MLB Opening Day

On March 26, 2020, Opening Day will officially begin the upcoming MLB regular season. Every major-league team will have a scheduled game for March 26, given no postponements.

This year, Opening Day will begin at its earliest start date in U.S. history. Only games that were previously hosted in Japan have been scheduled at an earlier date. Last year, Seattle Mariners and host Oakland Athletics began their regular season at the Tokyo Dome on March 20-21.

The teams are wrapping up their offseason preparations, and season expectations are soon closing into fruition. Looking at some roster shake-ups, here is what you can expect to see on Opening Day for the upcoming season:

 

NEW BEGINNINGS

A fresh start with a new team can be a challenge, especially for players that were considered ‘fan favorites’ with their previous organizations. This offseason consisted heavily of pitcher transactions; however, a few position players have made a big splash in the headlines.

After spending one season with the Braves, Dallas Keuchel will now be pitching for the Chicago White Sox. His contract is for three years, $55.5 million, with a fourth-year option.

Three-time World Series Champion Madison Bumgarner signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The all-time franchise leader in strikeouts for lefthanded pitchers in SF Giants history signed his Arizona contract for five years, $85 million.

Nicknamed “Klubot,” Corey Kluber had spent his last 9 seasons with the Cleveland Indians. The Indians traded him to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Delino DeShields, Jr.

Most famous for his career with the Phillies, Cole Hamels has signed with the Atlanta Braves. Hamels was an All-Star for the Texas Rangers in 2016. Recently, he had spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Cubs. His current contract is for one year, $18 million.

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired pitcher Zack Wheeler from the NY Mets. Wheeler signed a promising deal for five years, $118 million. The Phillies also signed former NY Yankees Shortstop Didi Gregorius to a one year, $14 million deal. Gregorius ended his 2018 season with an elbow injury, in the ALDS, that required Tommy John surgery.

The top available free agent signing came alongside Gerrit Cole from the Houston Astros. The runner up in Cy Young voting last season signed with the NY Yankees for nine years, $324 million, with a player opt-out after 2024. This was perhaps the biggest splash of the offseason, arguably only matched by the Dodgers and Red Sox trade.

2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts and left-handed pitcher David Price have been traded to the LA Dodgers for outfielder Alex Verdugo and two prospect players. The two former Red Sox teammates won the World series together in 2018.

An eventful offseason has stirred up many pitching rotations around the league. There is plenty of room for speculation as the players prepare for their 162-game journey to reach October baseball.

 

EARLY ABSENCES

Across MLB, a familiar procedure with a lengthy recovery is Tommy John Surgery – which usually results in a staggering 8 to 10-month absence before returning to play. This year is no different, with some notable mentions battling injury to start this season:

NY Yankees ace pitcher Luis Severino will miss the entire 2020 season due to Tommy John Surgery. Severino’s teammate Aaron Hicks had the same procedure back in October last year. Hicks is expected to miss most of the regular season with the possibility of returning late, depending on progress.

LA Angels star pitcher and DH Shohei Ohtani had Tommy John Surgery as well. Ohtani will be in the lineup as DH on opening day but is not expected to pitch until mid-May.

Cole Hamels has experienced left shoulder irritation and won’t be ready for the start of the season. The newly acquired Braves pitcher injured his shoulder in an offseason workout. He’s expected to return later in April.

Dustin Pedroia has been placed on the 60-day IL with a knee injury. Pedroia has been plagued by injury since initially hurt in 2016, and he has played only nine games for the Red Sox since 2017.

 

PROJECTIONS

Last week, Caesars Palace sportsbook in Las Vegas released the projected win totals for the 2020 MLB season. Find out where your team stacks up against the competition. Here is the released list for projected win totals:     

 

2020-2021 Over/Unders:

 

New York Yankees (101)

Los Angeles Dodgers (99)

Houston Astros (97)

Atlanta Braves (92)

Minnesota Twins (90.5)

Tampa Bay Rays (90)

Oakland Athletics (89.5)

Washington Nationals (89.5)

Boston Red Sox (89)

St. Louis Cardinals (88.5)

New York Mets (86.5)

Chicago Cubs (86)

Cleveland Indians (86)

Los Angeles Angels (85.5)

Philadelphia Phillies (85.5)

Chicago White Sox (84.5)

Milwaukee Brewers (83.5)

Cincinnati Reds (83.5)

San Diego Padres (83)

Arizona Diamondbacks (83)

Texas Rangers (78.5)

Toronto Blue Jays (76)

Colorado Rockies (74)

San Francisco Giants (71)

Pittsburgh Pirates (70.5)

Seattle Mariners (67.5)

Miami Marlins (63.5)

Baltimore Orioles (55.5)

Detroit Tigers (55.5)