American League Central

* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. Detroit Tigers

Steps were made last season and in October to put them in position to go further this time around. Tarik Skubal is a perennial Cy Young candidate moving forward.

2. Cleveland Guardians

Their pitching, particularly their bullpen will get them to the Postseason. Jose Ramirez is still among the most unheralded players in baseball after nearly having a 40-40 season last year.

3. Kansas City Royals

Last season wasn’t a fluke. The rotation was a large part of that success and Bobby Witt Jr. is a MVP candidate for the foreseeable future.

4. Minnesota Twins

With current ownership looking to sell the franchise, the product on the field is going to suffer. A lot of bloated contracts and a few players that must stay healthy in order for the team to remain competitive.

5. Chicago White Sox

The worst team in baseball history by record last season will have another 100+ loss season to look forward to.

Player to Watch: SS Bobby Witt Jr. – Kansas City Royals

Best Acquisition: P Tommy Kanhle – Detroit Tigers

New Kid on the Block: P Jackson Jobe – Detroit Tigers

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American League East

* – indicates new to team

+ – indicates injury

1. Baltimore Orioles

Not bringing back Corbin Burnes will sting, but this team is still good enough to make another Postseason appearance. They must find success come October though.

2. New York Yankees

Last year’s World Series defeat, the loss of Juan Soto in free agency and losing Gerritt Cole to Tommy John surgery have knocked them down a peg. Yet, these are still the Yankees and they will find a way.

3. Boston Red Sox

Getting Alex Bregman and overhauling the rotation were solid moves. A lot needs to go right, but they could be vying for a Postseason spot this season.

4. Tampa Bay Rays

They continue to turn out productive majors leaguers in their farm system. It’ll be interesting to see them play a full season at an outdoor field with it being a minor league facility owned by the New York Yankees.

5. Toronto Blue Jays

Vlad Jr. has been extended, but the depth of this organization is thin and the injuries have mounted over the last few seasons.

Player to Watch: OF Aaron Judge – New York Yankees

Best Acquisition: 3B Alex Bregman – Boston Red Sox

New Kid on the Block: 2B Kristian Campbell – Boston Red Sox

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2024 World Series Champions

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 30: Members of the Los Angeles Dodgers pose for a team photo on the field after defeating the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series presented by Capital One between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Sometimes you can tell how a series is gonna go from the first at-bat. For Game 1 of the 2024 World Series, you knew how this was gonna go when Dodger 1B Freddie Freeman crushed a first pitch fastball into the right field bleachers of Dodger Stadium for a grand slam. The series could have and really should have ended up being a sweep for the Dodgers, but manager Dave Roberts’ questionable pitching decisions in Game 4 don’t matter anymore. They came back to win Game 5 in New York after being down 5-0 going into the 5th inning to win their 8th World Series title in franchise history.

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2024 World Series Preview

For all of the criticism of the current Postseason format in baseball that hasn’t catered to the top two seeds, that all needs to be thrown out of the window now. The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers were the top seeds for their respective leagues. They will now be facing each other in the World Series for the 12th time and the first since 1981. For New York they haven’t been to the World Series since 2009 when they won their 27th title that season. For Los Angeles, their last World Series title came in 2020 and will be looking for their 8th title in franchise history. Both teams have the star power that most talking heads crave for this kind of a series. The likely MVPs for both the American and National Leagues will be playing for a championship. Let’s hope this matchup will live up to the hype that is surrounding it.

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