2026 MLB Season Preview
Another season of baseball is upon us! Spring is in the air… well, maybe. The weather has been too volatile recently to tell if it’s June or January. No matter what month it feels like, nothing excites my troglodyte-rooted brain more than the first thunderous crack of a bat of a new season. Below you’ll find my predictions for the upcoming MLB season including standings (that are accurately calculated with the correct number of wins and losses – thank you!), award winners, brief individual team analysis, and who I expect to win in the playoffs.
2026 MLB American League Standings:
AL East
NYY 95-67
TOR 91-71
BAL 88-74
BOS 80-82
TB 76-86
AL Cent.
DET 92-70
CLE 85-77
KCR 83-79
CWS 68-94
MIN 52-110
AL West
SEA 98-64
HOU 84-78
A’s 80-82
TEX 77-85
LAA 60-102
Brief AL Team-by-team Analysis:
New York Yankees – It wasn’t the most inspiring offseason for the Yankees, but Aaron Judge looks like he has a pretty strong back, so it won’t be too difficult for him to carry the team on his pinstripe-clad lats for a while. That is until pitching reinforcements including Gerrit Cole return later in the spring. Additionally, I think one of their non-Jazz infielders is going to have a breakout season. For some odd reason, I’m going to have more belief in their bullpen this year as well.
Toronto Blue Jays – I think Canada’s team starts off 2026 in a slightly bizarre manner following after last year’s excruciating ending. It’ll probably include a record around .500 and some star players underperforming. Although, by July, I think they eventually get back on their feet.
Baltimore Orioles – I was pumped about their offseason, especially the Alonso signing as I think he’ll hit close to fifty home runs with more games in the AL East ballparks. True to form, their rotation’s ERA will be higher than I expect it to be upon examination of their team stats at random points throughout the season, but their pitching will still be improved enough to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Boston Red Sox – I love the addition of my sweet prince Ranger Suárez, who was part of one of the greatest innings I’ve had the opportunity to witness in person with the top of ninth in the Bedlam at the Bank game in 2022. Nevertheless, the Red Sox have been incredibly unpredictable since they traded Mookie in 2020 and have finished with twice the number of losing seasons as winning seasons since that calamitous transaction. With them making the playoffs last year, it’s easy to see them having a subpar 2026. Someone please remind me to pick them to win it all next year!
Tampa Bay Rays – For the past couple of years, they’ve been a forgettable team in a tough division. I don’t think much changes this year. Maybe they’ll be in the hunt for a wild card spot through the first half of the year, but after the trade deadline, a torrential downpour of losses will overwhelm the young team out of contention.
Detroit Tigers – I think the Motor City Kitties possess both the best rotation in baseball and a young lineup that will continue to develop. Hopefully, they won’t rest on their laurels like they did last September.
Cleveland Guardians – Even when pivotal players on their team are embroiled in a gambling probe, they still somehow find a way to walk ass backwards into the playoffs. I expect them to trade their crucial leadoff hitter Steven Kwan and stay afloat in the standings as other teams’ seasons sink.
Kansas City Royals – For me, watching Bobby Witt Jr. play is baseball euphoria. If I ever make a Baseball Bible, there will be a book on Bobby Witt Jr. Observing a player make a routine throw to first isn’t too special normally, but with Witt Jr., a routine play includes a hit-denying dive to his left as he recovers and launches a missile on the edge of breaking the sound barrier to first to throw out a speedy baserunner still five feet away from the bag. That being said, I predict his team continues on the plateauing path of mediocrity.
Chicago White Sox – To their credit, they made a few moves. Are they mostly for guys that will be dealt at the deadline? Sure, but they’re moving in the right direction with a couple of the younger and foreign acquisitions.
Minnesota Twins – I had their win total at 55 initially, but even that felt too optimistic. It’s a bummer because for most of my baseball-watching life, the Twinkies have been a team that never set the baseball world on fire, performed ineptly in the playoffs, and were always a player or two away from being a serious contender, but they still put out a respectable product despite lacking top market resources. This is a classic case of billionaire owners managing their finances poorly and as an unnecessary result, screwing over fans with a shit excuse of a roster in order to resolve their own personal debt issues.
Seattle Mariners – Last year’s squad may have lost in heart-wrenching fashion in game 7 of the ALCS, but it was also the best season in twenty-five years and reinvigorated the fanbase overall. That combined with a Seahawks Super Bowl victory, the Sonics in all likelihood returning to the NBA in the near future, and the concession announcement of a moose mousse in a souvenir helmet indicates all things are coming up Seattle! I see that trend continuing over their next 162 games.
Houston Astros – I was incredulous last year over the idea of Houston missing the playoffs. Then, it happened. Now, I think it’ll be a trend for the next couple of years as the Astros travel across a bridge between eras in search of their next team identity.
The Previously Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Oakland A’s of Sacramento – I love the young core they’ve constructed and as one can tell by this text design, I’ve always been a fan of the Athletics’ color scheme. But, I hate their owner and his newfound willingness to spend as the team inches closer to their Las Vegas move, so I’m going to guess karma is an Oakland gal and doesn’t reward this stingy bastard.
Texas Rangers – Maybe they’ll get the Chuck Norris memorial bump, but I think it’s more likely the Rangers will quickly fade into the middle of the pack as their championship three years ago drifts further back in the memories of casual baseball fans.
Los Angeles Angels – Sad Halo Noises! I want Mike Trout to return to the playoffs, but one quick glance at their roster and I severely doubt that will happen. Hopefully, he can at least return to the all-star team or Silver Sluggers winner list.
AL Awards:
MVP
Julio Rodríguez (SEA) – Will Judge most likely win? Probably. Will voters get fatigued of voting for the same guy? Probably. I also think Julio will surpass his full-bottomed teammate, Cal Raleigh, on the best team in the league and ascend to a higher level of stardom that’s enough coupled with amazing stats to earn this honor. Of course, if they’re cutting into college football coverage in the fall as Judge crushes his sixtieth home run, ignore this prediction!
MVP Runners-up: Aaron Judge (NYY), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR), Nick Kurtz (A’s), Bobby Witt Jr. (KCR)
Cy Young
Tarik Skubal (DET) – I like a couple of the younger guys and may take a $10 flyer on their decent odds, but unless he gets hurt, I might as well toss a Hamilton-faced bill into the incinerator as I see no way that voters would refuse to cast their ballot for the best pitcher in the AL currently seeking his third straight prize.
Cy Young Runners-up : Hunter Brown (HOU), Drew Rasmussen (TBR), Cole Ragans (KCR), Logan Gilbert (SEA)
Top Candidates for the Wow! That guy made the all-star team in the year of our lord 2026?:
Andrés Giménez (TOR) – This is more of a classic Blue Jays fans stuffing the ballot box and snubbing a deserving player of the all-star starter accolade.
Starling Marte (KCR) aka Tato – The Marte Partay rages on through Year 15 as he’ll puke and rally with Kansas City barbecue to hit .287 for the year.
Jeff McNeil (A’s) aka the Flying Squirrel – I’m going out on a limb and guessing McNeil will unexpectedly contend for the batting title over the first half of the season.
2026 MLB National League Standings:
NL East
NYM 93-69
PHI 91-71
ATL 84-78
MIA 76-86
WSH 64-98
NL Cent.
CHC 88-74
MIL 86-76
CIN 81-81
PIT 81-81
STL 67-95
NL West
LAD 102-60
ARI 88-74
SDP 87-75
SF 77-85
COL 56-106
Brief NL Team-by-team Analysis:
New York Mets – It pains me to say it, but I admired many of the Mets’ offseason transactions. Most notably, acquiring an ace for a solid rotation in need of an intimidating force at its front. I think Bo Bichette’s error-filled defense and Luis Robert Jr.’s Mendoza Line will draw the ire of fans in Queens, but all will be forgiven when the two produce clutch hits in September to clinch the division.
Philadelphia Phillies – Same as it ever was! When you lose in the divisional round for the second straight year as your offense squanders an exceptional regular season by once again going cold at the worst possible time, what’s the correct offseason strategy?
Should you either:
Bolster the roster with pieces that will consistently get on base and fire at the very least a hitting coach that hasn’t improved the offensive output in years
Or…
RUN IT BACK BABY!!! But this time without a clutch postseason pitcher
The Phillies unsurprisingly chose the latter. I love re-signing Kyle Schwarber and I find bringing back J.T. Realmuto to be a sensible decision given the current state of catchers in the Phillies organization. I give them credit for being close to signing Bo Bichette before he took the Mets’ last-second offer and making team-friendly deals with the top pieces of their rotation this offseason. However, failing to upgrade the bottom half of the roster filled with guys that we already know what type of players they are like Stott, Bohm, and Marsh is contender-roster-construction malpractice. I believe not re-signing 2025 trade deadline pick-up Harrison Bader to a short-term deal will also bite them in the butt as they’ll once again look to cheaply improve their platoon-laden outfield at the 2026 trade deadline. Phillies fans will once again cry out in anger as third base coach Dusty Wathan’s dreadful decision making will continue to be a detriment to the Phils in key moments. I’m prepared for the offense to oscillate between its stretches of feast or famine and Kevin Long returning for 2027 despite another poor offensive October performance that knocks my team out of the playoffs in unsatisfying fashion for the fourth-straight year.
I know how the season’s going to end, so is there any point in watching? No, but on a random summer night when Kyle Schwarber launches his third dinger of the night into the second deck, I’ll delude myself into believing once again.
To avoid being overly negative, here are a few Phillies players that I am positive will lift my spirits at various points throughout the summer.
The bitches love Sosa and so does Ev Dog. You can never have too high of expectations with a utility guy like Edmundo, but he always delivers on days in June when lights aren’t as bright.
I’m pretty bullish on Justin Crawford. Call me an old-fashioned fan or just Billy Beane, but in a lineup with Schwarber and Harper, I don’t care if his power numbers are low as long as HE GETS ON BASE!
Zack Wheeler is returning at some point in the spring — much faster than I anticipated. Honestly, I’m just happy he’s alive and still able to play.
Atlanta Braves – These days, I really don’t know what to make of the Bravos. They have a gifted group of players, but each week they lose a couple of starters to injuries. I think the injury bug (or locust in this case) plagues their playoff chances once again.
Miami Marlins – As per usual, they’ll field a team of promising, but inexperienced young talent that yields underwhelming results. As per usual, they’ll still be a pesky team that irritatingly steals a vital game or two from your team in September.
Washington Nationals – I like their lineup and I’m sure they’ll nab a few games with their youthful hunger, but I think this team will end up as record fodder for playoff contenders. Unfortunately for Nats fans, I see this rebuild lasting longer than expected. The 2020s are now the 2000s again. Nats fans, just be patient! The new 2010s, the 2030s, are almost here.
Chicago Cubs – I like what the Cubbies are building and I think it will lead to a significant number of celebrations at Wrigley featuring fans building a significant number of beer snakes.
Milwaukee Brewers – People often expect the Brew Crew to come back to Earth each year after overachieving the previous season. Those people are often proven wrong by May. Their unwillingness to pay top talent combined with trading said talented players and relying annually on their new batch of top prospects to fill the big shoes is playing with fire. I admit this is probably foolish, but I think this is the year they’re going to get burnt by the Freddy Peralta trade. I still have them contending late in the season and could see them returning to the playoffs in 2027, so only a minor first-degree burn for now.
Cincinnati Reds – They made the playoffs last year, but it was with a record of 83-79. They have a few fun pieces, but haven’t eclipsed 83 wins since 2013. I think they’re the top candidate for postseason turnover.
Pittsburgh Pirates – Making multiple strategically-sound offseason signings and preparing to actually pay a young offensive infielder with power, what team is this? Go Progress me buccos! Progress! Many unoriginal baseball prognosticators are tritely projecting the Pirates to be a dark horse wild card team. I think they’ll once again be minor buyers at the deadline with a couple of cheap additions that minimally bolster the lineup and bullpen. Fortunately for Pittsburgh fans, none of these will be drastic, franchise-debilitating trades like the deal for Chris Archer in 2018. Still, I think they’ll be in the hunt in mid-September, so definitely a step in the right direction for a team that has been on a trolley moving backwards for most of the 2020s.
St. Louis Cardinals – Looking at their roster for the first time, I only recognize a few of the names. I’m not as tuned in to baseball as much as I was fifteen years ago, but what happened to the consistently good if not elite team from the days of Pujols up to the early 2020s?
Los Angeles Dodgers – I predict the Dodgers will get off to a relatively slow start for the talent on their roster and shockingly finish the first half of the season in second in their own division. However, given that talent, they’ll be able to sleepwalk to the playoffs. I expect they’ll rack up wins discreetly in the second half and suddenly be five games ahead of any other team in the National League in early September.
Shohei Prediction: Ohtani becomes the first MLB player to hit for the home run cycle.
Arizona Diamondbacks – Their home, Chase Field, is a visual abomination that only provides hazy camera shots, but the team more importantly is comprised of an underrated rotation and a solid veteran lineup. And then I saw her snake face. Now I’m a believer!
San Diego Padres – I think they’ll remain stuck in their status of what I call a TikTok team for another season. They generate cool highlights but are incapable of taking that next step of being a perennial contender. I understand they have a higher degree of difficulty with the Dodgers in their own division, but for how much shit their players and online fans talk about their rivals, you’d think they were the ones with Shohei and multiple titles this decade.
San Francisco Giants – Since they hoisted their third title in five years in the fall of 2014, los Gigantes have finished in the middle of the pack with win totals typically falling between the mid-70s and mid-80s. Despite there being a couple of outliers on each end in that time span, I think it’s another year of mediocrity on the Bay. Still, if your team is on the road at Oracle Park, San Francisco will be a bunch of sons of bitches to play. No matter what their record is, you’ll wake up to discover your team quickly dropped two of the three games that started after 10 PM. It’s likely due to the mysterious wharf voodoo that causes a comfortable lead to vanish rapidly as reliable bullpen arms begin to falter and errors transpire at the most inopportune times.
Colorado Rockies – This young team got hardened by a year of losing nearly 75% of their games. I’m not sure if hard times make strong men or just dudes with a masochism fetish, but it certainly will lead to more than 43 wins.
NL Awards:
MVP
Juan Soto (NYM) – This is like picking against the most dominant, naturally-born winning athletes in sports history. You’d either be a dolt or a contrarian to not believe that any of Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt, Joey Chestnut, or even Secretariat would be recognized as top dog (or horse) routinely for their supreme abilities and results. I may lack intelligence, but if anyone is going to top Shohei, they’ll need to be an incredible offensive-first player in the only bigger sports market with the added conditional factors of east-coast bias and a stacked Dodgers team including a fellow teammate as a top candidate for the award. It’s unlikely, but I still think there’s a high enough probability for it all to occur.
MVP Runners-up: Shohei Ohtani (LAD), Mookie Betts (LAD), Peter Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Paul Skenes (PIT)
Cy Young
Paul Skenes (PIT) – For my MVP picks, I deliberately avoided selecting the obvious choices, but for the top pitcher in the NL, just like the AL, there’s only one clear choice. So many of the top pitchers of my lifetime have gone on Cy Young streaks where they have won two or more awards consecutively. I think this is the time for Skenes to join that elite club. Controversially, I am also going to recklessly speculate that his earned run average soars to a concerning 2.20, however, I think he’ll actually be aided by a minor bump in run supports and finish with a higher total number of wins.
Cy Young Runners-up: Zac Gallen (ARI), Jesus Lazardo (PHI), Nick Pivetta (SDP), Jacob Misiorowski (MIL)
Top Candidates for the Wow! That guy made the all-star team in the year of our lord 2026?:
Adolis Garcia (PHI) aka El Bombi: Like past Phillies outfielders Dom Brown and Raúl Ibañez in their first full seasons playing in South Philly, I see Adolis also getting off to a blazing start with twenty dingers blasted out to left field and finding a spot in the Home Run Derby in front of a home crowd. Like the other two, I also think his average and power numbers plunge in the second half.
Nick Castellanos (SDP) – Contract-year Casty resurgence incoming! On top of the future financial incentives to perform, I see Nick’ stats improving just by him being galvanized by the constant beautiful weather, getting to focus solely on hitting, and the opportunity to pound a few Pacificos in the dugout. Ultimately, I think he flounders in the postseason and swings at multiple pitches in the dirt, but his regular season is enough to fool another team into an inflated salary over a three-year span.
Carlos Santana (ARI) aka Slamtana: Another former Phillie! He may be turning 40 this season, but like his namesake’s more-famous counterpart, they’re both timeless warriors that still know how to wield their respective axes to outperform younger peers and remain so Smooth!
MLB Playoffs:
Wild Card Round
(3) Detroit Tigers vs. (6) Cleveland Guardians – Cleveland wins series 2-1
Last year, Detroit won this exact matchup with this exact outcome. However, like most years, I think Cleveland finds a way in the early round to squeak by despite having a less-talented team.
(4) Toronto Blue Jays vs. (5) Baltimore Orioles – Toronto wins series 2-1
I’m going to predict that after a dozen long and grueling years of no playoff wins, the O’s will finally earn their first postseason victory since 2014. Then they’ll be trounced from the playoffs with two straight blowout losses just as their fans were starting to regain hope for a memorable October.
(3) Chicago Cubs vs. (6) San Diego Padres – Chicago wins series 2-0
Cubs fans will proudly exclaim, “I’ll have another,” after their shot of Malört and seeing their team oust the Padres in the playoffs once again. Like the 2025 matchup, I believe the Cubs’ rotation will overpower el Dads’ batters and be just enough to win a couple of tight games.
(4) Philadelphia Phillies vs. (5) Arizona Diamondbacks – Philadelphia wins series 2-1
The memories of 2023 still haunt Phillies fans. In probably what was supposed to be their year, the Phillies’ entitlement led them to believing the Diamondbacks would just gift them the series as their offense hibernated through the final two games of the series and a questionable amount of trust was put in the unreliable arm of Craig Kimbrel. Fortunately, this is only a best-of-three series, so I am going to predict the Phillies’ pitching arsenal has enough firepower to outlast the Diamondbacks in a close series at the beginning of October.
Divisional Round
(2) New York Yankees vs. (6) Cleveland Guardians – New York wins series 3-1
There will be a tough Game 2 loss that ties the series and tenses up Yankees fanbase as the 1-1 series evokes trauma of wasted talented rosters being defeated by inferior squads. It’ll end up being a transient concern as the evil empire wins the next two games with ease.
(1) Seattle Mariners vs. (4) Toronto Blue Jays – Seattle wins series 3-2
I’m predicting another fantastic series with these two. Last year’s matchup had some of the most electric moments recent playoff history. For a neutral, it will once again provide a marvelous viewing experience. For fans of the teams, book your cariology appointment as soon as possible! This year, Seattle earns its revenge by eking out a close battle with added benefit of home field advantage that they lacked last year. I expect both Blue Jays players and fans to relive the feeling of being inches away from the title last year as they start to wonder when’s the next time they’ll ever be that close again.
(2) New York Mets vs. (3) Chicago Cubs – New York wins series 3-1
I can see it now: the Mets start off slow in multiple games but find ways to mount multiple late comebacks that inspires fans to prophesize a team of destiny championship. While this version won’t include a McDonald’s supporting character, it will feature an unexpected postseason folk hero like Francisco Alvarez delivering multiple clutch hits in the 8th or 9th inning to help the Metropolitans advance to the NLCS.
(1) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (4) Philadelphia Phillies – Los Angeles wins series 3-2
The postseason revenge tour ends here for the Phillies. The remnants of the Phillies summer offense make their final appearances of the season as the Fightin Phils rout the Dodgers a couple of times to even up the series. In a 1-1 winner-takes-all Game 5 8th inning, another managerial mishap occurs as Rob Thompson takes part in his favorite annual fall tradition of making an unjustifiable pitching change as he tosses the ball over to whatever reliever is dealing the largest amount of insecurity at that moment. Will Smith smacks one out to center and virtually ends the Phillies season as there’s no chance their offense will muster a run to tie the game in the top of the ninth. Fortunately for the rest of the league, the Phillies will decide to run it back with the same core pieces for one more year because next year will certainly be different!
League Championsip Round
(1) Seattle Mariners vs. (2) New York Yankees – New York wins series 4-2
This’ll be the series where Judge secures his playoff moment as he cranks a walk-off grand slam in a pivotal game 5 to grab the 3-2 series lead and then a go-ahead double in the top of the tenth of Game 6 to help the Bronx Bombers prevail to their second World Series in three years. Mariners fans will overdose on Vitamin D to help alleviate a fragment of their cloud-induced seasonal affective disorder and another postseason heartbreak.
(1) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (2) New York Mets – New York wins series 4-3
A couple of years ago in the NLCS, the Mets kept it close against the Dodgers. Plus, last year, the Dodgers were far from invincible, especially their bullpen. I’m unfortunately predicting the Mets led by a major deadline acquisition to comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to stun the Dodgers and the baseball world.
World Series
(2) New York Yankees vs. (2) New York Mets – New York Yankees wins series 4-1
Start spreading the news! It’s feeling like 2000 as another Subway Series taking place in the Fall Classic would exhilarate the city of New York and make the rest of the baseball world ready for the spring of 2027. I see the Yankees ultimately earning both city and world bragging rights. Last year I predicted the Orioles besting the Braves in the World Series, so here’s hoping my poor title prediction streak continues!