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Ladies and gentlemen, it’s baseball season. Opening Day is set for Thursday and before the first pitch at Petco Park, the Padres are already tied for the best record in baseball. It’s also the only record in baseball but they’re not trailing the Dodgers yet so let’s call that a W. After an off-season full of change around the league who will be the last team standing? Here’s a (slightly) educated guess on how the 2024 MLB season is going to shake out, complete with division standings, results of each playoff round, and postseason award winners. National League West 1) Los Angeles 110-52 2) Padres 91-71 (WC) 3) Arizona 88-74 (WC) 4) San Francisco 86-76 5) Colorado 52-110 Nobody on earth is under the illusion that anyone but the Dodgers are going to win the West. They have too many stars, their lineup is too deep, and the questions in the starting rotation (which are not insignificant) will likely be answered by the end of the year when Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler return from injury. LA should run away and hide with the regular season title. However … as we’ve seen time and again the postseason is a different Hollywood script. The Padres don’t have the same expectations in 2024, nor should they. But, their starting rotation is deeper and there’s a lot less noise around the organization. It’s unrealistic to think All-Stars like Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jake Cronenworth will have two straight sub-par (by their standards) seasons. San Diego is going to the playoffs again. The Diamondbacks added some nice pieces and Corbin Carroll should just keep getting better. But, the pure star power is not there like it is in LA or San Diego. The defending NL Pennant winners will be back in the same position they were last year: the last team into the playoffs but a club that can make a whole lot of noise when they get there. The Giants have a new skipper and, when Robbie Ray is back from injury, a formidable starting rotation (although Blake Snell’s history suggests he’s not going to be very good until some time in June, at the earliest). I don’t think the additions of Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, and Jung Hoo Lee will be enough to take an offense that struggled down the stretch a year ago to a championship level. The Rockies are a mess with an owner who doesn’t care about winning. Bud Black should get hazard pay. On Friar Mar 24 Mar 25 Mar 21 National League Central 1) Cincinnati 87-75 2) Chicago 86-76 3) St. Louis 85-77 4) Pittsburgh 81-81 5) Milwaukee 76-86 This division lacks an elite team and several clubs are bunched together so I’ll take a gamble and go with Cincinnati. The Reds have young talent coming out their ears. Shoot, in 2023 they had three different players receive Rookie of the Year votes. It might be a year early to expect this but if all the youngsters play to their potential they have a chance to win the Central. The Cubs don’t look terribly different than they did a year ago. They signed lefty Shoto Imanaga from Japan to shore up the starting rotation but other than that the most significant move was hiring Craig Counsell as the manager. Chicago is going to be the popular pick to win the division but there’s something that I just can’t put my finger on that feels like they’re very solid, but not spectacular. The Cardinals cannot possibly be as bad this year as they were in 2023. They signed a ton of veteran pitchers to shore up the rotation. While Sonny Gray is stellar, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson are steady contributors but not true difference-makers anymore. If everyone stays healthy St. Louis is a contender. If not, it’s going to be another long year in Missouri. Eventually, at some point, the Pirates have to get back to respectability. I like a lot of their young position players and Andrew McCutchen is a fantastic veteran to show everyone how to act like big leaguers. This might be the season they finally start to get to the point where they’re a viable franchise again. The Brewers let Counsell go and traded Corbin Burnes to Baltimore. Pat Murphy is the new manager. Brandon Woodruff will miss the season with an injury. This is going to be a rough season for the Brew Crew. National League East 1) Atlanta 112-50 2) Philadelphia 92-70 (WC) 3) Miami 87-75 4) New York 80-82 5) Washington 70-92 The Dodgers made all the headlines. The Braves are still the best team in baseball. Atlanta has an All-Star at almost every position and a deeper starting rotation, and that’s even if Chris Sale doesn’t make 25 or so starts. The Braves won’t grab as many headlines as other clubs but they’re going to win more games than anybody else. The Phillies are dangerous again. Very dangerous. Bryce Harper has taken to 1st base seamlessly and Zack Wheeler is a Cy Young Award candidate. But, they’re also getting older fast. Philadelphia’s championship window is starting to close so they’re going to feel the pressure to make it happen this season. The Marlins have more solid pieces than mos...
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