With the conclusion of Opening Day of the 2026 Major League Baseball where the New York Yankees took on the San Francisco Giants on March 25, the other 28 teams will join the action in their own series over the next two days, on March 26 and 27.
This season starts following the Los Angeles Dodgers winning their second straight World Series in 2025 and a busy offseason that saw many teams have dramatic contract extension negotiations, making big trades, losing longtime players and making big spends to fill gaps that needed to be addressed.
With a fresh season ahead, the slate is clean for all 30 teams, and all fans can look forward to their young players having breakout seasons and becoming the next superstar, their team emerging as this year’s surprise underdog, or their team competing for a World Series win this October.
During the regular season, all 30 teams in the MLB fight for their division crown, and it seems like a good place to start. Here are my predictions for the division winners.
NL West – Los Angeles Dodgers
It only makes sense to start with the reigning back-to-back champion Dodgers. They begin this season on top of both MLB and ESPN’s preseason power rankings, and for good reason. What more needs to be said about them besides pitcher-hitter phenom and 2025 NL MVP winner Shohei Ohtani or former MVP winners Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman? How about we talk about the fact that they added both the best position player, Kyle Tucker and the best reliever, Edwin Diaz, this past free agency had to offer? If the Dodgers’ league-leading payroll can stay healthy, they could easily win 100 games this year. Many players on their star-studded roster are getting older and need to stay on the field to lead L.A. to a third year of league domination.
NL Central – Chicago Cubs
This Cubs team is poised to have a clear path to claim their first NL Central title since 2020. The Cubs were able to sign elite veteran hitter and defender Alex Bregman to a deal and have young players that can bud into superstars with time and consistency, like Pete Crow-Armstrong (who had a .634 OPS in the second half of last season). The Cubs are also led by veteran manager Craig Counsell, who has multiple fifth-place-or-higher finishes for NL Manager of the Year over his career. If Counsell can lean on his veterans in the right way and get his young talent developed, the ceiling could be higher for the Cubs than some think.
NL East – Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies roster looks just as good as ever. They secured a Kyle Schwarber return this past offseason, who belted an impressive 56 home runs for the Phillies last season and had the fifth-best OPS in baseball (.928). They still have the elite hitting of Bryce Harper, whose OPS ranked 22nd in 2025, and multi-time Gold Glove winners Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto. The question for them remains what it has been for the past few seasons: Will Philly’s offense be around in October? Over the last two postseasons their offense has hit just .199 and lost in the NLDS both years.
AL West – Seattle Mariners
The Mariners have seriously turned things around in Seattle. They took the division crown from the dominant Houston Astros, who won the division four times in a row from 2021-24, and their roster can absolutely pull it off again. While Cal Raleigh took the MLB home run crown last season and Julio Rodriguez continued to establish himself as a superstar, the Mariners’ starting rotation can be the real storyline for them this season if the members can stay healthy. Logan Gilbert is young and has amazing command but missed significant time last season. Bryan Woo can go long distances in games, ranking 12th in innings pitched last season with 186.2, and has a low walk profile but also missed time last season. Bryce Miller, who had an outstanding 2024, will already be starting this season on the injured list. If this rotation can stay healthy and carve out more of those deep outings, they will be a serious threat in the American League.
AL Central – Detroit Tigers
As 2025 Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal’s free agency looms on the horizon, the Tigers look to build on their 87-win season from last year. As long as they still have Skubal, as well as former first-round pick Casey Mize, along with veteran arms Justin Verlander and Jack Flaherty, the Tigers’ pitching staff looks like they’ll have a great year. The need for them comes in their hitting. Kerry Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson need to find their consistency at the plate. Veterans Javier Báez and the re-signed Gleyber Torres must produce. The Tigers are adding shortstop and No. 2-ranked overall MLB prospect Kevin McGonigle, who they hope will hit the ground running for the club.
AL East – New York Yankees
With a lot of eyes on 2023 Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole’s return this season, the Yankees look to be the best of some elite talent in the AL East this upcoming season. This roster is almost identical to the club that just won 94 games last season, and there is not much doubt that they can do it again, especially with the anticipated June return of Cole. If Cole quickly finds his stride back, and 2025 AL MVP Aaron Judge, who could reach 400 career home runs this year, hits like the beast he was the last two seasons, they will be able to reclaim the AL East crown from the Blue Jays.
Baseball is known for its exciting Wild Card series in the playoffs, and that means needing some exciting Wild Card teams. Here are four candidates who can make some noise this season and be a threat for the division winners.
NL Wild Card #1 – New York Mets
It’s not a far stretch to say that the Mets overhauled their roster this offseason. They added strong newcomers in Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco to hit behind the elite Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto and bolstered their pitching staff with a trade for the talent of Freddy Peralta, who ranked seventh in ERA in all of baseball last season (2.86). These additions have cleared the road for another playoff berth in September.
NL Wild Card #2 – Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers could make a run at the Cubs for the division but have the strength to make the playoffs regardless. Their rotation has the talents of Jacob Misiorowski, who is now going into his sophomore season. Misiorowski captivated baseball fans last season with a fastball that averaged over 99 mph. The Brewers also have great young defensive players in Sal Frelick, who reads plays in the outfield with excellent precision, and Jackson Chourio, who has incredible athleticism and can also produce at the plate at the right times. With Christian Yelich taking an encouraging step forward last year, finishing with a .795 OPS that ranked 20th in the National League, the Brewers’ offense needs to find their stride and hit more home runs in crucial moments to compete in October.
AL Wild Card #1 – Boston Red Sox
Boston clinched its first playoff appearance since 2021 last September, and the demanding fanbase is eager for more October baseball at Fenway Park. With the loss of multiple-time World Series champion and veteran third baseman Alex Bregman, the Red Sox allotted the money round out their rotation with the signing of Ranger Suarez, and he joins Garrett Crochet, who went on an AL Cy Young push last year, and veteran Sonny Gray, who was acquired in a trade. Closing the gaps in rotation was very much needed for the Red Sox, but they still have a lineup full of young players that they hope will break out, including a highly anticipated return from injury for former fourth overall draft pick Marcelo Mayer and up-and-coming star Roman Anthony.
AL Wild Card #2 – Toronto Blue Jays
The AL East will be a tough fight full of both young stars and veteran players across the board, and as such, it is not far-fetched to believe that we could see two of the three American League wild cards come from the East. The Blue Jays, of course, are coming off their franchise’s first World Series appearance since 1993, a series that they came within one game of winning over the juggernaut Dodgers. Toronto will be missing a few pieces, with Bo Bichette leaving in free agency and Shane Bieber, who had an excellent regular and postseason performance for the Blue Jays last year, not expected to be ready for opening day with an uncertain timeline for his return. However, after grabbing a few headlines from dramatic negotiations, the Jays were able to retain elite talent Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and can still brag about a strong rotation with Kevin Gausman, the young Trey Yesavage and newly signed Dylan Cease. This is still a team that took the Dodgers to seven games in last year’s World Series; do not count them out.
