The 2026 MLB regular season is actually here! It all starts with the MLB Opening Night game between the Yankees and Giants on Netflix at 8:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday. That leads directly into Opening Day on Thursday.
That means you only have a handful of hours left to make some 2026 predictions. Fifty-seven MLB.com staff members have been using their prognostication powers this week by forecasting this year's stats leaders and award winners.
They were also asked to choose the season's division winners, Wild Cards, league champions and World Series winner. You can find each of those below.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AL EAST: BLUE JAYS
AL East baseball will not be for the faint of heart this year; it has the look of the most competitive division in the Majors. But ultimately, our voters expect Toronto to hang on to its division crown following its worst-to-first turnaround in 2025. The Blue Jays were oh-so-close to capturing a World Series title last year, but instead of wallowing in what could have been, they went out this winter and added marquee free agents such as right-handed ace Dylan Cease and Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto.
Replacing Bo Bichette won't be easy, and the Blue Jays' rotation will be shorthanded on Opening Day as Trey Yesavage, José Berríos and Shane Bieber will all open the year on the injured list. But when it's at full strength, Toronto should have one of the best and deepest staffs in the league. Even with those losses, Toronto is flush with talent and a picture of stability in MLB. An AL East title would make them back-to-back division champions for the first time since 1991-93.
Others receiving votes: Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles
AL CENTRAL: TIGERS
The 2025 season was still a pretty successful one for the Tigers, even after they squandered a 6 1/2-game lead in the AL Central over the regular season's final two weeks and limped into the playoffs as a Wild Card. They rebounded in the postseason to eliminate the division-winning Guardians and came within one win of the ALCS.
Defending two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is obviously the star of the show, but the addition of Framber Valdez and the feel-good return of Justin Verlander give Detroit arguably its strongest rotation since 2014, when it last claimed the Central.
Detroit's offense is largely unchanged from last season, but there is one name to remember: Kevin McGonigle. The No. 2 prospect in MLB, McGonigle owns a .308/.410/.512 slash line through 183 Minor League games and is set to be on the Opening Day roster. He could provide a huge upgrade at shortstop, a position where Detroit logged a .288 on-base percentage and an 89 wRC+ last year.
Others receiving votes: Royals
AL WEST: MARINERS
Is it finally Seattle's time? The Mariners were nine outs away from their first pennant last season before everything went awry in ALCS Game 7 against the Blue Jays. But this might be the best roster they have fielded since their record-setting 2001 team, which won 116 games. Who knows how many victories this squad will rack up, but it was the runaway favorite to win the West again, according to our voters.
Seattle boasts two legitimate MVP threats in 60-homer catcher Cal Raleigh and superstar center fielder Julio Rodríguez. It re-signed first baseman Josh Naylor and replaced slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez with Brendan Donovan, who was the headliner in a three-team swap this winter after earning his first All-Star nod in 2025. The Mariners' well-rounded offense will back what is possibly the best pitching staff in the AL.
Others receiving votes: Astros, Rangers and Athletics
AL WILD CARDS: YANKEES, RED SOX, ORIOLES
YANKEES
Remember what we said earlier about the competitive nature in the AL East? Here's evidence of that: Our voters think all three AL Wild Card clubs will come from that division.
Offensively, the Yankees are essentially running it back with much of last year's 94-win group. That's headlined by the re-signing of Cody Bellinger and the return of Trent Grisham via the qualifying offer. But considering that the Bronx Bombers led the big leagues last year in homers (274) and runs (849), why try to mess with a good thing? The biggest "addition" to the 2026 roster may come a couple of months into the season: The Yanks anticipate that 2024 AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole will return to the bigs by late May or early June after missing all of last year due to Tommy John surgery.
RED SOX
Even though the Red Sox lost Alex Bregman via free agency, the inclusion of first baseman Willson Contreras and a full season of burgeoning star Roman Anthony could make this lineup more threatening than it was for much of last season's second half. Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran make up one of the sport's best -- albeit crowded -- outfield groups.
Boston's most noteworthy offseason moves were focused on the mound, however, as it stabilized the rotation behind AL Cy Young runner-up Garrett Crochet by trading for Sonny Gray and signing Ranger Suarez to a five-year contract.
ORIOLES
Last season quickly went off the rails in Baltimore. By the middle of May, the O's were 13 games under .500, 10 1/2 games back in the division and had fired manager Brandon Hyde. Their pitching staff was among the league's worst, and offensive leaders such as Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman underachieved.
Fast-forward to 2026, and things are looking up in Charm City. The rotation is stronger, with high-upside right-hander Shane Baz and dependable veteran Chris Bassitt backing Kyle Bradish and Opening Day starter Trevor Rogers, who held hitters to a .180 average over 109 2/3 innings last year. The Orioles also added a lot of pop from the right side of the plate by signing slugger Pete Alonso and trading for former Angels outfielder Taylor Ward. If they perform as expected while players such as Henderson, Rutschman, Samuel Basallo, Coby Mayo, Colton Cowser and other homegrown products play up to their potential, Baltimore could make a run for the division, much less a Wild Card spot.
Others receiving votes: Blue Jays, Astros, Royals, Guardians, Mariners, Tigers, Athletics, Rangers and Rays
AL CHAMPION: MARINERS
The Mariners finally get over the hump and win the American League for the first time in franchise history, according to our voters. Seattle received more than twice as many votes as any other club to be the champions of the Junior Circuit.
Others receiving votes: Yankees, Blue Jays, Tigers, Red Sox, Orioles and Rangers
NATIONAL LEAGUE
NL EAST: METS
Few teams experienced more roster turnover this offseason than the Mets. Change was needed in Queens after a three-month tailspin ended with the club missing the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Our voters see this makeover paying immediate dividends, choosing the Mets to win their first division title since 2015.
There's plenty of talent here. The lineup is anchored by Juan Soto, who has his eyes set on the NL MVP Award following a 30-30 season. Francisco Lindor is looking for a fifth consecutive season with at least 5.5 WAR (per FanGraphs), and he's healthy after undergoing surgery at the onset of Spring Training to remove his left hamate bone. Meanwhile, the additions of Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco introduce a more contact-oriented approach to a lineup that too often skewed boom-or-bust last season.
The pitching staff should be better, too. That's especially notable, considering the rotation became the team's Achilles heel in the pennant race last season. The Mets acquired a legitimate ace when they traded for Freddy Peralta, and they might have another one in Nolan McLean, MLB Pipeline's No. 6 overall prospect. Don't overlook Kodai Senga, either: The former All-Star had himself an eye-opening spring.
Others receiving votes: Phillies, Braves and Marlins
NL CENTRAL: CUBS
The Cubs re-established themselves as legitimate contenders last season, snapping a four-year playoff drought and winning the franchise’s first postseason series since 2017. The next challenge? Dethroning the Brewers, who have won three consecutive NL Central titles and sent Chicago home in last year’s NLDS.
The Cubs seem well-equipped to do that after landing two long-coveted pieces to their puzzle in the offseason. Alex Bregman brings a championship pedigree and high-level production, both with his bat and his glove. In trading for Edward Cabrera, Chicago acquired the sort of frontline starter -- with plus stuff -- that they sorely missed at points last season. Add in a full season from 24-year-old Cade Horton, a bounce back from Shota Imanaga and another step forward for Pete Crow-Armstrong, and this has the makings of another fun summer at Wrigley.
Others receiving votes: Brewers and Pirates
NL WEST: DODGERS
This one shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. The back-to-back defending champions have won 12 of the last 13 NL West titles, only failing to do so in 2021 -- even though they still won 106 games.
With an admirable combination of depth and star power, the Dodgers are well-suited to overcome any obstacle in their path -- whether that be Blake Snell's slow ramp up or continued struggles from Roki Sasaki. Among the many highlights, Shohei Ohtani is returning to being a full-time two-way player, and the four-time MVP expects to be in the Cy Young conversation.
NL WILD CARDS: PHILLIES, PADRES, BREWERS
PHILLIES
Much like the Yankees in the American League, the Phillies are "running it back" with much of the same cast from last year's team, which suffered a heartbreaking playoff exit in the NLDS. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially with a nucleus that has fueled four straight playoff appearances and a 96-win season in 2025, the franchise's highest single-season total since 2011.
This remains one of baseball's elite rotations, with Spring Training only affirming that notion. Cristopher Sánchez is a bona fide ace. Andrew Painter, the club's No. 2 prospect, is primed for his long-awaited MLB debut. Zack Wheeler looked so good this spring that he's already heading out on a rehab assignment as he works his way back from thoracic outlet decompression surgery. He should be back sooner rather than later.
Speaking of "back," count us intrigued by Bryce Harper, who endured a bit of a tumultuous offseason amid noise that he is no longer elite. His dramatic home run for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic final was a good reminder that Harper is still plenty capable of reaching that level.
PADRES
On paper, the Padres don't look quite as formidable as they have in the past. Dylan Cease and Luis Arraez are gone, while Yu Darvish is sidelined following Tommy John surgery. All three players were linchpins to the team's recent success, including consecutive 90-win seasons.
But there is too much top-end talent here to doubt San Diego. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado are two of the best all-around players in baseball. Maybe this is the year that 22-year-old Jackson Merrill joins them. The Padres need Merrill to play more like the version who posted 5.3 fWAR as a rookie than the 3-WAR player from last season. The rotation may be thin, but a healthy Michael King is a legitimate ace; he's just two years removed from pitching to a 2.95 ERA in 31 games (30 starts). And this bullpen should be among the game's premier units, led by flame-throwing closer Mason Miller.
BREWERS
Our voters have learned their lesson by now: Never count out the Brewers. Pat Murphy's team is coming off a Major League-best and franchise-record 97 wins. On the eve of Opening Day, FanGraphs projects the Brewers to win 81 games and gives them a 38% chance to make the playoffs.
There's a lot riding on the shoulders of a young pitching staff, not only because the team traded Freddy Peralta in the offseason, but because Quinn Priester is sidelined with neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. This team needs Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick to build off promising rookie seasons. It also needs a healthy Brandon Woodruff, and the right-hander is set to break camp with the team despite some velocity concerns this spring.
If the pitching holds up, an offense featuring Jackson Chourio, William Contreras and a resurgent Andrew Vaughn (.868 OPS with the Brewers) is deep enough to replicate last season's success.
Others receiving votes: Braves, Mets, Cubs, D-backs, Giants, Pirates, Reds and Marlins
NL CHAMPION: DODGERS
According to FanGraphs, the Dodgers are projected to win 96 games this season. The next closest team in the National League is projected for 88 wins. L.A. looks even more formidable after signing two marquee free agents in Kyle Tucker (career 138 wRC+) and Edwin Díaz (248 ERA+ last season). With a slew of All-Stars and legendary playoff performers, there's too much talent here for any other club in the Senior Circuit to knock off the two-time defending champs.
Others receiving votes: Cubs, Mets, Phillies, Braves, Brewers, Padres and D-backs
WORLD SERIES CHAMPION: DODGERS
This time last season, L.A. embarked on a successful quest to win back-to-back titles. Now, they're set to begin another daunting expedition, setting out to become baseball's first three-peat since the 1998-2000 Yankees. If they win another championship, the Dodgers will be just the fifth team to claim three titles in a row. There's plenty of talent across the field, from the revenge-seeking Blue Jays to the Skubal-led Tigers to the Soto-led Mets. But our voters see the Dodgers remaining atop MLB and joining the all-time greats.
Others receiving votes: Mariners, Cubs, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Phillies, Tigers and Rangers