2024 Season Storylines for Florida Grapefruit League Teams
Courtesy, MLB.com

Atlanta Braves
Can Jarred Kelenic upgrade what was one of the most productive lineups in baseball history?
Kelenic certainly has the potential to be more productive than Eddie Rosario, the only starter who won’t return to a lineup that posted an AL/NL record .501 slugging percentage and matched the MLB record with 307 homers last year. But it’s always been about potential for this 24-year-old outfielder, who was ranked MLB’s No. 4 prospect as recently as 2021. The former Mariner was on pace for a 20-homer season before fracturing his foot last summer. Joining a star-studded clubhouse should help lessen the pressure he feels with his new team. — Mark Bowman

Baltimore Orioles
Will Jackson Holliday make the Opening Day roster?
At some point this year, another top prospect will arrive in Baltimore, as the 20-year-old Holliday (MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect) is on the cusp of his big league debut. It could even occur on Opening Day on March 28 vs. the Angels at Camden Yards. General manager Mike Elias has stated numerous times that Holliday will have an opportunity to win a job this spring. The 2022 No. 1 overall Draft pick is a shortstop by trade, but he could break into the Majors as a second baseman — he’ll get “a lot” of time there in camp, per Elias, and the O’s would like to have a left-handed-hitting option at the position following the departure of Adam Frazier. — Jake Rill

Boston Red Sox
How will the rotation piece together?
When Craig Breslow took over as chief baseball officer at the beginning of the offseason, his main mission was to improve the starting rotation. After not landing Yoshinobu Yamamato, who signed for $325 million with the Dodgers, it appears the bulk of the improvements Breslow is seeking will have to come from within. To this point, the only external addition was the signing of Lucas Giolito, who was an upper-echelon pitcher from 2019-21 and is trying to get back that form. The Sox traded oft-injured Chris Sale to the Braves, putting more pressure on the team’s young core of arms (Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Josh Winckowski) to step up. — Ian Browne

Detroit Tigers
What impact can Colt Keith make in Detroit’s lineup?
Keith’s six-year contract reduced the suspense about whether he would make the Tigers’ Opening Day roster, though the Tigers say he still has to earn the starting nod at second base. But we still don’t know yet how the Tigers will slot him into the lineup and what they expect from him early on. Keith’s combination of impact power and plate discipline should find a prominent place in the Tigers’ batting order, but we don’t know how quickly. Part of that might depend not only on Keith, but on whether shortstop Javier Báez can be a productive hitter in the middle of the lineup. The process will likely stretch into the regular season, but Spring Training should give us some clues. — Jason Beck

Houston Astros
How will Josh Hader fit into the bullpen?
Manager Joe Espada hasn’t yet anointed Hader, who signed a five-year, $95 million contract last month, as the closer, but the team probably isn’t paying him $19 million per year to be a setup man. The Astros say Ryan Pressly is completely on board with the move — Pressly has yet to speak publicly — but are we in for any surprises on how Espada will use Pressly and Hader at the back end of Houston’s strong bullpen? — Brian McTaggart

Miami Marlins
Are previously injured players ready to contribute?
Miami will need a collective effort to return to the postseason without ace Sandy Alcántara (Tommy John surgery) and All-Star slugger Jorge Soler (free agent). Left-hander Trevor Rogers (2021 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up), reliever Anthony Bender (career 145 ERA+), right-handers Max Meyer (No. 3 prospect) and Sixto Sánchez (2020 NL Wild Card Series starter) and outfielder Avisaíl García (career 100 OPS+) are talented but have missed significant time. — Christina De Nicola

Minnesota Twins
Will Byron Buxton be able to regularly play center field?
Buxton has been confident that he will return to the outfield for the first time since August 2022 — but to what extent? Even he doesn’t know yet. A larger-scale return to center field is important not only because Buxton derives lots of value from his outstanding defense, but also because he never fully adjusted to the designated-hitter role when he was forced into that full-time last season — and his offense struggled as a result. — Do-Hyoung Park

New York Mets
How will Pete Alonso react to his walk year?
Get ready to hear early and often about how Alonso is entering his final season of team control. Both parties have expressed a desire for Alonso to remain a Met well beyond 2024, but until each side puts pen to paper, questions will abound. It doesn’t appear the Mets have plans to complete an extension with Alonso before he hits free agency, which should make his walk year an intriguing one to watch. One thing to note: Alonso has never had trouble with the New York spotlight, bashing 53 homers as a rookie and backing it up with one of the best five-year starts to a career in franchise history. — Anthony DiComo

New York Yankees
Welcome to the Aaron Judge & Juan Soto Show
Power and patience are now en vogue for the Yankees’ lineup. Judge has suggested his ideal batting order for the 2024 season, which would feature Soto batting second and Judge hitting third. That sounds like a winner to manager Aaron Boone. Soto’s arrival gives the Yankees two of the game’s top offensive players at the top of each turn through the lineup, promising plenty of headaches for opposing pitchers. A year removed from breaking Roger Maris’ single-season AL home run record, Judge blasted 37 homers despite missing 51 games with a right big toe injury last year. — Bryan Hoch

Philadelphia Phillies: Can they run it back and win it all?
It’s been a quiet offseason for the Phillies, who stunningly lost Games 6 and 7 to Arizona in the NL Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park. They signed Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million contract in November, then signed nobody other than left-hander Kolby Allard (one year, $1 million). The Phillies believe they can be as good or better in 2024, with almost entirely the same team they had last year. Outsiders think it’s a risk, if it happens. But never rule out a surprise or two from Dave Dombrowski. The Phillies are unlikely to sign any of the game’s remaining big free agents unless the market changes dramatically in the coming weeks. They like left-hander Jordan Montgomery, albeit on a one- or two-year deal. — Todd Zolecki

Pittsburgh Pirates
Which second baseman proves the most?
None of the Pirates’ starting second base candidates have made a solid case in their first tastes of MLB that they deserve a starting job, unless you factor in Jared Triolo, who is rock solid on defense and wears four gloves. Assuming the Bucs don’t want to limit him to just one position, it’ll be a battle between Liover Peguero, Nick Gonzales, Ji Hwan Bae and Alika Williams for the regular role. — Jake Crouse

St. Louis Cardinals
How much improvement has the pitching staff made?
The pitching staff had its fingerprints all over the club’s worst finish in 33 years in 2023, so the front office acted swiftly and aggressively throughout the offseason to address the pitching problems. They inked a long-term deal with Sonny Gray, the runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award last season and a tough-minded battler. Fans have been critical of the signings of 36-year-old right-handers Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, but both bring reputations of toughness, durability and leadership. Where the Cardinals might have made the biggest gains was in the bullpen. Adding former AL All-Star Andrew Kittredge and 2023 revelation Keynan Middleton to pair with Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, JoJo Romero, Andre Pallante and John King could give the Cards lots of late-inning options in tight games. — John Denton

Tampa Bay Rays
Familiar places, new faces
The Rays are back at their Spring Training home in Port Charlotte after a year away, and they find themselves in another familiar place: counting on younger, less proven talent to capably fill roles vacated by more experienced players. Gone are Tyler Glasnow, Manuel Margot, Robert Stephenson, Andrew Kittredge, Luke Raley, Christian Bethancourt and others. Ace Shane McClanahan will spend the year rehabbing. All-Star shortstop Wander Franco’s future remains uncertain. So in come Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot, Jonny DeLuca, Richie Palacios, José Caballero, Jonathan Aranda, Curtis Mead, René Pinto and perhaps top prospect Junior Caminero. Roster turnover is part of life for the Rays, who have nonetheless reached the postseason five years in a row. Can this new cast of characters help make it six? — Adam Berry

Toronto Blue Jays
Can Alek Manoah bounce back?
In back-to-back seasons, the Blue Jays have teetered on the edge of their starting pitching depth becoming a real problem. That depth has been built out now, but this organization still needs Manoah to come into camp and reclaim a spot in the rotation after a dreadful 2023 season that saw him optioned to Triple-A twice. It was a stunning fall for the workhorse who finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting just a year prior, but if there’s anyone who can rebrand this narrative as motivation, it might just be Manoah. Having Manoah pitching reliable innings would take this rotation from good to great. — Keegan Matheson

Washington Nationals
Top prospects in camp
The Nationals invited six prospects ranked in their top 30 to Major League Spring Training, including outfielder Dylan Crews, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 Draft. Crews (Washington’s No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline and No. 7 overall) will be joined by outfielder James Wood (No. 2, MLB No. 14), third baseman Brady House (No. 3, MLB No. 48), outfielder Robert Hassell III (No. 8) and infielders Trey Lipscomb (No. 14) and Darren Baker (No. 25). Of this group, only Baker has reached Triple-A, representing the steps the Nats are taking to get closer to their next chapter. — Jessica Camerato