Baseball season has finally arrived in North America, one week after the MLB season began in Korea with a pair of games and some shocking revelations involving the game’s best player, Shohei Ohtani.
The refortified Dodgers, featuring two-time MVP Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, will seek their first non-pandemic World Series since 1988, while the Texas Rangers, also free spenders, aim to repeat as surprise champs in Bruce Bochy’s second year.
Speaking of free-agent additions, the Giants made two significant splashes during spring training, adding Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman and reigning Cy Young winner Blake Snell. Whether they and fellow newcomer Jorge Soler will provide the starpower to take San Francisco back to the playoffs remains to be seen in a division with the Dodgers, the aggressive Padres and the Diamondbacks, winners of last year’s pennant.
In Oakland, where the A’s may be opening their final season at the Coliseum, the picture is less rosy: Alex Wood and Ross Stripling may fortify the rotation and Zach Gelof has hopes of a breakout first full season, but nobody is expecting the A’s to compete for much beyond fourth place in the American League West.
Here are our staff’s predictions for the 2024 MLB season:
Evan Webeck
AL East: YankeesAL Central: TwinsAL West: AstrosAL wild cards: Orioles, Rangers, RaysALCS: Orioles over AstrosNL East: BravesNL Central: RedsNL West: DodgersNL wild cards: Phillies, Cubs, D’backsNLCS: Braves over RedsWorld Series: Braves over OriolesAL MVP: Adley RutschmanNL MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr.
Dieter Kurtenbach
AL East: OriolesAL Central: TigersAL West: AstrosAL wild cards: Yankees, Rays, MarinersALCS: Yankees over MarinersNL East: PhilliesNL Central: CubsNL West: DodgersNL wild cards: Braves, Cardinals, MarlinsNLCS: Dodgers over PhilliesWorld Series: Yankees over DodgersAL MVP: Juan SotoNL MVP: Trea Turner
Jason Mastrodonato
AL East: OriolesAL Central: GuardiansAL West: MarinersAL wild cards: Yankees, Astros, RangersALCS: Orioles over MarinersNL East: BravesNL Central: RedsNL West: DodgersNL wild cards: Phillies, D’backs, GiantsNLCS: Braves over D’backsWorld Series: Orioles over BravesAL MVP: Julio RodriguezNL MVP: Mookie Betts
Laurence Miedema
AL East: Blue JaysAL Central: TwinsAL West: AstrosAL wild cards: Mariners, Orioles, RangersALCS: Mariners over AstrosNL East: BravesNL Central: RedsNL West: DodgersNL wild cards: Phillies, Marlins, D’backsNLCS: Braves over DodgersWorld Series: Braves over MarinersAL MVP: Bo BichetteNL MVP: Austin Riley