The time has arrived. Spring training has wrapped up and now the games count for real. Thirty teams. All with the same goal in mind. Winning a World Series come October. There’s quite a few faces that are in new places come this season, which is leading to a lot of shake ups for teams. And quite a few big storylines for this 2026 season.
Aaron Judge looking for 400 Home Runs. Paul Skenes trying to get the Pirates into a playoff spot. Tarik Skubal going for a 3rd straight Cy Young. From a team perspective, can the Dodgers hit the 115 win mark? Did all that re-tooling really help Baltimore? Can the Mets rebound from last years collapse with all the changes made this offseason? All of those questions, and so much more, will be answered over the next five to six months.
So let’s not waste anymore time. Here’s how we see the 2026 Major League Baseball Season taking place.
American League:
AL East:
1. Toronto Blue Jays 88-74*
2. Baltimore Orioles 87-75 (WC)*
3. New York Yankees 87-75 (WC)*
4. Boston Red Sox 84-78
5. Tampa Bay Rays 80-82
Taking away this division is going to be the Blue Jays. This is a team that bounced back from an under .500 season to not only win the division last year but come within one game of winning the series. Toronto took a bit of a hit losing Bo Bichette, but they did upgrade the pitching staff with the additions of Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers. Toronto can push runs across the plate and keep the opposition off the board well enough to come out on top of this division. Right behind them are going to be the Orioles, who get into the playoffs as a wild card team. Baltimore had one hell of a re tooling in the offseason. The biggest one being adding Pete Alonso to the heart of an already solid lineup. Shane Baz was also brought on board to help with a big improvement to an already good pitching staff. There’s enough talent on the field in Baltimore to get them not only back into the playoffs, but back to a winning record again. Now we have another team right in the mix, that being the Yankees. What hurts the chances of the boys from the Bronx is the health of the pitching staff. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt are all going to start the year off the field. Had they Yankees had all three healthy from opening day onward, this would be a bit of a different prediction. The offense will be there to put runs on the board. The only thing that could hold them back is that pitching staff.
Next we have a team that’s going to come up short in the form of the Red Sox. For as banged up as the pitching staff is in New York, the complete opposite is what we’re seeing in Boston. The Red Sox may very well have, on paper, the best pitching staff in the entire league. It’s the offense in Boston that could be very well holding them back this season. You just don’t know what you’re going to get out of guys like Marcelo Mayer, Ceddanne Rafaela, Caleb Durbin and Trevor Story. It leaves quite a few question marks. The same thing can be said for what’s going on with the Rays. Tampa Bay has traded away a lot of big names that give this team it’s identity. If everything falls right this summer back at Tropicana Field, the pitching staff MIGHT be able to keep them floating around the .500 mark. Even with the new ownership in Tampa, there isn’t enough firepower here to keep them in the race for a playoff spot.
AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers 90-72*
2. Kansas City Royals 82-80
3. Cleveland Guardians 81-81
4. Minnesota Twins 75-87
5. Chicago White Sox 65-97
What’s going to make things great for the Tigers is going to be that pitching staff. Not only do they have Tarik Skubal, they brought in Framber Valdez. You got Verlander, Flaherty and Mize as well to round out that staff. Oh, and Detroit can hit too. Greene and Torkelson can knock in the runs with Meadows and Torres setting the table. Sure, they hit a slide at the end of last season that cost them a division title, but they still managed to make the playoffs. This year, with the arms that were added, Detroit is hoping to make sure that last year doesn’t happen again. Behind them are going to be the Royals, a team that’s going to be hanging around as a team on the verge of contention. There’s no doubt in Kansas City that Bobby Whitt is the face of the franchise. Vinnie Pasquantino has some big upside to him so long as he can stay consistent. Starting pitching leaves a little hanging for the Royals. They have serviceable starters sure. But not well enough to really put the team back into playoff contention just yet. Same argument can be said for the Guardians, even with them winning the division a season ago. Cleveland was under .500 at the end of last August and got hot down the final stretch. It was great that they did what they did to win the division, but the downside is they didn’t do much f anything to really improve this team. It seems, at least on paper, like it’s the exact same club. And with the talent that’s here, its still below the bar set by the two teams that are going to finish ahead of them this year.
Then we have the Twins. There are low expectations going into this season in Minnesota. Sure they have talent in the forms of Josh Bell and Byron Bbuxtoin, but how much more can you really get out of these guys if you going into a full rebuild. Pitching you got something with Joe Ryan, but he doesn’t really have another strong arm to support him. Taj Bradley might be able to but that’s a big ask. Finally, there’s the team that seems like its stuck in a permanent rebuild, that being the White Sox. Chicago has some pluses from this offseason in they shed payroll and signed the likes of Munetaka Murakami and Seranthony Dominguez. They have a little bit of talent that could be really worth building around, and should be a lot of fun to watch this season. But as far as them being a competitive baseball team this year, that’s not really in the cards this season for Chicago.
AL West:
1. Seattle Mariners 88-74*
2. Texas Rangers 85-77 (WC)*
3. Houston Astros 83-79
4. Athletics 74-88
5. Los Angeles Angels 69-93
For the second year in a row, the American League West is going to have to go through the Mariners. Seattle brought back Josh Naylor on a long deal after getting him in the middle of last year, and they brought in utility guy Brendan Donovan via trade. Both of those moves bolster an already good Seattle lineup. With the arms in the Mariners staff, this team very much has the potential to go very deep in the postseason again this year. Now you look at a team like the Rangers, injuries cost them a season ago. They had a great pitching staff in Texas last year, which has come back in full force again this season. Eovaldi and deGrom could both be solid again this season on the hill. What’s going to be a big test is the Rangers bats. Seager and Burger can produce. Its just a question of how well the rest of the guys around them can get on for the heart of their lineup. The only reason I haven’t put the Astros as possibly having a better record is because they aren’t getting any younger. Sure, Houston still has their stars, but Altuve, Walker and Correa don’t have many good years left. You could get some decent run production out of this Houston lineup, but at the same time, one has to wonder if that pitching staff is going to be able to keep up. They have some decent arms, sure, but not like what you looking at in the top tier of the division.
A team that could be on the rise soon would be the Athletics. The A’s have a guy in the heart of the lineup in Nick Kurtz who has all the talent in the world to be a big star and the best player on this team. He’s got solid talent around him in the form of guys like Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers. The A’s shouldn’t have a problem putting runs on the board. What’s going to be an issue is keeping runs off the board. Not from a defensive perspective, but it’s the pitching staff. Outside of Springs and Severino (if that) there’s not much to go off of. Bringing up the rear is going to be the Angels again this season. Mike Trout is on the back side of his career and he doesn’t have much help around him in said lineup. He’s got Soler, Lowe and Adell. But what else really is there for support. Same thing with pitching, there’s not much to go off of yet.
National League:
NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies 87-75*
\2. New York Mets 86-76 (WC)*
3. Atlanta Braves 86-76 (WC)*
4. Miami Marlins 75-87
5. Washington Nationals 66-96
For the third year in a row the NL East title will go through the Phillies, but it will be close. Philadelphia still has a solid lineup with Harper, Schwarber and Bohm right in the middle of it. It’s running it back with the same crew from last year, and hoping that Adolis Garcia can get some of his mojo back. The team isn’t getting any younger, but they still have enough talent to make it at least one more good run left in them, both at the plate and on the hill. Behind them is a Mets team that’s going to try and get the sour taste out of it’s mouth from a season ago. Alonso, McNeil, Diaz and Nimmo all gone from last year. New York Replaced them with Polanco, Bichette, Robert Jr and Semien. New York is hoping that Soto and Lindor can also keep up their pace as place setters to get the Mets back on the right track. What’s going to be a big help is adding Freddy Peralta to that starting rotation, which if all goes well, could be one of the best staffs in the game. Another team that’s going to make noise again this year is going to be the Braves. Atlanta is going to have a hiccup with Profar being out for the year cause of the suspension and the injury to start the year for Kim. On paper, the rest of the Atlanta lineup can put runs on the board, and they have good pitching with Sale and Streider. But not having Schwellembach at the start of the year is going to hurt them a little.
Now we go down to the lower half of the division with the Marlins. Kyle Stowers show some promise as to being the heart of this Miami club on offense. If the team can get a few more pieces to really be able to build around him they could have something. Behind Sandy Alcantra, the arms in the Miami rotation leave something to be desired. Finally there’s the Nationals, who once again will be at the bottom of the division. C.J Abrams maybe out before the summer is over and Washington is staring at another at least 90 loss season this year. Just looking at what the team has, at least on paper, there’s not much if at all to start getting excited about.
1. Chicago Cubs 88-74*
2. Milwaukee Brewers 84-78 (WC)*
3. Pittsburgh Pirates 81-81
4. Cincinnati Reds 81-81
5. St. Louis Cardinals 74-88
This is the year Cubs rip away the central division title for themselves for the first time since 2020. Chicago got better adding Alex Bregman and Edward Cabrerra in the offseason. Those guys join a lineup that has guys like Crow-Armstrong, Happ and Suzuki among others. Starting pitching seems decent, but at least on paper doesn’t seem like they are going to blow anybody out of the water here. Looking at this Chicago team, they are good enough for a solid playoff run, but it won’t be good enough to go all the way. Right behind them are going to be the Brewers, who’ve won three in a row and four of the last five division titles. Milwaukee took a bit of a hit with Freddy Peralta no longer on that staff. Jacob Misiorowski has potential to take over that void, but there’s no promise of that. Milwaukee still has the bats to be able to push runs across the plate. Yelich, Contrreras and Vaugh are going to power the heart of this lineup. The team is good enough to get back into the playoffs as a wild card team, but it won’t go on that deep a run. A team to watch out for in this division is going to be the Pirates. Pittsburgh has a fantastic star on the hill in the form of Paul Skenes, and a hot prospect in Bubba Chandler. Pitching could be really something to build around for some time in the steel city. And the Pittsburgh offense got a good boost adding guys like O’Hearn, Ozuna and Lowe. Having those guys helping out Bryan Reynolds in the middle of that lineup means that the Pirates could make some noise.
A team that could take a step back from last year would be the Reds. Sure, Cincinnati went on a surprise run last year, but lightning won’t strike twice this year. Sure they got talent in the lineup to build around with Elly De La Cruz and a returning Eugenio Suarez. But there still seems to be a few gaps in that lineup. Same thing for the Reds pitching staff. Doesn’t leave much to be desired. Bringing up the rear in this division is going to be the Cardinals. St Louis has one of the youngest teams in the game, and with names like JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn, and Matthew Liberatore that could be good down the line. It leaves hope for the future in St Louis, but it’s not for a deep run this year.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers 100-62*
2. Arizona Diamondbacks 83-79
3. San Diego Padres 82-80
4. San Francisco Giants 81-81
5. Colorado Rockies 60-102
Another year of dominance out of the West for the Dodgers. There’s not much to really dive into details with Los Angeles, because they are the defending world champions and have the most balanced lineup in baseball. When you have the best player in the game in Ohtani there, you going to be tough to beat. Oh yeah, and Ohtani is going to be back on the hill this year after coming off Tommy John. Nobody in the West, or most of baseball for that matter, is really going to be able to touch the Dodgers. The closest team that is going to come into contention in the West would be the Diamondbacks. Injuries to Corbin Burnes and Merrill Kelly are holding Arizona back from really being a threat in the West. The pitching staff and bats are still decent for Arizona. Bringing Arenado into the mix adds some leadership t the lineup that have Marte and Carroll in it means they could make some noise. But given how top heavy this division is, its going to be tough. Then there’s the Padres, who have the potential to finally get a winning record. San Diego is going to be powered by the heart of it’s lineup with Tatis and Machado. They got some solid hitters, for sure. But it’s the pitching that leaves me wondering. Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove can give you solid outings, but that’s about it.
Now we got a team that will be lucky to finish around .500 in the form of the Giants. San Francisco has the best overall hitter in the game at the top of their lineup in Luis Arraez. And they have guys who can drive in runs in the form of Adames and Chapman. But there’s still a bit of depth issues for the Giants that could hold them back. The same goes for the pitching staff. Right behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, there isn’t much to really go behind in the Giants staff. Finally, we have the worst team in baseball in the Rockies. Outside of Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman, there’s no solid hitters in the Colorado lineup. They did nothing really to try and improve itself from a season ago and that was one of the worst in baseball history. Colorado may get a couple more wins this year than last, but its not going to be much. It’s going to be a long summer in the mile high city.
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