Editors Michael Bradburn, Bryan Mcwilliam, Tom Ruminski, Simon Sharkey-Gotlieb, and Brandon Wile make their predictions for the 2026 season.
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Postseason | Awards
Why the Blue Jays will repeat as AL East champs: The Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, or Orioles could all conceivably win the toughest division in baseball. However, Toronto feels like the most complete team after falling just short in the World Series. The club's pitching is deep, even with Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and José Berríos out to start the season. Defensively, the club has been one of the best in baseball for years, and that doesn't look like it'll change with Andrés Giménez taking over at shortstop. Lastly, the balanced lineup is built on contact with limited strikeouts. - Ruminski
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Why the Royals will win the AL Central: First and foremost, this is the AL Central - it's very winnable. The Royals might not necessarily be the favorites for a World Series run this year, but they have quietly put together a team capable of claiming the division. It all starts with Bobby Witt Jr., who could very well be the AL MVP in six months. Add in World Baseball Classic breakout stars Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino on the infield, captain Salvador Perez sharing time with youngster Carter Jensen behind the plate, and an underrated rotation headlined by Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic, and you have the ingredients for success. - Sharkey-Gotlieb
Why the Mariners will win the AL West: If the Mariners repeat as division champs, it won't be because Cal Raleigh hit 60 homers again. It'll be because of their stacked starting pitching. After the All-Star break, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, and George Kirby all ranked in the top 10 among qualified starters for lowest contact rate on pitches in the strike zone. If they can stay healthy, all four could get Cy Young consideration this year. No other team in the West has the pitching, position-player talent, or depth that Seattle does. - Bradburn
Why the Mets will win the NL East: David Stearns reshaped the Mets after a disastrous campaign, attacking last season's weaknesses by bringing in decorated veterans and improving the team's pitching. With Freddy Peralta anchoring the rotation and a full year from Nolan McLean, New York's rotation should be significantly better in 2026. The lineup also looks strong with Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Bo Bichette hitting one through three and setting the table for offseason acquisitions Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and Marcus Semien. - Mcwilliam
Why the Brewers will win the NL Central: A solid, tight-knit group that exceeded expectations last year, the Brewers just find ways to come out on top in a weak division. Jackson Chourio is poised to break out as the franchise face, and he's helped offensively by former MVP Christian Yelich and two-time All-Star William Contreras. And despite trading Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee still has enough pitching in both the rotation and bullpen to compete. While the Brewers might not win 97 games again, they have all the pieces to emerge from a dogfight as kings of the NL Central. - Sharkey-Gotlieb
Why no one will dethrone the Dodgers: Los Angeles appeared to show some vulnerability last season and still managed to win its division by three games. Even as the core ages, there's still an outrageous amount of talent. Meanwhile, the Padres are expected to take a step back, and although the D-Backs and Giants have improved, they're not likely to make up a 10-plus-game deficit year over year. - Wile
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Postseason
Why the Tigers will win the World Series: Giants and Tigers? Oh my. This pick may feel like a bit of a stretch, but we're also not that far removed from a Rangers-Diamondbacks World Series. Hell, even the Blue Jays were several inches away from a shock title just months ago. If there's a sport in which we can get maximum randomness, it's baseball. However, the Tigers going all the way isn't such a crazy proposition. They have all the necessary tools to do it: a strong pitching staff, a solid core of position players, exciting young prospects, and a manager who has won before. Detroit is positioned as well as any team in the AL to make a deep postseason run, and the organization should be motivated to really go for it at the deadline in what could be Tarik Skubal's final year in Motor City. - Wile
Awards
Why Guerrero will win AL MVP: The answer is pretty simple. Guerrero is going to be the best player on the best team in the AL. Although the Blue Jays first baseman has produced some huge seasons before, he's struggled to maintain consistency at an elite level. But it feels like Guerrero has finally arrived as a superstar after his memorable WBC performance following a historic showing in last year's playoffs. The 27-year-old has become an incredibly patient hitter, walking almost as much as he's struck out over the last few years. He's the undisputed leader in Toronto with Bo Bichette gone and should be motivated after coming agonizingly close to winning a World Series. - Ruminski
Why Acuña could dethrone Ohtani: It's going to take every player's best season, and a little bit of luck, for someone to snap Ohtani's three-year MVP run (two in the NL and one in the AL), especially with the star set to pitch a full season again. Acuña enters 2026 fully healthy and looking like his 2023 MVP self. While he might not be the 70-stolen-base threat anymore, he's still fully in his prime and can change a game in so many different ways. If Acuña can stay on the field, we'll get a real MVP race. - Wile
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Why Crochet will win AL Cy Young: If anyone is going to unseat Skubal for the AL Cy Young, it'll be last season's runner-up. The Red Sox ace is coming off a year in which he won 18 games while leading the league in innings pitched and strikeouts. Crochet's Baseball Savant page is a sea of red just like Skubal's, but Steamer projects him to be a better strikeout pitcher and more efficient at inducing ground balls than the Tigers ace in 2026. Crochet also won't have the same pressure of pitching in a contract year next season like Skubal does. - Mcwilliam
Why Yamamoto will win NL Cy Young: In 2025, with a year of MLB experience under his belt, Yamamoto rediscovered the form that made him a superstar in Japan and earned him a record contract with the Dodgers. He finished third in NL Cy Young voting and also won World Series MVP. That historic postseason performance will ultimately serve as a table-setter for the dominance to come. With due respect to Skenes, Skubal, and many others, Yamamoto is the best pitcher in the world. - Sharkey-Gotlieb
Why AL ROY race will be the best in years: No award appears as wide open as this one, with all five of our editors picking different winners. The American League's talent pool is even deeper this year, with the additions of Japanese stars Murakami, Okamoto, and Imai. Basallo, Tolle, Jensen, and Yesavage all got a brief taste of the majors last season, while McGonigle is MLB Pipeline's top AL prospect. And then there's always a wild card who comes out of nowhere. Whoever wins the award this year will have seriously earned it. - Wile
Why McLean will win NL ROY: McLean is the most polished rookie among NL freshmen. He posted a 2.06 ERA with 10.7 K/9 en route to authoring a 1.2 fWAR in just eight starts following his debut in mid-August. The 24-year-old had an up-and-down WBC, but the right-hander's inclusion in Team USA's rotation shows just how highly his peers think of him. McLean will also be counted on to pitch some big innings for a Mets team that should be fighting for an NL East title all season, which will only help his case for Rookie of the Year. - Ruminski
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