Alright baseball fans, the week we have been waiting for since October is finally upon us! This week the Major League Baseball season begins and it’s time for MLB predictions. It’s a great time of the year that brings hope an optimism so so many teams.
As a Giants fan I went through a wide range of emotions this offseason. I felt the disappointment and anger of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto signing with those dreaded Bums from Los Angeles. I felt the despair of the Bums spending an insane amount of money and feeling like there would be no way that any team could catch them. I felt the excitement from the Giants bringing Bob Melvin in as manager, giving the team a sense of leadership and direction they have needed for the past few seasons.
The Giants got me really excited by the additions they made this offseason by adding Jung Hoo Lee, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jordan Hicks and Nick Ahmed in free agency. Farhan Zaidi deserves a gold star for those additions, but also for a big move that I feel has gone a bit under the radar with the trade to bring in Robbie Ray to bolster the starting pitching rotation. Have the Giants done enough to compete in the NL West? Here is my division by division predictions for the 2024 season.
AL East
This division is a very difficult one to predict. Every team in this division has exceptional talent and could potentially win the division when fully healthy. The additions that each team has made has been relatively quiet this offseason. I feel like one of the biggest moves was Marcus Stroman going to the Yankees. The Yankees may be in trouble though as they will be without Gerrit Cole for at least the first two months of the season. Adding Juan Soto will help ease some of the pressure to perform on Aaron Judge.
Baltimore is a team that has a ton of young talent and will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing performance in the postseason last year. Adding Corbin Burnes to their rotation will help give them a big boost. Toronto has a great lineup, but will be searching for a replacement for Matt Chapman at third. Tampa Bay is a team that is always dangerous and seems to have a great pipeline of young players that come up through their farm system. Boston is in the middle of a rebuild, but they also have a lot of talent there to make them competitive.
Here’s how I think the division will play out:
- Baltimore Orioles
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Boston Red Sox
- New York Yankees
I feel like the top 3 teams there could be in any order with each one of those three teams winning. Boston is the sleeper team in the division in my opinion. This division will be a fun one to watch!
AL Central
This division is a tough one to predict, but for opposite reasons of the AL East. I don’t feel like there is a really strong team in this division, which means it’s a wide open division. The Kansas City Royals have made the most moves and upgrades this offseason. Their biggest splash was giving Bobby Witt Jr. a huge contract extension to keep him with the club for the next 11 years. He is the type of player to build a team around, and the Royals have done a good job at bringing in solid players in their price range to fill out the roster. They have a lot to prove though as they are coming off a season where they lost 106 games.
Minnesota’s rotation took a huge blow with the departure of Sonny Gray, but they still have some good young talent and could be a threat. Detroit has a lot of young and unproven talent, but there’s plenty of reason for their fans to feel excitement about that squad. Cleveland and Chicago have the same problem of having a talented roster, but underperforming during the season.
Here’s my predictions for the AL Central:
- Minnesota Twins
- Cleveland Guardians
- Kansas City Royals
- Chicago White Sox
- Detroit Tigers
I feel like the sleeper team in this division is the Kansas City Royals. I have been very impressed with the moves they made this offseason and believe that they could surprise a lot of people. Only time will tell!
AL West
This division comes down to one thing: Who’s willing to mess with Texas? The Texas Rangers are coming off a fantastic World Series championship run. They have one of the best managers in the game at the helm in Bruce Bochy. Their rotation has some great pitchers and will get reinforced during the season when Max Sherzer and Jacob deGrom come back from injuries sustained last season. The Houston Astros are a team that has a very dangerous lineup, despite being one of the most hated team in baseball since their cheating scandal broke.
The Seattle Mariners have arguably the best starting rotation in baseball. They are a frustrating team as they seem to underperform and miss the mark year after year. That being said, they seem like the team best suited to challenge the Texas teams for the division crown this season. The Anaheim Angels (I refuse to call them Los Angeles because they are in Orange County) are reeling from an offseason where they lost Shohei Ohtani. Mike Trout is still a great player, but he has durability issues and can’t seem to stay healthy. The Oakland A’s are just a joke. The team refuses to spend money and has alienated their fanbase by announcing they will leave Oakland for Las Vegas.
Here’s my AL West predictions:
- Texas Rangers
- Seattle Mariners
- Houston Astros
- Anaheim Angels
- Oakland A’s
I’m probably being a little extra hopeful that the Mariners will finish ahead of the Astros, but I feel like the Mariners pitching can carry them to do so. I feel like the Texas Rangers are built to be competitive for quite some time.
NL East
The NL East is a division that I feel is really just a division that comes down to 2 teams: The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves have the best player in baseball in Ronald Acuna. They have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Spencer Strider. The roster has very few weaknesses, which makes them a juggernaut to deal with. The Phillies also have a great roster, but there are a few holes there and the talent just doesn’t quite match up with Atlanta. Those teams will be fun to watch go head to head all season.
The New York Mets are solid, but they are nowhere near the talent that the Braves and Phillies have. Miami has a lot of young talent, but I just don’t think they have enough to compete in this division. They are also looking for a player to replace the loss of Jorge Soler to the Giants. The Washington Nationals will probably finish last in this division as they are currently in the middle of a rebuild.
Here’s how I think the NL East will play out:
- Atlanta Braves
- Philadelphia Phillies
- New York Mets
- Miami Marlins
- Washington Nationals
My prediction for the sleeper team in this division is the Miami Marlins. They made a nice run towards the postseason last year and have a lot of good young talent on their team. They may have a chance at one of the Wild Card spots this year.
NL Central
Much like the AL Central, I feel that there isn’t really a strong team in the NL Central that will challenge any team in the postseason. The Brewers seem to be rebuilding on the fly. Their rotation has taken a few hits after trading Burnes to Baltimore as previously mentioned. Brandon Woodruff also won’t pitch this season due to injury. The Chicago Cubs are looking like a team to keep an eye on. They made a solid addition with Shota Imanaga adding a boost to their starting rotation.
Cincinnati is a young and untested team, but Elly De La Cruz is a bright star who will be fun to watch as he continues to develop. St. Louis did a good job of adding Sonny Gray to their starting rotation, but I feel like they don’t have enough to get over the hump in this division. Goldschmidt and Arenado are great players, but they are aging out. Pittsburgh is a team that seems like they just can’t quite get things figured out, but they do have a couple of young players like Ke’Bryan Hayes to keep an eye on.
Here’s my predictions for the NL Central:
- Chicago Cubs
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Cincinnati Reds
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Pittsburgh Pirates
The sleeper team in this division is the Cincinnati Reds. Their young talent is definitely something to keep an eye on. If they can develop well and play great they could really surprise a lot of people, myself included.
NL West
Time to talk about my division! As much as I always want the Giants to win it, I don’t think any team has what it takes to dethrone the Bums. Their roster is ridiculously stacked after the additions of Ohtani, Yamamoto and Glasnow. I still am wrapping my mind around the fact that they spent over $1B this offseason. Arizona has a very good lineup with a ton of young talent led by Corbin Carroll. The Giants had a very good offseason and should be a team that will make some noise this season.
San Diego had to cut payroll this offseason and will be looking for ways to replace Juan Soto and Blake Snell. Colorado is Colorado. They have been cursed by playing in a city that has thin air due to the elevation. No pitcher will ever put up good numbers there and hitters will always see their numbers inflated. Maybe they will get lucky with a World Series run at some time, but this season will not be it.
Here’s my predictions for how the NL West will play out:
- Los Angeles Bums
- San Francisco Giants
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- San Diego Padres
- Colorado Rockies
The moves the Giants made this offseason have been huge. Matt Chapman finally adds defensive stability at third and should have a bounce back season after being hurt for a good chunk of last season. Blake Snell and Robbie Ray add veteran help to a young rotation. Jung Hoo Lee adds charisma and speed in center field and should be a top candidate for rookie of the year this year. Kyle Harrison could battle Lee for that piece of hardware at the end of the season.
It will be tough for the Giants to overtake the Diamondbacks, but I believe that they can do it. The NL West should be one of the most competitive divisions in baseball this season.
There’s my predictions for each division this season. Do you agree? Why or why not? I would love to hear your thoughts on this as well. Go Giants!
One response to “MLB Predictions”
Love how you see the whole MLB brother . I know the bums will hopefully win it but your team is like a roach they never die and I’ve always told you that but keep up the good work can’t wait to read more!