Thanksgiving is nearly here. Traditionally associated with football, the holiday again features a few enticing matchups on the gridiron, but for baseball-loving families that haven't had the chance to get together since the World Series thrillingly concluded over three weeks ago, this will be the first chance to gather in person and rehash the unbelievable Fall Classic that we all were fortunate enough to witness.
The seven-game all-timer that the Dodgers and Blue Jays put on was exactly what baseball needed to reclaim a bit of the sports spotlight and carry momentum into the offseason. Next season is still months away, but with big-name free agents available and trades already happening, that momentum shows no sign of slowing.
In the spirit of the season, we here at FanSided thought we'd take a look at what each contending team is thankful for as Hot Stove season begins. Using DraftKings' 2026 World Series odds, we've listed the top 10 teams in order, so grab a plate of turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes and get comfortable. Fans of 2025 playoff participants the Guardians, Tigers, Padres and Cubs, you can be thankful that apparently the gambling community doesn't believe in you, so at least you can sneak up on teams next year.
The Dodgers are thankful for the Land of the Rising Sun
The Dodgers are the preeminent franchise in North American sports right now. They're fresh off becoming the first repeat World Series champions since the Yankees pulled off a three-peat at the turn of the century, and they've done it through many avenues.
L.A. has an ownership group that's willing to spend on talent and invest in infrastructure. They have a manager in Dave Roberts who is one of the most respected in the game. They also have a pipeline to Japan that has turned the league on its head.
If Shohei Ohtani isn't already the greatest baseball player in history, he will be one day. The two-way sensation just won his fourth MVP award, but it was his countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto who stole the show by winning World Series MVP behind one of the most impressive start-to-finish pitching performances we've seen this century. Rookie Roki Sasaki also came over this year with much fanfare, and though he missed a large chunk of the regular season on the injured list, he reinvented himself as a closer late in the year and made a significant contribution in the postseason.
The Dodgers would be an outstanding team regardless, but their monopoly on the top Japanese talent has them as prohibitive favorites for the foreseeable future.
The Yankees are thankful for their MVP
Yankees fans of a certain age came to expect championships as a regular occurrence, but the team hasn't been able to plan a parade since 2009. That's an incredible drought for the most successful team in history, and it's led to constant gripes from the fanbase about ownership, general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone.
One thing fans of the Bronx Bombers can't complain about is Aaron Judge, who's doing all he can to restore the franchise to its former glory. Judge is the best and most feared hitter in the game, not only for blasting over 50 homers for the fourth time in his career, but for taking home his first batting title with a career-best .331 average.
Even more than Ohtani, Judge is the one player in the league that other teams need to pitch around. He's led the league in walks, slugging and total bases in three of the past four seasons, collecting three MVPs along the way.
The Yankees have made moves to improve the team around him, such as by signing Max Fried to a long-term deal last winter, but as long as they have Judge, they'll always be in the race for their 28th World Series title.
The Phillies are thankful for old-school starting pitching
The Phillies won their second straight NL East title this year, and they did it on the back of the league's best top-to-bottom rotation. Philly's starters pitched over 41 more innings and struck out 98 more batters than the next-closest team, doing their part to fight against the seemingly unstoppable trend of starters leaving games early.
It didn't matter what day of the week you faced Rob Thomson's team, the Phils always had a quality arm to send to the mound. From longtime staff ace Zack Wheeler and NL Cy Young second-place finisher Cristopher Sanchez down to Jesus Luzardo and Ranger Suarez, Philly was able to jump out to many an early lead.
Wheeler is currently recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, but he's expected back early in the season, with an outside shot at Opening Day. The rest of the rotation will return, too, with the possible exception of Suarez, who is currently a free agent. Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto also need to be re-signed, so it's too early to tell if Suarez will be back. Either way, once Wheeler returns, the Phillies should again have one of the best rotations in the game as they take aim at their fourth straight 90-win season.
The Mariners are thankful for the Big Dumper
The Mariners have a lot to be thankful for after one of the best seasons in franchise history, including but not limited to a killer pitching staff, some of the best fans in baseball and the many talents of Julio Rodriguez. At the top of the list though has to be Cal Raleigh, who took baseball by storm this year on his way to leading the league in homers and winning the Home Run Derby.
It's not easy to create a compelling MVP case when Aaron Judge is at the top of his game, but Raleigh did just that in setting the record for home runs by a catcher and a switch hitter (60). Though he fell just short in a hotly contested race, there was nothing to be ashamed in a truly historic season that ended with an AL West title, a Silver Slugger and the first Game 7 ALCS in franchise history.
Mariners fans, and baseball fans around the world, can't wait to see what Raleigh will do for an encore.
The Astros are thankful for a good run
The Astros have been the most consistent team in baseball over the past decade. The last time they finished below .500 was 2014, and they've had four seasons of over 100 wins and six seasons of at least 90 since then.
Tied with the Mariners for the fourth-best World Series odds, it's going to an uphill climb for Houston to reach those lofty projections. Ace Framber Valdez is believed to be going elsewhere in free agency, and the recent money-saving trade that sent Mauricio Dubon to Atlanta may be a sign that ownership isn't willing to spend as extravagantly as other top contenders.
With the Mariners ascending and the Astros missing out on the postseason for the first time since 2016, it has to be asked if Joe Espada's club is this high on the list due to name recognition alone. There are reasons for optimism, such as rookie right fielder Cam Smith and recently-named Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year James Hicks, but there are even more reasons for skepticism.
The Astros had a tremendous run, and whether it's coming to an end or not, their fans have to be thankful for a decade of success that most teams only dream of. They won two World Series titles, made it to two more, and have been the standard-bearer for the American League this whole time.
The Mets are thankful for motivation
Mets fans had less and less to be thankful for as last season marched on towards what was, in retrospect, an inevitably disappointing conclusion. New York's starting pitching was in tatters in the second half, and the unexplainable magic that carried the team to the NLCS the year before just as quickly evaporated, as instead of thrilling comebacks and walk-off wins, the Mets were on the wrong end time and time again.
Mets fans have to be thankful for the deep pockets of owner Steve Cohen, and for his willingness to spend so freely. Juan Soto had an extraordinary year in his first season in blue and orange, and he's locked up until the end of time. There's no doubt that Cohen will break the bank this offseason to give Soto more help, and that, combined with David Stearns' vision for the team, should result in sweeping changes.
The Mets are motivated after face-planting so hard last year, and we've already seen them shake things up by trading fan favorite Brandon Nimmo for Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien. That should be the first of many moves a fans wait to see whether Pete Alonso is brought back, and how the team builds a rotation around its young trio of Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat.
Failure can be the best learning tool, and the Mets will use the lessons of 2025 to ensure that such a disappointment doesn't happen again. It didn't feel like it as the division title and then the Wild Card slipped away, but one day Mets fans will be thankful for the kick in the butt coming up short provided.
The Braves are thankful for a fresh start
When the Braves got off to an 0-7 start to the 2025 season, the writing was on the wall that their streak of seven straight playoff appearances was about to end. Though they did fight back to get to 24-23 by May 18, that was the only day all year that they spent on the right side of .500.
Many of Atlanta's best players spent significant time out of uniform, which really put them behind the 8-ball in an NL East race that they never really took part in. Jurickson Profar served an 80-game suspension after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Ronald Acuña Jr. missed the start of the year as he recovered from his second ACL tear, then sat for two weeks in August with a calf strain. Spencer Strider made just one start in his return from Tommy John surgery, then immediately went down for over a month with a strained hamstring. Austin Riley and Sean Murphy missed 126 games combined.
The Braves need to forget that 2025 ever happened, so they'll be thankful for a fresh start in 2026 with the hope that their best players are able to stay on the field, Acuña is able to get back to his MVP form, and Strider can combine with Chris Sale to form the league's best 1-2 starting punch. Alex Anthopolous has already hit the ground running by re-signing Raisel Iglesias and trading for Mauricio Dubon, and he's certainly not going to stop there.
The Red Sox are thankful for a bright future
While their nemesis the Yankees continue to double-down on fielding one of the oldest teams in the league, the Red Sox are going all-in on a youth movement. Led by generational prospect Roman Anthony, the Sox kids made their mark last year as one by one they were called up.
Boston was five games under .500 in early June, but that wave of youthful enthusiasm carried them to 89 wins and their first playoff appearance in four years. It really looks like it won't be the last.
Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell are all expected to be 2026 Opening Day starters, while Ceddane Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu feel like grizzled veterans at 25 and 26, respectively. Garrett Crochet was neck and neck with Tarik Skubal in the AL Cy Young race, and with Craig Breslow trading for Sonny Gray on Tuesday, it's clear that the front office thinks their young core is ready to win right now.
The Blue Jays are thankful for validation
Until this year's World Series run, the Blue Jays were known more in recent years for coming up short, both on and off the field. They'd lost 10 of their past 11 playoff games dating back to 2016. And they've frequently been mentioned as one of the top destinations of any number of sought-after free agents, only to continually miss out as those players signed with other teams.
The vibes were immaculate as Toronto came within a single run of winning its first World Series since 1992, so maybe the team will have better luck attracting outside talent going forward. Max Scherzer has been pitching in the majors for 18 years, and he credited this team with reinvigorating his love for the game. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left no doubt that he's a transcendent superstar, while late-season rookie call-up Trey Yesavage looked like someone who could anchor the pitching staff for the next decade. Shane Bieber came over at the trade deadline, and he liked it so much that he surprised everyone by exercising the player option in the final year of his contract.
The Blue Jays are for real. They won the AL East and knocked the Yankees out of the playoffs, and whether they keep Bo Bichette, sign Kyle Tucker, or none of the above this offseason, they'll again be a major factor in next year's pennant race. Every team in the league will now have to take them seriously.
The Brewers are thankful for organizational competence
The Brewers finished with the best record in baseball last year and reached the NLCS, and I'll bet most casual fans couldn't name more than two or three players on their roster. This is a team that knows how to manage being in a small market. They have no MVP-level superstars, no Cy Young contenders at the top of their rotation, and no matter who comes and goes, they just keep right on trucking past more expensive and more highly-regarded teams.
Milwaukee finished second in the National League in hits and first in steals. Two years ago they lost Craig Counsell to the rival Cubs and former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes to the Orioles. No matter, they just went out and won the division again in 2024. After they had their hearts broken by Pete Alonso and the Mets in the playoffs that year, they saw Willy Adames leave in free agency and traded Devin Williams to the Yankees. So what? They somehow got even better.
Having the 10th-best World Series odds after what the Brewers just did is a slap in the face, but they're used to it. Count them out at your own risk, though. This is a team that doesn't beat itself and plays a winning brand of baseball year in and year out. Even in the only season in which they missed the playoffs in the past seven years, they still won 86 games.
The Brewers will get overlooked like they always are because they don't have big names, but don't be surprised if they're playing deep into October again because they're run so well.