Spring is a little bit closer now. As spring inches closer, so does the baseball season. The MLB season is right around the corner. Spring training is starting February 24. The teams will be splitting up into the Cactus league and the Grapefruit league. This year will surely be exciting as there was many shake-ups to rosters during the season.

One of the most dominant divisions in baseball, the AL East, made a lot of headlines this offseason. One of the top teams to make a splash this year was the Boston Red Sox. They added a lot of pieces in free agency. One of their biggest additions was one of the most dominant southpaw’s in the game, Chris Sale. They had to give up a lot just to acquire him. They gave up the number one prospect in baseball in Yoan Moncada and one of the best pitching prospects, Michael Kopech. As a result, Boston will have one of the best rotations in baseball. They have David Price and reigning AL CY Young champion Rick Porcello. They also have one of the stacked lineups in baseball. It is lead by Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts. Losing David Ortiz will be a big loss though, as he produced 38 home runs and batted in 127 RBI. The Red Sox are looking to be contenders this year and try to win the world series.

One of the most historic teams in baseball had a quiet offseason. The New York Yankees did some things during the offseason, though. Their biggest move was getting Aroldis Chapman to sign to a 5 year deal worth 85 million. This now makes him the highest paid closer in the history of baseball. They also traded Brian McCann who was their starting catcher. They will now let Gary Sanchez take over and could be their franchise centerpiece now. They also have one of the best farm systems in league as they have Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier who are going to look to make an impact. They also have Greg Bird coming back from an injury. The Yankees might not contend this year, but don’t count them out in the future as they have a young talented team.

I caught up with Andrew Ginart who explained how he felt about his favorite team. “I believe we [the Yankes] have all the right tools to make it but we just need another outfielder. I think in the years to come we will be able to contend.”

The reigning champions will look to repeat again this year. The Chicago Cubs have one of the most stacked lineups in baseball. It is led by reigning NL MVP Kris Bryant and All-Stars Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, and Addison Russell. They will also have Kyle Schwarber back for the entire year after he missed all of the regular season last year. This makes them even more scary. They have Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester to help lead their staff. They also acquired Wade Davis, which helps sure up their bullpen. The Cubs are in position to win again this year. All they need is for everything to stay the way it is.

The other New York team is looking to contend again, too. The New York Mets had a quiet offseason. They resigned Yoenis Cespedes, which is crucial if they want to make it to the World Series again this year. They also have the majority of their starting staff coming back from injury. They are led by Noah Syndergaard, Jacob DeGrom, and Matt Harvey who are returning from injury. The Mets will look to make the playoffs this year and contend.

The Washington Nationals have become stacked at almost every position this offseason. Their best player, Bryce Harper, had a down year and will look to bounce back this year and return to his MVP form. They also have Daniel Murphy, who had a fantastic 2016 season and will look to repeat his success in 2017. They also became stacked at catcher position by signing Matt Wieters and they also traded for Derek Norris. Their rotation is intact as well, as they have reigning NL Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer. They are contenders this year and will look to finally bring a championship to Washington D.C.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a lively offseason. They resigned Rich Hill, Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner, and Chase Utley. They also have the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, Corey Seager. They also have Adrian Gonzalez, who provides veteran leadership. They also have one of the best players in baseball, Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers will look to make it back into the playoffs.

The Colorado Rockies also did a lot this offseason. They hired Bud Black to be their new manager. They also signed Ian Desmond and Mike Dunn to large contracts, and they also agreed to a two year deal with Nolan Arenado, who is their franchise cornerstone. The Rockies will finally look to contend this year as they have one of the best lineups in baseball. They have Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon, two excellent players. They really need to improve on their pitching if they want to win it all. This is a hard task as the light air in Denver carries to ball and hurts pitchers. Despite this, pitcher Jon Gray has been able to pitch well, and the Rockies will have to hope their offense can carry the load.

The Indians had an outstanding offseason and are going to try to get back to the World Series and win it this time. They will try to break a streak of 68 years and counting without a World Series which is the longest active streak in all of baseball. The Indians have all their young starting pitching core coming back, which is one of the best rotations in all of baseball. They will also have Andrew Miller for a full season. They will also get Michael Brantley back this season, who can play at an MVP level when healthy. They also signed former Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion to a monster contract this past winter. They also have Francisco Lindor, who can contend for an MVP award one day due to his improving offense and stellar defense. This year looks like it could finally be the Indians’ year.

This season will be filled with lots of hope and potential. Teams will have to get to a hot start and finish strong if they want to make it to the playoffs. Players are going to give it all this season. This season will look to be another great year of baseball.