultimately fell short to the Yankees. They also attempted to sign Carlos Correa before the deal and Correa’s physicals fell apart which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
The Giants have tried to give different player’s a full truck of money, but many rejected it. Although they kept getting spurned by big free agents, they did not give up on their efforts to improve their team. They acquired Jorge Soler, Robbie Ray, Jung Hoo-Lee and Matt Chapman. Although it’s not quite the Dodgers’ offseason, they still showed well intentions to compete in 2024. The only question that remains, were the Giants’ signing smart towards reaching their goals or were they signings a sign of desperation after being turned down several times.
St Louis Cardinals: Is There Anything in the Tank?
The Cardinals are in a weird place in their history. They have historically been a well-ran organization, but they have recently needed to adjust. Last year, Nolan Arenado looked older, as did Paul Goldschmidt. However, there is still a possibility for both players to bounce back as neither appeared to perform terribly, but if the downward spiral continues, they will need to cross their fingers that the other Nolan and Jordan Walker plan out as they hope.
The offense has a chance to be pretty good, but the pitching rotation has a chance to be pretty bad. The Cardinals added Sonny Gray in an attempt to lead an old and average pitching rotation. The youngest starter is Steven Matz who will be 33 by June and has never proven to be the most reliable pitcher.
As it stands, the Cardinals are looking like they will be a pretty average baseball and a far cry from a contender as they once were.
Washington Nationals: What the flip is going on with Stephen Strasburg?
The Washington Nationals won’t be very good next year. However, they do have a young core of talent with potential to show signs of a brighter future. Many predict CJ Abrams to be a breakout candidate in 2024, while names like Mackenzie Gore and Josiah Gray appear to have some potential still worth salvaging. But, thanks to the Nationals as an organization the biggest question to shed light on is their front office.
Remember when Juan Soto got upset at the Nationals for leaking the $440 million offer? A lot of fans criticized Soto for overreacting and especially criticized him for turning down such offer. But is there more to this situation? Stephen Strasburg announced that he would be retiring after years of injuries issues, including severe nerve damage that makes it incredibly unlikely he will ever pitch again. Oddly enough, the Nationals ended up cancelling Strasburg’s scheduled press conference and the team is pushing for Strasburg to contribute to the team in some capacity.
“We’re having conversations with him”, Nationals Owner Mike Rizzo stated. “I think it’s going to end up where we want it to end up. And, you know, we’re not going to say much more about that because we don’t want it to be a distraction and he doesn’t want to be a distraction.”
Well, Rizzo. I think it’s a bit too late for that.
