Now that baseball season has settled down and we’ve gotten the whole Shohei Ohtani’s gambling-addicted interpreter thing straightened out, we can focus on the game itself — specifically, on the players from Hawaii who are trying to build (or extend) their careers.

So much happens in the offseason that affects what happens once the games start, and this offseason was no different, with players switching organizations, moving up levels or finding themselves without a team at all.

Starting at the top, 2024 opens with fewer major leaguers with Hawaii ties than there have been in a while, and with more moving around than usual.

Perhaps nothing exemplifies baseball’s circle of life like the case of former Rainbows Kolten Wong and Josh Rojas, even if it is perhaps by coincidence.

Rojas’ move from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners at last year’s trade deadline kicked it off. Soon after, Wong, struggling through his worst offensive season, was released by the Mariners, with Rojas taking over his post at second base.

Wong, a Kamehameha-Hawaii graduate, finished the season with the Dodgers, and he finished it strong — his OPS improving from .468 with Seattle to .853 with Los Angeles, albeit in a small number of at-bats.

Now, after spending spring training with the Orioles, Wong is with Rojas’ old organization the Diamondbacks, staying ready with the defending National League champions’ Triple-A team in Reno — and perhaps being groomed to fill a role similar to what Rojas’ was with Arizona.

One of Rojas’ strengths as a major leaguer has been his versatility. He’s made 30-plus starts at five positions — third base, second base, left field, shortstop and right field.

This season, Wong, a two-time Gold Glove winner at second base, has gotten starts at third base and shortstop. He’s also played all three outfield positions previously in the majors, so it’s not hard to imagine him helping the D’backs the way Rojas once did — as a supersub who can fill in for longer stretches in case of injury.

The two other major leaguers with Hawaii ties also changed teams in the offseason via free agency. Mid-Pacific alumnus Isiah Kiner-Falefa left the New York Yankees for the AL East rival Toronto Blue Jays and has wound up starting almost every day, mostly at third base, where he won a Gold Glove in 2020 with the Rangers. Kauai graduate Kirby Yates, meanwhile, has taken hold of Texas’ closer role after moving over from Atlanta this offseason. In Yates’ one full season as a closer — 2019 with the Padres — he led the majors with 41 saves. Now he’s finishing games for the defending World Series champs.

Hawaii’s newest major leaguer is another relief pitcher — former UH player Cade Smith, who unexpectedly stuck with the Cleveland Guardians out of spring training. The early results have been promising, as the high strikeout rate Smith touted as a minor leaguer (1.57 K’s per inning) has translated to the majors through 10 appearances, with 1.5 K/IP. He stumbled in his past two appearances, surrendering his first four runs of the season in just one total inning. How he bounces back from those games will likely dictate whether he gets to stick around in Cleveland or if the AL Central-leading Guardians will look for veteran bullpen help.

Perhaps the biggest story among minor leaguers with Hawaii ties also involves a franchise change, as the Rays dealt outfielder Shane Sasaki to the Marlins. The ‘Iolani alumnus played 157 games his past two seasons in the Rays system across both Single-A levels — essentially one full MLB season’s worth — and batted .313 wth 16 home runs and 63 steals. He scored 126 runs and drove in 96.

Sasaki is taking the change in stride, saying via text that he is “Very thankful to the Rays” for the influence the organization has had early in his career but that he is “very excited for the new opportunity.” He said the transition — which also involved a step up to Double-A — has been smooth.

The Marlins’ interest in Sasaki didn’t come from out of nowhere. Miami’s president of baseball operations, Peter Bendix, was with the Rays when they drafted Sasaki and after the trade described him as a “pretty well-rounded outfielder … that we like the upside of.”

Double-A can be a pivotal level in a pro baseball player’s career, so it will be interesting to see if Sasaki can continue his production. It’s the same for a few other players with Hawaii ties. Kala’i Rosario is coming off a breakout season in which the Waiakea grad hit 21 homers in 445 at-bats with 94 runs batted in. His average so far is a mere .216 (as of Saturday), but more than half of his hits have gone for extra bases and he’s worked a handful of walks, so his OPS is decent. Pitchers Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa (Baldwin), Aaron Davenport (Hawaii) and Carter Loewen (UH) have also moved up to AA.

The downside of the offseason is that dozens of players fall out of organized baseball, potentially seeing their careers end. Among the Hawaii players who so far are without teams are three who have at least been fortunate enough to get a taste of the majors in former Hawaii players catcher David Freitas, pitcher Kyle Dowdy and second baseman Kean Wong, a Waiakea alum.