Welcome to the Leadoff. This daily newsletter will be the first to drop every day at Diamond Dingers to get quickly caught up around the world of baseball.
Opening Day is Here!!!
After a long winter and what seemed like an endless spring training Opening Day is finally here! I didn’t think we would make this date with all four of Scott Boras clients on a team, but somehow, we found a way. There are still plenty of free agents available, including some top veterans that I’m sure will find a team eventually (I Hope).
ESPECIALLY Zack Greinke. We need to see him get to 3,000 strikeouts.
Two games already postponed to start the season
Wednesday across social media gave some unfortunate news for fans of four teams heading into opening day. Both the Brewers vs. Mets and Braves vs. Phillies game have been postponed due to inclement weather conditions.
I hate seeing games missed on opening day, but I’m happy to see teams getting ahead of this and limiting people heading to the stadiums for no reason. Why the Brewers series wasn’t scheduled in their indoor stadium in the last week of March is another discussion.
With the Mets game being moved to Friday, the first opening day game will not start until 3 PM ET. Maybe it’s time to start putting the Rays or Marlins in the early slate starting next opening day to avoid another missed opportunity of fans getting access to the game.
Yankees Trade for Berti in 3-Team Trade with Marlins and Rays
The Yankees find the infield depth they desperately need the day before Opening Day as they traded for utility man Jon Berti. The team needed an extra infield journeyman after the injury to DJ LeMahieu.
I’m unsure what the Marlins plan is (If there is any plan at all). It appears they are already punting on 2024. They receive John Cruz in the trade, a young slugger who has great numbers in the complex league.
And like always, the Rays find a way to get themselves involved. They acquire Ben Rortvedt from the Yankees, adding a second catcher to their 40-man roster. The Rays will also send outfield prospect Shane Sasaki to the Marlins to complete the triangle trade.
This closes the book on the Minnesota Twins and Yankees trade from 2021 that moved Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshella to the Twins for Josh Donaldson, Ben Rortvedt and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
A New Era in Baltimore
There is a new owner in Baltimore as the other 29 owners unanimously approved David Rubenstein and his group to take the reins of the team at Camden Yards.
After winning a surprising 101 games last season and winning the AL East, the team is set to compete for another shot at a World Series title in 2024.
If Rubenstein really wants to make a splash and gather the trust of the Birdland fanbase, he should pull out the check book and sign Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and some of those other young prospects to extensions. Something that has yet to happen inside the organization since its rebuild.
Projecting Division winners, World Series, and Award Winners.
After a wild winter, and what seemed to be a long spring training (the official) MLB Opening Day is finally upon us. Before every team takes its first pitch, here are my predictions on how this year will turn out across the league.
Division Winners
American League East: Baltimore Orioles
American League Central: Minnesota Twins
American League West: Seattle Mariners
National League East: Atlanta Braves
National League Central: Cincinnati Reds
National League West: Los Angeles Dodgers
Wildcard Teams
American League: Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers
National League: Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants
World Series 2024
Baltimore Orioles vs. Atlanta Braves
Rookie of the Year
American League: Wyatt Langford – Texas Rangers
National League: Kyle Harrison – San Francisco Giants
CY Young Winner
American League: Tarik Skubal – Detroit Tigers
National League: Justin Steele – Chicago Cubs
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
American League: Julio Rodriguez – Seattle Mariners
National League: Matt Olson – Atlanta Braves
For some of my picks, look for spotlight pieces coming out in the next few days explaining why I chose what I did. Let’s see how many I get right once we get to October!
New Additions to the Site!
Starting this season, Diamond Dingers will feature two new additions on the website. You can now track MLB Debuts as well as a Home Run Tracker for the entire season. This will be updated in real time with breakdowns and clips from official team video!
Enjoy Opening Day! PLAY BALL!
Diamond Dingers 
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