THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Where does the time go? I ask myself that every year when the icy winds of winter invariably transition to April showers, and the rhythms and routines of a new baseball season return. But it's also a question that has been asked by many who have watched a Major League Baseball game in the past few years.
Due to fears that the national pastime was turning fans off by taking up too much of their precious time, the powers-that-be have implemented some changes that figure to have a profound impact on the game.
The change with perhaps the biggest impact is the implementation of a pitch clock. Pitchers are now required to start their delivery within 15 seconds of the previous pitch when the bases are empty, and 20 seconds with runners on. A hitter must be in the batter's box facing the pitcher with at least eight seconds left on the pitch clock, and there is a 30-second limit between batters. Infractions incur either an automatic strike if the batter is the guilty party or a ball if it's the pitcher.
It didn't take long for the new rules to bite. In the very first spring training game, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado was called for what I'm pretty sure was the first ever strike without a pitch being thrown in MLB history (the clock has been used for several years in the Minor Leagues) when he failed to show the proper attention within the allotted time.
But it didn't stop there. A few days later in the bottom of the ninth of a tie game, the bases were loaded and a full count on the Atlanta Braves' Cal Conley when he took what he thought was ball four for a walk-off walk, only to be wrung up for strike three for his tardiness in being ready to receive the pitch. Welcome to a brave new world.
Other rule changes this year focus on encouraging more action and offense. The infield shift – aka where singles go to die – has been outlawed. There must be two infielders on each side of second base, and they must have both feet on the infield dirt. Pitchers can only attempt two pick-off throws per plate appearance with a runner on first base. Combined with bases that are now 18 inches square (up from 15) shortening the distance between the bases, that should lead to more steal attempts.
All in all I must admit to somewhat mixed emotions about the changes. Part of the appeal of baseball for me as a lifelong fan has always been its pastoral nature, free from the confines of artificially imposed timeframes.
While I personally would prefer that players were able to self-regulate this kind of thing (I admit that no one really wants to watch a hitter step out of the box and adjust his batting gloves three times between every pitch), I'm realistic enough to understand that ball players are like financial institutions in that if no one requires them to follow regulations, they aren't going to just do it.
And watching games this spring, I get it. Average game times are clocking in at just over 2 ½ hours, down from over 3 the last couple of seasons. That's not necessarily a bad thing, thought I'd prefer to see a bit more leeway late in close games with runners on base, to let the inherent tension brew a bit and give players time to gather their concentration in high-pressure moments. While the jury is still out, I'm hoping these changes won't intrude too much on the game, or suck too much of the joy out of it.
So enough with the rules and regulations; who's looking good heading into the new season? Let's take a trot around the bases and check out each division.
The American League East was the most competitive division in baseball last season, with three teams emerging into the newly expanded six-team playoff field. The New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays all played post-season baseball, and the Baltimore Orioles surprised many, winning 31 more games than in 2021 and staying in the race to the season's final days. Only the Boston Red Sox finished under .500, dwelling in the cellar for the second time in three seasons.
New York Yankees
After re-signing the league's reigning MVP and home run champ Aaron Judge to a massive $360 million, nine-year contract, the Yanks are poised to make another run at a World Series appearance that has eluded them since 2009 – their second-longest dry streak since they won their first World Series title in 1921.
While Judge broke an American League record by slugging 62 home runs, the Bronx Bomber lineup also includes the likes of 1B Anthony Rizzo, OF/DH Giancarlo Stanton (if he can stay healthy) and 2B Gleyber Torres, all of whom hit 24 or more homers last season. If 3B Josh Donaldson, OF Aaron Hicks and CF Harrison Bader can return to form, the Yankees' lineup will be formidable.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays retooled their outfield after blowing a seven-run lead in Game 2 of the wild-card round and being swept by Seattle. Things are still built around budding superstars 1B Vladimir Guerrero and SS Bo Bichette, but the Jays added three-time Gold Glove winner Kevin Kiermaier to play center field. Oft-injured All-Star George Springer is expected to move to right and the athletic Daulton Varsho has been brought in to man left.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays will look to return to the playoffs for the fifth straight season with more or less the same pitching-and-defense-heavy approach that has worked well for manager Kevin Cash. They did bolster an already strong starting pitching rotation by shelling out a team-record $40-million free agent contract to left hander Zach Eflin. If SS Wander Franco and 2B Brandon Lowe can bounce back from injury-plagued seasons, the offense should be better as well.
Baltimore Orioles & Boston Red Sox
The Orioles and Red Sox may struggle to keep up again this season. The O's will hope that their core of young players can improve on last year's surprise performance, while the Sox – who lost SS Xander Bogaerts to free agency – will be hoping Japanese import OF Masataka Yoshida can live up to the hype.
Cleveland Guardians
In their first year known as the Guardians, Cleveland rolled to the division title by an 11-game margin with baseball's youngest team. Led by 3B José Ramírez and 2B Andrés Giménez, the team relied more on timely hitting and speed on the base paths than waiting around for the long ball. Right hander Shane Bieber anchors a strong starting rotation, and manager Terry Francona has another strong bullpen at his disposal. This up-and-coming Guardians team should be a team to be reckoned with once again.
Chicago White Sox & Minnesota Twins
Neither the Chicago White Sox nor the Minnesota Twins were able to live up to lofty expectations last year. Both will be hoping for better results this time around, though neither team made any significant moves. The Twins endured a long off season saga when first the San Francisco Giants and then New York Mets backed out of massive deals for star shortstop Carlos Correa due to concerns about his long-term health. That allowed Minnesota to sweep in and keep their man for a 'bargain' price of $200 million for six years, still the largest deal in team history.
Detroit Tigers & Kansas City Royals
At the bottom end of the division, the Tigers and Royals remain firmly in rebuilding mode.
The AL West features the defending World Series champions, a team that made major strides forward, and a team with the two best players on the planet, who didn't.
Houston Astros
The Astros prevailed over the Phillies in the World Series, and while starting pitcher Justin Verlander left town and 1B José Abreu joined from the White Sox, manager Dusty Baker has the same core back for a run at a repeat. The team did receive a big blow when 2B José Altuve broke his right thumb when he was hit by a pitch while playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. He is expected to miss a couple of months.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners broke the longest playoff drought in all of North American professional sports last season, and they believe they have the pieces in place to close the gap with the front-running Astros. The Mariners starting rotation, led by Luis Castillo and Logan Gilbert, may shake out as one of the best in baseball, and Seattle fans will be hoping that the modest upgrades they made at the plate will be enough to get the job done.
Los Angeles Angels
Over in Anaheim, OF Mike Trout and two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani may be generational talents, but it hasn't translated to team success for the Angels, who are riding a streak of eight seasons without a playoff appearance and seven straight losing seasons. The Halos' front office tampered around the edges but made no significant additions. With Ohtani in the last year of his contract, this season could be make-or-break when it comes to convincing him to stick around.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers made a splash by prying two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom away from the Mets, a year after a half-billion dollar free agent splurge that netted All-Star middle infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. Ownership will be hoping that dollars equal wins, and the Rangers should at least have an entertaining lineup to put on the diamond every day.
Oakland Athletics
The Athletics are going nowhere fast and seem more interested in getting a new stadium than putting a decent team on the field.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies rolled a wild-card berth all the way to the World Series last season before losing to the Astros in six games. They made a significant upgrade by luring SS Trea Turner away from the Dodgers with an 11-year, $300 million contract, but have taken a couple of injury hits, with superstar Bryce Harper sidelined perhaps until mid season after elbow surgery, and 1B Rhys Hoskins lost for the year with a knee injury.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves won the division last year for the fourth straight season. They lost SS Dansby Swanson to free agency a year after 1B Freddie Freeman jumped ship, but should still have enough tools returning with the likes of RF Ronald Acuña Jr., 3B Austin Riley and 1B Matt Olson to be in the mix for a fifth straight division title.
New York Mets
The Mets grabbed most of the headlines over the winter. While they backed out of the Carlos Correa chase, owner Steve Cohen still managed to splash out a cool half-billion dollars on free agents. Much to the chagrin of his fellow owners, that pushed the team's payroll for this season to a massive $370 million, smashing the previous MLB record of $298 million. A good chunk of that went to bring 40-year-old Justin Verlander to town to be reunited with Max Scherzer (they were teammates in Detroit ten years ago), and to Japanese right-hander Kodai Senga to replace Jacob deGrom. The Mets won 101 games last year, and led the division for all but six days, but could not hold off the Braves at the finish line.
Cohen has quite literally gone all in on this season, but he'll need to find a replacement for Edwin Díaz, baseball's most dominant closer last year, after he was lost for the season after injuring his knee celebrating a victory with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
The National League Central figures to be one of the weaker divisions in baseball again, with the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers and the improving Chicago Cubs the most likely contenders for the division crown.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cards seem to find ways to stay relevant year after year, and are led by one of the better corner infield tandems in the game in 3B Nolan Arenado and 1B Paul Goldschmidt.
Milwaukee Brewers & Chicago Cubs
The Brew Crew have great starting pitching – led by Corbin Burns – and a lot of question marks elsewhere, while the Cubs brought in established veterans in SS Dansby Swanson and 2019 MVP OF Cody Bellinger to help add experience to a young squad.
Cincinnati Reds & Pittsburgh Pirates
The Reds and Pirates also have some talented youngsters, but nothing to suggest they will improve greatly on last year's 100-loss seasons.
Los Angeles Dodgers & San Diego Padres
The Los Angeles Dodgers won a franchise-record 111 games last season before flaming out in the Division series to the San Diego Padres. With the Dodgers losing leadoff hitter Trea Turner and facing a raft of injuries to key pitchers, it's the Padres who think that this might be the year they can finally catch their SoCal rivals in the standings.
After adding closer Josh Hader at the trade deadline last year, Padres owner Peter Seidler dug into the wallet again to pry SS Xander Bogaerts away from the Red Sox for a cool $280 million over 11 years. Bogaerts joins a lineup that already includes pricey superstars Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, and Juan Soto. Fernando Tatís Jr. will join the list in April when he returns from an 80-game suspension doled out for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He'll shift from shortstop to right field to make way for Bogaerts.
San Francisco Giants & Arizona Diamondbacks
The San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks will be left to fight for wild card berths, while the Colorado Rockies will look to avoid the first 100-loss season in franchise history.
Here's hoping the ticktock of the pitch clock will hardly be noticed, singles and stolen bases make an exciting resurgence, and there are plenty of thrills from the Boys of Summer to get us through a long, action-packed season.
Enjoy the ride!
