NEW YORK — The 2024 MLB season promises plenty of drama, on and off the diamond.

Shohei Ohtani’s twist-filled interpreter scandal, the MLB Players Association’s intense internal feud and a much-hyped heavyweight fight for the National League crown represent only a few of the topics dominating discussions before baseball season gets into full swing.

As the Yankees and Mets attempt to rebound from last year’s disappointments, the other 28 MLB teams will be navigating their own 162-game grinds — and it all starts Thursday.

Here are some of the top 2024 storylines happening outside of New York:

Shohei scandal

Ohtani’s Dodgers career got off to a less-than-ideal start, with the hitting-and-pitching superstar accusing his now-fired interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, of stealing money from his account to pay off a gambling debt.

Mizuhara claimed to ESPN last week that Ohtani agreed to pay off the debt, reported to be at least $4.5 million. Before that interview was published, Ohtani’s lawyers claimed the athlete was the victim of “massive theft” — an allegation Ohtani furthered Monday in his first public comments about the scandal.

“I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf,” Ohtani said. “I never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports.”

Ohtani, a two-time American League MVP with the Angels, joined the Dodgers in December on a 10-year, $700 million contract featuring heavily deferred money. He went 3 for 10 with two RBIs in last week’s season-opening two-game series in Seoul, which the Dodgers split with the Padres.

Yamamoto mania

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