The 2020 Major League Baseball season is already on the horizon – and that means fans of teams that made mega trades or signed high-impact free agents during the offseason will finally be able to see their new superstars in action.
It will definitely be worth watching when these players enter the field wearing their new uniforms for the first time. Here are 12 debuts we should watch closely.
1. Mookie Betts, Dodgers
How he got to the new team: Red Sox trade
There’s no question that the outfielder can make a difference, with the ability of a 30-30 season at the plate and a level worthy of the Gold Glove on the prairies. The AL MVP in 2018 could be the missing piece of a Los Angeles squad that is very well armed – especially now that he will play alongside current NL MVP Cody Bellinger.
2. Gerrit Cole, Yankees
How he got to the new team: Signed as a free agent
The new ace of the Bombers was awarded a $ 300 million contract for good reason. Cole might be the most dominant pitcher in all of baseball right now. The 326 strikeouts he struck out last season for the Astros were the most for a pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2002, and Cole also won the Young Circuit ERA title with 2.50. His repertoire is impressive, from his 100 mph fastball to his excellent slider.
3. Anthony Rendón, Angels
How he got to the new team: Signed as a free agent
Mike Trout and Rendon in the same lineup could be the best 1-2 hit in all of baseball… with Betts and Bellinger close behind. Rendón was one of the most underrated superstars for a long time, but after an astonishing 2019 season and postseason – he hit .310 with 34 home runs and 126 RBIs (the most on the Old Circuit), then led the Nationals to their epic. World Series title – everyone now knows who he is.
4. Josh Donaldson, Twins
How he got to the new team: Signed as a free agent
The Bomb Squad is ready to thunder much more. Donaldson’s rally with the Braves in 2019 showed that he is still one of the best sluggers in the game. He hit 37 homers for Atlanta, his fourth season with at least 30 homers in the past five years. Now Donaldson joins a lineup that has just set the record for home runs in a season.
5. Madison Bumgarner, D-backs
How he got to the new team: Signed as a free agent
MadBum was a part of the Giants for so long that it was difficult to see him in a D-backs uniform when he was introduced by the team in December. We haven’t seen him pitch for Arizona in the regular season yet, but it will happen soon. It will be a strange thing to see him pitch for the D-backs after 11 years, four All-Star Games and three World Series titles with the Giants, but it will still be something we can’t miss.
6. Zack Wheeler, Phillies
How he got to the new team: Signed as a free agent
For his great repertoire and his rise in 2018 and 2019 – he posted ERA of 3.65 and 374 for the Mets in that stretch – the right-hander received a $ 118 million contract from division rivals. The Philadelphia outfit had several stars before Wheeler’s arrival, a group spearheaded by Bryce Harper and JT Realmuto. However, the team hasn’t made the playoffs in the past two seasons despite high expectations, and the club needed another starter to lead its rotation with Aaron Nola.
7. Corey Kluber, Rangers
How he got to the new team: Change with the Indians
The Tribe sent their ace to Texas in December, and the biggest question remains whether he will be able to return to his Cy Young level on his new team. Now that the right-hander joins Mike Minor and Lance Lynn into what could be a powerful rotation, Rangers fans – and anyone who loves great pitching – would be very interested to see how much Kluber has left in the tank.
8. Dallas Keuchel and Yasmani Grandal, White Sox
How they got to the new team: They signed as free agents
This is a battery that will definitely be worth checking out. Left-hander Keuchel is one of the best at working the strike zone, while Cuban Grandal is one of the best at squaring strikes behind the plate. Both are part of the shocking moves that the Bigfoot made to complement a core of rising stars with established veterans. Now it seems that their chance to be contenders would have come sooner than most expected.
9. Marcell Ozuna, Braves
How he got to the new team: Signed as a free agent
The Dominican has thunder and Atlanta needs a slugger after Donaldson’s departure. In the last two seasons with the Cardinals, the Dominican didn’t come close to the 37 homers and 124 RBIs he had with the Marlins in 2017, but Ozuna certainly has a great bat. The best example is what he did in the 2019 SLDN, when he hit .429 with a .857 slugging, two home runs and three doubles. Now we just need to see what he will do in a powerful Braves lineup that already has Venezuelan Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies.
10. Nick Castellanos and Mike Moustakas, Reds
How they got to the new team: They signed as free agents
After the Tigers sent Castellanos to the Cubs in mid-2019, the outfielder’s numbers improved steadily. Castellanos nearly hit 60 doubles last year (he hit 58), along with a career-high 27 home runs. Now his home will be one of the most popular stadiums for hitters in the majors. The same can be said for Moustakas, whose thunderbolt as a left-handed hitter was perfect for Miller Park – he hit 35 homers for the Brewers last season – and it is also perfect for Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park.
11. Hyun-Jin Ryu, Blue Jays
How he got to the new team: Signed as a free agent
Ryu showed what he can accomplish with the best campaign of his career in 2019, when he captured the ERA crown in the majors with 2.32 and finished second in voting for the NL Cy Young Award. The trio of major league sons of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio are the biggest draws at the Rogers Center, but Ryu will immediately take on the ace role in Toronto.
12. Tommy Pham, Parents
How he got to the new team: Trade with the Rays
Fernando Tatis Jr. is the impressive young superstar in San Diego, but Pham is a very good player too, and it will be interesting to see how far the Frailes can go. The trade for Pham may not have drawn attention like the Betts and Kluber trades did, but it shouldn’t go unnoticed. Pham has averaged a 20-20 production in the past three seasons. (GG) (Taken from MLB.com)