A model new yr means new prospects for all 30 groups. Whether or not it is postseason success, particular person awards, statistical data or participant growth, there’s one thing each membership can dream on heading into 2026.
With the assistance of MLB.com’s 30 beat writers, this is one key prediction for each crew forward of the 2026 season.
Blue Jays: Toronto could have the very best rotation in baseballAll of the items are there. Kevin Gausman is one yr older, however he’s additionally pitching for his subsequent contract as a pending free agent after 2026, and he seemed nice in ’25. Shane Bieber ought to be again to “regular” after his Tommy John rehab and is pitching for a giant contract, too, whereas Dylan Stop and Cody Ponce add a brand new wave of expertise to this group. Add in rookie sensation Trey Yesavage and José Berríos, and the Blue Jays have unbelievable depth on prime of their high-end expertise. Accidents occur and you may’t at all times predict pitching, however the Blue Jays have set themselves up in addition to any group in baseball. — Keegan Matheson
Orioles: The O’s will return to the postseasonWhen Orioles followers are trying again presently interval method down the highway, they could bear in mind the 2025 season as an anomaly of a profitable period. After consecutive postseason appearances in ’23 and ’24, Baltimore went 75-87 and completed in final place within the AL East in an injury-plagued ’25 marketing campaign. However in ’26, don’t be shocked if the O’s get again to October. They’ve been fairly aggressive this offseason, bringing in outfielder Taylor Ward, nearer Ryan Helsley and, most notably, slugging first baseman Pete Alonso. The Orioles are loading up, and it ought to make for higher leads to 2026. — Jake Rill
Rays: Junior Caminero will go 40/100 againThere have been precisely two 40-homer, 100-RBI seasons in Rays historical past: Carlos Peña in 2007, when he set franchise data with 46 dwelling runs and 121 RBIs, and Caminero in 2025. Caminero slugged 45 homers and drove in 110 runs. Quite than sit again and benefit from the season he had, the 22-year-old went proper again to work, reshaping his physique within the early levels of the offseason. He may have one other nice season even with out reaching these milestones, however we’ll say he does it once more even with the transfer from George M. Steinbrenner Area again to Tropicana Area. — Adam Berry
Purple Sox: Johan Oviedo would be the shock of the pitching staffWhen the Purple Sox traded power-hitting prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to the Pirates in December in what felt like an underwhelming bundle to some, the solutions had been below the hood. Boston’s mind belief sees a number of upside within the 6-foot-6, 275-pound Oviedo, who has elite extension that makes him tough for hitters to select up. As outlined in a current piece by MLB.com’s Mike Petriello, Oviedo gained a powerful quantity of rise on his fastball in his return from Tommy John surgical procedure. In chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s regime in Boston, the Purple Sox have been adept at maximizing pitch mixes. Oviedo could possibly be the newest success story. — Ian Browne
Yankees: The Yanks win 95+ gamesIt will not be the splashy transfer followers are clamoring for, however what if “working it again” isn’t a nasty technique? Contemplate that the Yankees tied for the American League lead with 94 wins, pacing the Majors with 849 runs and 274 homers, surviving a season during which Gerrit Cole didn’t throw a pitch and a leaky bullpen required a midseason revamp. Even with out re-signing Cody Bellinger, Aaron Boone portrayed the hole between his crew and the Blue Jays as nearer than many imagine. Judging by the crew’s actions this offseason, that will not be winter bluster. — Bryan Hoch
Guardians: Gavin Williams finishes prime three in Cy Younger Award votingWilliams’ breakout was one of many greatest developments for the Guardians in 2025. Coming off his robust ’24 marketing campaign, the 26-year-old recorded a 3.06 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 167 2/3 innings over 31 begins, all of which had been new profession highs. The correct-hander was one of many Majors’ finest starters within the second half, when he had a 2.18 ERA (tied with Tarik Skubal for second in MLB amongst certified starters) over 12 outings. Right here’s predicting it is going to all translate right into a dominant ’26 during which Williams cements himself as among the finest starters within the American League. — Tim Stebbins
Royals: Bobby Witt Jr. shall be again within the 30-30 clubWitt’s numbers in 2025 won’t have been as jaw-dropping as ’24, however the Royals shortstop nonetheless had a exceptional yr as MLB’s hits chief, a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award winner and a fourth-place finisher in AL MVP voting. After two consecutive seasons of hitting at the least 30 homers and stealing 30 bases — making him the primary shortstop to ever do this — Witt hit simply 23 homers in ’25 (whereas hitting an MLB- and career-best 47 doubles) with 38 steals. Right here’s pondering that homer quantity will leap again up in 2026, and that Witt will stay a risk on the bases, because the 25-year-old seems extra motivated than ever to get the Royals again to the postseason. — Anne Rogers
Tigers: Detroit wins the AL CentralA division title appeared firmly inside the Tigers’ grasp with a double-digit lead as late as August earlier than a late-season collapse left them settling for a second straight Wild Card berth. The younger core has struggled to play to their capabilities for a full season, however with no dramatic strikes within the division to date, Detroit’s first division title since 2014 is there for the taking if the entrance workplace can fortify the pitching workers, present just a little offensive increase and pave the way in which for the following group of younger expertise to reach in the course of the season. — Jason Beck
Twins: The youngsters make an impactIt’s not simply Walker Jenkins: The Twins have a number of thrilling hitters knocking on the door of the massive leagues. Jenkins is the very best rated and the most important identify and could possibly be the soonest to reach after making it to Triple-A final yr. However Emmanuel Rodriguez adopted an injury-shortened season with an thrilling winter ball marketing campaign, and Kaelen Culpepper has raked at each degree. Search for at the least two of them to have a optimistic impact on the 2026 Twins, and possibly all three. — Matthew Leach
White Sox: Colson Montgomery hits 40 dwelling runsRemember when Montgomery was struggling mightily for Triple-A Charlotte in the beginning of the 2025 marketing campaign and wanted an April reset in Arizona? These struggles ultimately morphed into 21 dwelling runs and an .840 OPS over 71 massive league video games as soon as he arrived with the White Sox on July 4. Carrying that whole all through a 162-game marketing campaign brings the left-handed-hitting shortstop above 40. Montgomery’s numbers weren’t good, however he ought to solely enhance throughout his first full season, and his energy provide is actual. — Scott Merkin
Angels: Mike Trout bounces backThe greatest difficulty for Trout lately has been his well being, and he once more missed a month with a bone bruise in his left knee that relegated him to designated hitter obligation the remainder of the way in which, however in 2025 he additionally noticed a dip in his manufacturing. Trout batted simply .232 and hit 26 homers in 130 video games. However the three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star had a torrid end to the yr after fixing his mechanics and believes he’ll begin hitting like his outdated self once more in ’26. — Rhett Bollinger
Astros: Yordan Alvarez breaks the membership’s single-season dwelling run recordConsidering Alvarez’s highest dwelling run whole for a single season is 37 (set in 2022), making the leap to 48 homers could be an enormous leap (Corridor of Famer Jeff Bagwell set the membership file with 47 homers in 2000). The No. 1 difficulty shall be staying wholesome. Alvarez missed an enormous chunk of final season with a hand harm however completely crushed the ball upon his return in August. A freak ankle harm suffered Sept. 15 ended his season — and ostensibly the Astros’ playoff hopes — however he stays one of many elite hitters within the sport. A full season in the course of a deep Astros lineup may deliver a monster season for Alvarez. — Brian McTaggart
Athletics: Nick Kurtz wins the AL MVP awardIt received’t be straightforward in a league that options Aaron Decide, Cal Raleigh and José Ramírez, however Kurtz simply had a traditionally dominant AL Rookie of the 12 months marketing campaign, and he did it whereas reaching the massive leagues simply 283 days after he was drafted. He even obtained a number of down-ballot MVP votes, together with a fourth- and fifth-place vote. With the flexibility to make any park look small, Kurtz is trying the a part of a generational hitter, and a monster sophomore marketing campaign would put him sq. within the combine for the primary MVP by an A’s participant since Miguel Tejada in 2002. — Martín Gallegos
Mariners: They defend their division titleSeattle is banking on the ground of its 2026 season to be that it got here only one win shy of its first World Collection in franchise historical past and that nearly your complete roster is returning to make one other run. And on paper, that’s a powerful wager, particularly in an American League West that doesn’t home a real juggernaut and that the Mariners lastly received for the primary time since 2001. They need to rightfully be the favorites to defend their crown in 2026. — Daniel Kramer
Rangers: Wyatt Langford goes 30-30Langford going 40-40 could be too massive of a leap, however the 23-year-old hit 22 homers with 22 stolen bases in 134 video games in his second massive league season, although a trio of indirect accidents landed him on the injured checklist. Langford is already the Rangers’ second-best place participant behind Corey Seager and has numerous uncooked energy that has already translated on the massive league degree. If he improves his basestealing abilities just a bit bit and turns into much less hesitant in swiping baggage, he may simply hit 30/30. — Kennedi Landry
Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr. goes 40-40 againThere’s an expectation Acuña will run much less often to guard his two surgically repaired knees. So, as an alternative of predicting he’ll match the 40/70 season he had in 2023, we’ll decrease expectations and predict he’ll file what could be simply the seventh 40/40 season in AL/NL historical past. Acuña and Shohei Ohtani will each enter 2026 with an opportunity to turn into the primary participant to ever have a pair of 40-homer, 40-stolen base seasons. — Mark Bowman
Marlins: Sandy Alcantara throws 200 innings againAlcantara, who had a bumpy return from Tommy John surgical procedure, managed 174 2/3 innings in 31 begins regardless of being chased in a few of his early-season outings. He morphed again into workhorse kind by finishing at the least six frames in 16 of his closing 20 begins. Alcantara has topped 200 innings twice, however that milestone is changing into extra uncommon. Simply three Main Leaguers reached that mark in 2025, so the 30-year-old righty would have his work lower out for him. — Christina De Nicola
Mets: Francisco Alvarez will turn into a superstarIt’s put-up-or-shut-up time for Alvarez, who has endured a litany of setbacks since arriving on the scene again in 2022 as some of the extremely touted prospects in Mets historical past. Early in his profession, Alvarez merely wasn’t a refined offensive participant. These days, freak accidents have upended him, together with three hand and wrist surgical procedures in two years. However he’s wholesome now. He’s motivated. He completed final season with a .939 OPS over his closing 42 video games. And he’s nonetheless simply 24 years outdated. Given all the pieces he’s proven the Mets each on and off the sector, Alvarez ought to have each probability to ascend to the stardom many predicted for him 4 years in the past. — Anthony DiComo
Nationals: James Wooden enters the MVP discussionThe first half of Wooden’s first full season within the Main Leagues earned him an All-Star nod: .278/.381/.534 with a .915 OPS, 24 homers, 69 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 95 video games. Wooden struggled to keep up that consistency in 62 second-half video games, together with a .223 batting common and simply 4 dwelling runs in July and August mixed. Nonetheless, Wooden was the one participant in 2025 with at the least 30 homers, 38 doubles and 15 stolen bases. Wooden was not happy together with his yr as an entire, and he’s poised to make much more headlines in his age-23 season. — Jessica Camerato
Phillies: Bryce Harper finishes within the prime three for NL MVPHarper didn’t have the season everyone anticipated him to have in 2025, which even had Dave Dombrowski questioning if Harper can return to an elite degree of play in 2026. Harper is the kind of man to show a problem right into a motivator. We predict Harper comes into camp as motivated as ever, trying to remind everyone in baseball that he stays one of many sport’s finest gamers and he’s a future first-ballot Corridor of Famer. — Todd Zolecki
Brewers: Brice Turang could have a 30-30 seasonTurang’s trajectory since breaking into the Majors in 2023 is a straight line up. His dwelling run whole has gone from six to seven to 18. He’s pushed his OPS from .585 to .665 to .794. His OPS+ has gone from 61 to 86 to 121. And, after being voted membership MVP in 2025, he’ll have the added confidence increase of taking part in alongside America’s prime expertise within the 2026 World Baseball Basic. Turang’s steals slipped from 50 in 2024 to 24 in 2025 as he batted extra in the course of the order, however improved baserunning is on the Brewers’ to-do checklist for subsequent season, and Turang is an effective wager to capitalize. — Adam McCalvy
Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore shall be a 15-game winner and turn into the workers aceFinally, in the end, Liberatore has an outlined function on the Cardinals’ workers and is spending his winter getting ready to be the crew’s ace following the commerce of Sonny Grey. The 6-foot-4 lefty, who was the No. 16 total decide in 2018, has the form of stuff and mentality of a go-to pitcher, and now the correct alternative will come. In 2025, the Cardinals didn’t make him a full-time starter till the ultimate days of Spring Coaching, and he nonetheless went out and pitched a career-most 151 2/3 innings over 29 begins. If he can keep wholesome and robust, Liberatore — the probably Opening Day starter — may push for 180 innings and 15 wins in 2026. — John Denton
Cubs: Shota Imanaga has a powerful comeback seasonThe ending to Imanaga’s 2025 marketing campaign made his breakout rookie efficiency one yr earlier really feel like a distant reminiscence. He allowed 20 homers in his closing dozen regular-season outings. And by the point the Cubs reached the playoffs, supervisor Craig Counsell was extraordinarily cautious with when and the right way to use the lefty. The truth was {that a} hamstring harm early within the season had lingering results deep into the summer season and fall. Imanaga agreed to return through a one-year qualifying supply and by all accounts could be very motivated to get again to his ‘24 kind, when he was an All-Star and a Cy Younger contender. — Jordan Bastian
Pirates: Paul Skenes turns into the primary Pirate to win a number of Cy YoungsMaybe that is too secure a decide, however I don’t suppose individuals absolutely notice how massive a step Skenes took final yr. He threw 25 extra aggressive innings, he noticed pitches just like the sinker and changeup enhance over the course of the season and he pitched by way of your complete season for the primary time. Now that he’s taken a step ahead, he could possibly be even higher in 2026, even when that’s arduous to imagine. He turned the third Pirate to ever win a Cy Younger this yr, becoming a member of Vern Regulation and Doug Drabek, and he could possibly be the primary Pirate to earn the award once more. — Alex Stumpf
Reds: Elly De La Cruz shall be a 30-30 hitterWith 18 dwelling runs within the first half of 2025, De La Cruz appeared poised to simply smash the 30-30 plateau. Then he hit solely 4 homers after the All-Star break whereas stealing 37 bases total. He was taking part in by way of a left quad harm and displaying fatigue generally from taking part in all 162 video games. Throughout the Winter Conferences, supervisor Terry Francona mentioned he deliberate to present his two-time All-Star extra days off to maintain him more energizing. And that could possibly be all De La Cruz must be the primary 30-30 hitter for Cincinnati since Brandon Phillips in 2007. — Mark Sheldon
D-backs: Arizona will return to the postseasonThe D-backs made a shock run to the World Collection in 2023, and regardless of successful 5 extra video games in 2024, they had been dwelling in October after shedding a three-way tiebreaker with the Braves and Mets. Final yr, sloppy play early within the season and accidents to key members of the pitching workers saved them as soon as once more from taking part in in October. In 2026, although, the Diamondbacks will discover a method to break by way of and play postseason baseball as soon as once more. — Steve Gilbert
Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani wins a fifth MVPHe cannot hold doing this without end, but when Ohtani continues to be elite as each a hitter and a pitcher, it is arduous to make a case in opposition to his standing as arguably probably the most worthwhile participant in baseball, interval. Coming off back-to-back 50-homer seasons and a profitable return to the mound, Ohtani is not displaying many indicators of slowing down. For the primary time as a Dodger, he will not should rehab from surgical procedure in the course of the offseason as he prepares for 2026. A fifth MVP Award would deliver him a step nearer to tying Barry Bonds’ all-time file of seven. — Sonja Chen
Giants: Logan Webb wins the NL Cy Younger AwardWebb has earned Cy Younger votes in 4 consecutive seasons and completed as excessive as second in 2023, so he could possibly be poised to take one other step ahead and at last snag the coveted prize subsequent yr. Dethroning Skenes, the reigning Cy Younger winner, received’t be straightforward, however Webb is at all times discovering methods to get higher and shall be motivated to solidify his standing as one of many premier beginning pitchers within the sport. — Maria Guardado
Padres: San Diego fields the very best bullpen in baseballThe Padres made baseball historical past in 2025, with the primary bullpen to ship three relievers to an All-Star Recreation. In ’26, it’ll be even higher. That’s true, despite the fact that they misplaced Robert Suarez in free company. They get a full yr of Mason Miller, the apparent substitute within the nearer function. Adrian Morejon is arguably the game’s prime lefty reduction weapon. Throw in Jeremiah Estrada and Jason Adam, and the again finish of the San Diego ‘pen could possibly be as dominant as any in current reminiscence (to not point out the intense depth and flexibility within the center innings as properly). — AJ Cassavell
Rockies: The Rockies shall be differentAnything totally different from the 43-119 file final season shall be welcome, however nobody of their proper thoughts will count on a complete turnaround. However a franchise that had turn into stagnant since going to the postseason in 2017 and 2018 has embraced change. A complete turnover of the Main League pitching management features a pitching coach who was concerned in calling pitches from the dugout final yr: Alon Leichman from the Marlins. Instructing and planning guarantees to be extra superior, and supervisor Warren Schaeffer plans to deliver an lively mindset. — Thomas Harding
