The offseason is over and spring training has arrived. Pitchers and catchers will report to spring camps across Arizona and Florida this week, and the first exhibition game (Cubs vs. Dodgers) will be played next Thursday, Feb. 20. All 30 teams will be in action by next Saturday, Feb. 22. The Cubs and Dodgers will begin the regular season with two games in Tokyo on March 18 and 19. Thursday, March 27, is the traditional Opening Day. The other 28 teams will start their regular seasons on that date.
Spring training is when those offseason trades and free-agent signings become a reality. For the first time we'll see Juan Soto in a Mets uniform, Kyle Tucker with the Cubs, Willy Adames with the Giants, Christian Walker with the Astros, Walker Buehler and Garrett Crochet with the Red Sox, Max Fried and Devin Williams with the Yankees, on and on we could go. Don't forget about the new managers either, like Terry Francona taking over the Reds. Spring training is when we get the "he looks weird in that uniform" out of our system.
Now that mitts are popping and bats are cracking, here are 10 spring training storylines to follow over the next few weeks.
1. The still-burning hot stove
As is often the case, several prominent free agents remain unsigned as spring training opens, most notably two-time All-Star Alex Bregman. Andrew Heaney, J.D. Martinez, Nick Pivetta, Jose Quintana, David Robertson, and Justin Turner are the other unsigned players who rank among our top 50 free agents. Don't forget about the trade candidates. Nolan Arenado still has not been traded, ditto Jordan Montgomery, Chris Paddack, Marcus Stroman, and others. The hot stove never cools. There are more trades and free-agent signings to come between now and Opening Day.
2. All things Dodgers
We could probably come up with 10 spring training storylines just for the Dodgers, the reigning World Series/offseason champions and the World Series favorites going into 2025. There's Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound. Roki Sasaki's arrival. Mookie Betts returning to shortstop. New faces like Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, and Hyeseong Kim. When will they re-sign Clayton Kershaw? How will they handle the pressure they've put on themselves? Just fine, I assume, but what else are we supposed to pay attention to in spring training? Like it or not, the Dodgers will be the team to follow this spring.
3. Vlad Jr. and other extension candidates
Spring training is extension season. This is the time of year when teams look to lock up their best young players long-term. This spring's most notable extension candidate: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who will become a free agent after 2025 and has set a Feb. 18 deadline (Toronto's first position player workout) for a new contract. The Blue Jays have had a tough time getting players to take their money and there is no indication they're close to a deal with Guerrero, but they are efforting. They have just about a week to get a done, otherwise he's going to test free agency. Garrett Crochet and Steven Kwan are among the other extension candidates.
4. ABS challenge system
MLB will test the automated strike zone challenge system this spring. With the challenge system, a human umpire calls balls and strikes, and each team has two challenges they can use to appeal to ABS (short for automated ball-strike system). As with regular old replay challenges, you keep your ABS challenge if it's successful. Here is the challenge system in action in last summer's Futures Game:
The challenge system will be used in spring training ballparks outfitted with Statcast. On average, each team will play 20 games with the challenge system this spring. The Diamondbacks lead the way with 29 such games. The Cubs will have only seven. The challenge system has been tested thoroughly in the minors, and now it's ready for big leaguers. It could be in place for MLB's regular season by 2026. For now, it's just a spring training trial.
5. The new uniforms
Or, more accurately, the old uniforms. In September, MLB announced the league is going back to the pre-2024 uniforms after the players complained about the 2024 uniforms. That means no more see-through pants, no more gross sweat stains, and names on the back of the jersey that are large enough to actually read. Not every team will have their new uniforms in place for 2025 because there wasn't enough time to manufacture them all, though everything will be in place for 2026. So, this spring will be a chance to see which teams have what uniforms, and what the "new" ones look like compared to 2024 and pre-2024.
6. Prospects pushing for jobs
Can Matt Shaw win the Cubs' third base job? Can Jackson Jobe pitch his way into the Tigers' rotation? Will a top prospect surprise us and win a job like Jackson Merrill did with the Padres last spring? Spring training is a wonderful time for prospect watching and, inevitably, a few of these touted prospects play well enough in March to win Opening Day roster spots. Some, like Merrill, show it was the right decision. Others will have a tough time at the highest level and return to the minors during the season, and that's fine. Even Mike Trout struggled in his first taste of the big leagues in 2011. Point is, the time to dream on prospects is upon us.
7. Position changes
Xander Bogaerts is moving back to shortstop and Aaron Judge is moving back to right field, though those position changes are small beans compared to some of the others around the league. How will Colt Keith handle first base for the Tigers? What about Jorge Polanco at third base for the Mariners? Second basemen Jonathan India and Michael Massey both expressed a willingness to play left field for the Royals. Which one will actually do it? Are the Astros really going to give Jose Altuve playing time in left field? You've also got relievers trying to become starters, like Clay Holmes with the Mets. Spring training is when we find out whether those offseason "we can move this guy to that position, it's fine" plans work as well on the field as they do on paper.
8. Players returning from injuries
2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara has completed his Tommy John surgery rehab and will be a full participant in spring training. He did not pitch at all in 2024 and is among the notable players returning to the field this spring after missing much or all of last season. There's also Félix Bautista (Tommy John surgery), Jacob deGrom (Tommy John surgery), Liam Hendriks (Tommy John surgery), Jung Hoo Lee (shoulder surgery), Shane McClanahan (Tommy John surgery), Matt McLain (shoulder surgery), Mike Trout (two knee surgeries), Brandon Woodruff (shoulder surgery), and many others. These are All-Star caliber players, the kind who can swing a division or postseason race, and now they're healthy and set to rejoin their teams.
9. Pitcher health
Injuries are part of the game, especially with pitchers, and spring training is unfortunately peak UCL injury season. Historically, close to 30% of Tommy John surgeries occur in March each year. April is the second-worst month at around 17%. Chalk this up to pitchers doing too much too soon as they ramp up for the new season. Pitchers will get hurt this spring -- it is inevitable -- but hopefully the major injuries will be kept to a minimum and we don't lose anyone to season-ending UCL tears. The teams that make it through spring training the healthiest will have a leg up in the postseason races.
10. Early CBA bellyaching
It is beginning much earlier than usual this time around. The current collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2026, and typically each side begins making their agenda known a year before the CBA expires. Already though, several owners, including Hal Steinbrenner (Yankees) and David Rubenstein (Orioles) are griping about spending, and commissioner Rob Manfred has dropped hints about pursuing a salary cap. "This is an issue that we need to be vigilant on," he told the Associated Press earlier this month. You need not worry about a work stoppage this season or next. Clearly though, the next round of CBA talks will be a heavyweight fight, with another lockout during the 2026-27 offseason looking increasingly likely. Tensions are already beginning to flare.
