The 2019 Major League Baseball season gets underway this Thursday with all 30 MLB teams in action on Opening Day. We've got everything you need to know before the season fully gets going, with the full Opening Day schedule here and previews for all 30 teams here.

It's been five months since we last watched a meaningful baseball game, so we're ready for baseball's official return. Here are five reasons to be excited about the start of the season:

1. Scherzer vs. deGrom ace-off

The reigning National League Cy Young winner, Jacob deGrom, will take on three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer in one of the first games of Opening Day at 1:05 p.m. ET -- fans in N.Y. market can stream the game via fuboTV (Try for free). deGrom led MLB with a 1.70 ERA while posting MLB single-season records with 24 consecutive quality starts and 29 straight outings of three runs or fewer last season en route to his first and nearly unanimous Cy Young win. Scherzer, 34, was as dominant as ever in 2018, recording 300 strikeouts for the first time in his career. The ace-off could give us hint of what's to come in what will likely be a tight NL East race. Speaking of which ...

2. First glimpse at new-look NL East

MLB: Spring Training-Toronto Blue Jays at Philadelphia Phillies
Bryce Harper and the Phillies are poised to make a run at the NL East crown. USATSI

Opening Day will give us the first look at some of the new upgrades to the NL East. There are four preseason contenders, which could make this one of the most competitive divisions in all of baseball this season. On Opening Day, we'll see the new additions of Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura, J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper in Philly. The upgraded Phillies lineup will face the Atlanta Braves, who finished atop the division in 2018. Atlanta added Josh Donaldson, re-signed Nick Markakis and brought back catcher Brian McCann in the offseason. Plus, they still have a plethora of young talent. And we'll also keep an eye on the New York Mets as they take on the Washington Nationals. The Mets brought in Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano while the Nationals added Patrick Corbin this offseason. Four of our five CBS Sports scribes picked the Nationals to win the division, but don't be surprised if any other NL East contender not named the Marlins finish the season in first place.

3. Acuna Jr., Soto begin sophomore seasons

Ronald Acuna Jr. and Juan Soto, the National League's two standout youngsters of last season, will kick off their highly-anticipated sophomore seasons. Acuna captured the 2018 NL Rookie of the Year even though he appeared in just 111 games. He finished with a .293/.366/.552 slash line, 26 home runs and 64 RBI. Soto, who finished runner-up for NL ROY, slashed .292/.406/.517 line as a 19-year-old last season. It's going to be so much fun to see what these two kids can do and how they can help their teams reach the playoffs in 2019. Here's hoping for more thrilling homers from the pair this season, like these two below:

4. New faces in new places

manny-machado.jpg
The Padres made a splash in the offseason by landing superstar third baseman Manny Machado. USATSI

We weren't even sure if this winter's top free agents would sign on the dotted line by Opening Day. Manny Machado and Bryce Harper were free agents up until mid-February. The first domino fell when Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million deal with the Padres. Harper signed with the Phillies for 13 years and $330 million a few weeks later. We'll get a chance to watch Machado and Harper make their regular-season debut for their new teams on Opening Day; Machado and the Padres will face the Giants at 4:10 p.m. ET while Harper and the Phillies will square off with the Braves at 3:05 p.m. ET  -- you can stream both games regionally via fuboTV (Try for free). Both players signed massive contracts and are expected to make a huge impact for their respective teams. And while Opening Day is just Game 1 of an extremely long journey, it'll still make for an exciting preview of how the two superstars will play in 2019.

5. Padres' youth movement

Outside of making a splash by signing Machado in the offseason, the Padres recently announced that 23-year-old right-hander Chris Paddack, their No. 5 ranked prospect, will make the Opening Day roster and start Sunday against the Giants. We got wind on Tuesday that 20-year-old shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., arguably the No. 1 or No. 2 overall prospect in the sport, has also made the cut and will be on the big-league roster on Thursday.

Tatis impressed this spring, slashing .241/.317/.444 in 54 spring training at-bats. Last season, he hit .286 with 16 home runs and 16 stolen bases at the Double-A level.  

Paddack posted an impressive 2.13 ERA with 20 strikeouts and just two walks over 12.2 innings in spring training, earning himself a spot in the Padres rotation. The 23-year-old has made an impressive comeback from the 2016 Tommy John surgery that nearly derailed his career. Now, Paddack looks primed for his debut in the big leagues and he might just be the best feel-good story to start the season.