Joe Douglas deserves more criticism than he gets.

The New York Jets are making headlines for all the wrong reasons; something that is far too common for this franchise. Pass rusher Haason Reddick has publicly requested a trade amidst an ongoing contract dispute with the team. New York traded for Reddick just four months ago, and he has yet to even put on a Jets jersey.

I hate when players think they are above the team; that they don’t have to honor the contract they signed. Most of the time, players have no leverage (Reddick has already been fined over $2 million for blowing off practices), yet front offices give in so easily. I give Jets GM Joe Douglas credit for at least saying they have no intention of making another trade involving Reddick.

That being said, why trade for a player looking for a new contract if you have no intention of paying him? Douglas had to have known this would become a distraction when he made the deal, and this is just one of the many shortsighted decisions he’s made has the Jets’ GM.

Fans laud him for his 2022 draft, when the Jets picked up Sauce Gardner, Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. These picks, I believe, are the only reason he’s still employed.

In 2020, he drafted Mekhi Becton in the first round, who was injured or out of shape for most of his Jets tenure. In all fairness, he was a great prospect that just didn’t work out. In 2021, he drafted one of the biggest busts of the 21st century in Zach Wilson. This pick was much less forgivable.

Anyone with a brain could see that the quarterback from BYU was not worthy of a second overall pick. Joe Douglas fell in love with him at the combine when he was throwing deep balls in shorts with no pressure. Outside of Trevor Lawrence, this wasn’t a great QB class, but that’s no reason to reach that early.

Now, 40-year-old future hall-of-famer Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback of the Jets in a desperate attempt not to waste the 2022 draft class. This was a move made to cover up past mistakes, and so far it has not worked out. Rodgers has already made about $38 million for just over a minute of play. He needs to stay healthy and take the Jets to their first playoff appearance in 14 years in order for this move to prove successful.

I sincerely believe that Joe Douglas is out if the Jets fail to make the playoffs in the 2024-2025 season.

The Olympics have juice again.

We’re a long way from the days of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt breaking record after record. The Tokyo Olympic games didn’t have the same magic in 2020, as they were run under the blanket of COVID-19. This year, however, feels different.

I’ve never felt the need to gamble on the Olympic games. It means so much to so many people around the world, and national pride was always reason enough to keep me watching. Who wants to bet against their country in the Olympics? Who wants to bet on the same team over and over? It doesn’t seem worth it.

I may have been inclined to wager on the 2020 Games, but four years later, the 2024 Paris Games feel pure again.

The United States sent some fantastic athletes across the pond: Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles etc. There have also been some fantastic moments this year: the battles between Ledecky and Australian Ariarne Titmus in the pool, Julien Alfred taking home St. Lucia’s first two medals, chaos on the final lap of the men’s 3000m steeplechase. I, and many people across the globe, have been watching intently during work and enjoying the pure athleticism for the love of the game, not because we have money on it.

Now, that being said, it’s time for the U.S. to use these last few days to pull ahead of China in gold medals. We have not dominated track and swimming like we should. At the time this is being written, a masked Noah Lyles is giving an interview after taking home bronze in his best event. The women’s water polo team just blew a 4 point lead in the semifinals and lost in a shootout.

There have been quite a few choke jobs from the U.S. in these Olympics, including Femke Bol stealing the mixed 4x400m and Sha’Carri Richardson taking silver in the 100m.

However, I’m confident the track relays and basketball will ultimately put the United States on top, right where we belong.

We’re back!

Apologies for the long hiatus. Employees at my company have been resigning in bunches and leaving me with piles upon piles of work. I also purchased a house with my lovely girlfriend and we’ve been extremely busy making it a home. As these things settle down, I’m making it a goal to start posting on a more regular basis. Thank you for sticking with me through it all.

There’s no better time than the All-Star break, the unofficial halfway point of the MLB season and the only stretch of the year without a major sport, to check in on our pre-season predictions.

The good:

The Cleveland Guardians are making me feel like a very smart man. This lineup and rotation (although they lost Shane Bieber to injury very early on) were too good to warrant the third-best odds to win the division. They are now the odds-on favorite at -135 after starting the season 58-37, four games ahead of the Twins.

If you recall, I had some very harsh criticism of the Rockies, Angels and A’s going into 2024, and all three of these teams have proved me right. The annual Mike Trout injury put the Angels in the gutter, and the other two teams don’t look like they’re trying to win baseball games. It’s just par for the course with these franchises.

For Cy Young winners, I picked Zack Wheeler and Corbin Burnes who both currently have the second-best odds in their respective leagues. Mookie Betts was playing out of his mind before breaking his hand, which was great for my NL MVP pick. We’ll see how the rest of the season shakes up, but right now I’m very comfortable with where these stand.

The bad:

I thought the Astros were a slam dunk at plus odds to win the division. They got off to a horrendous start, but have clawed their way back to a single game behind the Mariners; zero in the loss column. That is an incredible stretch and I feel like people are not talking about it. So while this prediction looked dead, it’s still not out of the realm of possibility.

The rest of my division standing predictions were not that terrible, with all of my winners sitting in first or in second within a few games.

The worst predictions I made before this season started were my Rookie of the Year picks. Jackson Chourio and Evan Carter do not even crack the top ten odds to win. Chourio is having a nice little season, but this award is pretty much locked down by Paul Skenes. In Carter’s case, he’s missed some time due to injury, and I maybe put too much stock into his 2023 playoff performance.

All in all, I’d say were looking pretty good.

There’s an injury epidemic plaguing MLB pitchers. What can we do about it?

We’ve seen an uptick in elbow injuries to pitchers in recent years, and this year there were 132 pitchers on the injured list on opening day. Last year, over 34% of pitchers to appear in a game had the dreaded Tommy John surgery at some point in their pasts, and that number is rising each year.

The trend we’re seeing is frightening, and many players and fans are pointing to the newly-implemented pitch clock as the culprit. Others blame the crack-down on tacky substances on the mound. However, I believe there is a much bigger problem at hand: the obsession with speed.

Pitchers today are throwing harder and harder at much younger ages. Instead of focusing on control and throwing strikes, we’re starting to teach kids how to throw as hard as they possibly can. They’re trying to maximize speed and spin before the body has a chance to develop.

High-schoolers are routinely having Tommy John surgery to repair torn UCLs, yet they’re being encouraged to have 4+ pitches in their arsenals at high speeds. We’ve seen facilities such as Driveline add 10-20 miles per hour to fastballs and 5-10 inches of break to sliders.

Little leagues 10-20 years ago did not allow kids to throw breaking balls, and for good reason. The ulnar collateral ligament does not fully develop in a human male until about 26 years old. You cannot repeatedly put the stress of a high-velocity breaking ball on an underdeveloped ligament and not expect a negative outcome.

This all isn’t to say that there aren’t other factors at play. I believe the changes implemented in baseball over the last three years came very suddenly, and modern pitchers have not adjusted to them.

The pitch clock is one of these major changes, and has honestly made baseball games more enjoyable to watch. However, the human arm is not designed to snap forward at 90-100 mph every 15 seconds. MLB isn’t changing this rule, so it’s time for an adjustment.

I challenge you to go on YouTube and watch a game from the 1986 World Series. There was no clock, but pitchers were only taking 10 or so seconds between pitches. There were only 2 pitchers who underwent Tommy John surgery that year. It’s been proven possible to throw at a high volume over a short period of time.

Another change across baseball has been the emphasis on “sticky stuff” checks for pitchers. According to Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow, this crackdown is forcing pitchers to grip the ball tighter and is leading to injuries. I do believe this to be a factor, and would love to see MLB approve a substance for pitchers to have more control of the ball.

Out of these factors, the importance of velocity in todays game is the biggest. In terms of training, players today seem to be focused on strength over flexibility.

We all love watching pitchers throw gas, but there’s nothing worse than losing one of your favorite players for over a year (take it from me, a big Jacob deGrom fan). There needs to be a change, and it has to start from an early level.

The tragedy of Mike Trout:

Another year, another hot start for the player some consider to be the best in baseball. Two weeks into the 2024 season, Mike Trout is hitting over .300, has an OPS over 1.000, and leads the league with six home runs.

This level of play has become expected of Trout, who is well on his way to the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, this is usually accompanied by a losing record from the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels have started the season 6-6, losing three out of their four series’ to this point. The only thing preventing a sub-.500 record is a sweep of the Miami Marlins during their 9-game losing streak to open the season.

The Angels have been one of the worst-run franchises in the Major Leagues over Trout’s tenure. High-level players have come and gone; Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, Albert Pujols, Shohei Ohtani. No matter who they put on the field, they just have not been able to figure out the pitching staff.

How many seasons have we seen what should be an incredible lineup in Anaheim fall flat? For two and a half of them, it featured three future Hall-of-Famers in Trout, Pujols and Ohtani. The front office gives out insane contracts to players in the field (Pujols past his prime and Anthony Rendon, who revealed his disdain for the sport after receiving $245 million to play it, are good examples) and supplements the lineup with a mediocre rotation.

They’ve been hit with tragedy in the death of Tyler Skaggs, and have tried to revive careers in Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Julio Teheran, etc. Nothing has worked. This year, they have some hope in Reid Detmers, but he is still a question mark at 24 years old.

As bad as the pitching staff has been, Trout is not blameless in the Angels’ struggles. He signed a massive contract himself, making $426.5 million over 12 years, and has not been able to stay on the field. I mentioned earlier that everyone expects greatness from Trout, but over the last five years or so everyone also expects injuries. He has back problems that will persist throughout his life, and cannot seem to stay away from the freak injury. We know he’ll likely be hit by a pitch at some point this season and miss significant time.

It also feels like Trout has become complacent; that winning doesn’t come first to him. I’m not saying he has the mindset of his teammate Rendon, but signing that big contract with a no-trade clause, knowing the problems in the organization, and having the option to go back home to Philly, says to me that being comfortable is what’s most important to him. There is no shame in a man settling in and not wanting to move his family across the country. However, to do so with this organization was the wrong move in terms of his legacy.

His stats in the playoffs (given he’s only played in one series) are abysmal. A .083 average in a 3-0 sweep by the Royals is the only postseason experience he has on record. Every player in history who has a playoff hit has matched Mike Trout. This lack of playoff experience and injury history could keep him off the first ballot come election time.

Mike Trout is the greatest baseball player on Earth when he’s on the field, but his career will forever be tainted by the team around him.

A tale of two boroughs:

New York has and always will be a baseball town. Every April, the Mets and Yankees fans in this city come to life after a long offseason of watching their football teams lose.

For some, this season brings a new hope, while for others, the disappointment continues.

The two New York teams couldn’t have gotten out to more opposite starts. The Yankees swept their rival Houston Astros in four games and took the first in Arizona. The Mets were swept in embarrassing fashion by the Milwaukee Brewers and were shut out by the Detroit Tigers at home.

For the Yankees, their offseason moves have already paid off. Juan Soto is on fire at the plate showing incredible discipline, already drawing five walks. Marcus Stroman came in and threw six shutout innings in his first start. Anthony Volpe, the young shortstop they stuck with last season, has gotten off to a roaring start with an OPS of 1.667. In the field, every single player looks inspired and happy to be there, giving 110% effort on every play.

Across the East River, things are looking more bleak. The team on the field looks absolutely lifeless. They’re making errors in the field, chasing bad pitches, striking out, and three of their top hitters are batting under .100 to start the season. This includes Francisco Lindor, the “leader” of this team, who will get out to his typical slow start and then turn it on when the team is 15 games under .500. That’s unacceptable when you’re being paid $300 million.

As bad as the players have been, the problems start with rookie manager Carlos Mendoza. In 2024, who knows the responsible party for creating the lineups, but they have been horrid. The team can’t seem to figure out the cleanup spot, and relies too heavily on alternating righties and lefties.

Every single game presents a situation where the lineup comes back to haunt them. On Saturday, Mendoza had to pinch hit for Tyrone Taylor in the 4-spot because there were runners in scoring position! That same game, the 4-hitter came up to bat down one in the ninth, when a home run would’ve tied it. Last night, DJ Stewart was hitting above Starling Marte in the order and came up to bat with a runner in scoring position and two outs. He got jammed on an inside fastball 3-0, and I guarantee Marte would’ve put up a better at-bat.

Lineup issues aside, this manager let his team be embarrassed by Rhys Hoskins over the weekend. They put their tail between their legs and then threw behind him after he had 3 hits, including a home run.

It has been a frustrating start for the team in Flushing, and fans are looking toward ownership. Anything other than admitting to tanking will not be accepted.

Doubling up the last MLB preview:

Let’s just not even talk about the bracket. You have to try to make one as bad as I did (although my West was perfect through the first round).

I also gave you one of my worst picks ever in Stetson against UNC, so we’re gonna move away from basketball and instead bring you the American League Central and West division previews.

The best season in sports starts today; a 162-game grind through spring, summer and fall.

AL Central

I’ll be honest, this is my least favorite division in baseball every year. I just can’t get excited for the Twins, Tigers and Guardians no matter their record. My apologies if this preview doesn’t live up to the rest.

Kansas City Royals

This is a team a lot of fans believe will win the division. I disagree. They lost 106 games last season, and I don’t believe the pitching staff is deep enough to make up the 30 games or so.

Sure, they made some good moves this offseason: signing Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year extension, bringing in Hunter Renfroe and Adam Frazier, signing Austin Nola to back up an aging Salvador Perez. However, Seth Lugo is the only (definite) reliable starter in that rotation.

Cole Ragans has a high upside but is still a question mark. Brady Singer is looking more and more like a first round bust every year. I’m not entirely sure how Michael Wacha keeps being offered contracts.

I see a second or third place finish from the Royals this year.

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers finished in second place, six games under .500 last year (this really says something about the division). This year, they have a team of washed-up stars that will probably finish in a similar position.

They spent this offseason signing names you’ve heard of, such as Kenta Maeda, Jack Flaherty, Gio Urshela, Mark Canha etc.

If these guys all play up to their potential, Tarik Skubal can recreate his 2023 campaign, and first-rounder Casey Mize can hit his stride, this team can make a run for the division. Ultimately, I don’t think they’re there yet (as long as Javier Baez is under that ridiculous contract).

Minnesota Twins

This team took the division in 2023 winning under 90 games. They haven’t gotten any better this offseason, but did they really need to?

They lost Sonny Gray to the Cardinals and are relying on Pablo Lopez to lead that pitching staff. Every other pitcher behind him has a career ERA of 4+.

The lineup includes Carlos Correa, Carlos Santana, Max Kepler, Byron Buxton (for about 60 games), and five sub-27-year-olds. They’re a very young, somewhat inexperienced team, but I believe they can still compete in this horrible division.

Chicago White Sox

Just like that, the White Sox are tanking again. It just has not been working for this team.

The success of this team relies upon the middle of the lineup: Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez. They’re a different ball club when these three are healthy and hitting, but that hasn’t been the case in recent years.

The pitching staff lost Dylan Cease but gained Mike Soroka. They’re also hoping Garrett Crochet can live up to the hype as their ace this season.

I’m expecting more of the same from Chicago; a team that lost 101 games in 2023.

Cleveland Guardians

We’re almost done, I promise.

The Guardians are coming off a down year, during which they finished 10 games under .500.

This team, in my opinion, is not that bad. They have a Cy Young threat in Shane Bieber, an MVP threat in Jose Ramirez, and a nice mix of veteran experience and young talent.

Barring a slow start and trades at the deadline, I think this team can make a run for the division in 2024.

Predictions

  1. Guardians 88-74
  2. Twins 83-79
  3. Royals 75-87
  4. Tigers 72-90
  5. White Sox 64-98

AL West

Let’s wrap up this preview series with the division that houses the most recent World Series champions.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers tied the Astros for first place last season, and made a run all the way though the playoffs.

They retained most of their championship core, with the exception of losing Jordan Montgomery to free agency.

Little by little, they’ll get back pitchers Max Scherzer, Michael Lorenzen, Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom from injuries.

If they can find the playoffs in this tough division, they have the perfect recipe for another World Series run.

Houston Astros

The Astros have been the most consistent team in baseball for almost a decade now. They’ve made an ALCS appearance in seven straight seasons, and have an incredible lineup and pitching staff.

However, that pitching staff is starting 2024 very injured. Framber Valdez and Christian Javier will have to hold down the fort while guys are out, but the lineup should more than make up for the lack of pitching.

Alex Bregman is on a contract year, Yordan Alvarez has shown the ability to single-handedly change games, and Jose Altuve is one of the best pure hitters in baseball.

It’s going to be a battle for first place in this division in 2024.

Seattle Mariners

Another team that was in the mix last year was the Mariners. They had playoff hopes up until the last week of the season, and it’s a shame because they would’ve put up a much better fight in the Wild Card round than the Blue Jays did.

They added a pair a Mitches to the lineup in Haniger and Garver, along with Jorge Polanco. The pitching staff is a question mark, as veteran Luis Castillo is followed in the rotation by a string of first-rounders.

I don’t believe they can win the division in 2024 with the two juggernauts ahead of them, but they’ll definitely compete for a Wild Card spot.

Los Angeles Angels

The Halos were bad last year, and have gotten much, much worse with the loss of Shohei Ohtani.

This is a last-place team if the A’s didn’t exist. Sure, Mike Trout is a generational talent but he hasn’t played a full season since 2016. Anthony Rendon does not like nor care about baseball and it shows in his play. Aaron Hicks is years past washed. They have zero pitching.

Unless Trout can stay on the field, this team is going to be impossible to watch in 2024.

Oakland (?) Athletics

What’s there to say about the A’s? They stunk last year, they’ll continue to stink this year, and the story surrounding them continues to be which city they’ll end up playing in. We got the annual artist’s unrealistic rendition of a future A’s ballpark that will never be built, and the team the front office trots out there does not deserve to play in these proposed cathedrals. It’s unfair to have Vegas taxpayers put a crappy team they don’t want to watch in an incredible ballpark. It’s never going to happen.

They have the worst lineup in baseball and a pitching rotation fronted by Alex Wood and Ross Stripling, both well past their primes. I certainly won’t watch any of this team in 2024, and I’m sure A’s fans won’t either.

Predictions

  1. Astros 101-61
  2. Rangers 94-68 (Wild Card)
  3. Mariners 88-74 (Wild Card)
  4. Angels 69-93
  5. A’s 52-110

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

NL Wildcard: Phillies over Brewers, Cardinals over Diamondbacks

AL Wildcard: Mariners over Guardians, Rangers over Orioles

NLDS: Phillies over Dodgers, Braves over Cardinals

ALDS: Astros over Mariners, Yankees over Rangers

NLCS: Phillies over Braves

ALCS: Astros over Yankees

World Series: Phillies over Astros

AWARD PREDICTIONS

NL Cy Young: Zack Wheeler

NL MVP: Mookie Betts

NL Rookie of the Year: Jackson Chourio

AL Cy Young: Corbin Burnes

AL MVP: Juan Soto

AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Carter

Enjoy opening day today! I, for one, will be doing beers at work (although my Mets aren’t even playing). We’ll check in next week after what should be a great opening weekend.

March Madness preview:

Although the MLB regular season starts this week, we’re taking a break from that preview series. Instead, we’ll be taking a look at the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

As great as October is when it comes to sports, nothing compares to this time of the year. Baseball, the Masters, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup, and it all kicks off with the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness, especially the first two rounds, is a gambler’s Nirvana. There’s nothing in this world that compares to slacking off at work on Thursday and Friday to bet on 32 college games. If you work from home, go ahead and crack a beer or two. I won’t tell.

This year, I’ve been pretty hot betting on college basketball. The “system” I’ve been using focuses heavily on free throws; a team’s percentage at the line and how often it gets there.

Next, I look at 3-point percentage and the amount of attempts behind the arc. In today’s game I believe it’s very important to hit threes consistently, but I’m also weary of teams that rely too heavily on them. Sometimes, they just don’t fall.

Then I look at turnovers. I don’t put too much weight on this stat as it swings from game to game. However, teams that turn the ball over 12+ times per game tend to be the ones I stay away from.

Lastly, I look at rebounds. A team that plays well on the glass can swing a game, especially if it’s pulling down offensive boards and getting second chances regularly.

Based on this strategy, I’ve filled out my bracket as follows:

(Courtesy of ESPN)

Some notes:

Alabama to win the tournament seems like the popular pick this year since it led the nation in scoring. If it had been a one or two seed I don’t think I would’ve taken it. However, I believe there’s less pressure as a four seed and it can make the run all the way.

Nebraska is my biggest sleeper this year. It’s above average in free throw and 3-point percentage and is aggressive on the glass. I believe the potential matchups in this tournament can bring the school to the Final Four.

I have three 5-12 upsets and one 2-15 upset in my bracket this year, and I believe at least two of these will happen. Iowa State is not a good enough basketball team to warrant a two seed, and 5-12 is one of the most common upsets in this tournament.

I don’t see St. Peter’s recreating it’s 2022 run as a 15 seed. As an alumnus of a MAAC school I’ve seen a lot of this team and don’t believe it can beat Tennessee. Although, I said the same thing about it two years ago.

Some first-round plays:

Stetson +26.5

I love this large number for an above-average 3-point shooting team.

Charleston-Alabama o173.5

Alabama leads the country in scoring, but both of these teams average double-digit threes on the year.

*If Colorado advances in First Four* Florida ML (no odds available yet, but should be around -120)

Florida is one of the best rebounding teams in the country and is better than Colorado in just about every stat.

Enjoy every minute of this tournament, but as always, please bet responsibly. We’ll check in later this week for the Seoul Series, and to see how some of our picks went.

2024 AL East preview:

Now that we’ve completed our National League preview series (some moves have since been made that almost invalidate the entire NL West blog) it’s time to move on to the American League. We’ll start in the East:

New York Yankees

The Yankees are the most iconic franchise in sports. They’re coming off a down year in which just about every player underperformed, but they still finished above .500. In fact, it’s been over 30 years since the team’s last losing record.

In 2024, they’re looking to bounce back, and I wholeheartedly believe they will. They made two huge trades to improve the outfield, bringing in Alex Verdugo and the incredible youngster Juan Soto. Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge are all healthy (despite an oblique scare for Judge already), and shortstop Anthony Volpe is looking to take a stride forward in his sophomore season. One position they can improve upon is catcher, but they can afford to wait until the deadline if the lineup stays healthy.

In the rotation, they added Marcus Stroman (who, fun fact, grew up around the block from me) and have a healthy Carlos Rodon entering this season. Nester Cortes is hoping to get back to his 2022-self, and I believe the Yankees are still the favorites to sign Blake Snell. However, their ace, and arguably the best pitcher in baseball Gerrit Cole will miss one to two months with an elbow injury. Though, fans are breathing a sigh of relief learning he won’t need Tommy John surgery.

Especially if they sign Snell, I believe the Yankees will make the jump from fourth to first place in the AL East, and will make a run in the playoffs.

Boston Red Sox

Since we started with the Yankees, it makes sense to discuss their most hated rivals next (although this rivalry doesn’t mean what it used to; these two teams haven’t been good at the same time in a long time). The Red Sox are coming off two straight last-place finishes in the division and are staring straight down the barrel of a third.

Their offseason moves include trading Verdugo to the Yankees, trading for Tyler O’Neill who hasn’t been good the last two years, trading Chris Sale for one of the Braves’ most disappointing prospects in Vaughn Grissom, and signing Lucas Giolito who immediately needed elbow surgery and is out for the year.

It’s safe to say the Red Sox will be even worse in 2024, and will finish the season in last place once again.

Baltimore Orioles

Opposite of Boston, the Orioles finished in first place in the AL East in 2023 and are looking to improve upon that.

Their extremely young core could be growing by one if Jackson Holliday continues to shine at second base. Add his bat to a lineup featuring Adley Rutschman, Cedric Mullins and Gunnar Henderson and this team is as dangerous as last year. Pitching-wise, they signed veteran closer Craig Kimbrel and traded for the Brewers’ ace Corbin Burnes.

While I believe they’ve gotten better, I’m still putting them in a Wild Card spot behind the Yankees. I’m not saying last season was a fluke, but I am saying I believe they overperformed while New York underperformed.

Toronto Blue Jays

I believe the Blue Jays’ window is closing. Outside of Bo Bichette, I believe the young Toronto core is a bit overrated. For example, Vlad Guerrero Jr., who is supposed to be the heartbeat of this team, only hit 26 home runs in 156 games in 2023. This offseason, they added Justin Turner to the lineup in the back end of his career, but lost Matt Chapman and Whit Merrifield.

If anything is going to keep this team alive, it’s pitching. Chris Bassitt is coming off a great year, as are Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman. Alek Manoah is a lost cause, but if Nate Pearson can live up to his potential as a starting pitcher in this league, the Blue Jays’ rotation can be dangerous.

I’ll be honest, when it comes to the Blue Jays, I’m still bitter. Manager John Schneider’s decision to pull Berrios early in last year’s Wild Card round and basically hand the Minnesota Twins the series doesn’t sit right with me. Maybe I just have that bad taste in my mouth, but I don’t see Toronto back in the playoffs in 2024.

Tampa Bay Rays

Last but not least, the most consistent AL East team over the last few years: the Rays.

Every year I find myself saying “this is it for the Rays’ ‘dynasty'”. However, every year I’m wrong about that. They always seem to call someone up from the minors who will make an immediate impact.

That being said, I think they’re missing the playoffs in 2024. It’s going to be tough for Yandy Diaz to recreate the season he had last year, and Randy Arozarena can only do so much. The only move they made for the lineup this offseason was replacing Wander Franco (who should never touch a Major League field again) with Amed Rosario. I just don’t see the lineup recovering from that loss.

In the rotation, they lost Tyler Glasnow who, while he’s too injury prone, is one of the most dominant pitchers in the league when healthy. Shane McClanahan will also miss most of the 2024 season coming off Tommy John surgery. Those are two major losses with no replacements.

I see a third or fourth place finish for the Rays this year.

Predictions

  1. Yankees 100-62
  2. Orioles 94-68 (Wild Card)
  3. Blue Jays 82-80
  4. Rays 81-81
  5. Red Sox 72-90

2024 NL West preview:

This week we finish our 2024 National League preview series with the NL West. This division sent a team to the World Series in 2023, and has a very good chance to do so this year.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Like the Braves in the East, you can’t talk about the NL West division and not start with the Dodgers. They have won 100+ games in four of the last five seasons, the outlier being the COVID-shortened one in which they won the World Series.

They’ve been pretty good.

The scariest thing about the Dodgers is that they just keep getting better. Year after year they call up prospects who make immediate impacts, and supplement their deep farm with highly-touted free agents.

This year, they made the biggest move in the offseason signing Shohei Ohtani. He won’t pitch in 2024, but that doesn’t matter since the Dodgers are backing him up with Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, James Paxton, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Not to mention they can get back Walker Buehler and Dustin May at some point this season.

They also signed Teoscar and Enrique Hernandez (unrelated) to deepen what was already an incredible lineup. I fully expect the Dodgers to win 110 games this season (and then lose to a Wild Card team in the NLDS).

Arizona Diamondbacks

Nobody expected the D-Backs to sweep the Dodgers in the 2023 NLDS, let alone go to the World Series. However, if you were surprised by a Wild Card berth from that team, you simply weren’t paying attention. They made a series of great trades last offseason, including sending fan-favorite Daulton Varsho to the Toronto Blue Jays for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno, a move that would prove to be pivotal in the 2023 run.

This season, they’ve done nothing but get better. Aside from replacing veteran third baseman Evan Longoria with a younger veteran in Eugenio Suarez, they’ve retained their core. On top of that, they’ve added outfielders Joc Pederson and Randal Grichuk.

Do I believe the Diamondbacks will win the division in 2024? Of course not. Do I believe they’ll be back in the World Series? Also no.

I just don’t think they’ll experience that “hangover” we often see from the World Series loser. I see them remaining in second place in the NL West and potentially getting another Wild Card spot.

San Diego Padres

The Padres are taking a huge step back in 2024. As of the day this is being written, Blake Snell has not signed with a team, and they’ve lost Juan Soto, Seth Lugo, Josh Hader, Rich Hill and Michael Wacha. That’s a lot to lose without replacements.

In the Juan Soto trade to the New York Yankees they received pitcher Michael King, who could make a great impact this season. However, it’s just not enough to replace the hole that Blake Snell (potentially) leaves.

2023 showed us a team in San Diego that was severely underperforming, but I think it may get even worse in 2024 given the purge of this many players from the organization. I see the Padres missing the playoffs in third or fourth place in the division, possibly even with a losing record.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants are another team I just can’t see taking that next step in 2024. They finished last season under .500 and haven’t really done much to improve this offseason.

San Francisco lost Joc Pederson along with their heartbeat in Brandon Crawford to free agency. They replaced Pederson with Jorge Soler, who has proven he can completely change a team for the better. Is he really worth 10+ wins, though?

They traded Mitch Haniger for pitcher Robbie Ray coming off Tommy John surgery, so he’s a question mark who won’t even contribute until mid-summer. They’ve made some bullpen additions in Jordan Hicks and Amir Garrett, but, again, are those moves going to put them in a better position than last season? Probably not. I once again have the Giants under .500 and missing the playoffs in 2024.

Colorado Rockies

What’s there even to say about this franchise? They’re one of the poorest-run teams in all of sports, and the Kris Bryant contract after sending the face of their franchise to St. Louis for less than nothing set them back years.

There are some positives of course, as there are with any team. Nolan Jones emerged as a great bat last season, and Kris Bryant and Charlie Blackmon are great players when healthy.

Ultimately, however, this team is not concerned with winning baseball games, and I fully expect another sub-70 win season in 2024.

Predictions

  1. Dodgers (110-52)
  2. Diamondbacks (87-75)
  3. Padres (79-83)
  4. Giants (74-88)
  5. Rockies (62-100)