5 new rivalries for the 2016 MLB season

Rivalries are as common in baseball as hot dogs and bubble gum. Whether fueled by a player spurning his former club for a big-ticket contract, or a high and inside fastball that incites a bench-clearing brawl, new rivalries are always brewing across the majors.

With the 2016 campaign just days away, we looked at five emerging rivalries that picked up steam over the offseason:

Angels-Mariners

If being in the same division with identical goals wasn't enough, Jerry Dipoto did his part this offseason to make the matchup between the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners an intriguing one to watch. After resigning from his role as GM with the Angels and later taking the same job with the Mariners, Dipoto had biting criticism of his time in Los Angeles, taking a jab at his former manager Mike Scioscia, whom he described as a difficult individual to work with. The two clubs are scheduled to meet 19 times, so Scioscia has plenty of opportunities to exact his revenge.

D-Backs-Dodgers

After opting out of his deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Zack Greinke was reportedly minutes away from returning to the club before the Arizona Diamondbacks swooped in with a shocking six-year deal worth $206.5 million. With the Dodgers already entrenched in a classic rivalry with the San Francisco Giants, the addition of Arizona as a division contender makes the NL West an interesting division to watch this season. Fans won't have to wait long for this anticipated rivalry to heat up: Greinke's lined up to make a start for Arizona during the Dodgers' home-opening series April 12-14.

Nationals-Mets

The Washington Nationals imploded in 2015 despite a historic season from Bryce Harper, while the New York Mets rode strong pitching, the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes, and playoff heroics of Daniel Murphy to the World Series. So how did Washington counter? They poached Murphy from the Mets with a three-year, $37.5-million deal, and offered Cespedes a contract reportedly valued around $100 million over five years. Cespedes stayed loyal to the Mets, Murphy followed the money, and the stakes are even higher between two division foes focused on the NL pennant.

Cubs-Cardinals

The Cardinals-Cubs rivalry is a classic that will probably last forever, but it became much more heated over the offseason after Chicago swiped both Jason Heyward and John Lackey away from St. Louis. While Heyward praised the Cardinals' organization as a whole following his departure, his cryptic comments about the club's aging roster left manager Mike Matheny agitated. One of the top rivalries in baseball just got a lot better.

Blue Jays-Rangers

One of the craziest innings of baseball ever ended with Jose Bautista's bat flip heard round the world, and a Toronto Blue Jays ALDS victory, but rest assured the Texas Rangers have unfinished business on their minds after their Game 5 meltdown. Encompassed in the more than an hour-long inning was not only the bat flip, but a controversial error favoring the Rangers, Sam Dyson becoming public enemy No. 1 in Toronto, and the worst moments of Elvis Andrus' career. Fans of this budding rivalry should circle May 2 on their calendars - that's when Toronto welcomes back Texas in a rematch of the most improbable playoff games in recent memory.