MLB Opening Day 2024 results: Yankees win close one in Houston; Diamondbacks score 14 runs in one inning

Note: The Phillies season opener was postponed to 3:05 p.m. ET on Friday

Expected wins: 86

The Phillies have fallen out of the divisional race by June 1 in each of the last two seasons, and the goal is more ambitious in 2024. A faster start to the season won't solve everything. But the Phillies feel as if they are positioned to perform better in April and May. Their rotation is more prepared. They avoided any significant injuries during spring training. They have a more favorable early-season schedule.

It's a roster that would be predicted to win most divisions in baseball, but they happen to share a division with the potent Braves. The Phillies hope that, with an unusual amount of continuity from a season ago, there are fewer surprises. They're hoping for a more consistent Trea Turner. They have a full season of Bryce Harper at first base. They have two horses at the top of the rotation. They have a hard-throwing bullpen with six legitimate late-inning options. There is a lot to like. — Matt Gelb

Austin Mock's odds

Make postseason: 65.0%

Win division: 14.4%

Win pennant: 8.6%

Win World Series: 4.4%

Jim Bowden's report card

Lineup: A-

Rotation: A-

Bullpen: B+

Defense: B

Depth: C

Overall: A-

Note: The Braves season opener was postponed to 3:05 p.m. ET on Friday.

Expected wins: 95

The Braves won 104 games in 2023, and on paper they're better now. They return reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., baseball’s first 40-70 player, along with MLB homer and RBI leader Matt Olson and the rest of the sport's most potent offense.

They beefed up the rotation with the additions of Chris Sale and Reynaldo López to the trio of strikeout machine Spencer Strider, Max Fried and 40-year-old Charlie Morton, who still has elite spin rates and one of baseball's best curveballs. They fortified the bullpen, which could be the NL's best and features four lefties including 2021 World Series star Tyler Matzek, who missed two postseasons and the 2023 season after Tommy John surgery. López will begin as the No. 5 starter, but could move to the bullpen if any relievers get hurt or Atlanta decides to promote one of its top prospects, starting pitchers AJ Smith-Shawver or Hurston Waldrep. — David O’Brien

Austin Mock's odds

Make postseason: 96.4%

Win division: 80.2%

Win pennant: 27.1%

Win World Series: 16.8%

Jim Bowden's report card

Lineup: A+

Rotation: A-

Bullpen: B

Defense: A

Depth: C

Overall: A

Remember when the Cardinals had so many redundant outfielders that they traded Tyler O'Neill to the Red Sox for an up-and-down reliever? Well, they've since put Tommy Edman, Dylan Carlson and Lars Nootbar on the I.L., leading them to break camp with outfield prospect Victor Scott II as their primary center fielder and super utility man Brendan Donovan as their leadoff man and left fielder.

As Sarah Langs notes, the Cardinals have an unusually young lineup for Opening Day.

It’s time for our third annual MLB Position Player Tiers. These are the top 100 position players in the majors sorted by expected all-around value in 2024 and separated into five tiers, from best in baseball to above-average regulars.

Our aim was to blend projections, scouting, expert opinion and the eye test to evaluate a player’s full suite of skills: at bat, in the field and on the bases. We sent our initial list to more than 20 baseball people — execs, evaluators, coaches, players and analysts — and asked them to audit our work. Based on their responses, we moved names up and down until settling on the order listed below.

First, some ground rules and guidelines:

The players are in tiers, not individually ranked. Each tier is divided into sub-tiers, and players are listed alphabetically within each. The gap between lettered groups (like 1A and 1B) is smaller than the one between numbered groups (like 1B and 2A).

Players who have yet to play in the majors or are expected to miss at least half the season were ruled ineligible.

Not every above-average position player is included, just the top 100. We trimmed the list from 125, as it had been in years past, because of feedback from those we polled about the volatility of those latter projections.

Tier 1A: The best of the best

• Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
• Mookie Betts, Dodgers
• Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
• Aaron Judge, Yankees
• Juan Soto, Yankees

Continue reading.

Before he managed his first major-league game, Astros skipper Joe Espada got a visit from an old friend — former Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who is working Thursday’s game for the YES Network.

Girardi took a circuitous route to meet his former third-base coach. Security officials initially denied Girardi access to the Astros’ clubhouse when it opened to reporters, citing that he “didn’t have the right credential.” Girardi handled the denial with class, offering a polite smile before walking away.

Espada served as Girardi’s third-base coach from 2015-17

Note: The Brewers season opener was postponed to 1:40 p.m. ET on Friday.

Expected wins: 78

The Brewers look different. But there’s a familiar feeling around them: they look like they can be a fun, competitive team and one that again surpasses expectations. The challenge will be incorporating a few young players into the lineup as key contributors at the same time. Bad teams can do this without much consequence.

Milwaukee, on the other hand, needs Jackson Chourio, Garrett Michell, Sal Frelick, Brice Turang and maybe Joey Ortiz to help. They don’t have to do all the heavy lifting — Christian Yelich, Rhys Hoskins, Willy Adames and William Contreras get paid for that. So there’s balance. But the range of outcomes with young players features wide variance.

On the pitching side, Freddy Peralta graduated to their No. 1, but the Brewers will rely on a mix of talented young pitchers — DL Hall first — and veterans who may be best working in piggyback roles. The bullpen appears strong, but they’ll be without stud closer Devin Williams for a while. They can win the central, but the same can be said about three of the four other teams in the division. — Will Sammon

Austin Mock's odds

Make postseason: 19.9%

Win division: 11.8%

Win pennant: 1.5%

Win World Series: 0.6%

Jim Bowden's report card

Lineup: B

Rotation: C

Bullpen: B-

Defense: A-

Depth: C

Overall: C+

Note: The Mets season opener was postponed to 1:40 p.m. ET on Friday.

Expected wins: 80

Ahh, the joys of an expanded postseason. Knowing that 84 wins was good enough for not one but two playoff teams in the National League last season sure makes it easier for the Mets to pull off the offseason approach they just did. Following a massively disappointing 87-loss season and a trade-deadline sell-off, New York under new exec David Stearns tinkered on the edges of its roster. The team added 16 players to its 40-man roster, only one of whom (Sean Manaea) is guaranteed money in 2025.

Since Aug. 1, the Mets have made it clear the goal here in 2024 is not a division title — they're still very much looking up at Atlanta and Philadelphia — but a roll of the postseason die. Because they know as well as anyone how that's worked out for the last two No. 6 seeds in the National League. — Tim Britton

Austin Mock's odds

Make postseason: 27.9%

Win division: 3.1%

Win pennant: 2.6%

Win World Series: 1.1%

Jim Bowden's report card

Lineup: B

Rotation: C-

Bullpen: A

Defense: C+

Depth: B

Overall: C+

Yankees infielder Jon Berti said he arrived at the team’s hotel at 2 a.m. this morning after getting traded by the Marlins. He will not start at third base today. Oswaldo Cabrera gets the Opening Day start at the hot corner and will hit ninth.

The Marco Luciano era has been temporarily postponed. The Joey Bart era has been temporarily extended. The Nick Ahmed era has been around this whole time, and we've just been living in it, baby.

The biggest news of the Giants' Opening Day roster, though, might be that Blake Snell is on it, although he won't start the first time through the rotation. Rookie Landen Roupp also made the team, despite having just 15 starts above A-ball in his career. Have gobsmacking curveball, will travel.

This is more of a temporary roster, though. The Giants will almost certainly carry 13 pitchers for most of the season, but they have 12 for now. Mike Yastrzemski is going on paternity leave soon, which will free up a roster spot in the short term. Once Snell officially joins the rotation, there will be more clarity.

Giants Opening Day roster

Starting pitchers (6): Logan Webb, Blake Snell, Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, Keaton Winn, Landon Roupp

Bullpen (6): LHs Taylor Rogers, Erik Miller; RHs, Ryan Walker, Tyler Rogers, Luke Jackson, closer Camilo Doval

Infielders (6): Nick Ahmed, Matt Chapman, Thairo Estrada, Tyler Fitzgerald, Wilmer Flores, LaMonte Wade, Jr.

Catchers (3): Tom Murphy, Joey Bart, Patrick Bailey

Outfielders (5): Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater, Jung Hoo Lee, Michael Conforto, Jorge Soler

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Before the 2023 season, Cincinnati Reds general manager Nick Krall called his counterpart in Kansas City, J.J. Piccolo, to ask how the Royals handled Bobby Witt Jr.’s first year in the big leagues.

Krall knew he had a special shortstop (or three) coming his way that season and wanted a little insight into what to look for.

“I called a handful of guys,” Krall said. “People who go through those things sometimes and can look back and wish they’d done differently.”

Krall said he makes those kinds of calls often. So many conversations he has with others in his position are more likely to be about those things than a trade.

Witt made his debut in 2022, so Krall knew it was still fresh on Piccolo’s mind. With Elly De La Cruz knocking on the door of the big leagues, Krall sensed he’d be calling up his own potentially franchise-altering shortstop soon. Piccolo’s advice was to trust his judgment and stick to his convictions. It’s advice that will probably carry over into this season as well because while a player’s rookie year can be difficult, in some ways, the second year can be harder.

Last year, Witt struggled at the start of his second season but improved so much over the last half that he finished in the top 10 of American League MVP voting. The team responded by signing him to a contract extension of nearly $300 million.

That’s the best-case scenario. De La Cruz, who debuted in June last year with a style and skill set that quickly made him a fixture in MLB marketing materials, only has to glimpse to his left in the Reds’ infield to see an example of things going the other way. After winning Rookie of the Year in 2021, Jonathan India literally limped through the 2022 season with a hamstring injury and saw all his numbers tumble.

What’s the difference between improving upon a great rookie year and not living up to those expectations?

For Witt, it was identifying ways to improve and approaching them with patience.

“Above all else, Bobby’s a quick learner,” Piccolo said. “The way he can self-evaluate … He recognized some things that he thought he needed to improve upon. He scuffled a little bit, even through the first two months (of 2023), but then he was able to eliminate chasing some pitches up in the zone. I think he really had to settle in.”

Continue reading.

The Mets picked Yohan Ramirez and Michael Tonkin, two right-handed pitchers, for the final two spots in their bullpen. Sean Reid-Foley, the other pitcher who competed for one of the openings, will start the year on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder impingement. Reid-Foley, Tonkin and Ramirez were all out of minor-league options. Reid-Foley dealt with an arm issue in the middle of spring training, but then returned to pitch last weekend.

There were no surprises when the Braves announced their Opening Day roster, which was set nearly a week ago and only changed in one place since — when Jesse Chavez signed Monday after being released by the White Sox. He replaced Jackson Stephens, who was outrighted to Triple A and instead opted for free agency. Atlanta doesn't open until Friday (3:05 p.m.) after Thursday's game at Philly was postponed by rain.

Braves Opening Day roster

Starting pitchers (5): Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Chris Sale, Charlie Morton, Reynaldo López

Bullpen (8): LHP Tyler Matzek, Aaaron Hummer, A.J. Minter, Dylan Lee; RHs Joe Jiménez, Pierce Johnson, Jesse Chavez, closer Raisel Iglesias

Infielders (5): Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Orlando Arcia, Luis Guillorme

Catchers (2): Travis d'Arnaud, Sean Murphy

Outfielders (5): Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Adam Duvall, Jarred Kelenic, Forrest Wall

Designated hitter (1): Marcell Ozuna

The Boston Red Sox open their season against the Seattle Mariners at 10:10 p.m. ET. Jen McCaffrey looked at Alex Cora's situation ahead of that game.

On the final day of last season in Baltimore, Red Sox manager Alex Cora sat on the bench in the visitors dugout at Camden Yards — his team on its way to a second consecutive last place finish — and offered candid introspection. He’d recently learned he’d be returning as manager in 2024 despite a front office change, but he realized what he’d done in the past wasn’t enough.

“I have to be better,” he said on Oct. 1. “I have to improve. The vote of confidence is great but what are we doing, what am I doing to put these guys in a situation to be successful? I’ve got to be realistic. I feel like I haven’t done my job the last few years. I have to improve in a lot of things.”

Cora began sowing the seeds of change over the offseason.

One of the early steps was simple: A series of Zoom calls to maintain a connection with his team throughout the winter. Cora hosted calls with his players once a month — just the manager, his pitchers and position players, no coaches or front office members. The calls lasted roughly 20 minutes, aimed at keeping the group unified amid a winter of turnover and departures, not only in the front office, but on the roster and coaching staff. Justin Turner, a clubhouse leader, was gone. Chris Sale, a veteran voice on the pitching staff, had been traded.

A few players spoke on the calls, but it was mostly Cora with a clear, consistent message: The outside predictions for the club might be bleak, but he was serious about changing things in 2024. Be ready for a different kind of spring training.

It was a noticeable departure from previous winters.

Read the full story here.

The story I co-wrote with Fabian Ardaya about the Los Angeles Dodgers’ $1.4 billion offseason is one of my all-time favorites. It was a blast retracing each move, not just from the Dodgers’ perspective, but also from those of other clubs. It also was a lot of fun talking to country music star Brad Paisley and television actor Brian Baumgartner, who both played bit roles in the drama.

Fabian and I began working on the story months ago. The idea was to publish it Opening Day. But something happened in the interim: The Dodgers’ firing of Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, whom Ohtani’s attorneys accused of engaging in “massive theft” from the $700 million superstar to pay off gambling debts.

Our story was pretty much written when news of Mizuhara’s dismissal broke on March 20, complete with conflicting accounts from the interpreter on what actually happened. I won’t speak for Fabian, but with just over a week until our publication date, I went into a mild panic. Selfishly, I was concerned that the story, which includes details of the Dodgers’ pursuit of Ohtani, might no longer work.

We decided to monitor how events played out and then choose how to proceed. After Ohtani spoke Monday, accusing Mizuhara of both stealing from him and lying to him, we decided to push forward while noting the stunning turn of events.

The story is full of entertaining details about Ohtani’s and Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s free agencies, and the wild party at Paisley’s barn in Nashville that helped accelerate the Dodgers’ efforts to trade for Tyler Glasnow and sign him to an extension. We needed to make one final adjustment on Wednesday, incorporating the team’s signing of catcher Will Smith to a 10-year, $140 million extension (more on that in a minute). Because of course the Dodgers wanted to spend some more!

Anyway, we hope people enjoy reading the story as much as we enjoyed working on it. No matter how one views Ohtani’s current situation, the fact remains: A team might never put together another offseason like the one the Dodgers just did. The twists and turns just kept coming, from beginning to end.

Read the full story here.