Breaking Down MLB’s Biggest Stories Since Opening Day

It was a long offseason and it has led to a fun two weeks to kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

Apr 4, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker (23) on the field against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

If you're a Major League Baseball fan, you've likely had a good two weeks.

Baseball has returned and there have been a lot of stories to follow early on this season, plus the weather is starting to get warmer. What more could you ask for from a baseball perspective?

Let's take a look at a couple of those big stories from the first two weeks of the season and how they have impacted the league overall.

Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System

Apr 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; MLB home plate umpire Nestor Ceja (33) makes an Automated Ball-Strike call in the first inning between the Houston Astros against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

What a win so far on the season. The league adopted the ABS System this season and it has been talked about quite a bit. But arguably that's for the best. We've seen a lot of firsts already across the first two weeks of the season, including a game-ending ABS challenge. With the ABS System, we're seeing a new strategic component added to the game and more accurate calls. What's not to like about that? Arguably, the system has been a smashing success so far this season. It doesn't add much time to the game and there's a bit of excitement to it. An absolute win, to say the least.

Stars Who Changed Teams This Past Offseason

Mar 24, 2026; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Yankees during spring training at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It was a wild offseason, to say the least. The biggest free agents of the offseason were Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger, Dylan Cease, Bo Bichette, Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber, Framber Valdez, Edwin Díaz, Ranger Suárez and Josh Naylor, among others. The biggest international stars coming to Major League Baseball were Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami.

Tucker joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bregman joined the Chicago Cubs, Bellinger stayed with the New York Yankees, Cease joined the Toronto Blue Jays, Bichette joined the New York Mets, Alonso joined the Baltimore Orioles, Schwarber stayed with the Philadelphia Phillies, Valdez joined the Detroit Tigers, Díaz joined the Dodgers, Suárez joined the Boston Red Sox, Okamoto joined the Blue Jays and Murakami joined the Chicago White Sox.

Of this group, the guy who has played the best so far has been Cease, who has a 2.45 ERA in three starts. Díaz has been good as well with a 1.80 ERA in five appearances for the Dodgers. Tucker has been good, but not otherworldly for Los Angeles. Okamoto and Murakami have been solid as well, but the rest of the guys on the list haven't done much so far this season.

Struggling Contenders

Mar 27, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) throws a pitch during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

The Tigers, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mariners all made the playoffs in 2025 and have high expectations for the 2026 season, but none of these four teams have more than five wins right now. All are below .500 and Toronto is the only team with five wins, the other three have four. In the National League, the Phillies and Cubs are just .500 teams at 6-6.