MLB Season Preview

Springtime is here and Major League Baseball is back! With everything from rule changes to trades to free agent signings, the 2023 season is bound to be an exciting one. First and foremost, this season will see the introduction of the pitch clock. Implemented to cut down the time of games by almost a half hour, and to prevent excruciatingly long periods of time between pitches, it will be interesting to see what effect the pitch clock will have on pitchers and the game as a whole. But the pitch clock is not the only change coming to MLB in 2023. The bases have been expanded from 15 to 18 inches in diameter, which hopefully will result in less injuries and more stolen bases. The ghost runner is also permanent, and while some old-school fans will call this fake baseball, the runner on second in extra innings does a good job at preventing long games. But the anticipation for the new rule changes pale in comparison to the excitement caused by this year’s offseason. Nine players inked deals for over 100 million dollars, and quite a few big name ballplayers switched teams. One of the first big names to fall off the market was Trea Turner, a perennial MVP candidate and 2022 Silver Slugger Award winner, who signed with the World Series runner-ups, the Phillies, for 300 million dollars over 11 years. Shortly after, the Yankees re-signed Aaron Judge, coming off his historic season where he won MVP and broke the American League record for home runs with 62,

‘26 for 9 years and 360 million. The Yankees also signed Carlos Rodon, a Cy Young candidate the past two years, to a 160 million dollar deal. The Texas Rangers, who have spent almost a billion dollars in the last two seasons, signed the best pitcher in baseball, Jacob deGrom, to a five year contract worth 185 million. Red Sox fans were dealt a blow when Xander Bogaerts, the longtime franchise shortstop and five time Silver Slugger, signed with the Padres for 11 years and 280 million. One of the main storylines this offseason was the Carlos Correa situation, as the 2015 Rookie of the Year and former number one overall pick originally signed for the Giants for 350 million dollars, before flunking his physical and then signing for the Mets for 315 million, before his bad ankle caused him to fail his physical again, whereupon he resigned with the Twins for 200 million. Heading into the season, it is clear that the overall pecking order in MLB has changed. In the AL East, it looks to be once again the most hotly contested for the title, with all five teams having a shot at winning. The Baltimore Orioles will be an especially interesting team to watch. In 2022, after coming off three consecutive 100+ loss seasons, they won 83 games on the back of Adley Rutschman, the former first overall pick and top prospect. The AL Central also projects to be an interesting division, with the White Sox, Guardians, and Twins all vying for the division title. The AL West looks like possibly the most

by Bradford Adams

interesting division in baseball, as the World Series Champion Astros look to defend their title from challenges by the young Seattle Mariners, led by Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez, the Texas Rangers, and the Los Angeles Angels, who possess the two best players in all of baseball in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtnai, but finished in a disappointing third place in 2022. Over in the National League, the NL East is yet again going to be a close race between the Mets, who have the highest payroll in the league thanks to their owner Steve Cohen, who has declared this season as the year they expect to win the World Series. The Phillies, led by Bryce Harper, hope to make another World Series run, as well as 2021 Champions Atlanta Braves. The NL Central will yet again be a close race between the Brewers and Cardinals, who possess Nolan Arenado, who has won ten consecutive gold gloves at the hot corner. Finally, the NL West might finally see the Los Angeles Dodgers dethroned after winning their division 9 times in the last ten years. The San Diego Padres hope to win their first division title since 2006 on the backs of young superstars Juan Soto and Fernado Tatis Jr, as well as veterans Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado, the MVP runner up last season. But no matter what happens next season, whether we see our first Perfect Game since 2012 or an improbable World Series win, it is bound to be filled with excitement and full of history.