The 2026 MLB season is right around the corner, and so I think it's time to do some predictions on how I think it'll go. Will the Dodgers 3-peat? Will the Blue Jays rebound from last year's heartbreaking loss? Will the Phillies finally get over the hump? We'll see. Last year's predictions....didn't age the best. Let's see if I'll do better this year.
NL East
1. (3) Philadelphia Phillies- 90-72
2. (5) New York Mets- 90-72 (lose tiebreaker to PHI)
3. Atlanta Braves- 86-76
4. Miami Marlins- 75-87
5. Washington Nationals- 64-98
The Phillies are coming in as the 2-time defending NL East champions, but are also coming off back-to-back quick playoff exits. Their offseason was disappointing. They lost out on Bo Bichette to their biggest rivals, the New York Mets. They let go of Ranger Suarez, Harrison Bader and Nick Castellanos. They re-signed Kyle Schwarber and JT Realmuto, and brought in Adolis Garcia and Tim Mayza. They made some decent moves and decent resignings, but overall this was a lackluster offseason. I still think they're a good team, but they're not a great team. I'd love to be proven wrong though. The Mets were in solid position to make the playoffs in July, but collapsed at the end and squandered their playoff spot to the Reds. To follow that up, they had a busy offseason. As previously mentioned, they signed Bo Bichette, but lost Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz and Jeff McNeil. They brought in Marcus Semien, Luis Robert and Freddy Peralta, among others. They still have Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. They should be an interesting team, but we'll see if they're title contenders. The Braves had a dismal 2025 season, finishing 76-86 following 7 straight playoff appearances. Their off-season was okay. They added to their bullpen with Robert Suarez and re-signed Raisel Iglesias. They added Jonah Heim, Mike Yastremszki and Mauricio Dubon to add some pop with the bats. Let's see if things are looking up in the ATL. The Marlins had a mediocre year last year, finishing 79-83 after losing 100 games in 2024. They eliminated the Mets on the last day of the year, though. They didn't have a huge offseason, signing Peter Fairbanks and Owen Caissie, while trading away Edward Cabrera. The Marlins intrigue me. They're not a team that is a World Series contender, but they're not a team that is one of the worst in the league. They might make some noise next year. The Nationals had an off-season of changes. In July they fired general manager Mike Rizzo after 16 years and Dave Martinez after 7 years. They got a new president of baseball operations, a new manager, a new general manager, a new assistant general manager and a new pitching coach, all of which are under 40 years old. This is an interesting tactic, and I'm curious as to whether it will pay off or not. As for the actual roster, the Nationals signed pitcher Forest Griffin out of the Nippon Professional Baseball league. That was the only signing they made in free agency, and they didn't change too much about their roster. I don't think they're going to be very successful.
NL Central
1. (2) Chicago Cubs- 93-69
2. (6) Milwaukee Brewers- 89-73
3. Cincinnati Reds- 84-78
4. St Louis Cardinals- 81-81
5. Pittsburgh Pirates- 77-85
The Cubs reached the playoffs for the first time in 5 years, and won a playoff series for the first time in 8 years. They eventually lost to the Brewers in the NLDS, but there was reason to be hopeful in the Windy City. They had a fantastic offseason, signing 3rd baseman Alex Bregman for 5 years and $175 million, as well as retaining Shota Imanaga. They still have Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ, and Craig Counsell is an excellent manager. I'm excited to see what the Cubs have in store for this year. The Brewers, after eliminating the Cubs in the NLDS, were promptly swept by the Dodgers in the NLCS. They had an interesting offseason, getting rid of Freddy Peralta and Caleb Durbin. They signed Akil Baddoo and Gary Sanchez. I am curious to see what this team will look like this year. The Reds made the playoffs for the first time in 5 years, then were promptly swept by the Dodgers in the Wild Card. The future is looking bright for the Reds, but their offseason was meh. They did bring back Eugenio Suarez from the Mariners, who hit 49 home runs last year, but they didn't do much else. They re-signed Emilio Pagan as well. Not much else. We'll see what happens. The Cardinals had a lackluster season, going 78-84, 4th in the NL Central. They traded away Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan, and it is clear they are rebuilding. I am not expecting much from them as a result. The Pirates finished last in the NL Central with a record of 71-91. They had a busy offseason, signing Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna. Pitchingwise, they boast arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Paul Skenes. I expect improvement from Pittsburgh, but not a playoff appearance.
NL West
1. (1) Los Angeles Dodgers- 102-60
2. (4) San Diego Padres- 91-71
3. San Francisco Giants- 88-74
4. Arizona Diamondbacks- 79-83
5. Colorado Rockies- 48-114
The Dodgers won the World Series for the second straight year, becoming the first team to go back-to-back since the Yankees of 1998-2000. They will attempt to be the first team to 3-peat since that same team. And they had a great off-season, signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz. They also extended Max Muncy and brought back Kike Hernandez. They're serious about a 3-peat, and baseball fans everywhere are hating them for it. The Padres went to the playoffs for the second straight year but were knocked out in round 1 by the Cubs. They had an off-season to forget, signing Nick Castellanos, but losing Luis Arraez and Dylan Cease. I'm not going to write them off because of the talent they have (Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado, etc.) but this off-season wasn't good. The Giants had a mediocre season, going .500 (81-81). They had a solid off-season, headlined by signings of Harrison Bader and Luis Arraez. Their new manager is former Tennessee Volunteers manager Tony Vitello. He hasn't had an MLB coaching job before, but he has had success in college, winning the NCAA championship in 2024. It'll be interesting to see how it'll go down. The Diamondbacks had a lackluster season, finishing 80-82, 4th in the division. They had an interesting offseason, including trading for Nolan Arenado. 10 years ago that would've been a huge deal, but now, it's meh. There were rumors that Ketel Marte would be traded away, but that never happened. They did resign Zac Gallen, but not much else happened. We'll see what happens, but I'm not expecting big things in the desert this year. The Rockies were.....not good last year, going 43-119, one of the worst seasons in modern MLB history. They had the worst run differential in 125 years, giving up over 1,000 runs. Their off-season was headlined by making Paul DePodesta the president of baseball operations, who was the Dodgers GM for a while. This team needs significant work, and I'd be shocked if it were to happen.
AL East
1. (1) Toronto Blue Jays- 92-70
2. (4) Baltimore Orioles- 88-74
3. (6) New York Yankees- 85-77
4. Boston Red Sox- 81-81
5. Tampa Bay Rays- 74-88
The Blue Jays shocked everyone by making the World Series after missing the playoffs in 2024, and although they lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Dodgers, there is hope again in Canada. They kicked off the off-season by signing Dylan Cease to the biggest free agency deal in Jays history (7 years and $210 million). Then they signed Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto to a 4-year, $60 million deal. Losing Bo Bichette and missing out on Kyle Tucker is going to hurt, but I can assure you this team is going to be fun to watch again. The Orioles had a dissappointing year, to say the least, going 75-87, bottom of the AL East following back-to-back playoff trips. They wound up firing their manager in May, and replacing him with Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz. They signed Mets 1st baseman Pete Alonso to a 5 year $155 million deal, and new owner David Rubenstein isn't afraid to spend money. I'm excited to see what this year's team will look like. The Yankees lost in the ALDS to the Blue Jays, and didn't change much, although they retained Cody Bellinger, which is important because he was strong last year. The Red Sox were eliminated by the Yankees in the Wild Card. They let Alex Bregman walk to the Cubs, but signed Ranger Suarez from the Phillies, which is a big acquisition to their rotation. They also added catcher Caleb Durbin. The Red Sox are a team I am interested in. The Rays had to play their season at the Yankees spring training field due to Hurricane Milton, and it didn't go very well, as they finished 77-85. They had a busy offseason, signing Cedric Mullins, Gavin Lux and Steven Matz among others. I find it an interesting move to go after veterans, but we'll see if it pays off. I'm not convinced it will.
AL Central
1. (3) Detroit Tigers- 89-73
2. Cleveland Guardians- 85-77 (lose tiebreaker to NYY)
3. Kansas City Royals- 78-84
4. Chicago White Sox- 68-94
5. Minnesota Twins- 65-97
The Tigers had an....interesting 2025. They had a 15.5-game lead on the AL Central in July, but squandered it at the end. Somehow, someway, they won a playoff series over the Guardians. They were knocked out in the ALDS after taking that series the distance. Their off-season was surrounded with rumors that they'd ditch Tarik Skubal, and Skubal wound up winning an arbitration case worth $32 million. Detroit signed Framber Valdez to a 3 year $115 million deal to be alongside Skubal, and Justin Verlander returned to his old team (likely to retire as a Tiger). The Guardians, as previously mentioned, came back to win the division down 15 games, only to lose to the Tigers in the wild card. Their offseason was quite uneventful, and time is ticking for their window. The Royals had a disappointing season, going 82-80, and missing the playoffs. Their off-season was quiet, signing Lane Thomas and Isaac Collins. They didn't do much else. The White Sox lost 102 games a year after losing 121. Their offseason was actually pretty productive. They signed Japanese phenom Munetaka Murakami, and traded Luis Robert to the Mets for LuisAngel Acuna. They had a busy off-season, but will it translate to winning? We'll see. The Twins sold at the trade deadline, and they suffered because of it. They went 70-92 and the team was a mess. Their off-season was one from hell. They made almost no changes, their payroll sank to an all-time low, and they waited until late January to fire their president. It's a mess in the Twin Cities and it'll take a miracle to fix.
AL West
1. (2) Seattle Mariners- 90-72
2. (5) Texas Rangers- 87-75
3. Houston Astros- 81-81
4. Los Angeles Angels- 72-90
5. Athletics- 69-93
The Mariners were another surprise, as they were 8 outs away from their first-ever AL pennant before giving up a 3-run home run to an old enemy in George Springer. They spent this offseason trying to get back to the playoffs, signing Brendan Donovan and re-signing Josh Naylor. Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh are still there, and that's a lot of talent right there. Let's see how far it takes them. The Rangers finished at .500, 2 years removed from a World Series win. They signed Brandon Nimmo, traded for Mackenzie Gore and got rid of Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim, who all played a big role in their World Series win. This might be a dark horse playoff team. The Astros missed the playoffs for the first time in 9 years, going 87-75, and losing a tiebreaker to the Tigers on head to head. Their offseason was dull. They lost Framber Valdez, but made no real moves to replace him. They made no real moves at all. I think they're back to mediocrity for a while. The Angels had a rough 2025, going 72-90. They hired Kurt Suzuki as a manager. They signed Jordan Romano, Drew Pomeranz and Kirby Yates. I just don't think they'll be good this year. The Athletics played their first season in Sacramento, and it went alright, as they finished 76-86, and had the Rookie of the Year in Nick Kurtz. Their off-season was one to forget. They didn't sign a lot of people. The ones they did sign are past their prime. Although there is still talent there, I'm not expecting a big year for the A's.
NL Wild Card
(4) Padres over (5) Mets
(6) Brewers over (3) Phillies
AL Wild Card
(5) Rangers over (4) Orioles
(6) Yankees over (3) Tigers
NLDS
(1) Dodgers over Padres
(2) Cubs over Brewers
ALDS
(1) Blue Jays over Rangers
(2) Mariners over Yankees
NLCS
Dodgers over Cubs
ALCS
Mariners over Blue Jays
World Series
Dodgers over Mariners
