I’ve spent a long time writing and re-writing this intro with all sorts of cliched springtime platitudes and maxims. Flowers blooming. Weather warming. Sun shining. All of them tried, but none of them fitting quite right.
I mean, it’s baseball season! Opening Day is here. There’s no reason to beat around the bush with the idioms of March and April when we’ve got 30 baseball teams to preview.
Well, it’s probably more accurate to say that there are 29 teams playing some sort of professional ball and one just pretending. Sorry Oakland.
Shohei Ohtani is a Dodger. Juan Soto is a Yankee. The Texas Rangers are defending their first World Series title. Fanatics is the new MLB jersey provider. Yikes.
Even if players will be taking the field in see-through uniforms that appear to have come straight from DHgate, 2024 promises to be an incredibly exciting season. And quite frankly, MLB needs this year to go well.
Let’s get into it. Here’s a look at each division heading into 2024. Springtime.
AL West
5. Oakland Athletics 
Oh boy. I hope to God that Mason Miller breaks camp as the A’s closer, because he’s about the only thing on this team worth watching. Zack Gelof’s development as a potential franchise infielder will be worth keeping an eye on too. But let’s face it. Nobody, not even A’s fans, will be going out of their way to watch this joke of a team.
4. Los Angeles Angels 
It’s pretty easy to be a bad team when you let the best player in baseball walk for nothing. The Angels had chance after chance to trade Ohtani for a serious haul but always refused. Now, they prepare to send what is mostly a skeleton squad onto the field in 2024. Mike Trout is still Mike Trout, though, and they do have a few promising youngsters. Nonetheless, Logan O’Hoppe and Nolan Schanuel aren’t good enough to carry Los Angeles that far.
3. Seattle Mariners 
This one’s tough. I actually think the Mariners are going to be pretty good. Luis Castillo and George Kirby form a formidable pairing at the top of the rotation, and the lineup features fewer holes than it did last year. The additions of Jorge Polanco and Mitch Garver are significant, and Mitch Haniger’s return plugs a hole in the outfield. This is just a tough division that, unfortunately for Seattle, features the last two champs.
2. Texas Rangers 
The defending champs come into 2024 with a severely depleted pitching staff but a lineup as deep and productive as any in baseball. Texas will need to get through most of the first half with a duct-taped starting rotation, but if they can stay within touching distance, the Rangers shouldn’t have an issue making the playoffs.
1. Houston Astros 
Despite their loss to Texas in the ALCS, the Astros are still the Astros. That top four of their lineup is incredibly difficult for any pitcher to get through unscathed and the rotation is deep and well-rounded. Oh, and Houston signed Josh Hader to round out what was already a lethal bullpen. Astros games will basically be over in the seventh inning when they are winning. Abreu and Pressly coming in with Hader sweeping up is a deadly trio. All around, Houston will be the best and healthiest team in the division throughout the year, so it’s hard not to pick them to win it.
AL Central
5. Kansas City Royals 
I don’t have much to say about Kansas City here. Hey, maybe they’re destined to win the World Series after Will Smith’s arrival! Bobby Witt is clearly a franchise shortstop, but he doesn’t have nearly enough help to make the Royals competitive in 2024.
4. Chicago White Sox 
I expect yet another under-achieving season on the Southside in 2024. There’s a decent amount of talent, but after trading Dylan Cease to San Diego, the White Sox don’t have nearly enough juice on the mound. I mean, their ace is… Garrett Crochet? Oof. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kansas City jumps them, to be honest.
3. Cleveland Guardians 
Part one of a hot take here. I’m not entirely sold on the Guardians as a proposition. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them struggle out of the gate, which could lead to a deadline sell-off. Outside of Jose Ramirez, where is the Guardians offense going to come from? I know Cleveland keeps finding a way to make it happen, but with a tougher division, I’m pessimistic to say the least.
2. Detroit Tigers 
Part two of the hot take. I actually really like this Tigers team. I’m not worried at all about the offense. Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene, Mark Canha, Gio Urshela, and Kerry Carpenter form the backbone of a solid overall lineup. Crucially, Detroit will (hopefully) get a fully healthy year from ace Tarik Skubal, who has Cy Young potential. The AL is so loaded that they probably need to win the division to make the playoffs, but watch out. Detroit will be closer than many think.
1. Minnesota Twins 
Clearly the best team in the division. A solid rotation, decently balanced lineup, and fiery bullpen are all good enough for Minnesota to cruise to the playoffs. How far they get is the real question. The Twins gave Houston a decent series in last year’s ALDS despite the 3-1 loss, and their impressive crop of young players will be a year older. Be on the lookout for Royce Lewis to assert himself as a franchise player in 2024.
AL East
5. Boston Red Sox 
Oof. Is there a more confusing franchise in baseball right now? The Red Sox basically punted on free agency this past winter, and there’s not a clear path to winning at this point. Chris Sale is gone, Trevor Story is still iffy on the injury front, and Marcelo Mayer has gone from surefire franchise face to dodgy prospect. Sure, Rafael Devers is exciting to watch, but Boston flat out be a bad baseball team in 2024.
4. Tampa Bay Rays 
I know what you’re thinking. “Don’t bet against Tampa.” I know. We do it every year and they still runaway with the division. I just think things are too tough this time around. The Wander Franco fiasco is as disastrous a situation as they come, and I’m unsure the Rays have a way to recover at this point. I’m not super confident in their rotation sans Tyler Glasnow, and the lineup is decent but not any stronger than their divisional rivals. It’s brutal, but the Rays might win close to 90 games and still finish fourth.
3. Toronto Blue Jays 
The Jays have the look of a really solid team. I love their lineup and pitching. I’m just unsure whether they are better than Baltimore or New York over the course of 162 games. Nonetheless, I believe the AL East is so loaded that three teams in total will make the playoffs.
2. Baltimore Orioles 
I know just about everyone in baseball is picking Baltimore to win the division. They already have a ridiculous stable of talent, and Jackson Holliday is still waiting in the wings. Yet, I don’t buy them winning the division. Baltimore will be formidable and there’s no mistaking that. Nonetheless, I have questions about the effectiveness of Baltimore’s pitching. Corbin Burnes is a great acquisition, but he’s only one starter. It might be a hot take, but I see the Orioles as a Wild Card team. No more. No less.
1. New York Yankees 
This might be another hot take. Look at it this way. This season is truly make or break for the Yankees. If things go south, a full rebuild could be in the cards. Aaron Boone needs this to work to keep his job. It helps that the team is better. Juan Soto provides much-needed pop in the middle of the lineup. Unlike others, I actually like the Marcus Stroman addition a lot as well. He gives the Yankees a much-needed edge in the rotation. At the end of the day, my thinking is that this season is too important for the Yankees not to give it all they’ve got.
NL West
5. Colorado Rockies 
Yuck. Just a brutal watch all-around. I’m a big fan of Nolan Jones as a potential superstar, but other than that, there’s not much more to discuss here. No need to stick around any longer.
4. San Francisco Giants 
The new additions are intriguing, sure. Matt Chapman is an incredible defensive third baseman, Jorge Soler is a capable DH, and Jung Hoo Lee is a true X-factor. Blake Snell joins Logan Webb to form a fantastic two-headed monster in the rotation, and Jordan Hicks is a formidable backend option out of the bullpen. There’s a lot to like, and yet, I don’t see them being better than the other three teams in the division. That might be harsh, but oh well. This division is just loaded.
3. San Diego Padres 
I had San Francisco third until the Padres acquired Dylan Cease, who solves serious issues for the Padres’ rotation. It’ll help massively to have Fernando Tatis back for a full year and settled in the outfield. I’m not a huge fan of their pitching situation overall, but I still think this team is better than the Giants over the course of a full season. I could have to eat crow on this one, though.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks 
The defending NL Champs improved substantially this offseason. With the recent addition of Jordan Montgomery, paired with Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona now has a rotation that is just as strong as any in baseball. Additionally, the lineup is very strong. Corbin Carroll is a likely MVP candidate, and Ketel Marte has taken over games as well. Lourdes Gurriel is back, and Joc Pederson comes in as the DH. Make no mistake about it. This team has every ounce of potential to make it back to the World Series in 2024.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers 
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I have the Dodgers winning the division. The roster is a cheat code. Even with Ohtani unable to pitch, a rotation of Glasnow, Miller, Yamamoto, and eventually Kershaw and Buehler is incredible. The lineup is arguably the strongest in baseball. Simply put, anything less than a trip to the World Series would be a massive disappointment.
NL Central
5. Pittsburgh Pirates 
I don’t even think this team is that bad. Hopefully, we get a full year of healthy Ke’Bryan Hayes and Oneil Cruz. Mitch Keller is a solid number one starter, and David Bednar is a fantastic closer. The pieces are there. Nonetheless, I still think they’re the worst team in the division.
4. Chicago Cubs 
The Cubs didn’t really do a whole lot to improve over the off-season, and that worries me. Sure, they brought in Shota Imanaga to anchor the rotation, and Hector Neris is a decent backend reliever, but the lineup is nearly the same as it was in 2023. Shouldn’t it be concerning that the hallmark of Chicago’s offseason was bringing back a guy that over-achieved expectations last year?
3. St. Louis Cardinals 
Chicago and St. Louis will be pretty close, but I think the Cardinals will pull out just ahead. They have a lot to prove after last year’s disaster, and they should be very motivated. The rotation has been completely rebuilt for the better, and the lineup should be improved. I can’t wait to see Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II play together in the outfield, and Masyn Winn is a solid shortstop. I like this team. Not as much as I like others, but I like them enough to put them third.
2. Cincinnati Reds 
As you can probably tell, I’m a big fan of this Reds team. The lineup will be as exciting as any in baseball, and I don’t even buy the Elly de la Cruz hype the way that others do. Newcomer Frankie Montas will headline the rotation along with Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft, which I like a lot. If Cincinnati can hold it together in the bullpen, the Reds will be in the playoff hunt.
1. Milwaukee Brewers 
Despite offseason losses, I still see Milwaukee as the cream of the crop in the NL Central. I think baseball will be surprised by Freddy Peralta’s effectiveness as the ace, and the rest of the staff should be solid. My only slight reservation is the lineup. However, with Rhys Hoskins coming in and top prospect Jackson Chourio making the roster, I believe the Brewers will be just fine.
NL East
5. Washington Nationals 
Things are just tough in DC right now. The Wizards stink, the Commanders are brutal, the Capitals are barely hanging onto a playoff spot, and the Nats are one of the worst teams in baseball. CJ Abrams is fun! Keibert Ruiz is promising! I challenge you to say more nice things about Washington, because at the moment, I can’t.
4. Miami Marlins 
Eh. Just eh. Sandy Alcantara is out for the year, which is bad enough. The roster as a whole is okay, but… meh. Jazz Chisholm isn’t good enough to carry a franchise to the playoffs, and neither is Luis Arraez. Tim Anderson certainly isn’t making a huge difference either. Tough times.
3. New York Mets 
Baseball’s highest payroll still faces an uphill battle to make the playoffs in 2024. The Mets don’t have Philadelphia’s pitching or Atlanta’s lineup, so I don’t really see a way New York finishes higher than third. I mean, JD Martinez and Harrison Bader won’t move the needle. The roster is expensive, and yet, it isn’t better than the other two powerhouses in the division.
2. Philadelphia Phillies 
Philly fans will be kicking themselves that their team couldn’t beat Arizona in the NLCS. What makes it worse is that they have to do it all over again with an Atlanta team that seems unbeatable. I like this Phillies team, but not more than Atlanta. It’s really that simple.
1. Atlanta Braves 
When you have the best pitcher and hitter in baseball, it’s hard not to win your division. Spencer Strider is a surefire Cy Young candidate, and Ronald Acuna is the MVP until proven otherwise. The rest of the roster is clearly good enough to do whatever it wants. Not only would it surprise me if Atlanta didn’t win the division, but it would shock me if the Braves didn’t get to the World Series.