MLB Opening Day is less than a week away, making now a perfect time to make predictions. From super teams to super prospects to a looming lockout, there's every reason to believe these storylines will dominate the headlines throughout the 2026 MLB season.
Are the Dodgers beatable?
The back-to-back World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers would've been favorites to three-peat if they did nothing this offseason. Instead of sitting on their hands, though, they signed both Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz to record-setting deals, improving their biggest weaknesses from the 2025 season in the best way possible. A team as good as the Dodgers adding players as good as Tucker and Diaz has a sort of "breaking baseball" feel, in the eyes of some.
I don't blame those who think that way. It's extremely rare for a team coming off back-to-back World Series titles to have the kind of offseason Los Angeles did, and, when healthy, the Dodgers' roster is nothing short of absurd. An argument can be made that if everything clicks, they have the best lineup, rotation and even bullpen in the sport. That's not normal.
Normally in MLB, any team is beatable. I mean, even last year's Dodgers team was the No. 3 seed in the National League and was two outs away from losing in the World Series. Had a couple of things broken the Philadelphia Phillies' way in the NLDS, they might've lost then, too. This season, though, with Tucker and Diaz added onto an existing super team, it'll be interesting to see how the Dodgers do. 115 wins and an easy postseason run is possible, but so is another 90-win campaign and a tough trek in October.
Will Tony Vitello be a trend-setter or a teachable moment?
The San Francisco Giants took a major risk this offseason, becoming the first team to hire a collegiate coach with no professional coaching experience, Tony Vitello, to be their manager. Vitello had an impressive run at the University of Tennessee, and has help on his big league staff from ex-managers like infield coach Ron Washington and bench coach Jayce Tingler, but the jump from college baseball to MLB with no in-between cannot be overstated.
There's a chance this move ages wonderfully. Perhaps Vitello finds a way to get the most out of a Giants team that has a good amount of talent, but there's also a chance that he'll have a harder time getting professionals to buy in.
If this move goes as the Giants hope, it's possible, if not likely, that we'll see other teams follow suit. If it backfires, Vitello might be the only college head coach hired to manage a MLB team without professional experience for quite some time.
Who will win AL East bloodbath?
The American League East is almost always one of MLB's most competitive divisions, but it feels as complete as ever this season. I honestly think there's a chance that all five teams can finish at or above .500 and that four of the five teams (sorry, Rays) can win the division.
Case for the Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays won the AL East and made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series in 2025. They then signed Dylan Cease, putting together one of the league's best rotations in the process. They lost Bo Bichette, which can come back to haunt them, but they put the ball in play, are outstanding defensively, improved their bullpen with the Tyler Rogers addition, and still have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as the centerpiece. This team will be really good again and could easily get back to the Fall Classic.
Case for the Yankees
Sure, the New York Yankees ran it back, but since when was running back a 94-win team a bad thing? They only lost out on a division title and home-field advantage in the ALDS by virtue of a tiebreaker with Toronto. Aaron Judge is still Aaron Judge, the Yankees are going to get Gerrit Cole back sooner rather than later, and Cam Schlittler is in line for his first full MLB season. The offseason might've been boring, but the Yankees didn't exactly have to have an eventful winter to be in World Series contention.
Case for Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox won 89 games last season and will get a full year of Roman Anthony. If Anthony is the player everyone expects him to be, forgetting Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers will be a whole lot easier, and the Red Sox might surprise some people offensively. On the pitching side, Boston's rotation is as deep as anyone's, which helps immensely in a 162-game season. I don't know if they have the offensive firepower to win the World Series as constructed, but with the pitching they have, I expect them to be competitive in just about every regular season game they play, opening the door to them winning this incredibly challenging division.
Case for Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles were the only team of those listed that missed the postseason in 2025, but there's every reason to expect they'll get there in 2026. Guys like Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers and Gunnar Henderson are healthy. Samuel Basallo is going to be up in the majors for the whole year and could put up some bonkers power numbers. Oh yeah, they added impactful players this offseason like Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward and Chris Bassitt, too. Their rotation is improved, and their lineup should be much better.
I have no idea which team will win the AL East, but whichever does come out on top is probably going to be the favorites to represent the American League in the World Series.
Will Mets win roster overhaul?
To say the New York Mets overhauled their roster this offseason would be an understatement. They let key cogs like Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz and Jeff McNeil walk this offseason. All four of those players had been with the organization since 2019 at least, and all four of them had many memorable moments in Queens.
The Mets replaced these players with additions headlined by Freddy Peralta, Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr. and Marcus Semien. The Mets might've lost a bit of offensive firepower, but they greatly improved their run prevention by bolstering their rotation and defense.
There are several ways this overhaul can go. The ex-Mets may thrive in their new homes while the newcomers struggle adjusting to New York City. The inverse could easily happen as well. On paper, the new-look Mets look quite good. Whether that's the case on the field, though, remains to be seen.
Can anyone dethrone the MVP favorites?
There's no disputing that Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are the two best players in the world right now, and the MVP races show just that. Both Ohtani and Judge have won back-to-back NL and AL MVP awards, respectively. Ohtani has won three MVPs in a row and taken the hardware home in four of the last five years overall, while Judge has been the AL MVP in three of the last four years. To show how insane their run of dominance has been, nobody has won an AL MVP award not named Judge or Ohtani since Jose Abreu did so in the shortened 2020 season.
Judge and Ohtani are clear favorites to three-peat for obvious reasons. Judge has shown no signs of slowing down offensively, while Ohtani is primed to maintain his elite offensive production while pitching more than he has in quite some time. While they're favored, nothing is set in stone in March. These players have the best shot of pulling it off.
Players with best chance of stealing AL MVP from Aaron Judge
Bobby Witt Jr.
Bobby Witt Jr. is probably the best player in the league not named Ohtani or Judge. He's a complete five-tool player who could easily lead the league in WAR. Judge will almost certainly out-homer him, but what if Witt hits something like .330 with 35+ home runs, 90+ RBI, 40+ stolen bases and 9+ WAR? Witt is capable of that and then some. He's already been an MVP runner-up to Judge, and could win it this year.
Cal Raleigh
I, and many others, are skeptical when it comes to Cal Raleigh's chances of hitting 60+ home runs again, but what if he does do that? Raleigh will never hit for a particularly high average, but he has immense power, gets on base, is elite defensively and plays for a Seattle Mariners team that should win lots of games. Raleigh came pretty close to winning it in 2025, and if he has a repeat of that year, he could easily flip the script in 2026.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Anyone capable of dethroning Judge must either do something extraordinary or put up truly absurd numbers. Guerrero can't steal 40+ bases like Witt or hit 60+ home runs as a catcher, but he is capable of hitting well over .300, hitting 40+ home runs, and driving in 100+ runs. That's an MVP-caliber line in most years. Like Witt and Raleigh, Guerrero has been an MVP runner-up before, and based on what we saw in the 2025 postseason, has the ability to turn it on for a sustained period of time.
Players with best chance of stealing NL MVP from Shohei Ohtani
Juan Soto
Juan Soto has made it clear that his goal is to win his first-ever MVP this season, and doing so would be far from shocking. From a pure hitter standpoint, Soto is as good as it gets. He gets on base at an absurd level, has 40+ home run power, and even led the NL with 38 stolen bases in 2025. He got off to a miserable start in 2025, yet was an MVP finalist. Assuming he gets off to a better start in 2026 and can continue to steal bases even without Antoan Richardson, who knows the kind of numbers Soto is capable of putting up?
Ronald Acuña Jr.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is as electrifying as it gets when healthy. In 2023, his last fully healthy season, he won the NL MVP award, hitting .337, launching 41 home runs and stealing a whopping 73 bases. I don't know if Acuña will ever steal 70 bases again, considering he's had a pair of ACL tears, but if he's able to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases, he'll be in the mix. It ultimately comes down to health.
Paul Skenes
It's very hard for pitchers to win the MVP award, but it can be done, and who has a better shot of winning one than Paul Skenes, arguably the best pitcher in the world right now? Skenes just won the NL Cy Young award in his first full MLB season by posting a 1.97 ERA and finished sixth in the MVP balloting. It's a rather large jump to go from sixth to first, especially when Skenes would likely need another sub-2.00 ERA season to pull it off, but with that guy, never say never.
Can Konnor Griffin lead the Pirates back to glory?
Speaking of the Pittsburgh Pirates, where they go might ultimately be up to Konnor Griffin, MLB's No. 1 prospect. Skenes is undoubtedly their best player, but he'll only make 32 starts in a best-case scenario. The Pirates will need others to step up if they want to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2015, and Griffin might have to be that guy. Unfair? Yes. That doesn't mean it isn't the case.
No disrespect to the likes of Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn and Marcell Ozuna, but if this Pirates offense is going to be substantially improved from where it's been in years past, it's likely going to be because of Griffin, a player with an impossibly high ceiling. If he hits the ground running, the Pirates' odds of making the playoffs would soar. If he struggles, I'm not sure they have the offensive firepower to get it done.
Knowing how important Griffin is to their short-term and long-term success, the decision to send him down to Triple-A to begin the season was an interesting one.
Will there be a lockout?
The worst-kept secret in baseball is that MLB's CBA expires on December 1. If no new deal is agreed upon before that date, the owners will almost certainly lock the players out. Odds are, that's going to happen with MLB owners and the MLB Players Association at odds.
MLB owners have made it clear that they want a salary cap and are willing to lock the players out if necessary. MLB players have made it clear that they'll never accept any CBA proposal with a salary cap and are willing to miss games if need be. This is just one negotiating point. The two sides will begin to talk sometime during the season, and how those negotiations go could be crucial regarding whether there will, indeed, be a lockout.
We likely won't have a resolution until the offseason, but a dominant Dodgers season that results in another World Series could only add to the lockout probability. A lockout is the last thing this sport needs, especially after a thrilling World Series and WBC, but sometimes, MLB just can't seem to get out of its own way.
How will star pitchers look coming off major injuries?
It feels like injuries, particularly to starting pitchers, are on the rise. An underrated storyline will be seeing how the pitchers who missed most, if not all of 2025, will look in 2026.
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
Gerrit Cole missed all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John Surgery, and he'll begin this season on the IL, but he also made a spring training appearance, boasting impressive stuff in an inning of work. Cole was one of the league's best starters when last seen. If he's even remotely as good as he was pre-injury, watch out for the Yankees.
Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
Zack Wheeler was admittedly available for most of the 2025 season, but he's on this list because of the injury he's coming back from. Historically, pitchers who have had thoracic outlet syndrome, notably Matt Harvey and Stephen Strasburg, have had a tough time recovering from said procedure. He's expected to be back sometime early in the season, and it should be fascinating to see how he does.
Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates
It was easy to overlook Jared Jones in 2024 since fellow rookie teammate, Paul Skenes, stole the show, but Jones looked like one of the most promising rookie starters in the league for much of that season. Internal Brace Surgery knocked him out for all of 2025, and he'll begin 2026 on the 60-day IL, but he's expected back sometime after the first two months. If Jones looks like Jones, an already formidable Pirates' rotation would look that much better.
Justin Steele, Chicago Cubs
Justin Steele made just four starts in 2025 before suffering what turned out to be a season-ending elbow injury. He'll miss the beginning of the regular season while continuing to come back from the injury, but he should be back sooner rather than later, and the Chicago Cubs need him to step up. While they spent a lot of money on Alex Bregman, their big starting pitching addition was Edward Cabrera, who has injury questions of his own and has been inconsistent throughout his career. There's a good chance the Cubs will need Steele to lead the staff right away, so it'll be interesting to see how he looks.
Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays
Shane McClanahan had established himself as one of the best starting pitchers in the American League before seeing his 2023 season end after just 21 starts. McClanahan underwent Tommy John Surgery and hasn't been seen in a regular season game since. He missed all of 2024 recovering from the procedure and missed all of 2025 with a triceps injury. He's fully healthy now, though, but how will his stuff look? He could be a sneaky Cy Young pick if he looks like the McClanahan of old.
Can Alex Bregman put the Cubs over the top?
For once, the Chicago Cubs were aggressive this offseason, trading top prospect Owen Caissie in a deal that brought Edward Cabrera to the Windy City, and perhaps most notably, spending nine figures on Alex Bregman. That's right - the Cubs actually spent like a big market team, inking Bregman to a five-year, $175 million deal. A large chunk of that contract is deferred, but this was still one of the biggest investments made in Cubs franchise history. Will it bring them the results they hope for, though?
I have some questions here. Is Bregman, a hitter who has thrived pulling the ball in the air throughout his career, really the right fit at Wrigley Field? Is Bregman, a 31-year-old who, prior to last season, was clearly in decline, going to be productive throughout the next five years? Is Bregman's leadership enough to brush aside the fact that the Cubs let an MVP-caliber bat in Kyle Tucker walk?
I'm happy the Cubs spent money, and the Bregman fit can be a good one. I even think they're the favorites to win the NL Central right now. I do wonder if he's the piece to put them over the top, though, especially since, again, he's essentially replacing Tucker. The Cubs did not score enough runs down the stretch or in the postseason, even with Tucker (who, admittedly, was far from 100 percent in his own right). Perhaps that'll change with Bregman. We'll have to wait and see.
Does Tarik Skubal stay or go?
All eyes are on Tarik Skubal entering the 2026 season. Not only is he trying to win a third straight AL Cy Young award, fresh off a record-setting victory in arbitration, but this is his final year of club control with the Detroit Tigers. The southpaw will be a free agent after the year, and with Scott Boras as his agent, no, there's no chance he'll sign an extension to change that, barring something truly outrageous.
Knowing that Skubal is going to be a free agent after the year, what're the Tigers going to do with him? He was in trade rumors all winter, but wound up staying put. The Tigers then signed Framber Valdez, so they intend to compete, but what if they're out of the playoff race by the trade deadline? Would they consider trading him, all but ensuring he won't sign with the team as a free agent? Would they keep him, risking losing him for nothing more than a draft pick?
I do not envy the position Scott Harris is in. On one hand, it's really hard to trade a player of Skubal's caliber, especially when this team is favored to win the AL Central. On the other hand, losing Skubal as a free agent for nothing more than a compensation pick would be detrimental. It feels like there's no right answer other than an extension, which, again, is so unlikely.
It goes without saying that whether Skubal stays or goes, the MLB landscape will be impacted, making his future so fascinating.