MLB season preview: keys for each team

A new baseball season is almost upon us, which means that franchises and fan bases across MLB have renewed enthusiasm about what’s to come. We’ll highlight the keys to each club’s success in the 2024 season. All statistics are sourced from Baseball Reference.

The Orioles had their best regular season win total since 1979 last year, but were unceremoniously ousted in the ALDS by the Texas Rangers. Forbes reported that manager Brandon Hyde was still licking his wounds more than two months after the loss. It’ll be up to Hyde to build the team’s confidence back up, and avoid complacency throughout the middle of the regular season schedule.

For many years, the Rays have profiled as a team that likes to take the extra base, rather than waiting around to make things happen. The Tampa Bay Times thinks that’s a trend that will continue in 2024. However, they were caught stealing the second most times in baseball in 2023, so they may want to pick their spots a bit more carefully this year.

Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah has been on a roller coaster ride the last two seasons. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2022, finishing third in Cy Young voting. In 2023, the wheels completely fell off, as he pitched to a 5.87 ERA. MLB’s website reports that Manoah believes he can turn things around in 2024, but also noted that he hit three batters in his first spring training start.

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New York will be without the services of staff ace Gerrit Cole for a couple of months, it seems, which means that other pitchers in the rotation will need to step up in his absence. Rodon was expected to boost the Yankees’ rotation last year, but it never quite came to fruition. He’ll need to do much better than the 6.85 ERA he posted in his first campaign with New York.

The Red Sox made a sizeable investment in Trevor Story, but have not gotten the return they hoped for. He’s only played in 137 games across two seasons, providing fleeting glimpses of the versatility he showed with the Colorado Rockies. Story’s availability will be critical to Boston’s success in 2024.

The Braves are projected to be in the postseason again, so their goals will likely involve playing better in October. However, they have the chance to unleash yet another talented young player, as Atlanta traded for former high draft pick Jarred Kelenic. Sports Illustrated reported that the team has already made a slight tweak to his swing to help him get off to a strong start.

MLB’s website noted that the Phillies extended their strike zone during last year’s NLCS. “We got excited and came out of our approaches,” said Philadelphia hitting coach Kevin Long. Their lineup remains potent, but in order to fare more favorably against strong pitching, they’ll need to be more selective at the plate.

The Marlins have one of the most advantageous weapons in all of baseball; a leadoff hitter that makes contact as much as anyone in the sport. Luis Arraez was hitting close to .400 three months into last season, and Miami should do whatever it takes to get him into scoring position when he’s on base so often.

The Mets will be without starting pitcher Kodai Senga for at least the first few weeks of the season, according to Sportsnet New York, so other pieces will have to step up. New York took a flier on Luis Severino this offseason, whose talent isn’t in question. However, his consistency is, and he’ll look to get back to the form he had with the Yankees in 2017 and 2018.

No team gave up more home runs in MLB last season than the Nationals, who conceded 245 in 2023. Even if they’re given up with no one on base, the deep shots tend to be deflating for a team. The Washington Post reports that the team has brought on former reliver Sean Doolittle as a “pitching strategist”, to help the team navigate high leverage situations.

Forbes highlighted the Twins’ offseason approach, which appeared to involve letting important veteran players depart from the team. While this doesn’t spell immediate trouble for Minnesota, it does mean that other, less heralded players will need to perform in 2024. Sonny Gray’s exodus was a surprise to many fans.

The Tigers decided to sign Javier Baez to a lucrative six-year, $140 million deal before the 2022 season, and it has not gone well, to say the least. The Detroit Free Press detailed the disappointing campaign Baez had in 2023, and the infielder opted into the final four years of his contract. Detroit may want to move off of Baez if things don’t get better soon, but that will be hard to manage.

The Guardians received some bad news regarding a key bullpen pitcher. Cleveland will be without setup man Trevor Stephan, according to AP News, who will undergo UCL reconstructive surgery. It’ll be intriguing to monitor how they address this situation. Cleveland will want to get the ball to Emmanuel Clase with as many leads as possible, and may trade for a more established option.

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Remarkably, the White Sox have had 11 different players start at second base during Opening Day in the last 11 seasons, according to the Chicago Tribune. Nicky Lopez figures to get the first crack at the position in 2024, with Paul DeJong coming in to play shortstop. It’ll be interesting to see how the combination fares, and if they can stabilize Chicago’s middle infield.

There might be a season in the near future that involves the Royals surprising MLB with their proficiency, but it probably won’t be the 2024 campaign. Still, having Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino as building blocks is a great place to start. In particular, Witt looks like he could be one of the best players in the sport soon, according to MLB’s website.

Milwaukee decided to trade Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles this offseason. This transaction saved them money, but puts the Brewers in a difficult position on the field, as USA Today has pointed out. Some talents are too valuable to part ways with, but Milwaukee will have to hope that the sum of their entire pitching staff is worth more than what Burnes meant to them.

The Cubs got a huge boost from pitcher Justin Steele in 2023, who made the All-Star team and finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting. His workload has jumped from 57 innings in 2021, to 119 innings in 2022, to 173 innings in last year’s stellar campaign. It’ll be tempting for the Cubs to ride Steele if they’re in a pennant race, but might also want to curtail his workload to keep him fresh.

The New York Times called Elly De La Cruz the “most exciting show in baseball” last summer, and it’s hard to argue with that label. His athleticism may not be matched in MLB, and the Reds should be willing to let him showcase that physical ability early and often on the basepaths. If he can remain focused at the plate and on the field, it seems like the sky is the limit.

The Pirates are another MLB team that has embraced the youth movement, and have seen notable results. They won 14 more games in 2023 than they did in 2022, and are hoping to qualify for the postseason in 2024. Veteran Andrew McCutchen believes that there’s no reason the team can’t accomplish that goal, according to Pittsburgh Baseball Now.

The Cardinals have been one of the most consistent franchises in MLB. Before last season, they hadn’t finished under .500 since 2007. Oliver Marmol did lead St. Louis to 93 wins as rookie manager, but will need a bounce back performance in year three to maintain the level of excellence St. Louis is used to.

Despite his advanced baseball age at 41, Justin Verlander continues to be amongst the game’s best pitchers. With that said, it will still be important for Houston to proceed cautiously with the veteran during the season. If they can have Verlander fresh for the stretch run in September and October, it’s not difficult to envision them winning another World Series.

It’s pretty remarkable to think about how Texas won it all last season without any contributions from Jacob DeGrom, or many strong performances from Max Scherzer. The pair will be out until the summer at minimum, and the Rangers will also be without the services of Tyler Mahle. They’ll need to get respectable performances out of other players for the first half of the season.

In what ended up being a frantic finish to the regular season, Seattle found themselves on the outskirts of the postseason by a hair. The Astros and Rangers were able to outlast the Mariners in the final weekend of the year. Seattle is talented enough to be a playoff team, but will need to be that much better against the powerful teams in American League West to qualify.

The Angels are a team in transition. They lost Shohei Ohtani, and have not been able to capitalize on winning during the prime of Mike Trout’s career. Los Angeles has been well served trying to win during Trout’s career, but they don’t appear to be any closer to achieving that goal. If the season gets off to a slow start, the Angels may need to consider a sell-off of assets to properly reboot.

The Athletics and their players are in a challenging position. The franchise appears set to relocate out of Oakland, and the fan base is depressed about the state of affairs, according to SF Gate. It can be tough to come to work every day in that type of environment, but the Athletics will need to maintain a sense of professional pride in order to make the year a manageable one.

The Dodgers have been one of the most successful regular season teams in MLB for a long time, but have had limited postseason success. CBS Sports believes that Los Angeles is still in good hands with manager Dave Roberts, despite their shortcomings in October. Still, Roberts and the coaching staff should look to discover ways to optimize Los Angeles’ chances this postseason.

As a rookie, Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll put the franchise on his shoulders en route to a World Series appearance. There isn’t much he can do for an encore, but Arizona should also prepare their young star for the inevitable adjustments pitchers might make against him in his second season. Carroll’s perception would vault to another level if he can avoid a sophomore slump.

The Padres expected to be in the thick of the World Series race in the National League last year, but fell way short of their expectations. They re-arranged their team this offseason, by trading Juan Soto away and trading for Dylan Cease in separate deals. Sports Illustrated and others still view San Diego’s talent as immense; they’ll just need to put last year’s disappointment behind them.

The Giants agreed to terms with Blake Snell a week before the start of the regular season. The two-time Cy Young award winner will form a lethal tandem with Logan Webb, who finished second in voting for the award last season behind Snell. If San Francisco is able to make it to the postseason, they might be setup for success with that level of elite pitching talent.

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The road to victories doesn’t look promising in Colorado, who play in a difficult division and feature many young players looking to establish themselves. Former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle told Purple Row, “I say this with fans all the time too because expectations often lead to resentments.” Colorado fans will enjoy the continued improvement of Nolan Jones day in and day out.