Over a month remains until Opening Day on March 28, when baseball fans will finally have their daily fix of America’s favorite pastime, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the World Series.
A few significant trades occurred over the offseason and the top teams are now loaded with talent. And yet, there are still a number of free agents left including center fielder Cody Bellinger and pitcher Jordan Montegomery, that might shape the title race still. Surprise, surprise, both are represented by none other than super agent and notorious negotiator Scott Boras.
Here are my top three contenders for the Commissioner’s Trophy:
#1: Los Angeles Dodgers
This is clearly not a surprise after their major offseason deals for right-hander Tyler Glasnow, ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and, oh yeah, the highly acclaimed Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers now have a loaded bullpen with these additions, even though Ohtani is limited to serving as just a designated hitter until 2025. Keep in mind that the pen was already occupied by breakout stars Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan.
These three pitching upgrades alone raised the Dodgers up in the ranks, but that’s not the only reason they hold the top spot. The batting lineup has grown even deeper with the acquisitions of right fielder Teoscar Hernández and center fielder Manuel Margot. Hernández has a career batting average of .261 with a .316 OBP, similar to Margot’s career .255 AVG and .309 OBP. Hernández is predicted to be in the cleanup spot. Both sluggers will boost the already adept lineup which consists of Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Jason Heyward.
When asked about their offseason moves, Dave Roberts gave high praise to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
“Our ownership and front office did a fantastic job, a lot of man-hours trying to work with both sides to get a deal done,” Roberts said.
Dodgers are yet again placed at the top of power rankings, but will they actually justify the hype? That’s always the question.
#2: Atlanta Braves
The Braves have won 18 National League pennants and four World Series titles with their most recent in 2021 against the Houston Astros. The franchise is in this annual conversation every year and for a good reason: they are eager to win. The Braves spent the offseason proving just that by adding new talent to their roster and retaining big shots in preparation for the upcoming season.
The Braves signed former top prospect Jarred Kelenic, who previously played outfielder for the Seattle Mariners. He posted a .253 AVG and .327 OBP in the 2023 season with 94 hits and 11 home runs. Kelenic is still full of potential at only 24 years old, giving the Braves another solid bat in already stacked order.
After unanimously winning the 2023 NL MVP award, Ronald Acuña Jr. remains at the top of the lineup, poised for another outstanding season. Acuña Jr. recorded an absurd .337 AVG, .416 OBP, 217 hits, 73 steals and 41 home runs in the 2023 season. Also returning are second baseman Ozzie Albies, third baseman Austin Riley and first baseman Matt Olson, the three of whom combined for 518 hits and 124 home runs in the 2023 regular season.
Furthermore, there weren’t really many crucial changes to be made following their postseason run. Despite falling short to the Phillies, this team is just steady. But still, the Braves elevated their bullpen this offseason, signing left-hander Chris Sale to a $38 million, 2-year deal with a club option for the 2026 season — a fairly low-risk, high-reward move in exchange for former Braves infielder Vaughn Grissom. The veteran Sale has proven himself at a high level as a seven-time All Star with a career 3.10 ERA and over 2,000 strikeouts, but he’s also had injury hiccups with a Tommy John Surgery in 2020, which was followed by a rib fracture and right wrist fracture in the 2022 season.
All in all, Atlanta is consistently high in the ranks because of their hard work both behind the scenes and on the field.
#3: New York Yankees
The Yankees were aggressive this offseason and managed to lock in power-hitting outfielder and potential MVP candidate Juan Soto at $31 million for the 2024 season. Soto played with the San Diego Padres for the 2023 season and posted a .275 AVG and .410 OBP with 156 hits and 35 home runs. Now, he’s moved across the way and will play alongside five-time All-Star Aaron Judge, who has played in New York for eight seasons. Following the 2022 season, Judge signed a 9-year, $360 million extension which could keep him with the Yankees until he retires.
On the other side of the ball, the Yankees also made improvements building their bullpen. Most notably, they signed right-hander Marcus Stroman to a 2-year, $37 million contract. Stroman had a 2.96 ERA in the first half of the 2023 season with the Chicago Cubs before he injured his hip and ribs, which then pulled his ERA up to 3.95. Nonetheless, the two-time All Star is a poor-contact specialist with the second-highest ground ball rate of 56.7% among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings since 2014, Stroman’s debut season. Across his career, Stroman has been a solid starter with a 77-76 record and a career ERA of 3.65.
“The culture we have with the Yankees that we project constantly is our intent to win,” said Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman, via ESPN. “We’re here. We’re in it to win it.”
With the talent of Judge, Soto and Stroman combined, the Yankees have a chance to take home the hardware.