Saturday’s matchup between the Astros and Nationals is about as intriguing as it gets for a Spring Training opener.

It’s a rekindling of last year’s thrilling seven-game World Series, for starters, in which the Nationals prevailed to claim their first title. But this will also be the first time the baseball world sees the Astros take the field after one of the most tumultuous offseasons for any club in recent memory. Plus, Nats’ ace Max Scherzer will be on the mound for the defending champs.

The game is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla. MASN will carry the game for local Nats fans, and MLB Network will also carry a live broadcast. Fans can also stream the game on MLB.TV.

The controversy surrounding Major League Baseball’s report, which stated that the Astros used electronics to illegally steal signs during their run to the 2017 World Series championship, has been one of the major sports stories of the winter. Though many of the Astros’ stars issued apologies this month for the team’s conduct in ’17, their peers have been outspoken in their criticism. Houston will attempt to move forward as it tries to bring another title back to the Lone Star State.

“Honestly guys, I’m done talking about the offseason and what happened,” Astros shortstop Carlos Correa told reporters Monday. “For me, it’s time to talk about this upcoming season.”

Houston will have a calming presence on its bench in Dusty Baker, set to make his Astros managerial debut after he was hired to replace AJ Hinch. Baker is plenty familiar with the Nationals, having managed them in 2016-17.

While Baker is still searching for his first World Series ring, the Nationals will be eager to defend their historic title. The Nats claimed each of the first two games in Houston before watching the Astros roar back in Games 3 through 5 in Washington. That meant the Nationals had to do what no team had ever done before -- claim four World Series game victories on the road -- to win it all, and they did just that, thanks to Howie Kendrick’s dramatic two-run, go-ahead homer in the seventh inning of Game 7.

The Nationals held a second victory parade in West Palm Beach, but now it’s time to turn the page.

"2019 is behind us,” general manager Mike Rizzo said Thursday. “We're looking forward to 2020.”

Washington’s roster will look a little different in 2020, with superstar third baseman Anthony Rendon now an Angel and veterans Asdrubal Cabrera and Starlin Castro expected to take his place. Prodigious slugger Juan Soto, all of 21 years old, is now expected to anchor the lineup. The Nats will have their ace, Scherzer, on the mound for their first game of 2020, just as they figure to on Opening Day if everything goes according to plan. Mad Max threw two rounds of live batting practice on Wednesday in preparation for Saturday’s start.

“I feel really good right now,” Scherzer said. “To be at this point, to hit the live BP, first live BP, and be able to make two ups, that's exactly where I need to be. [I] can feel the shoulder is a little tired, right where you want it. So I threw just enough pitches, just right, to be able to get back out here in a couple days when the games start up. Right on target.”

These two teams share the same Spring Training complex, but it’s hard to imagine each club’s winters contrasting much more than they did. What remains the same is their title aspirations; every major projection system has the Astros still comfortably atop the American League West standings in 2020, while the Nationals will likely be in a four-team horse race in the NL East.

It all begins Saturday, with a matchup featuring way more storylines than your typical spring opener.