AL (American League) East

#1: Toronto Blue Jays

Players to Watch: Kazuma Okamoto, Trey Yesavage, Dylan Cease

After falling inches short of the 2025 World Series crown in game 7 to the Dodgers, the Blue Jays have invested even more money than before into their product. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will once again be one of the best players in the AL, and the additions of starter Dylan Cease and overseas product Kazuma Okamoto could make the Jays a top 2 team in the league.

#2: Boston Red Sox

Players to Watch: Roman Anthony, Ranger Suarez, Aroldis Chapman

One of the younger teams in the league, the Red Sox will need production from both veterans and prospects in order to succeed in 2026. Additions to the starting rotation with consistent CY Young contenders in Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez are helpful, but the emergence of young outfielder Roman Anthony will be the difference between finishing 2nd and 4th in this division.

#3: New York Yankees

Players to Watch: Cam Schittler, Anthony Volpe, Ben Rice

Always the villains of free agency, the Yankees have surprised many and stayed relatively quiet this offseason aside from the re-signings of Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. Don’t let this completely fool you though, the Yankees have a strong young core headed by starting pitcher Cam Schittler and breakout candidate Ben Rice. My prediction could be wrong here because of the amount of talent in this team but they need to put everything together to have a good year.

#4: Baltimore Orioles

Players to Watch: Samuel Basallo, Shane Baz, Trevor Rogers

The Orioles have had an explosive offseason headlined by the shock signing of Pete Alonso among a flurry of other moves headlined by a trade with the Angels for LF Taylor Ward. The one thing that isn’t so explosive about their team is pitching. After having the 5th-worst team Earned Run Average (ERA) in 2025, they did not improve their staff enough even after an overpay for SP Shane Baz that convinces me that no sort of offense can finish them ahead of 4th in the division.

#5: Tampa Bay Rays

Players to Watch: Drew Rasmussen, Junior Caminero, Joe Boyle

I look at this current Rays team and am immediately shrouded in immense doubt. They could have one of the best starting rotations in the league, but injuries have seemed to haunt them at the worst possible times. The only thing saving the Rays’ season will have to be healthy seasons from both Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan and a .900+ OPS (On Base plus Slugging) campaign from Junior Caminero. 

AL Central

#1: Kansas City Royals

Players to Watch: Carter Jensen, Cole Ragans, Jac Caglione

After a disappointing 2025 season, the Royals will need to look towards their young core once again to end up at the top of the division. Bobby Witt, Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino immediately fit into the front of the lineup, but the team’s success depends on the emergence of highly-touted prospects Carter Jensen and Jac Caglione. The pitching staff is good enough for a playoff push and all the Royals need is a little more offense.

#2: Detroit Tigers

Players to Watch: Dillon Dingler, Kevin McGonigle, Will Vest

The Tigers are set to go into 2026 with one of the more obscure rosters in the league. Tarik Skubal is obviously the least obscure of all after winning back-to-back CY Young awards in 2024 and 2025. Catcher Dillon Dingler will compete for a Silver Slugger award at the catcher position and position players Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson are set to have career years. Top prospects Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark might very well need to see playing time in the MLB this year for the Tigers to win the division, though.

#3: Cleveland Guardians

Players to Watch: Jose Ramirez, Slade Cecconi, Travis Bazzana

It’s certain that the Guardians will have one of the best pitching staffs in the league once again in 2026, but their projected offensive production does not look good. Jose Ramirez is one of the best third basemen in the league, but besides him, there isn’t any guarantee that anyone else on the team will thrive at all offensively. If the injury bug decides to hit the Guards’ starting rotation, I could even see them finishing below the White Sox. 

#4: Chicago White Sox

Players to Watch: Munetaka Murakami, Jordan Leasure, Shane Smit

After filling so many holes during the offseason, the White Sox are still a sinking ship going into 2026. Their young core consisting of Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Miguel Vargas and Kyle Teel is promising and the addition of Japanese 1B Munetaka Murakami is impressive, but the starting rotation is what concerns me the most. Shane Smith is the #1 guy in the rotation but the quality seriously falls off after him. I still think that the White Sox are a few years away from contending again in the Central. 

#5: Minnesota Twins

Players to Watch: Joe Ryan

I don’t have a lot of confidence in this Twins team going into 2026. Their star is injury-prone Byron Buxton, Pablo Lopez will be out for the season, and there aren’t many established players on the team. Mick Abel and Taj Bradley could be great additions to the rotation but I doubt the strength of the bullpen due to the departures of Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. 

AL West

#1: Seattle Mariners

Players to Watch: Kade Anderson, Brendan Donovan, Josh Naylor

The Mariners finished off their 2025 season in tragic fashion to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS, and they’ll likely be in the playoffs once again this year with the aim to go to the World Series. The major reason for their season being cut short was their inability to get clutch hits, and they have addressed that issue with the acquisition of Brendan Donovan. The Mariners will once again have one of the best pitching staffs in the league, and they still have 2025’s D1 strikeout in Kade Anderson waiting in the wings.

#2: Texas Rangers

Players to Watch: Jacob DeGrom, Kumar Rocker, Evan Carter

I’m not exactly sure where I stand on this team. The potential ceiling is high, but the Rangers were so inconsistent down the stretch in 2025, due to their shaky offense. Acquisitions Job Pederson and Jake Burger were insanely underwhelming, and although Corey Seager is still one of the best shortstops on the planet, there are still a ton of concerns in the lineup but the pitching staff could be good enough to raise the floor of the team.

#3: Houston Astros

Players to Watch: Cam Smith, Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai

The ceiling/top potential of this Astros team is really high, but their floor/bottom potential is pretty low. They have an awesome lineup headlined by Yordan Alvarez, Carlos Correa, and Jeremy Peña, but the starting rotation frightens me. Hunter Brown and their new signing Tatsuya Imai are good at the front end, but what follows behind them is not good. Christian Javier hasn’t pitched more than 60 innings in 2 years and Lance McCullers hasn’t had a healthy season in 5 years, and I’m just not entirely sure how the Astros will fill innings if injuries happen. 

#4: Los Angeles Angels

Players to Watch: Mike Trout, Christian Moore, Grayson Rodriguez

I’m not exactly sure where I stand with the Angels either. They could end up surprising me at the end of the year, but they’ve lived in mediocrity for so long that I can’t have them doing well. Starters Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers, and Grayson Rodriguez are set to have big years, and the young core of this team is pretty good, consisting of Logan O’Hoppe, Nolan Schanuel, and Jo Adell. Besides the Mariners, the Angels might have the most well-rounded team in the AL West but I don’t trust their ability to play down the stretch at all.

#5: Sacramento A’s

Players to Watch: Nick Kurtz, Denzel Clarke

Just like with the Astros, I’m confident in the A’s lineup but not confident at all in their starting pitching. Nick Kurtz, Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker, and Shea Langeliers are incredible hitters and I love what’s currently being built within the lineup, but Luis Severino headlining the rotation with a 2025 xERA of 4.61 is not a welcome sight. They might have the worst starting rotation in the league and it’ll hold the offense back in 2026.

NL (National League) East

#1: Philadelphia Phillies

Players to Watch: Andrew Painter, Adolis Garcia, Alec Bohn

This Phillies team is super talented, but I’m not sure how they’ll stack up against the rest of the division this year. I still have them in the #1 spot due to the veterans in the lineup and the quality of the bullpen, but the one thing that concerns me is their starting rotation. Taijuan Walker as a projected starter isn’t great, and although Zach Wheeler will return in May, the staff seems a little on the old end with a low floor.

#2: New York Mets

Players to Watch: Devin Williams, Nolan McLean, Luis Robert Jr.

This division is so tough to rank. I still have the Mets in second – their rotation consisting of Molan McLean, Freddy Peralta, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga is likely the best in the division, and their top of the lineup consisting of Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor is really good. I absolutely hate to see Pete Alonso’s power missing from the lineup, but Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco are good enough additions. 

#3: Atlanta Braves

Players to Watch: Bryce Elder, Robert Suarez

After a disappointing 2025 season, the Braves will mainly look towards having a healthy roster in 2026. Backed by Ronald Acuña Jr, Austin Riley, and one of the best catching tandems in the league with Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy, the offense isn’t a problem at all but I’m a little concerned as to how well the pitching staff will perform. There’s not a ton of depth in the rotation nor the bullpen.

#4: Miami Marlins

Players to Watch:

I’m not sure if the Marlins can completely contend due to the top end of the division, but I like what’s being built in Miami. The top end of the starting rotation is good with Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez, and although Edward Cabrera left after an offseason trade that brought in Owen Cassie, the rotation is good enough to do alright in division. The offense is more well-rounded than good, Bats Jacob Marsee and Agustín Ramirez are great players but there isn’t much quality at the top. The floor is decent for this team but the ceiling isn’t very high.

#5: Washington Nationals

Players to Watch: Dylan Crews

It is pretty safe to say that outside the Rockies, the Nats will have the worst rotation in the MLB. After the trade of MacKenzie Gore, there is no quality anywhere in the rotation and it’s enough for the Nats to finish in 5th. I really like CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, and James Wood, but they aren’t enough to save this abysmal pitching staff from getting smoked in 2026. I would be very surprised if they finished anywhere above 5th place in the division.

NL Central

#1: Milwaukee Brewers

Players to Watch: Jesus Made, Quinn Priester, Brice Turang

The NL Central might very well be the hardest division to rank in my opinion, but I still have the Brewers at the top. They recently traded their best starter Freddy Peralta to the Mets, but they did the same with Willy Adames in 2024 and still ended up as a better team. They have the most well-rounded squad in the division with Jackson Chourio, Quinn Priester, and Brice Turang, among others. Although no particular quality about this team really pops out, nothing ever does and they still finish at the top of the division. 

#2: Cincinnati Reds

Players to Watch: Chase Burns, Noelvi Marte, Ke’Bryan Hayes

The Reds’ playoff window hasn’t been this open since their division-winning year in 2012. With likely a top-5 starting rotation in the league, the main worry about this team is scoring runs. The Reds will need big seasons from their entire lineup to compete in the Central, and the addition of Eugenio Suarez helps but the need for players like Noelvi Marte, Will Benson, and Sal Stewart to produce is high. Eventually though, the Reds bullpen will need to step up and could be the difference between finishing 1st and 3rd in this division.

#3: Chicago Cubs

Players to Watch: Ian Happ, Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera

My bias as a Reds fan is almost the only thing holding me back from ranking the Cubs 2nd. Although their rotation may not be superior, the addition of Alex Bregman to an already great infield with Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Michael Busch puts together the best infield in the NL Central. The bullpen is good enough, and in the outfield: PCA, Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki are beyond capable hitters. If even a couple of things go right in 2026, the Cubs could easily win the NL Central.

#4: Pittsburgh Pirates

Players to Watch: Jared Jones, Konnor Griffin, Marcell Ozuna

I’m surprisingly bullish about the product that the Pirates are currently putting forth after an abysmal season in 2025. All the talk around the nation is about Paul Skenes for good reason, but 19 year old Konnor Griffin is one of the best prospects in baseball history and certain to make an impact in the MLB this year. New acquisitions Marcell Ozuna, Brandon Lowe, and Ryan O’Hearn are awesome and Oneil Cruz always has superstar potential, but there are still a couple of holes in the pitching staff and lineup that lead me to doubt the depth of their bench if anything goes wrong injury-wise.

#5: St. Louis Cardinals

Players to Watch: Matthew Liberatore, Liam Doyle, JJ Wetherholt

This is a rebuilding year for the Cardinals. It seems like there’s no other way to put it – they’ve traded away most of their star players and the young core that they thought was strong enough to make an impact just didn’t come to fruition in 2025. It’ll be interesting to see if Liam Doyle and JJ Wetherholt get a chance out of Opening Day after a few veterans left in the offseason, but I’m just not sure what direction the Cardinals are going to take over the next year. 

NL West

#1: Los Angeles Dodgers

Players to Watch: Hyesong Kim, Jack Dreyer, Emmett Sheehan

To the surprise of nobody, the Dodgers obviously have the best team on the planet, but what I want to focus on in this preview is their core of young players. Most notably, relievers Ben Casparius, Jack Dreyer, and Emmett Sheehan are all incredible talents under the age of 27 and they have a top-5 farm system in the league. Even if the salary cap comes into effect, it won’t matter because of how much organizational depth the Dodgers have.

#2: San Diego Padres

Players to Watch: Adrian Morejon, Xander Bogaerts, Mason Miller

I’m not very bullish about this Padres team. The top of their lineup consists of premier bats like Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, but the bottom of the lineup is what concerns me, especially with Luis Campusano as the starting catcher. They have one of the best bullpens in the league, but with the starting rotation, there’s a shockingly low amount of depth due to having the worst farm system in the league and seeing the departure of Dylan Cease. The Padres’ floor is almost lower than the Giants’ and the top of their lineup really needs to produce in 2026.

#3: Arizona Diamondbacks

Players to Watch: Pavin Smith, Brandon Pfaadt, Geraldo Perdomo

With the injury of Corbin Carroll, I think that the Diamondbacks are putting forth a worse product on the field in 2026 compared to last season. Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte are both among the league’s best players, but the depth of the lineup and starting rotation really concerns me after only re-signing Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. Pavin Smith and Gabi Moreno will need to step into big roles this year as well if the team wants to finish above 3rd in the West.

#4: San Francisco Giants

Players to Watch: Hayden Birdsong, Luis Arraez, Heliot Ramos

It’s hard to know what to think about the Giants going into 2026. They have a decent rotation in Logan Webb in Robbie Ray, but their bullpen isn’t the best and what I’ve found about this team is that the ceiling is pretty unclear as there are major veteran presences on the squad in Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Luis Arraez, and Rafael Devers but still a lot of margin for error due to the outfield. Heliot Ramos was one of the worst fielders in the MLB and Jung Hoo Lee was aided by a very hot start at the beginning of 2025.

#5: Colorado Rockies

Players to Watch: Mickey Moniak, Pierson Ohl, Ryan Feltner

Last and possibly least, the Rockies are projected to be the worst team in the MLB again. Don’t feel down though – there are semblances of a good team in the roster that they’re currently building. They have one of the youngest teams in the MLB headlined by Hunter Goodman, Ezekiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle, and although this year will certainly be another rebuilding year, I’m confident in the bullpen and the starting lineup. They might be set to have one of the worst starting rotations of all time, but I’m pretty confident that the Rockies will make strides towards mediocrity in 2026.