Every MLB team’s most crucial player entering 2023: Rookie infielders, newly signed starters and more

The Major League Baseball regular season is getting closer, which means it’s time to get ready for the year ahead. For some, this means fine-tuning the mechanics or expanding workloads; for others, like us here at CBS Sports, it entails identifying key storylines and key players for each team. Namely, we’ve used the space below to preview the season, highlighting who we think will be each team’s most important player in the coming year.

What exactly does “most important” mean? Think of it as a way of saying, “This player’s arc will tell the story of the team.” In other words, it’s a loose label that can mean anything the author wants or needs – the best player, the hardest player to replace, and so on. It may sound cheap or far-fetched to you, but let’s face it: variety is the highlight of an ensemble.

With that done, let’s move on to the reason you’re here.