And we are underway.
After the rush of Opening Weekend, we probably don't need to give you another reason to get excited for the first full week of baseball in 2025. But on the off chance you could use a little help in the enthusiasm department (it happens to the best of us), here are six things we're looking forward to this week.
Home debuts, Round 2
We got through a bunch of these over the weekend, but there are still a few big names who have yet to play in their new home ballparks. And based on the cities they're headed back to, what an introduction they're bound to get.
Barring anything unforeseen, the week ahead will feature the first instance of Citi Field being happy to see Juan Soto (Friday-Sunday vs. Blue Jays), Alex Bregman's first warm welcome from the Fenway faithful (Friday-Sunday vs. Cardinals) and Willy Adames' formal introduction to Oracle Park (Friday-Sunday vs. Mariners).
Of course, those are just a few of the biggest names, so your mileage may vary -- if you're still on the fence, other new acquisitions likely to make their home debuts this week include Tyler O'Neill (Orioles), Kyle Tucker (Cubs), Gleyber Torres (Tigers), Jorge Soler (Angels), Jurickson Profar (Braves), Justin Verlander (Giants) and Walker Buehler (Red Sox).
Dodgers survey the NL East
Dodgers (5-0) vs. Braves (0-4), Monday-Wednesday; Dodgers at Phillies (2-1), Friday-Sunday
Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the Dodgers are the fourth defending World Series champions to start a season 5-0 or better. They're not surprised. You're not surprised. The teams that took those five losses can't be all that surprised. They've all been close games -- the Cubs and Tigers both held their own -- but at this stage of the game, the Dodgers appear as advertised. But they'll be visiting two of the other contenders this week in a very early preview of what might await them in the postseason.
The Braves will arrive in Los Angeles in an unenviable position, winless and facing an undefeated team. As of the end of play Sunday, they haven't scored in 22 consecutive innings. But it's early, and it doesn't take much for a good lineup to turn things around all of four days into the season. The Phillies, for their part, dominated their 2024 season against the Dodgers and also made the playoffs specifically on the strength of their home record (54-27, .667%).
Upstarts get first crack at division favorites
Red Sox (1-3) at Orioles (2-2); 3 games, Monday-Thursday
Reds (1-2) at Brewers (0-3); 4 games, Thursday-Sunday
Right now, the Red Sox and Reds both occupy the liminal space between "pretty good" and "not good enough." Expectations for their seasons quite literally run the gamut from winning their divisions to finishing in last place. But by all accounts, they believe themselves to be contenders, and they'll have a very early opportunity to prove they can hang with teams that look better on paper.
The Red Sox will open the week in Baltimore, led offensively by Wilyer Abreu (7-for-10, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB) and more than a little anxious to get Rafael Devers (0-for-16, 12 K's) settled into his new role as a full-time DH. Ace Garrett Crochet, scheduled to start Wednesday, had a solid first start in Texas, and their bullpen has still yet to give up a run. The Reds, who'll see the Brewers after a tough weekend in New York, got an encouraging two home runs out of Matt McLain, who missed the entire 2024 season with a left shoulder injury, but uncharacteristically were one of five teams who made it through Opening Weekend without stealing a base.
Interleague intrigue
D-backs (2-2) at Yankees (3-0), Tuesday-Thursday
If you particularly enjoy a hypothetical World Series matchup -- realistic or otherwise -- you have a lot to look forward to this week. There will be plenty of Interleague Play to keep you busy, headlined by a rare visit by the D-backs (2-2) to the Yankees (3-0), who have hosted the former all of eight times at the new Yankee Stadium.
In addition to its novelty (and status as a World Series rematch), there's so much going on in this series. Corbin Burnes (who, by the way, nearly no-hit the Yankees in 2023) is scheduled to make his much-anticipated D-backs debut on Tuesday, and although the Yankees may not exactly have an answer to that, they do have the reigning AL MVP (who's already had a three-homer game this year) and a +22 run differential through three games after spending the weekend pummeling Brewers pitching.
But maybe the D-backs and Yankees aren't your speed. If that's the case, other interesting or otherwise meaningful matchups on the bill include the Guardians and the Padres (Monday-Wednesday), Royals at Brewers (Monday-Wednesday), Blue Jays at Mets (Friday-Sunday) and Cardinals at Red Sox (Friday-Sunday).
A West Sacramento welcome
Cubs (2-4) at A's (2-2), Monday-Wednesday
After a solid Opening Weekend in Seattle, we're more than willing to believe the A's have turned a corner on the field. Their starters gave up two runs across 17 1/3 innings against the Mariners, Mason Miller's fastball was sitting 100.5 mph in his season debut, Tyler Soderstrom has three homers in four games -- point being, the A's look ready to play good baseball again, we're all better for it, and on Monday, they'll be introducing themselves to their new home crowd.
It's not quite the kind of move we're used to -- slotting in to share a ballpark with a Minor League team -- but it is a move two teams have had to make this year, and the Rays have already christened their own temporary home, George M. Steinbrenner Field, with an Opening Day walk-off. The A's don't necessarily have to do that to make their home opener at Sutter Health Park special -- although it would be cool -- either way, they'll be hosting the Cubs for the Sacramento area's first regular-season Major League games.
Wild Card Series rematch
Orioles (2-2) at Royals (1-2), Friday-Sunday
If you had told us last July we'd be getting an Orioles-Royals postseason series, we wouldn't have believed our luck. That series would have had everything -- about a half a dozen young stars, MVP candidates and Cy Young frontrunners between them, there would have been something for everyone. But when the still-energetic Royals pulled up to Camden Yards three months later, it took just three runs over two games to send a beaten-down Orioles team home for the winter.
So, anyway, the Orioles hit six homers on Opening Day alone. By the end of Game 3, they'd already had three individual multi-homer performances; only five teams since 1901 have managed that in their first three games of a season. Point being, this team is much better prepared for a real showdown. The Royals, for their part, had a tougher time with the Guardians, but given they're fielding largely the same roster they did a year ago, we know what they bring to the table -- smooth defense, a penchant for small ball and, obviously, Bobby Witt Jr. Even if the Orioles don't have Gunnar Henderson back by then -- and they might -- you can still treat it as a fond look back at the 2019 Draft. Which was six years ago.