Many people say Christmas is their favorite holiday. Some say Thanksgiving, while others say Halloween. My favorite holiday, however, is MLB Opening Day, and after a long and eventful offseason, it’s finally here.
To celebrate, here are my rankings of every single team ahead of the highly-anticipated 2023 campaign!
30. Oakland Athletics
The A’s have moved on from the core that led them to three straight playoff appearances from 2018 to 2020. This offseason they traded away Sean Murphy, Cole Irvin, and A.J. Puk; all bright spots on a team that lost 100 games last season. It’s safe to assume this season will be even more abysmal.
29. Washington Nationals
It was clear when the Nationals traded Juan Soto, that they were moving into a full-scale rebuild. The development of young players like CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore will give Nationals fans a reason to watch a team that’s likely headed for its fourth straight last place finish.
28. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds lost 100 games last season and proceeded to do nothing in the offseason. Needless to say, that’s not a recipe for success. Cincinnati has an exciting farm system, and promising young starting pitchers in Greene, Lodolo and Ashcraft, but they still have an extremely weak roster that will finish among the worst in the National League.
27. Colorado Rockies
It’s not exactly great when the owner of a team comes out and says “I think we can play .500 ball.” But that was what Rockies owner Dick Monfort said this offseason. Kris Bryant staying healthy this year would help Colorado a lot, but even .500 ball would be a major surprise for this team.
26. Detroit Tigers
The Tigers were a disappointment last season, and this season doesn’t offer much more optimism. The development of former top-prospects Spencer Torkleson and Riley Greene will be key for the Tigers, but it’s looking like the eight-year postseason drought will be extended to nine in Miguel Cabrera’s final season.
25. Kansas City Royals
The Royals are in a rebuild, and have some exciting young talent already on the Major League roster, led by Bobby Witt Jr. and Brady Singer. Kansas City is returning much of the same team that lost 96 games a season ago, and the focus this year will be on the development of a young core that will see increased playing time.
24. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are still rebuilding, but they were more active in free agency than in recent years. Andrew McCutchen is back, while Rich Hill, Carlos Santana and Ji-Man Choi also join the fold to play with youngsters Oneil Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes. Pittsburgh won’t get near the postseason, but maybe there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
23. Miami Marlins
The Marlins have a fantastic, young rotation led by 2022 Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, and were able to land AL batting champ Luis Arraez in a trade with the Twins. What Miami lacks is power, and more importantly depth in their lineup, which doesn’t stack up well in an incredibly powerful N.L. East.
22. San Francisco Giants
The Giants had a disappointing offseason, narrowly missing out on Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa in free agency, and losing their ace Carlos Rodon. San Francisco will still have a strong rotation led by Logan Webb, but a mediocre lineup will largely rely on new additions Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto to stay healthy.
21. Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox finished last in the division in 2022, and then proceeded to lose star hitters Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez in free agency. Boston still has a big bat in Rafael Devers, but they’ll need Alex Verdugo and Trevor Story to have bounce back seasons to make up for the fire power that they lost, especially with bad starting pitching.
20. Texas Rangers
Texas has an outstanding starting rotation after adding Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney. However, all three come with a lengthy injury history, and outside of Seager, Semien, Lowe and Garcia, the offense is very weak. The Rangers will be relying on this new look rotation to stay healthy if they want to make some noise.
19. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks have a pair of potential superstars in Gabriel Moreno and Corbin Carroll who will get their first chance to play a full season in the Majors, and the rotation has a strong one-two punch of Merril Kelly and Zac Gallen. Arizona should improve from their 74-88 record last year, and could even be a surprise wild-card contender.
18. Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles were a nice surprise last year and are headed in the right direction. Adley Rutschman had a big rookie year, and now Gunnar Henderson heads into the season as the favorite for AL Rookie of the Year. Baltimore does lack starting pitching and didn’t do much this offseason, so it’s hard to see them taking the next step just yet.
17. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs had a big offseason, landing a number of solid players headlined by Dansby Swanson. Marcus Stroman leads a solid rotation, while Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner look to build off of career years. There’s uncertainty with so many new faces and no true superstars, but the Cubs have added the pieces to be in the wild card conversation.
16. Minnesota Twins
The Twins have a strong starting rotation that got stronger with the addition of Pablo Lopez. Getting back star shortstop Carlos Correa was huge for this team, and catcher Christian Vazquez was an important addition as well. While the offense lacks depth, Minnesota has enough to compete in one of the weaker divisions in baseball.
15. Milwaukee Brewers
Pitching is the story in Milwaukee, with Burnes, Woodruff and Peralta making up a three-headed monster, and Devin Williams having blossomed into one of the league’s best relievers. Offense is holding this team back, and while William Contreras was a nice addition, losing Hunter Renfroe and Kolten Wong hurts an already mediocre lineup.
14. Los Angeles Angels
Arguably the two best players in baseball are heading into their sixth season as teammates, and still searching for their first playoff appearance together. This may be the best chance they have, as the Angels added Brandon Drury, Hunter Renfroe and Tyler Anderson to try and finally get over the hump.
13. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox were a huge disappointment in 2022, but they’re still a talented bunch. Losing Jose Abreu hurts, but losing Tony La Russa helps, and Chicago will almost certainly compete for a playoff spot if their core of Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez and Tim Anderson can stay healthy, and if Dylan Cease builds off of his incredible 2022 season.
12. Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay always finds a way to get the best out of their roster, despite a low payroll. The Rays will look for their strong pitching staff, headlined by Shane McClanahan, to lead them to their fifth straight postseason appearance. They’ll also be hoping for young star Wander Franco to stay healthy for the entire season.
11. St. Louis Cardinals
Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado lead a loaded St. Louis lineup that also added Willson Contreras this offseason. The offense is good enough to carry the Cardinals back to the postseason, but how far they get depends on the pitching staff. It’s a staff that has question marks and wasn’t improved by management in the offseason.
10. Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland exceeded expectations in 2022, thanks to a well-built starting rotation led by ace Shane Beiber, and a great bullpen. Offensively, the Guardians are bolstered by All-Star Jose Ramirez, while youngsters Andres Gimenez, Steven Kwan and Oscar Gonzalez look to build off of breakout seasons in 2022.
9. Toronto Blue Jays
This offseason the Blue Jays went out and added Daulton Varsho to an already powerful lineup that consists of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Alek Manoah is one of the best pitchers in the game, but the rotation does have some question marks pertaining to depth, and will really need Jose Berrios to have a bounce-back season.
8. Seattle Mariners
After a 21 year postseason drought, the Mariners were finally back in the big dance last year, and they’re looking to take the next step now. 22-year-old Julio Rodriguez is the real deal, the starting rotation is excellent, and offseason additions of Kolten Wong and Teoscar Hernandez strengthen a great lineup. It’s an exciting time to be a Mariners fan.
7. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies couldn’t crack 90 wins last year, but pulled off an incredible run to the World Series. They fell short against Houston, but added superstar Trea Turner to a dangerous lineup, and fortified the bullpen in free agency. Philadelphia will be missing Bryce Harper until mid-season, but this talented roster will be just fine in his absence.
6. New York Yankees
The Yankees bringing back Aaron Judge after his record-breaking season was incredibly important, and signing Carlos Rodon gives the Bronx Bombers a second ace alongside Gerrit Cole. New York is a World Series contender, and could be even scarier if youngsters Anthony Volpe, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza have breakout seasons. The AL East is competitive, but the Yankees are still the clear favorite.
5. San Diego Padres
Having Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts in the same lineup just doesn’t seem fair. Yet that’s what the Padres have, and they also have a fantastic rotation that’s led by Joe Musgrave and Yu Darvish. Josh Hader returning to form would give San Diego a deadly bullpen as well. After an NLCS appearance and a big offseason, the Padres enter 2023 with sky high expectations.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers lost a lot this offseason, including Trea Turner and Tyler Anderson. However they’ve lost plenty of talent over the last decade, and have consistently been World Series contenders. In other words: they shouldn’t be taken lightly. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts lead the way offensively, while Clayton Kershaw returns for year 16 in a strong rotation. Don’t let the offseason fool you, this team is still very dangerous.
3. New York Mets
The Mets have been extremely aggressive in free agency, and have the deadliest one-two punch in all of baseball with future Hall of Famers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, who haven’t slowed down at all. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor are part of a lineup that can do serious damage as well. Losing Edwin Diaz for the season during the WBC hurts, but this team still has enough talent to make a serious run in October.
2. Atlanta Braves
The Braves were quiet in free agency, but it didn’t matter. This team is loaded with stars such as Matt Olson and Austin Riley, and will benefit from Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies staying healthy this year. Sean Murphy was a big-time acquisition at catcher, and Max Fried leads a great rotation including young star Spencer Strider. The Braves are well-built everywhere throughout the roster, and should make a serious run.
1. Houston Astros
The defending World Series Champions have all of the pieces to go back-to-back. A potent lineup featuring Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman will continue to dominate opposing pitchers. The Astros lost Verlander, but will be fine on the starting pitching front, with Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier. Houston, undoubtedly, has the best bullpen in the league as well. Nobody will be surprised if the Astros play baseball in November for the third season in a row.