New faces, new places after busy off-season

Ohtani and Soto aren’t only stars with new uniforms

Shohei Ohtani’s 50-kilometre journey north during free agency was the highlight of Major League Baseball’s off-season, even if recent off-the-field developments have clouded his launch with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But the Japanese superstar will be far from the only all-star-calibre player in a new uniform when the regular season opens for 28 of 30 teams on Thursday. The Dodgers and San Diego Padres got the season started last week in Seoul, splitting a two-game series.

The Padres dealt slugger Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, while the Baltimore Orioles added hardthrowing righty Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers in hopes of a repeat atop the American League East. And the San Francisco Giants made several free-agent additions, including four-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman and two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell.

Here’s a closer look at some of the biggest names in new places for 2024:

Ohtani, baseball’s only two-way star, won’t pitch this year while recovering from elbow surgery. But after signing a record 10-year, $700million contract with the Dodgers after seven years with the Angels, he hit .500 in the spring with two homers, then started the regular season with three hits in 10 at-bats in Korea. The Dodgers will host the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday in the aftermath of the recent firing of Ohtani’s translator, Ippei Mizuhara, amid accusations of gambling and theft.

Soto seems like he’s been around forever, but he’s just 25. After being dealt to the Yankees for a package of young pitchers, the three-time allstar rounds out a power-hitting trio with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. He’s coming off a 35-homer season with the Padres.

Snell signed with the Giants last week for $62 million over two years, potentially giving San Francisco a bona fide ace to compete with the Padres, Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. Snell has never thrown more than 181 innings in a season, but he won his second Cy Young in 2023 with the Padres, after striking out 234 and giving up just 115 hits in 180 innings.

Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young winner, is coming off three dominant years with the Brewers, who traded him for prospects. The 29year-old right-hander has struck out at least 200 in each of the past three seasons.

Houston bulked up the back end of its bullpen by signing five-time all-star closer Josh Hader to a fiveyear, $95-million deal in January. Hader’s been dominant since his debut with the Brewers in 2017, striking out an incredible 648 batters over 388 2⁄3 innings. The Astros already had a very good closer in Ryan Pressly, who moves to a setup role.

The rebuilding Cardinals signed Sonny Gray for $75 million over three years, hoping the right-hander can solidify a rotation that was a sore spot last season. The 34-yearold Gray will start the season on the injured list with a hamstring ailment, but the Cardinals when he returns they’ll be getting the pitcher who finished with a 2.79 ERA over 32 starts with the Minnesota Twins last season.

Chapman has been one of the best defensive third baseman in baseball over the past seven years with the A’s and Blue Jays. He moves to the Giants on a three-year, $54-million and rejoins former A’s manager Bob Melvin. Chapman’s defence is the headliner, but he could provide significant power and had a career-high 36 homers with Oakland in 2019.