It could be a surreal experience for Craig Counsell at Wrigley Field on Friday. After leading the Brewers to five postseason berths in nine seasons and becoming the longest-tenured manager in franchise history, he will face his former team for the first time when the Cubs open a three-game series against Milwaukee.

Counsell's matchup against his old club is just one of many anticipated moments this season when stars with new teams face their old squad for the first time. It's sure to be a little strange for everyone involved, but it could also make for some unforgettable moments.

We've already seen some this season. Former Brewers ace Corbin Burnes pitched against his former club on April 14, tossing five innings in a victory for the Orioles. Giants manager Bob Melvin has already faced his former team, the Padres, seven times this season. Other notable matchups that have already taken place include the Tigers' Jack Flaherty against the Cardinals and Giants slugger Jorge Soler against the Marlins.

Here's a look at 12 intriguing friend-to-foe matchups ahead.

Craig Counsell vs. Brewers -- Brewers at Cubs, Friday through Sunday
Counsell was not only the longest-tenured manager in the National League during his ninth and final season as Milwaukee’s skipper in 2023, he also became the longest-tenured manager in Brewers history.

Over his nine seasons at the helm, Counsell guided the Brewers to a 707-625 record (.531 winning percentage) and five postseason appearances, deftly managing his pitching staff to make a middling offense good enough to win consistently. In 2018, his club came up one game short of reaching the World Series for the first time since 1982, losing to the Dodgers in a seven-game NL Championship Series.

For the first time since taking the reins for the Cubs last offseason, Counsell will face his former club this weekend, when the Brewers visit Counsell's new digs at Wrigley Field.

Juan Soto vs. Padres -- Yankees at Padres, May 24-26
Soto will return to Petco Park with the Yankees later this month after spending a season and a half with San Diego from 2022-23. The Padres traded for the young superstar slugger in a blockbuster Trade Deadline deal, and while he wasn’t the Soto he was with the Nationals over his first few Major League seasons, he still put up big numbers. In 214 games, he hit .265/.405/.488 with 41 homers.

Now with the Yankees after the Padres dealt him to New York over the offseason, Soto has recaptured his utterly dominant form from a few seasons ago -- he’s posted a 1.030 OPS with eight homers so far this year, becoming the driving force behind the Bronx Bombers’ 20-13 start.

Jordan Montgomery vs. Rangers -- D-backs at Rangers, May 28-29
Montgomery played a vital role in the Rangers’ success last year, which culminated in the franchise’s first World Series title. In the World Series, he faced the team he now pitches for -- the veteran left-hander was charged with four runs on nine hits with one walk and one strikeout against the D-backs in Game 2 of last year’s Fall Classic.

One of the best pitchers on last offseason’s free agent market, Montgomery signed a one-year, $25 million deal to join Arizona as the D-backs look to make another deep postseason run in 2024.

Rhys Hoskins vs. Phillies -- Brewers at Phillies, June 3-5
Hoskins was one of the most beloved Phillies in recent memory before an unfortunate injury spelled the end of his time with Philadelphia. Before he tore his left ACL during Spring Training in 2023, the slugging first baseman belted 148 homers with an .846 OPS over six seasons with the Phils.

He also hit one of the biggest home runs of the 2022 postseason, slamming a three-run homer against the Braves in Game 3 of the NL Division Series before slamming his bat on the ground in an instantly iconic moment. He later belted a pair of two-run homers in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Padres, which Philadelphia won in six games.

When he returns to Citizens Bank Park on June 3, Hoskins will surely be greeted warmly after all he contributed to the Phillies from 2017-22.

Shohei Ohtani vs. Angels -- Angels at Dodgers, June 21-22
While he faced his former club during Spring Training, it will be very different when Ohtani takes the field at Dodger Stadium against the Angels for the first time in the regular season.

Ohtani, the greatest baseball talent on the planet, spent the first six seasons of his already historic MLB career with the Halos, breaking record after record with his brilliance both at the plate and on the mound. He won the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year Award and two unanimous AL MVP Awards from 2018-23, belting 171 homers with a .922 OPS at the plate while posting a 3.01 ERA and a 31.2% strikeout rate on the mound.

In the earliest days of his Dodgers career, Ohtani -- not able to pitch this season following elbow surgery last year -- is putting up his customary jaw-dropping offensive numbers in a superstar-studded lineup. He owns a 1.017 OPS with an MLB-leading 14 doubles, as well as seven home runs.

Luis Severino vs. Yankees -- Yankees at Mets, June 25-26
Severino had his moments with the Yankees -- the right-hander earned two All-Star selections and posted a 3.79 ERA (113 OPS+) over eight seasons in the Bronx. But due to injuries, he left there with the feeling that there was unfulfilled potential.

Perhaps that potential will be realized in nearby Queens, where he’s already off to a great start with the Mets after signing a one-year, $13 million deal this past offseason. In six starts with his new club, he has a 2.31 ERA. Whether he takes the mound against his former club when the Yanks visit Citi Field from June 25-26 remains to be seen, but it will be quite a moment if he does.

Tim Anderson vs. White Sox -- White Sox at Marlins, July 5-7
Two years ago, Anderson was in the midst of what would become his fourth consecutive season of hitting better than .300, as well as his second All-Star campaign. He had won a batting title with a .335 average in 2019 and authored an iconic moment with a walk-off homer in the Field of Dreams Game in ’21.

But following an injury-plagued 2023 season in which he posted a .245/.286/.296 slash line, the club he had known his entire MLB career, the White Sox, declined the option on his contract, making him a free agent. He signed with the Marlins, with whom he’s trying to return to the Anderson of old.

When the South Siders visit Miami in early July, it will be the first time Anderson plays a game against the White Sox. He recently told MLB.com that while things were “kind of bittersweet at the end,” he “wouldn’t really change anything about it. It was a good experience for sure.”

Tyler Glasnow vs. Rays -- Rays at Dodgers, Aug. 23-25
Glasnow has always had an electric arm and his potential was through the roof when he was with the Rays from 2018-23. When he was on the mound, the tall right-hander was great -- he posted a 3.20 ERA and a 34% strikeout rate with Tampa Bay. But injuries derailed him and he ended up averaging 12 starts per season over that span.

Now with a fresh start very close to his hometown of Santa Clarita, Calif., Glasnow is off to a fast start with the Dodgers. In seven starts for Los Angeles, he has a 2.72 ERA with 53 strikeouts to 12 walks. He may face his former teammates for the first time when the Rays visit Dodger Stadium in late August.

Sonny Gray vs. Twins -- Cardinals at Twins, Aug. 23-25
The Cardinals had some major remaking of the starting rotation on their agenda entering this past offseason, and their most prominent signing was that of Gray, who finished runner-up in AL Cy Young Award voting last year with Minnesota.

Following a campaign in which he finished with a 2.79 ERA, as well as an MLB-best 2.83 FIP and 0.4 home runs per nine innings, Gray began his first season with St. Louis on the injured list due to a hamstring injury. But when he finally made his Cards debut on April 9, it began a run of early-season dominance -- through four starts, he owns a 1.16 ERA with 32 strikeouts to just four walks.

Gray has played for four other clubs in his Major League career, but his most recent, the Twins, will host his newest from Aug. 23-25, when he may get his first opportunity to pitch against Minnesota since departing in free agency.

Blake Snell vs. Padres -- Giants at Padres, Sept. 6-8
The Giants opened the season in San Diego and then hosted the Padres at Oracle Park from April 5-7, but it wasn’t until the day after that series ended that Snell made his debut with San Francisco after signing late in Spring Training.

The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner spent two seasons with the Padres, the second of which was his finest since he won the AL Cy Young Award with the Rays in 2018. Snell led the Majors with a 2.25 ERA last year despite also leading baseball with 99 walks.

While the left-hander has gotten off to a rough start with his new club in 2024, both in terms of performance (11.57 ERA over three starts) and health, he hopes to have it turned around by the time the Giants meet the Padres at Petco Park in early September.

Marcus Stroman vs. Cubs -- Yankees at Cubs, Sept. 6-8
Following two seasons with the Cubs, over which he pitched to a 3.73 ERA and earned his second All-Star selection, Stroman joined the Yankees on a two-year deal. It’s proven to be a wise move by New York so far -- despite losing ace Gerrit Cole for the early part of the season due to injury, the Yanks have weathered the storm to this point, thanks in part to Stroman, who has posted a 3.69 ERA through his first six starts of the season.

In the first week of September, Stroman and the Yankees will visit his old stomping grounds on the North Side of Chicago.

Josh Hader vs. Padres -- Astros at Padres, Sept. 16-18
Since surrendering four runs in one-third of an inning during Houston’s 6-1 loss to the Braves on April 15, Hader has looked more like himself, posting a 1.80 ERA over his last four outings.

The flamethrowing left-hander similarly had a bumpy start to his tenure with the Padres after being dealt to San Diego by the Brewers in 2022. But Hader recovered in time to turn in five scoreless outings during the postseason, when he helped the Padres reach the NLCS for the first time since 1998.

Hader and the Astros visit Petco Park from Sept. 16-18, when both clubs hope to be competing for the postseason despite slow starts in 2024.