During the course of a 162-game season, a lot can go right or wrong. Even the top MLB clubs are unable to forecast with precision how their 2024 season will unfold, which leaves room for the terrifying idea known as the great unknown.
The biggest concerns facing all 30 teams ahead of Opening Day on Thursday are injuries, player development, and other issues. Here is the greatest unknown for every team going into 2024, compiled with assistance from the MLB.com beat writer for each club.
Alek Manoah’s shoulder injury kept him out of the game to start the season, so the Blue Jays need a standout pitcher on the mound. It may seem strange, but needing nine or ten starters in a single season is not out of the ordinary given the quality of this rotation during the previous two seasons.Bowden Following a stellar 2023 season in the bullpen, Francis is the first to grab attention. But will Francis be able to maintain his No. 5 ranking? Although he looks fantastic in camp, he has a lot expected of him. Can Ricky Tiedemann, the top prospect, maintain his health and close the door by the middle of summer, in addition to Francis? That would greatly increase this group’s ceiling, however for the time being,
The O’s will hope that 36-year-old Craig Kimbrel can still be a reliable ninth-inning arm while their All-Star closer heals from Tommy John surgery. With 417 career saves, the right-hander is eighth in AL/NL history. He finished the spring with six strikeouts in four straight shutout games, suggesting that he may still have a lot of gas left in his tank. However, Baltimore will also rely a lot on setup arms with short careers like Danny Coulombe and Yenier Cano, who will be an All-Star rookie in 2023.The springs of Cionel Pérez and Jacob Webb were unstable. Dillon Tate, who had an electric spring installed after missing the whole previous season due to injuries to his right elbow and forearm, is the group’s X-factor.
The Rays dealt Tyler Glasnow because they knew they would be without Drew Rasmussen for maybe a bit longer than that, Jeffrey Springs for maybe the first half, Shane McClanahan for the entire season, and Shane Baz in the early going. Taj Bradley is now anticipated to miss the opening month of the season due to a right pectoral strain. With several starters having a history of injuries and others having little Major League rotation experience, this was already a bunch that raised worries about workload. However, in the absence of any elite pitching prospects vying for spots at Triple-A, they must rely on the durability of their top starters, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, and Zach Littell, as well as the advancement of their young arms, Ryan Pepiot and Bradley, until reinforcements, Baz, Springs, and
The Red Sox were expected to add to a rotation that ranked 22nd in the Majors in ERA the previous season when the offseason got underway. It turns out that their lone addition, righty Lucas Giolito, is already sidelined for the season after having his elbow’s UCL repaired. James Paxton left through free agency, while Chris Sale was traded. With Nick Pivetta as the only veteran in the rotation, the Sox will need to improve the play of four pitchers in their mid-20s (Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck) if they hope to have a realistic shot of winning the pennant.
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