The year is about to be over and all the teams have their wishes for next season.
National League:
East Division:
Atlanta Braves: Translate their good regular seasons into success in October. After their 2021 championship, the Atlanta Braves have had solid campaigns. They even finished 2023 with the best record in MLB but fell in the Division Series to the Philadelphia Phillies. They have struggled to carry that success into the postseason.
Philadelphia Phillies: Secure the World Series title. They have come close in the last two seasons, reaching the Fall Classic in 2022 against the Houston Astros and falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Championship Series this year.
New York Mets: Patience. After the team’s 101-win season in 2022, expectations were high for the Mets in 2023. However, with a new baseball operations manager (David Stearns), a long-term project is anticipated.
Miami Marlins: Keep Jazz Chisholm Jr healthy throughout the season. His talent is admirable, and he has even featured on the cover of the MLB The Show video game. However, injuries have prevented him from having a consistent season.
Washington Nationals: The consolidation and consistency of CJ Abrams. Abrams had a season where he improved over time, and the Nationals hope to see the version of him that emerged as a potential new superstar towards the end of the season.
West Division:
Milwaukee Brewers: Witness Jackson Chourio in action. The baseball world hopes that the Venezuelan prospect can become a new figure in MLB, given his credentials and the expectation that he will see playing time from the first game.
St. Louis Cardinals: A restructuring in all their lines.
Chicago Cubs: Not lose Cody Bellinger. Bellinger rejuvenated his career by leaving the Dodgers to join the Cubs. The Cubs came close to making the playoffs last season and cannot afford to lose their best weapon.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Anticipate the debut of Paul Skenes. While fans may not have high hopes for this season, they want to see the debut of the first overall pick in the draft, as they believe Skenes can become the new face of the franchise.
Cincinnati Reds: Consolidation of Elly de la Cruz. After a great season, the Dominican looks poised to become a superstar.
Central Division:
Arizona Diamondbacks: Recapture the form of last season and trust in the maturity of their players. The Diamondbacks surprised the baseball world by reaching the World Series. For a talented group of young players like Arizona’s, the World Series experience was invaluable, despite losing in the Fall Classic.
LA Dodgers: Be champions. Anything less than winning the World Series title would be considered a failure for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In this free agency, they have opened their wallets to acquire key players like Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Margot, Araúz, among others.
San Francisco Giants: Dance to the rhythm of Gangnam Style with the arrival of the South Korean, Jung Hoo Lee. The signing of the new Korean baseball sensation has captured attention in this free agency, and the Bay Area fans are hopeful that he will become the new idol of the city.
Colorado Rockies: Their hopes hinge on Kris Bryant (the most expensive free agent in team history) staying healthy.
San Diego Padres: While they parted ways with a player like Juan Soto, the Padres still have talent in their roster to win a World Series with Bogaerts, Machado, and Tatis. However, the Padres have not capitalized on the quality of players they have in recent seasons, and they hope that with the new manager, things will change for the team.
