With players in camp for Spring Training, we have a good idea of how rosters are shaping up for the 2024 season. The new season brings new players and new challenges for all these teams. Here’s how we think the 2024 season will shake out for each team.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 88-73
The D-Backs shocked the league last year with an NL Pennant and a run to the World Series after sneaking into the playoffs with a Wild Card berth. They’ve capitalized on that success by adding to the roster, trading for Eugenio Suarez from the Mariners, signing Eduardo Rodriguez and retaining Lourdes Gurriel Jr. While the team is in a better place, the Dodgers and Giants made even more aggressive off-season moves, meaning the NL West will be one of the toughest divisions in baseball. We see the Snakes improving, but just incrementally due to this.
Atlanta Braves: 110-52
The Braves are simply loaded. With the reigning NL MVP in Acuña and the home run leader in Olson, along with boppers like Riley, Ozuna and Albies they probably have the deepest lineup in the sport. Their addition of Chris sale via trade with the Red Sox means their rotation is the best it’s been since the Glavine/Smoltz/Maddux era. This team is terrifying on paper, and with likely 30+ wins coming from the weakened Marlins and Nationals this year, their win total should only go up from 2023.
Baltimore Orioles: 94-68
The Orioles finally returned to success in 2023 with a 103-win campaign, and the team has only improved on paper with the addition of former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes. However, the young core of players now has to deal with expectations and pressures they did not previously play with. On top of that, the Yankees have retooled and improved dramatically, adding superstar Juan Soto among other pieces. With the Yankees, Blue Jays and Rays standing strong in the division, it will be tough for the O’s to repeat their success of last year. We see them coming back down to Earth a little bit, but still as one of the best teams in the AL.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral MLB stories via Google! Follow Us
Boston Red Sox: 70-92
The Red Sox are not in a great place right now. They traded away their ace, Sale (who admittedly had not pitched all that much over the past few years) and one of their lineup mainstays in Verdugo (to their hated rivals the Yankees, no less). With the division getting tougher due to the Yankees’ improvement, the Sox will slide further into the pits.
Chicago Cubs: 81-81
The Cubs added Craig Counsel as their new manager this off-season but haven’t done much else. It seems unlikely Bellinger will return, and they lost Candelario to the Reds in free agency. Without new blood to improve the team, their record likely won’t improve either. Unless Swanson and Suzuki both put up MVP caliber seasons, it seems unlikely they’ll get above .500.
Chicago White Sox: 65-97
The ChiSox had a miserable 2023, and there doesn’t seem to be much improvement coming for 2024. They lost Tim Anderson and Liam Hendricks to free agency, and have not seen Eloy Jimenez turn into the superstar they hoped he’d be. Unless the rotation wakes up and pitches to their former prospect potential, the Sox will have another brutal season.
Cincinnati Reds: 75-87
The Reds finished last year one game above .500, and looks like they won’t even be able to get there this year. The NL Central isn’t the strongest division in the league, which gives the Reds some opportunity to succeed, but they didn’t really add any talent to improve the team. It’s mostly comprised of young, unproven players like McLain and Steer. Even if these players blossom into All-Stars, the Reds have no pitching. They had the sixth-worst team ERA last season, and have done nothing to address this issue. They also outperformed their Pythagorean Win-Loss last year (a metric that predicts record based on run differential), which often indicates regression is coming for the next season. With all these factors, the Reds will probably slide down under .500 again, unless Ely Delacruz immediately becomes an MVP candidate in his sophomore season.
Cleveland Guardians: 86-76
The Guardians struggled in 2023, but we think they are a bit due for a comeback here. The Guardians have one of the best bullpens in the sport, along with some strong starters including former Cy Young winner Shane Beiber, who is due to return to quality after an injury-plagued, weak 2023 season. If Kwan and Gimenez return to their 2022 numbers as well, the Guardians will be contenders in the AL central.
Colorado Rockies: 55-107
The Rockies are bad. Very bad. The Bryant signing has been a disaster, none of their prospects have panned out. They still can’t figure out how to get pitchers to succeed in Coors. With the NL West becoming an even tougher division, the Rockies will be the whipping boy.
Detroit Tigers: 80-82
The Tigers were not particularly good last year, but they did play winning baseball after July 1st. Their prospects do seem to be panning out with Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene posting strong seasons. However, if Baez can’t snap out of his Detroit funk, the team is not going anywhere. An uncertain division will give the Tigers an opportunity, but we don’t see them coming out on top.
Houston Astros: 95-67
The Astros remain one of the top teams in the league. Reunited with Verlander, they should only be better than last year. The Abreu signing has so far proven among the best of the last few years, and with their young players all continuing to succeed, they will be among the best in the AL again. The only possible hiccup to another division title could be the reigning World Series Champs, the Rangers.
Kansas City Royals: 75-87
The Royals were not very good last year. But they are poised to improve with the addition of pitchers Wacha and Lugo, and power hitter Hunter Renfroe. If their young players continue to grow, and Witt Jr. becomes the monster they think he will, they should post a record much closer to .500 than last year.
Los Angeles Angels: 60-102
The Angels are a gutted franchise. The Rendon signing is arguably the worst in history, he literally does not want to play baseball. Ohtani, the hope of Anaheim has gone up the road to the Dodgers. Trout stands alone in the ashes of a once-promising team. With no pitching and no promising young talent, the Angels will need a miracle to have a successful season. The only thing that will keep them above 60 wins is that the A’s are even worse.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 97-65
The Dodgers have the best team on paper after the billion-dollar signings of Ohtani and Yamamoto. However, that, along with their lack of playoff success over the past decade (outside of the COVID ring) puts tremendous stress on the team to succeed. We think that this will lead to a sluggish start, with the team eventually hitting its stride and demolishing the field in the second half. The improved NL West will also make it hard for the Dodgers to get to 100 wins again.
To make sure the rotation is rock solid they went and got Tyler Glasnow as well. Let’s not forget that they buffed their lineup with solid corner outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. To top it all off, they retained future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers have one of the most fearsome rosters ever comprised. A masterclass from their front office.
Miami Marlins: 71-91
The Marlins snuck into the playoffs last year, but the team is in a completely different place now. Mattingly and Kim Ng are gone despite their success. Soler, Robertson and Gurriel are also gone in free agency. Sandy Alcantara will miss the entire season due to an arm injury and Tommy John surgery. Tim Anderson has joined the squad, but there seems little chance for a repeat of last year with the current roster.
Milwaukee Brewers: 80-82
The Brewers are poised to have a fall from their division title last year. Their manager has gone to division rival Cubs, and they have traded their ace to the Orioles for prospects. Despite their strong season last year, they only had 2 everyday players with an OPS+ above 100, so their lineup isn’t particularly strong. Without Counsel, Burnes and no real improvements to the lineup, we can’t see the Brewers getting above .500.
Minnesota Twins: 83-79
Defending AL Central champions the Twins are in a precarious position. Ownership is intentionally cutting payroll, and the Twins lost Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda as a result. With Pablo Lopez (a good young pitcher to be sure) as the ace of the squad, the Twins will probably not retain their divisional crown, unless Buxton can have the MVP season that the Twins have been hoping for.
New York Mets: 85-77
The Mets had a horrendous 2023. They fell off from the 101-game pace of 2022, down under .500. They traded away Verlander and Scherzer to reload the farm system. However, the Mets are still poised to bounce back in 2024. Part of the reason they had such a bad 2023 was that Alonso and McNeil had the worst years of their careers. Starling Marte also struggled to stay on the field and perform. If he remains healthy then the team has a very strong core of Alonso, Lindor, Marte, McNeil, and Nimmo. If these players play to the back of their baseball cards, the Mets are in for a much improved 2024, even if they might not quite be a playoff team.
New York Yankees: 96-66
The Yankees have had arguably the second biggest off-season after the Dodgers. The addition of Juan Soto immediately makes them a threat in the AL East, especially with the rotation bolstered by Marcus Stroman. Stanton has also already taken steps to stay on the field with a new workout regimen. If Soto, Judge and Stanton all get 600 PA this season, there will be no stopping the Bronx Bombers.
Oakland Athletics: 52-110
The A’s will be the worst team in the MLB again. The franchise is an absolute disaster. The move to Vegas has barely gotten off the ground and ownership is cheaping out on the roster until then. Prospects do not seem to be panning out either. More pain to come in Oakland this year.
Philadelphia Phillies: 90-72
The Phillies made the NLCS again last year and continue to be a strong side in the NL East. They were able to re-sign Aaron Nola to keep the rotation strong. With no real changes to the team, and the division remaining in a fairly similar place as last year, we think the Phillies will have a similar record as well.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 75-87
The Pirates got off to a hot start last year, but again fell back down to Earth and finished below .500. It looks like this year will be much of the same, with the much-hated Nutting family refusing to spend yet again. The franchise’s real problem seems to be that they are simply incapable of developing pitching. More misery in Pittsburgh, what else is new?
San Diego Padres: 82-80
The Padres have lost Juan Soto and Blake Snell, but still have a team filled with young talent. They also severely underperformed in their Pythagorean Win-Loss. Unfortunately, the Dodgers, D-Backs and Giants are a lot more talented. In a tough division, it looks like the Padres will struggle to get much above .500 yet again.
San Francisco Giants: 90-72
The Giants have had the most under-the-radar off-season of any team. They signed Korean star Jung-Hoo Lee to a 6-year deal and added Jorge Soler to bring some needed power to the squad. They also acquired Robbie Ray from the Mariners to add a strong arm to the pitching staff, once he returns from Tommy John surgery. With players like Wilmer Flores and Yastremski proving they can be strong everyday players, this newly formed team is poised to be somewhere much closer to the 107-win team from 2021.
Seattle Mariners: 86-76
The Mariners have traded some pieces away this off-season, but are still in a place where they may compete for a playoff spot. With Julio Rodriguez leading the squad, you never can really count them out, especially with Luis Castillo and George Kirby on the hill to back him up. Reuniting with Mitch Haniger should cover off on trading away Suarez. The A’s and Angels should allow them to score some easy wins and keep their record good enough to make a wildcard run.
St. Louis Cardinals: 90-72
The Cardinals are going to bounce back from a miserable 2023. They added Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn to fix their horrific rotation. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt will return to their career means in terms of performance. The division is weak and ripe for a return to the top from one of the best franchises in the history of the sport.
Tampa Bay Rays: 87-75
The Rays are going to regress from last year. They lost their best player to despicable criminal activity. McLanahan will not pitch this year due to injury. The Yankees are going to be back up in the division, making it harder to compete. However, the Rays are still a solid team with good young players and will compete for a wildcard slot.
Texas Rangers: 92-70
The Rangers barely made the playoffs last year, but turned that ticket into a World Series Trophy. Next year they should be stronger overall with the addition of Scherzer and a full year of young phenom Evan Carter. However, the Astros still run the NL West, and the Rangers (without deGrom for the majority of the year) will have to prove themselves in a 162-game marathon before we rate them over the Houston side.
Toronto Blue Jays: 83-79
The Blue Jays, like the Rays, are not quite at the top of their division in talent. Missing out on Ohtani was a blow to the franchise, and while Bichette and Guerrero Jr. Are good players, they have yet to come on and be the mega-stars the Jays hoped they would be. Justin Turner should cover Matt Chapman’s performance for the Jays in terms of offense, but they really haven’t made any other moves to sure up the team. With the improved division the Jays should be a fringe playoff team, if Bichette and Guerrero can reach their potential, then a possible division contender.
Washington Nationals: 60-102
The Nationals are bad. Their prospects have not become what they needed them to be. They will once again be the NL East’s punching bag. They have no pitching, no power, no consistent players. Strasburg is done. Corbin is a Jugs machine. Last on the list alphabetically, and quite possibly last in the win column as well. The Capital will not have a capital season.
