Audra Kooi – Staff Writer 

If you’re upset that the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, if your March Madness bracket isn’t working out, or if you just need something to look forward to in Iowa’s fake spring and second winter, I bring good news: the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is upon us. So here is the rundown of everything that happened in the offseason. 

Unlike between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, there were no major rule changes coming into the 2024 season. The timing of the pitch clock was slightly reduced, the number of allowed mound visits was lowered to four, and any pitcher that warms up must pitch to at least one batter. These adjustments were made to decrease the total time of each game. 

While the rule changes were not significant, the changes in the quality of the players’ jerseys have caused quite an uproar. Both players and fans have complained that the jerseys are lower quality than usual, including smaller lettering, patched instead of stitched designs, and flimsy fabric. The jerseys are designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics; both companies have been creating the jerseys for MLB since 2020. This is the first year that such complaints have been voiced loudly. 

The other conversation points have to do with specific players or teams.  

Both Miguel Cabrera and Adam Wainwright, who played for the Tigers and Cardinals respectively, announced their retirement at the end of the 2023 season, which marked the end of two long and prosperous baseball careers. If you find yourself talking to a fan of either team, it would be appropriate to make a comment wishing for the days when either athlete was in their prime. Several other athletes retired, but none more notable than Cabrera and Wainwright. 

There were way too many little trades to cover, so here is a short rundown of the most important ones and what they bring to this season. 

The Dodgers signed over $1 billion worth of contracts this offseason for notable players such as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Teoscar Hernandez, and James Paxton to add to their lineup of all-stars like Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith. These additions make the Dodgers one of the most exciting teams for this season, as well as one of the most disliked. Small-market teams such as the Rays and Brewers cannot compete with the spending of teams like the Dodgers or the Yankees, who also made significant money moves during this offseason including getting Marcus Stroman, Juan Soto, and Alex Verdugo. The question that always remains is whether these trades will actually pan out. 

Several other notable trades include both Corbin Burnes and Craig Kimbrel going to the Orioles and Blake Snell’s signing with the Giants. Snell won the National League Cy Young award last year which is awarded to the best pitcher in each league, but he hadn’t signed with any teams until March 19—nine days before opening day. Pitcher Jordan Montgomery, who helped bring the Rangers to their World Series victory last season, recently signed with the Diamondbacks on March 26, just two days before opening day.