Biggest question facing every American League team in ’24
Jesse Yomtov
Major League Baseball’s 2024 spring training is underway, with opening day about a month away.
Players are fighting for jobs in Florida and Arizona, with some of baseball’s top prospects looking to impress the bigleague coaches alongside veterans jockeying for playing time.
As the regular season gets closer, here’s a look at the biggest question facing every American League team in 2024:
Baltimore Orioles
How will AL East champs handle Jackson Holliday?
The consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball and USA TODAY Sports’ 2023 Minor League Player of the Year, Holliday hit .323 with a .442 OPS across four levels last year, his first full season as a pro after going No. 1 overall in the 2022 draft. The 20-year-old has a real chance to break spring training as an everyday player.
“We’re going to give him every chance to win a major league job,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said at camp in Sarasota.
The shortstop’s presence raises some questions for Baltimore’s infield. Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson split time evenly between shortstop and third base last season and the club will have to decide how to piece the puzzle together with Holliday having some experience at second and third as well.
Boston Red Sox
Is the rotation good enough? Boston’s starting pitchers ranked 22nd in baseball with a 4.68 ERA in 2023 and their big offseason addition was Lucas Giolito, who posted a 4.89 mark over the last two years.
Admittedly, the 29-year-old righthander had been one of the game’s most consistent pitchers the three seasons prior, earning Cy Young votes every year from 2019-2021. The Red Sox committed $38.5 million to Giolito hoping he can recapture some of that form but even if he does, the rest of the rotation – Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck – don’t inspire much confidence in baseball’s deepest division.
New York Yankees
What will they get from Carlos Rodon?
The Yankees gave the left-hander $162 million last winter but only got 14 starts and a 6.85 ERA from Rodon, who was hampered by injuries in his first season with the club.
“I just feel like I got some stuff to prove and I want to stay on the field a lot longer than I did last year,” Rodon said as the Yankees gathered for spring training.
Rodon showed up to camp in better shape and New York really needs him and the newly-signed Marcus Stroman to be consistent behind AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole in order to return to the postseason after missing out in 2023.
Tampa Bay Rays
Which starting pitcher will step up? The Rays have made five consecutive postseason appearances but with Shane McClanahan sidelined (Tommy John surgery) and Tyler Glasnow gone, the rotation could be what holds the team back from a sixth.
Aaron Civale is penciled in behind Zach Eflin, having struggled in 10 starts with Tampa Bay (5.36 ERA) after a midseason trade from Cleveland and the Rays will need him to step up. Top prospect Taj Bradley looked good in his first 10 big-league starts, posting a 2.66 FIP and 71 strikeouts in 49 innings – but then the wheels fell off.
Ryan Pepiot, acquired from the Dodgers in the Glasnow trade, is really the Xfactor for Tampa Bay’s rotation. If the organization can work its usual coaching magic, the 26-year-old right-hander could really develop into a frontline starter after impressing in 78 1/3 innings over the past two seasons with Los Angeles.
Toronto Blue Jays
How will the offense perform?
Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are constants, but George Springer is coming off the worst season of his career (.732 OPS) and new designated hitter Justin Turner is 39 years old.
Toronto obviously wanted to sign
Shohei Ohtani and Turner was a nice addition, but catcher Alejandro Kirk and left fielder Daulton Varsho each had a sub-.700 OPS in 2023. The Blue Jays brought back Kevin Kiemaier, but Cavan Biggio (second base) and new signing Isiah Kiner-Falefa (third) are probably not who a team with playoff aspirations wants as primary starters – especially in baseball’s toughest division.
Late additions Daniel Vogelbach and Eduardo Escobar (minor-league deal) could provide some depth and pop, but Toronto failed to add a difference-maker this winter with Matt Chapman still unsigned.
Chicago White Sox
Where is Dylan Cease going to land? Despite a shaky 2023, Chicago’s ace is among the most sought-after players on the trade market as the season gets underway. Management has made it clear that they plan to trade the 2022 Cy Young runner-up, putting Cease in a very strange situation.
“There’s not a better guy than the way he’s handled this,” said White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, “and how he understands the business and how he understands the position he’s in.”
The 28-year-old is under team control through 2025, increasing Chicago’s asking price. The White Sox could hold on to him until the summer or even just wait until next winter.
“I can’t think of a situation too similar to this,” White Sox GM Getz said. “But the unique thing about Dylan is just the makeup of the player. He’s very professional.
Cleveland Guardians
Will Shane Bieber be dealt? Bieber, the 2020 Cy Young winner, has been limited by injuries in two of the last three seasons and is a free agent after the 2024 season. His name has been floated as a potential trade candidate under the assumption the Guardians would want to get something for him, but it’s worth remembering Cleveland has given out nine-figure extensions to Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez over the last few years.
The AL Central looks very winnable for Cleveland, particularly if Bieber stays healthy and proves to be the best starting pitcher in the division. If they’re in contention as expected come July, the Guardians will probably hang on to their homegrown ace who turns 29 in May.
Detroit Tigers
Will Tigers be play meaningful games in September?
A trendy pick to take the AL Central last season, Detroit struggled in the first half (39-50) but turned things around with a winning mark after the break, finishing in second place with 78 wins. It’s pretty easy to see a scenario in which the Tigers win it this year, having brought in veterans Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty to solidify a young rotation.
“The eyes are set on the division,” lefty starter Tarik Skubal said. “Win the division, you get in the playoffs and anything can happen. We’ve got to be a little bit better early in the year.
“I thought we played our division really, really well last year, so do that again and play maybe the AL East a little better this year, and we’ll be in a really good spot.”
Kansas City Royals
Will the money they spent yield results?
The Royals deserve a ton of credit for investing in free agents this winter, signing veterans Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Hunter Renfroe and Will Smith, among others after a 106-loss season. Not to mention the franchise committing $288 million to 23-year-old star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
What will the return on that investment be? The AL Central is baseball’s worst division and the champion will probably finish with around 85 wins, but such a turnaround in one year doesn’t seem particularly plausible for Kansas City. It’s not like there’s promising help on the way either, with just one player in MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects for 2024.
Another last-place finish looks likely. But seriously – kudos to Kansas City for making an effort!
Minnesota Twins
Can Royce Lewis stay healthy?
The No. 1 overall pick in 2017, Lewis suffered season-ending ACL injuries in 2021 and 2022 and had his breakout 2023 slowed by oblique and hamstring problems. The 24-year-old was a beast when healthy, hitting .309 with 15 homers, 52 RBI and a .921 OPS in 58 games last season. He hit two homers in his first career postseason game as well.
“When you have a season like he had — or a partial season — I think everyone’s eyes get real big, and everyone gets not just excited, but people start going nuts,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said, per the Star Tribune. “And rightfully so. I understand it.”
The third baseman will break camp with the team for the first time in his career, but the Twins will need him – and Byron Buxton – on the field as much as possible in order to repeat in the AL Central.
Houston Astros
Alex Bregman’s last ride? Bregman’s first full season was the year Houston won its first World Series title and the third baseman is set to become a free agent next winter at the age of 30. The Astros already extended Jose Altuve but come the 2024-25 offseason, could hesitate to bring back Bregman who will likely be seeking a 10-year deal.
Houston has to also consider 2026 – with Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez set for free agency.
Bregman’s agent Scott Boras has hinted that extension looks unlikely, with the two-time All-Star trying to maximize his worth after signing a team-friendly sixyear, $100 million extension before the 2019 season.
Los Angeles Angels
Can somebody please liberate Mike Trout?
Shohei Ohtani left after six straight losing seasons, which brings us to the team’s other multi-MVP winner.
Trout has been hampered by injuries the past few years, averaging just 79 games over the past three seasons – still hitting 40 homers in 118 contests in 2022. But now 10 years removed from his only career postseason appearance, it may be time for Trout to finally push for greener pastures.
Rumors will swirl if (when) this middling Angels team falls out of contention and the 32-year-old will say all the right things, but he deserves better than what he’s been subjected to in Anaheim all these years.
The major holdup on a potential deal is that Trout is due $248 million over the next seven seasons. The Angels would probably have to eat a large chunk of that to move him, but maybe they could use a Trout trade to also dump Anthony Rendon?
USA TODAY
Oakland Athletics
Where are the A’s going to play next year?
This team is destined for last place in 2024, but all anybody is going to be talking about where the Athletics next season.
It’s going to be an interesting year at the Coliseum, with fans torn on whether or not to see the franchise off in what could be their final season playing in Oakland. The team is slated for a 2028 move to a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip, but where they’ll call home in the interim is undecided. A new lease in Oakland? Sacramento? Salt Lake City?
The decision needs to be made soon as MLB puts together its 2025 schedule.
Seattle Mariners
Can Mitch Haniger make another comeback?
After hitting 39 home runs for the Mariners in 2021, Haniger has only managed 118 games over the past two seasons and returns to Seattle via trade after spending last year with the Giants. Haniger was an All-Star in 2018 but missed most of 2019 and all of 2020, having his career season after nearly two years on the shelf.
The Mariners are hoping the 33-yearold can stay healthy in 2024, coming back to Seattle in the deal that sent Robbie Ray to San Francisco.
“I think if I would’ve had a really good year last year, I probably would’ve never gotten traded,” Haniger said, per MLB.com. “I think just having another kind of fluke injury and missing a bunch of time and having a terrible year kind of opened the doors for a trade, and to get traded back to this place, where I’ve always loved playing.”
Texas Rangers
What about a World Series hangover?
The defending champions will be among the favorites entering 2024 with the same squad largely intac and the offense should be even better, with the club expecting big things out of rookie Evan Carter. Josh Jung could push 30 homers and 100 RBI if he can stay healthy after finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Max Scherzer (herniated disk) will miss most of the first half and Jacob deGrom (elbow) is expected back some time after the All-Star break, so their rotation should get stronger as the season goes on – but that’s a lot riding on the two right-handers with five combined Cy Young awards.