25 things we learned from the 2024 MLB season

After signing a record-breaking deal with the Dodgers in the offseason, Shohei Ohtani started to earn his salary with a historic 50/50 season offensively while he rehabbed his elbow. The Japanese superstar should return as a two-way player next season, but somehow, his 2024 as only a hitter could turn out to be his most memorable.

The 2023 Mets were a classic example of spending big bucks not leading to results, and that trend continued with the Dodgers this year. While LA still won the NL West, their result was a bit disappointing with a failure to win 100 games over a full season for the first time since 2018. The Ohtani signing clearly paid off, but other high-profile moves, like the additions of Yosinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Joe Kelly, had mixed results due to injuries.

The Montreal Expos were the last MLB franchise to be ripped away from its fanbase until 2024, when the Oakland Athletics had the same fate. Owner Josh Fisher is chasing the money in Las Vegas, and the temporary plan to move the A’s to a minor league park in Sacramento in the interim beginning next year makes the move even more painful for fans. The only winner here is Fisher, while MLB and its loyal fans in Oakland ultimately lose.

No baseball decision-maker is more aggressive than Padres GM A.J. Preller, who made major moves after a disappointing 2023 season. His efforts floundered last season, but they paid off in a big way this year as the team added multiple contributors in the Juan Soto trade, signed Jurickson Profar, and traded for Dylan Cease, Luis Arraez, and multiple other contributors throughout the season. The team finished with its most regular season wins since 1998.

An odd free agent market that saw several teams fail to spend led to many key free agents holding out until Spring Training. For the most part, those later signers had bad years. The group included Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, and Cody Bellinger. Those struggles could make for an interesting 2025 offseason, with players trying to sign earlier.

Kansas City lost 106 games last season, and their lack of pitching was a big reason. Ownership refused to wait, signing Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and several relief pitchers that helped spur a complete turnaround and playoff berth.

The Detroit Tigers were clear sellers at the trade deadline, shipping out Jack Flaherty, Mark Canha, and Andrew Chafin as they had little hope of making the playoffs. Surprisingly, the team had other ideas with several key hitters returning from injury and a strong bullpen down the stretch. Tarik Skubal’s dominance also helped the Tigers do the nearly impossible, jumping the Twins with a hot final two months.

Chris Sale was clearly one of baseball’s best pitchers in the 2010s with the streak of seven seasons from 2012-2018 finishing top six in Cy Young voting. However, injuries plagued him for much of his early 30’s in Boston, and the lefty was traded to Atlanta last offseason for Vaughn Grissom. Sale successfully revitalized his career with a change of scenery, and is very likely to win the NL Cy Young after leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Other veterans like Jameson Taillon, Jack Flaherty, and Carlos Rodon also had strong rebound seasons.

The Cardinals were one of baseball’s most consistent franchises over the last two decades in large part due to their ability to draft and develop players. That advantage seemingly began to stall in recent seasons, and the product on the field has finally started to suffer over the last two seasons. Former top prospects Dylan Carlson, Jordan Walker, and Nolan Gorman are just some of the players who have apparently failed to develop under the current regime.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has had a remarkable career building franchises into winners like the Marlins, Tigers, Red Sox, and now Phillies. The big spending of Philadelphia ownership and direction of Dombrowski has helped the team make strong playoff runs the last two years, and they could be on the cusp of a third run after winning the NL East this season.

Cleveland surprised to win the AL Central this season on the strength of their dominant bullpen. Despite a shaky starting rotation, the team’s bullpen was more than a half-run better than any other in MLB and kept the team consistently at the top of the division standings. It should also come as no surprise that the top six bullpens in ERA this season made the playoffs.

Seattle finished with the lowest rotation ERA in baseball, sporting an incredible starting five this season with Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo. That rotation could have been a terror in the playoffs, but we’ll never know because the Mariners finished well out of the race due to their anemic offense.

Many critics proclaimed the Astros dynasty to be over when the team was 10-19 through April. While Houston did run into hardships this season, including a major leg injury to Kyle Tucker, their pitching eventually got on track and the team easily overcame the Mariners to win the AL West.

Baseball fans have been spoiled in recent seasons by rookie hitters bursting onto the scene, but 2024 brought mostly struggles for arriving prospects. Early favorites like Wyatt Langford and Jackson Holliday struggled in MLB for most of the year.

The offseason brought the shocking move of former Brewers manager Craig Counsell from Milwaukee to the rival Cubs. Oddsmakers looked at the Cubs as one of the favorites in the NL Central, but the result was a disappointing year for Chicago while the Brewers overcame the odds to win the division. We saw a similar surprise in Cleveland, as Stephen Vogt replaced the legendary Terry Francona to win the AL Central.

More than ever before, top MLB coaches are showing their value on the field. The Red Sox starting rotation made terrific progress across the line following the hiring of pitching coach Andrew Bailey. Elsewhere, the Guardians made critical hires like field coordinator Kai Correa that clearly paid off in the team’s strong defense.

The slide for the White Sox started last season, but few could have predicted how far the team would fall in 2024. Chicago set the modern MLB loss record after their firesale continued in the offseason, and stars like Luis Robert Jr. failed to produce on the field.

The Rangers surprised to win the 2023 World Series, but all the innings for their deep playoff run might have led to a hangover for the veteran squad. Veteran players like Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia, Jonah Heim, Max Scherzer, and Jon Gray had down years, while the team also saw its fair share of injuries. Texas fans can take solace in manager Bruce Bochy’s history in San Francisco, where he bounced back after post-World Series disappointment twice to win again.

Arizona had an excellent 2023 season exceeding expectations, and tried to capitalize on it by adding free agent starters Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery. Rodriguez missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury, while Montgomery was arguably the team’s worst pitcher after signing late in Spring Training. As a result, the rotation remained a huge issue for the team.

The Angels have had a clear team architecture under owner Arte Moreno, signing stars to big contracts but going cheap in other areas. Their refusal to invest in the farm system and role players has clearly hurt the team on the field, with a last place finish in 2024 while almost of the team’s high-priced contracts missed significant time.

The Nationals have had an ongoing firesale since winning the World Series in 2019, losing multiple franchise players. The rebuild has been painful, but fans finally started to see the team’s young stars shine in 2024. The promotion of top prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews could be the start of a team that’s ready to compete for a playoff spot soon.

Coming off the disappointment of the 2023 season, the Yankees made a blockbuster trade for pending free agent Juan Soto. He joined Aaron Judge, and the outfielders met all expectations in the lineup. Unfortunately, not many other hitters in the lineup reached their career norms, but the Yankees were still the top offense in the AL thanks to the consistency of Judge and Soto.

Drafted first overall in 2023, Paul Skenes was worthy of the hype with a sub-2.00 ERA en route to likely NL Rookie of the Year. The Pirates also saw a strong rookie season from Jared Jones, along with veterans Mitch Keller and Luis Ortiz. With several more top pitching prospects on the way, Pittsburgh has hope of an elite rotation soon.

Being a Marlins fan can be a thankless endeavor, with numerous rebuilds during their history. After surprising to make the playoffs last year, the team is undergoing yet another rebuild with a new front office. Miami struggled once again in 2024, and those struggles will likely continue after trading several key veterans.

The cliche about never having enough pitching has never been truer with the myriad of arm injuries in modern baseball. Every season seems to break records for arm surgeries, and we saw no shortage of top arms injured in 2024. That includes top starters like Spencer Strider, Shane Bieber, Kyle Bradish, and Grayson Rodriguez, among others.