This week witnessed the beginning of spring training for the 2024 season, and with that comes an influx of trade rumors, injury reports and remaining free agents discourse. As to the latter, who knows where Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman will end up, as there is seemingly little interest in both players despite their strong resumes.
Bellinger’s only suitor is the Chicago Cubs, but he and his agent, the infamous Scott Boras, are still holding out. On Monday, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said the team is waiting on Boras and the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year to begin negotiations. As for Chapman, there aren’t many teams in the market for a third baseman, and those that are cannot afford what’s on the price tag.
Enough of the free agency talk, let’s return to the real baseball conversations surrounding spring training: predictions for how pre-season will play out. Will Glasnow and Yamamoto prove they were worth the price? Will Juan Soto become a true star for the Yankees?
We all know the Dodgers won just about every bid they placed this offseason. From a 10-year, $700 million contract with double threat Shohei Ohtani to a 12-year, $325 million contract with ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers did not mess around. They also traded with the Tampa Bay Rays for right-hander Tyler Glasnow who will be a great addition to the bullpen. In December, he signed a 5-year, $135 million extension with the Dodgers following his trade to Los Angeles.
But wait, there’s more. They also signed All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernández to a 1-year, $23.5 million deal. He finished the 2023 regular season with a .258 AVG, .305 OBP, 161 hits, and 26 home runs. Not nearly as impressive as Ohtani—who had a .304 AVG, .412 OBP, 151 hits, and 44 home runs in the 2023 regular season—but there’s potential with Hernández.
“You can see in my numbers that there’s a big gap between playing on the road and at home,” Hernández said. “It was more getting confidence at home and trying to do the same things I do when we play on the road.”
Hernández may be inconsistent, but the Dodgers seem to think it’s worth the risk.
They are not alone; the Baltimore Orioles also took a risk when they bet their future on Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Holliday, the top prospect and son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, signed a $8.19 million bonus with the Orioles but was not expected to even be in the top five first picks after a disappointing summer showcase. Once drafted, though, he quickly turned things around and earned the MLB Pipeline Prospect Hitter of the Year honors.
The 20-year-old is ambitious in his hopes to make the Opening Day roster. Holliday quickly accelerated through the ranks during his time in the minor leagues. He broke the record for most runs scored in the minors with 113, which he accumulated as he progressed through each of the Orioles’ top four minor-league affiliates during the 2023 season. Holliday kept his top-prospect status and still has more to offer.
“I’m just getting stronger,” Holliday said. “That’s my goal for the offseason, to get stronger and be more physically ready for next year.”
The Orioles should once again find themselves in the World Series discussion following their successful run last season. The team made their first appearance in the postseason since 2016 when they lost in the Wild Card round to the Toronto Blue Jays. Unfortunately for the Orioles, the result was the same in 2023 as they lost in three games to the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series. Perhaps, this year will be different.
Another exciting storyline to follow is that of the chemistry (or lack of) between outfielders Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the New York Yankees. These two are sure to cause headaches to pitchers as two of the top offensive players in the league. Judge finished last season with a .267 AVG and 98 hits, while three-time All-Star Soto had a .275 AVG and 156 hits. But the latter outshined the 2022 AL MVP significantly. Careful here, this could either be what unites the two or causes tension between them—there can only be one AL MVP.
Judge missed several games after suffering a torn ligament in his right big toe. He joked about always getting hurt in right field and that being the reason for him getting switched to the center field position, which conveniently opened up the right slot for Soto.
While speaking to the media, Judge commented that he envisions himself hitting third behind “a little speedster,” which is something he’s long-awaited. General Manager Aaron Boone explained Judge filling in the third slot in the lineup has been discussed for a while now.
“Even in the year he hit 62 (home runs), when we were a little bit beat up there in the second half, I was leading him off,” Boone said. “It wasn’t so he could get the home run title; it was where we were lineup-wise and injury-wise with what made the most sense. But he always sneaks in a ‘What about third?’ quite a bit.”
He also mentioned that growing up he always saw the “best player” hitting third and that the third and fourth slots on the lineup were run producers. If the Yankees decide to place Judge at third on the lineup, that will leave Soto hitting second. It’s possible the two might juggle around until Boone decides what works best for the team.
Will Judge and Soto unite and take the Yankees to the World Series, or will they clash and burn? Soto, who will play alongside Judge and left fielder Alex Verdugo in the green, seems to be the missing puzzle piece to the Yankees’ offense, but only time will tell.