We are right in the middle of Spring training, and the MLB season is getting closer and closer. In this article, I will be talking about the new changes to the MLB, an update on the reigning World Series champs, the Dodgers, a free agency recap, and an update on the Detroit Tigers.
New Rules
Imagine your favorite team in the World Series, down by one run, 3-2 count, bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th inning, and it’s a ball; you just tied the game! But the pitcher thought it was a strike, so he challenged the call, everyone anxiously looked at the scoreboard, waiting to see where the pitch was, the pitch just hitting the outside corner of the strike zone, resulting in a strikeout. Your team just lost the World Series.
A huge thing in sports includes instant replays, and yes, the MLB does have that. The umpire behind home plate calls balls and strikes, and there have been many bad calls and multiple umpires known to get calls wrong. One of the most well-known umpires who get calls wrong, Angel Hernandez, announced his retirement from baseball last May. Starting during this spring training, MLB has added an Automatic Ball-Strike System (ABS). The umpire still calls the balls and strikes, but before, when a hitter or pitcher disagreed with a call, they couldn’t do anything. But now, if they believe the umpire got the call wrong, the batter or pitcher can “challenge” the call by hitting the top of their head, and the scoreboard will show everyone where the pitch was and if the challenge was successful or not. Teams will start each game with two challenges each, with unsuccessful challenges resulting in a loss of the challenge. This rule will highly impact the game; for instance, managers will try to strategize their use of challenges. Not using their challenges early in the game could save a team a more important call later in the game. This is one big rule that could change the whole game!
MLB has recently added more rules that will impact the entire game. These rules are to make the game go faster, hoping to gain a wider audience. Some of these rules include a pitcher and hitter timer: 30 seconds in between each at bat, 15 seconds between pitches thrown with no player on base, and 20 seconds between pitches with runners on base. Other rules include an increase in the base size, from 15 inches square to 18 inches square, making the bases three inches larger, creating a shorter path between each base. Another minor rule is the number of pickoff moves you can do before an out has to be recorded. Pitchers are allowed two disengagements per plate appearance without a penalty of a balk.
What’s going on with the Champs?
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series last year, making it their second in the last five years and their fourth appearance in the last eight years. You would think their team is full, but no. After winning the World Series, the Dodgers went out to sign many top free agents, including number one free agent out of Japan, 23-year-old pitcher Roki Sasaki, All-Star pitcher Blake Snell, veteran reliever Kirby Yates, Japanese infielder Hyeseong Kim, and re-signed multi-all-star Teoscar Hernandez. Will anyone beat the Dodgers this year?
Well, we will find out sooner than usual. Major League Baseball announces that its 2025 regular season will start earlier and begin with the Tokyo Series at the Tokyo Dome featuring the reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers with Japan natives Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto against the Chicago Cubs with Japan natives Shoto Imanago and Seiya Suzuki facing off on March 18 and 19 in the “Tokyo series.” This is a special series being held in Tokyo a week before the normal opening day, which will display two Japanese pitchers facing off: Shoto Imanaga for the Cubs and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers.
Free Agency Recap
The MLB is a little different than the other main sports; there is no salary cap in baseball, meaning teams can go out and spend as much money as they want to make the best team they possibly can. The New York Mets took advantage of that and signed 26-year-old superstar Juan Soto to a 15-year deal worth 765 million dollars.
The 2024-2025 MLB free agency had a lot of superstars that found new homes. Future Hall of Fame pitchers, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander found new homes. Scherzer landed in Toronto, and Verlander landed in San Francisco. The biggest Infielder name in free agency, Alex Bregman, landed in Boston, and top outfield free agent Anthony Santander also landed in Toronto to pair with Scherzer. Corbin Burnes, the 2021 Cy Young Award winner (best pitcher), landed in Arizona, pitcher Max Fried ended up with the Yankees, and shortstop Willy Adames landed in San Francisco to be teammates with Verlander.
Some free agents, on the other hand, found a familiar home. Jack Flaherty re-signed with the Tigers after signing with them last off-season and being shipped off at the trade deadline to the Dodgers. First baseman Pete Alonso re-signed with the Mets to team up with Juan Soto, and Shane Bieber, the 2020 Cy Young Award winner, returned to Cleveland.
Lots of new faces in new places, but also some returning players.
What’s up with the Tigers?
After making the playoffs last year for the first time since 2014, there is a lot of speculation around the Detroit Tigers this year. They had Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, a load of young rising players, and third-place finisher in manager of the year A.J. Hinch. The Tigers went into the offseason looking for a few key positions: a right-handed hitter, a couple of pitchers, and hope for star third baseman Alex Bregman. The Tigers come out of the offseason filling all their needs, signing right-handed hitter second baseman Gleyber Torres, starting pitcherJack Flaherty and Alex Cobb, and relief pitchers Tommy Kahnle, John Brebbia, and Alex Chafin. After lacking third base last season, the Tigers thought Detroit would be the new home for Alex Bregman, meaning a reunion with A.J. Hinch and Alex Bregman dating back to a few years ago when they won the World Series together in Houston. Bregman ended up signing a three-year deal worth 120 million dollars with the Boston Red Sox, and the Tigers are still lacking on the left side of the infield. Even though they missed out on Bregman, the Tigers still added key pieces to their team to improve their roster to make a playoff run like last year.
The Tigers lost in the American League Divisional Series (ALDS) to the Cleveland Guardians last year, and their goal is to win the AL Central this year. According to ESPN, the Tigers have the third-best odds to win their division. Despite that, after finishing the season with a 31-11 record, the Tigers will look to make a splash like they did last year to win the division, and even back to the ALDS, and even further.
