America’s Favorite Pastime is Back!: What To Look For Going Into The Next MLB Season

The sun is shining overhead, the flowers are blooming, the once bare trees are slowly starting to blossom, and fans are anxiously awaiting the first pitch of the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. Before I cover what to expect this upcoming season, let’s take a step back and discuss the big events that occurred this past off-season. Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, has sparked a ton of joy in Queens by spending his money quite lavishly on the newest Mets picks. Cohen has put together the highest-paid roster in the MLB by signing Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga, as well as extending Brandon Nimmo to a multi-year contract. 

While the Mets were busy crafting a star-studded roster, their National League East (NL East) rival, the Philadelphia Phillies, were quite busy themselves. Coming off the back of an incredible postseason performance, the Phillies bolstered their already strong roster by recruiting Trea Turner, arguably the best shortstop in the MLB. Along with his smooth sliding skills, Turner has proven to be an absolute force at the plate, posting a .298 batting average in the 2022 season. 

Moving on to the West Coast, the San Diego Padres (Pads), last season’s National League Championship Series (NLCS) runner-ups, continue to look intimidating. The Pads have signed Xander Bogaerts, one of the best hitters in the league, to a $280 million/11-year deal.

Amongst all these large-scale additions, one notable player is departing the Mets: Jacob Degrom. Degrom is a two-time national league Cy Young Award winner and has a 2.5 career earned run average, making him one of the best pitchers to ever step foot on the mound.

While players were being traded during the offseason, the MLB was busy coming up with new rules. One of the major reasons why the popularity of baseball is decreasing is because of long, drawn-out games, with 31 percent of fans calling games “boring/uninteresting,” and another 21 percent calling them “too long,” according to Harry Enten from CNN. The MLB took these issues into account and implemented a pitch clock that reduced game times by around 30 minutes. Another major rule change includes the banning of shifts, a formation where more players are on one side of the field than the other. Normally, teams use this tactic when they face a batter who tends to hit the ball more to one side. The implementation of the pitch clock along with the ban on shifts will hopefully increase the popularity of this dying sport. 

Although there is much more to be uncovered about the offseason, let’s look at predictions for this upcoming season. The NL East will continue to be the toughest division in the league, as it consists of three of the top seven teams: the Mets, Braves, and Phillies. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees will continue to prove that he is one of the best players in baseball by leading the league in home runs yet again. The Chicago White Sox, led by Dylan Cease and Tim Anderson, will be underdogs for this upcoming season, and I predict that they will quickly show the world why they are one of the best teams. Despite their major offseason deals, the Pads won’t be in playoff contention for very long, due to their numerous injury-prone players. The Chicago Cubs, with their new addition of Dansby Swanson, will be major playoff contenders. Last but not least, the Mets will lead the league in wins. With an action-packed offseason filled with trades, rule changes, and many returning star players, this MLB season is one you won't want to miss.