MLB Season Begins

Alex Easton, staff writer

Spring is just around the corner, and that means the start of the MLB season edges closer. Throughout the early months leading up to the new season, teams will beginning to get back in their grove by playing spring games. There are many teams that look very strong heading into this year. The Mariners have kept the core of the roster heading into the 26-27 season, yet the Dodgers are a very strong favorite to win again and become the third team to win a world series three times in a row or better known as a threepeat in the history of the MLB. The potential three-peat, although it would add to the history of the sport, could also lead to a potentially crucial lockout in the MLB. 

The expectation for the next season is that players are healthier, so a similar injury crisis doesn’t occur during this season. The Braves had one of the most promising future lineups for pitching with Spencer Schwellenbach, Aj Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep, all breaking out in strong fashion, though they would later all be out because of injuries the rest of the prior season.  Heading into the new season, they are all still injured with each of them having some sort of arm injury. Along with that concern for the next season, the Braves also shipped off fan favorite Marcell Ozuna in a deal to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Braves off season wasn’t only filled with bad events though. The Baves capitalized on the trade window which saw them acquire Robert Suarez and resign Korean international Hae-Seong Kim.  

Looking towards a wider view of the next MLB season, lots of teams are going into the season very strong, with some looking for revenge while others search for glory as an underdog. The Seattle Mariners are very strong favorites to get back into the playoffs again this season with Julio Rodriguez and AL MVP runner up Cal Raleigh along with Bryan Woo pushing the team into this category. The Dodgers are also strong favorites to make it back into the playoffs this season and they lead the charge to win the World Series this season. This offseason, the Dodgers bolstered the roster once again with the signing of premier free agent Kyle Tucker from the Cubs. The Toronto Blue Jays are also strong contenders to make it back to the world series as well, but with the loss of their shortstop Bo Bichette, the contention is still a tossup. Vladimir Guerrero Jr and the jay’s strong rotation though, keeps them in a contention spot.  

Heading into the next season, lots of questions about a salary cap being introduced to baseball have been proposed due to the free agent signing of the Dodgers. For context, on Dec. 11, 2023, the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a historic 700 hundred million 10-year contract that saw Ohtani being paid all of his money in his later seasons to allow for the Dodgers to stay competitive with such a large contract. After this contract the Dodgers have made very similar contracts for such large sums that get pushed back many years. With this recent record signing the league has become frustrated, a result of this frustration could be a lockout, which could cause the MLB to introduce a salary cap to combat large contracts. Only time will tell whether a lockout is to come later on for the MLB