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After what can be described as one of the most bizarre and unusual seasons in MLB history, America’s favorite pastime has returned after an extremely eventful offseason that felt more like an offseason typical of the often more dramatic NBA rather than the MLB.
After winning the 2020 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers look to continue their dominance in the National League, with their most notable addition being defending Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer. With this addition, as well as having received former Red Sox players David Price and Joe Kelly last season, the Dodgers have established themselves as the team to beat when it comes to their overall pitching staff. Despite all these notable additions, they still don’t have to look too far for some of their hardest competition, as division rivals like the San Diego Padres are poised for a late playoff push, by adding star pitchers Blake Snell and Yu Darvish to their rotation to support their young stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. Both superstars have signed long-term $300 million+ deals over the last two years, which could leave the team in a sticky situation involving the salary cap for years to come.
The New York teams have also added to their roster. The Yankees have made some risky gambles this offseason, getting rid of Japanese starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, consistent arm in their rotation over the last decade, and replacing him with Corey Kluber, who is coming off a rough 2020 season. They also added Jamison Tallion from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who took the 2020 season off to recover from Tommy John Surgery (ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction), which is an elbow surgery often done on pitchers, as the pitching motion can often put a strain on a certain tendon. The Yankees also traded away some Minor Leaguers to help boost their depth during the season. Although some fans would be happy with the way the Yankees have performed these last couple of years, many Yankees fans have come to expect more of their team given their history and powerhouse of a lineup. The Bombers’, as the Yankees are sometimes known as, biggest issue isn’t talent all around the board, but if it will work. Following back to back years of a laundry list of injuries from star players such as Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, and others, the Yanks are looking to reestablish their longtime dominance over the American League, and should come to fruition should the pieces fall together and their stars stay healthy, something many skeptics doubt.
Their rivals across the Triburough’s biggest news was the acquisition of their team by multi-billionaire investor Steve Cohen for $2.4 billion, making the Mets the 6th most valuable MLB franchise, according to Forbes. Cohen has been working with his front office to bring in weapons to surround former All-Star and former NL Rookie of the Year Pete Alonzo. Their biggest pickup this offseason was four-time All-Star Fransisco Lindor from the Cleveland Indians. Despite his young age, Lindor could be a key factor in the Mets’ success this season.
On the other end of the spectrum, New England’s favorite team, the Red Sox has been struggling following their controversial 2018 World Series win. With the losses of previously mentioned David Price and Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, as well as a mass exodus of their star players from that year, Boston looks like they’re in for another rough year. In early March, Center Fielder Jackie Bradley Jr signed a two-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, leaving Xander Bogaerts as the only star from their championship team left who’s healthy enough to start on Opening Day. One of the biggest news stories of the offseason was a trade that sent Yankees reliever Adam Ottovino to the Red Sox. Although Ottovino is a strong player, the biggest focus on this trade was that this was the first time in 35 years that the two historic sports rivals have made transactions with each other. With all this shake-up in the league going into Opening Day, it will be fun to see how much the field has changed since the last time we’ve had a full regular season! The first game to take place will be the Toronto Blue Jays vs the New York Yankees on April 1.
