As we enter the 2023 season, the baseball world faces some major questions.

Where will Ohtani play next year?

After lighting up the World Baseball Classic, Shohei Ohtani — the newly crowned highest earner in MLB — is the envy of every team in MLB. The Japanese two-way phenom will make $30 million this season from his record-setting arbitration deal and is becoming increasingly likely to be baseball’s first $500 million player.

Ohtani has prioritized winning, and his Angels haven’t been able to get him to the postseason even once. Should he hit the open market, the New York Yankees and Mets, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies are all likely to check in.

Where will the A’s and Rays play next year?

The A’s lease expires after the 2024 season, and they will soon have to start building a new ballpark to be ready for 2025. The team seems to be leaning toward staying in Oakland if they can get an acceptable deal from the city and develop a $12 billion stadium and surrounding neighborhood by the waterfront — but Las Vegas is an appealing Plan B.

As for the Rays, all signs point toward staying in St. Petersburg, though the team still has to hammer out a deal with the city.

Where will MLB expand?

MLB has signaled that it will add two new teams once the A’s and Rays’ stadium situations are settled. The guess here is that the league is headed for Las Vegas and Nashville, where a group including retired MLB pitcher Dave Stewart is working toward an expansion team.

Should the A’s move to Las Vegas, any number of cities could bid for a franchise, with Charlotte, Portland, San Antonio, and Mexico City often mentioned.

The question of if/when the Washington Nationals would be sold was apparently answered Wednesday, as the process is reportedly being put on hold through the 2023 season due to a dispute between the franchise and regional sports network MASN.

This season, baseball is undergoing its biggest change in a generation.

The league is adding several new rules intended to speed up the game and reward speed and athleticism.

The most dramatic change is the pitch clock, which requires pitchers and batters to keep the game moving at a steady clip — or get docked with automatic balls and strikes. Data from spring training shows games have been 20-to-30-minutes shorter.

Perhaps more importantly, the action feels more constant, with much less pausing and standing around.

The league has also cut back on defensive shifting, requiring that two infielders stand on each side of second base. Some teams have dabbled with bringing in an outfielder to effectively act as a fifth infielder.

Either way, the result will likely be more hits and more offense.

MLB is also aiming to make stolen bases more of a factor. The bases will be larger, and pitchers are now limited in how many pickoff throws they can make. During spring training, baserunners stole more frequently and were more successful in their attempts.

While the rules seem to already be having their intended effects, the real test will be to inspire more fans to tune in or show up at ballparks.

These changes should collectively create a more dynamic, action-filled game that can compete for younger fans, who traditionally lean more toward football, basketball, and soccer.

The “Cohen tax” apparently cannot slow down Steve Cohen’s New York Mets.

Cohen, who bought the Mets for $2.4 billion in 2020, has taken his spending on the team to unprecedented heights — despite an added luxury tax threshold in the latest collective bargaining agreement unofficially named for the well-heeled hedge-fund trader. 

The tax requires him to pay 90 cents for every dollar above $293 million in payroll — which means the Mets are on the hook for an estimated $375.5 million against the luxury tax in 2023 and around $111 million in luxury tax payments.

Cohen filled out the starting rotation with Justin Verlander ($86.7 million over two years plus an option), Kodai Senga ($75 million, five years), and Jose Quintana ($26 million, two years) and re-signed Brandon Nimmo ($162 million, eight years), Edwin Diaz ($102 million, five years), and Adam Ottavino ($14.5 million, two years), among others.

The Amazins weren’t alone in cutting big checks: A strong free-agent class and changes to the collective bargaining agreement drove lavish spending across the league.

The neighboring New York Yankees kept Aaron Judge in the Bronx for nine years at $360 million and inked ace Carlos Rodon for $162 million over six years.

The Philadelphia Phillies signed Trea Turner ($300 million, 11 years) and Taijuan Walker ($72 million, four years). The San Diego Padres brought in Xander Bogaerts ($280 million, 11 years), and a handful of supporting cast.

MLB teams gave out a collective $3.7 billion in guarantees to 140 free agents. Starting today, we’ll find out who got their money’s worth.

Offseason Spending

With Opening Day here, there’s more questions than answers about the future of struggling regional sports networks carrying MLB games this season.

The only new development is in San Diego, where the Padres dodged a bullet when Diamond Sports paid its multimillion rights fee on Wednesday.

The local RSN made its payment just before a midnight deadline, said a source familiar with negotiations, so Bally Sports San Diego will televise the Padres’ opener against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. 

Even though the RSN’s parent Diamond Sports has filed for bankruptcy, the deal looks like a smart business move. The stacked Padres boast a fabulous foursome of young stars, with Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis Jr., and appear to have enough firepower to make a run for their first World Series title.

That could spell big TV audiences and strong advertising sales for the Bally RSN.

If Diamond Sports didn’t pay the Padres, the league was prepared to show the local games itself, either on linear channels, streaming platforms, or both. 

“With our experience operating MLB Network since 2009 and streaming games for more than 20 years, MLB Media has the capabilities, technology, experience, and relationships to produce and distribute games centrally,” MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden told FOS.

Diamond’s Bally RSNs have rights to 14 MLB teams.