With MLB Opening Day just around the corner, the hopefulness of the spring will give in to reality for many teams.
It will also bring us large-market teams with high expectations and star players in need of big seasons in order for said team to meet those expectations.
From a pitcher in Chicago who just signed a $126 million contract to another ace in Los Angeles attempting to lead his team to that elusive World Series title, here's a look at the 20 most popular MLB figures heading into Opening Day.
1. Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs
Signed by Chicago after spending time with both the Rangers and Dodgers last season, Darvish earned himself a whopping $126 million over the next six seasons. It was a shocking figure for a 31-year-old pitcher with an extended injury history. That's likely the primary reason Darvish finds himself No. 1 on the SNIPdaily MLB Top 100 for the month.
2. Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees
Fresh off a 2017 campaign that saw him hit 59 homers and drive in 132 runs en route to earning NL MVP honors, Stanton was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Yankees for pennies on the dollar. He now teams up with Aaron Judge to form one of the most potent home run duos in MLB history. All of that while playing under a 13-year, $325 million contract. Whew.
3. Jake Arrieta, Philadelphia Phillies
It took until March for Arrieta to find a new job. Like most top-end free agents, the market was bare for most of the winter. Though, it did ultimately land him a three-year, $75 million deal with Philadelphia. The 32-year-old Arrieta will now be tasked with frontlining a young and inexperienced rotation in one of baseball's premium cities.
4. Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles
For much of the offseason talk surrounding Machado involved a potential trade. Baltimore wasn't shy about indicating that its star infielder was indeed on the block. But as Opening Day approaches, it's rather clear Machado will remain with the Orioles. All of this with Machado having put up 105 homers and 277 RBI over the past three seasons.
5. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
What Judge did as a rookie last season was nothing short of amazing. Here's a dude that hit .284 with 52 homers and 114 RBI en route to finishing second in the AL MVP voting. It had him as the talk of the entire state of New York. Fans dressed as judges. An area of Yankee Stadium reserved specifically for a player that could very well go down as one of the franchise's best. Oh, and Judge is still only 25 years old. Whew.
6. J.D. Martinez, Boston Red Sox
The long, drawn-out process that brought Martinez from the desert to Boston came to a head back in February when he signed a five-year, $110 million deal with the BoSox. This came following a 2017 season that saw Martinez hit .304 with 45 homers and 104 RBI between Detroit and Arizona. He's now the most prominent power hitter for a Red Sox squad that lacked the long ball in a big way last season.
7. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
This Japanese star was the talk of the early offseason with as many as half of Major League teams bidding on the two-way player. In the end, Ohtani signed a one-year, $545,000 deal with the Angels. That figure represented the limit any team could sign the international sensation to. The 23-year-old pitcher/outfielder posted a .332 average with eight homers and 31 RBI while also pitching to a 3-2 record with a 3.20 ERA in Japan last season. He's now obviously the talk of California baseball, coming in as the second-most popular MLB figure in that state.
8. Eric Hosmer, San Diego Padres
Speaking of California baseball, Hosmer shocked pretty much everyone when he chose to sign with the upstart Padres. The deal calls for $144 million over eight seasons. It also gives San Diego a veteran power bat to go with an otherwise young and talented lineup. Hosmer hit .318 with 24 homers and 94 RBI in Kansas City last season. He'll now join a potent lineup that includes Wil Myers and Jose Pirela.
9. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
The Stanton trade dominated MLB's offseason news cycle. We already know this. But another now former member of the Marlins might make almost as big of an impact for his new team. The deal that sent Yelich to Milwaukee brought back for prized prospects for Miami. It also gives the Brewers another legit bat to go with Lorenzo Cain, Travis Shaw, Ryan Braun and Domingo Santana. It also has Yelich as a pretty darn popular figure in the SNIPdaily Wisconsin Top 100 for the year.
10. Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros
The rich just get richer. Already boasting a one-two punch of Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel, the defending champs added this former All-Star in a blockbuster trade back in January. Cole is two years removed from putting up a 19-8 record with a 2.60 ERA en route to finishing fourth in the NL Cy Young voting with Pittsburgh. His addition makes one of the sports world's most-popular teams clear favorites to repeat as World Series champs.
11. Andrew McCutchen, San Francisco Giants
Recently lost in the shuffle due to the injuries pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija suffered, San Francisco went out there and added two former MVP-caliber players. That includes Evan Longoria and a player in Cutch who was pretty much the face of Pirates baseball over the past near decade. While a tad long in the tooth, Cutch is coming off a 2017 campaign that saw him hit 28 homers and drive in 88 runs.
12. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
Looking to potentially become MLB's first $500 million player, Harper kept a low profile during the offseason. He worked out a tad in his native Las Vegas and appears to be in the best shape of his career. At just 25 years old, Harper has already accomplished so much at the Major League level. It really is stunning. He's earned Rookie of the Year honors, five All-Star Game appearances and one National League MVP. At this pace, Harper will go down as one of the greatest to ever play. That's why it's somewhat surprising he's so low on this list.
13. Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
Talk about your agent failing you. After rejecting a $17.4 million qualifying offer earlier this winter, Moustakas settled on a one-year, $6.5 million contract. Yikes. A whole lot of yikes. That's the biggest mistake an agent has made since Kardashian pretended to be O.J.'s lawyer. Now, set to enter another contract year, the hope is that Moustakas doesn't have a down season. He's coming off a 2017 campaign that saw him hit 38 homers with 85 RBI.
14. Lorenzo Cain, Milwaukee Brewers
One of multiple former Royals to leave the team after leading it to a title back in 2015, Cain signed a five-year, $80 million contract to help the Brewers rebuild their lineup. Coming off a 2017 campaign that saw him hit .300 with a .363 OBP, Cain now finds himself joining and up-and-coming Brewers team that should be the talk of Wisconsin this summer.
15. Aaron Boone, New York Yankees
Fresh out of the broadcast booth and without any coaching experience, this former MLBer is now tasked with leading the pinstripes in a season that the Yankees themselves are considered World Series favorites. The bright lights of New York City. High expectations. The anticipation of Giancarlo Stanton joining Aaron Judge. Man, Boone has his work cut out for him here. He'll remain a popular figure in New York. How said popularity is measured will be dependent on the team's success. Period.
16. Derek Jeter, Miami Marlins
Speaking of popular, Mr. Yankee has not done himself many favors since taking ownership of the Marlins. Trading away the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and Dee Gordon will do that. Tempering expectations to the point Jeter has will also play a role here. As Jeter looks to bring his Marlins to a new era with fellow former Yankee great Don Mattingly manning the bench, 2018 is going to be a complete dumpster fire for the Marlins. But it's really all about the future here.
17. Alex Cobb, Baltimore Orioles
Signed to a four-year, $57 million deal just a week ago, Cobb will now join Dylan Bundy and Andrew Cashner in forming a much better rotation for an Orioles team that missed the playoffs for just the third time since 2011 last season. He does so after posting double-digit win totals in each of his past four full seasons. Whether that translates to success in Baltimore remains to be seen. What we do know is that Cobb has acted as a popular figure in the SNIPdaily Orioles Top 40. Baltimore is hoping the headlines he makes in 2018 are all good.
18. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Baseball's best player and the most popular MLB player in the SNIPdaily California Top 100 for the year, Trout just continues to dominate in every possible way. At just 26 years old, Trout enters his seventh full MLB season with north of 200 career homers and a .306 average. He's finished in the top four of AL MVP voting in all six of his full seasons, earning the award in both 2014 and 2016. This dude is simply Mr. Baseball in California and that's not going to change for the next decade-plus.
19. Joe Maddon, Chicago Cubs
After winning the World Series in 2016, Maddon's Cubs had somewhat of a championship hangover last season. They won 92 regular season games, down from the 103 the team won in 2016. Still considered one of the most-talented teams in MLB, all eyes will be on how Maddon and his Cubs perform this coming season. We're not going to say the manager is on the hot seat, but the Cubs should be in the midst of their own dynasty in the NL. Short of another World Series appearance this year, 2018 will be seen a disappointment.
20. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
Speaking of disappointments. Perhaps the most dominating pitcher in modern MLB history, Kershaw has struggled when it's counted the most in October. He's posted a career 4.35 postseason ERA compared to a 2.36 regular season mark. That's just not a good split right there. As the ace for the third-most popular MLB team, per the SNIPdaily Franchise Top 100, expectations are always going to be high for Kershaw. Given that the Dodgers are coming off an NL Pennant, that's magnified even further.
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