There’s a new No. 2 pitcher in the New York Yankees’ rotation behind Gerrit Cole, a familiar face is getting a fresh start leading the Cincinnati Reds, and Shohei Ohtani & Co. — sometimes known as the Los Angeles Dodgers — are preparing to make a run at becoming Major League Baseball’s first repeat champions in a quarter-century.
There was plenty to see as baseball returned Wednesday for most MLB clubs, with pitchers and catchers working out at spring training sites in Arizona and Florida. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers got an early start Sunday, owing to their two-game series in Tokyo on March 18-19 opening the 2025 regular season more than a week ahead of the rest of the majors, and a few clubs won’t get going until Thursday.
On fields on both sides of the country, though, there was plenty to see and talk about.
The Yankees welcomed back Cole, the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner, after he chose to remain with New York rather than opt out of his contract, which runs through 2028.
“The intention wasn’t to do anything but stay,” Cole said. “I was happy to be where my feet were back in Yankee Stadium.”