The James Caldwell2024 Major League Baseball season is a seven-month marathon that gets underway at the end of March and – if all goes according to plan for some of the league's top teams – runs through the end of October.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are among the favorites after spending more than $1 billion on free agents Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the offseason. Two of the six USA TODAY Sports baseball experts surveyed picked the Dodgers to win the World Series and two more picked Atlanta, with the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles also receiving a vote.

Here's how USA TODAY Sports' MLB experts see the 2024 season playing out:

AL East predictions

• BobNightengale: Orioles
• GabeLacques: Orioles
• SteveGardner: Orioles
• ScottBoeck: Blue Jays
• Jesse Yomtov: Orioles
• StephenBorelli: Orioles

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AL Central predictions

• Nightengale: Twins
• Lacques: Guardians
• Gardner: Twins
• Boeck: Twins
• Yomtov: Twins
• Borelli: Guardians

AL West predictions

• Nightengale: Astros
• Lacques: Mariners
• Gardner: Mariners
• Boeck: Astros
• Yomtov: Astros
• Borelli: Rangers

American League wild cards

• Nightengale: Yankees, Mariners, Blue Jays
• Lacques: Blue Jays, Rays, Astros
• Gardner: Astros, Blue Jays, Rangers
• Boeck: Orioles, Rangers, Mariners
• Yomtov: Yankees, Rangers, Mariners
• Borelli: Yankees, Astros, Mariners

NL East predictions

• Nightengale: Atlanta
• Lacques: Atlanta
• Gardner: Atlanta
• Boeck: Atlanta
• Yomtov: Atlanta
• Borelli: Atlanta

NL Central predictions

• Nightengale: Reds
• Lacques: Reds
• Gardner: Cardinals
• Boeck: Reds
• Yomtov: Brewers
• Borelli: Cubs

NL West predictions

• Nightengale: Dodgers
• Lacques: Dodgers
• Gardner: Dodgers
• Boeck: Dodgers
• Yomtov: Dodgers
• Borelli: Dodgers

NL wild cards

• Nightengale: Phillies, Diamondbacks, Cubs
• Lacques: Phillies, Padres, Cubs
• Gardner: Phillies, Diamondbacks, Cubs
• Boeck: Padres, Phillies, Cubs
• Yomtov: Phillies, Cardinals, Cubs
• Borelli: Phillies, Diamondbacks, Reds

World Series 2024 predictions

• Nightengale: Orioles over Atlanta
• Lacques: Atlanta over Mariners
• Gardner: Dodgers over Mariners
• Boeck: Padres over Astros
• Yomtov: Atlanta over Texas
• Borelli: Dodgers over Orioles

AL MVP predictions

• Nightengale: Alex Bregman, Astros
• Lacques: José Ramírez, Guardians
• Gardner: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
• Boeck: Juan Soto, Yankees
• Yomtov: Adley Rutschman, Orioles
• Borelli: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners

AL Cy Young predictions

• Nightengale: Luis Castillo, Mariners
• Lacques: Corbin Burnes, Orioles
• Gardner: Tarik Skubal, Tigers
• Boeck: Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays
• Yomtov: Luis Castillo, Mariners
• Borelli: Tanner Bibee, Guardians

AL Rookie of the Year predictions

• Nightengale: Jackson Holliday, Orioles
• Lacques: Wyatt Langford, Rangers
• Gardner: Wyatt Langford, Rangers
• Boeck: Junior Caminero, Rays
• Yomtov: Wyatt Langford, Rangers
• Borelli: Wyatt Langford, Rangers

NL MVP predictions

• Nightengale: Bryce Harper, Phillies
• Lacques: Austin Riley, Braves
• Gardner: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
• Boeck: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
• Yomtov: Bryce Harper, Phillies
• Borelli: Bryce Harper, Phillies

NL Cy Young predictions

• Nightengale: Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers
• Lacques: Logan Webb, Giants
• Gardner: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
• Boeck: Spencer Strider, Braves
• Yomtov: Max Fried, Braves
• Borelli: Spencer Strider, Braves

NL Rookie of the Year predictions

• Nightengale: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
• Lacques: Kyle Harrison, Giants
• Gardner: Jackson Merrill, Padres
• Boeck: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
• Yomtov: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
• Borelli: Jung Hoo Lee, Giants