With the 2026 regular season officially underway, each team looks to the future with optimism. Whether it's a rebuilding club, a team looking to take the next step and reach the postseason or the Dodgers going for a three-peat, the dawn of a new season is an exciting time.
But while each team is looking forward to the 2026 campaign, each team also has to have some things go right for it to achieve its goals. Here's a look at one big thing that needs to go right for each club this year.
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American League East
Blue Jays: One more big breakout
Last year, it was George Springer, who resurrected his career with 32 home runs and a .959 OPS. He was the MVP of a Blue Jays team that fell just short of a World Series championship in Game 7 against the Dodgers, and without Springer, the Blue Jays wouldn't have come close at all. This season, the Blue Jays need another pleasant surprise to make up for the loss of Bo Bichette and potential regressions elsewhere on the roster, Springer included. Perhaps that’s newcomer Kazuma Okamoto or Addison Barger, who has all the tools in the world and showed us in the World Series what it looks like when those come together. The best bet, though? Daulton Varsho, who looked fantastic in Spring Training and is playing with the motivation of a contract year. -- Keegan Matheson
Orioles: Stay healthy
While this is true for every MLB team, the O’s can’t afford to have another year like 2025, when they used the injured list 39 times for 29 players. It hasn’t been a great start on this front for Baltimore, which will begin the ‘26 campaign with second baseman Jackson Holliday (broken hamate bone in right hand), third baseman Jordan Westburg (partial right UCL tear) and setup man Andrew Kittredge (right shoulder inflammation) on the IL. A season can quickly take a turn for the worse due to injuries in March and April, as the Orioles experienced firsthand last year. They can’t afford to be without a bunch of key players. -- Jake Rill
Rays: The stars align
You could take that in a theoretical, metaphysical way, suggesting the Rays will need a lot of things to break their way to push toward the top of a loaded division. But we mean it in a more literal sense: Their best players need to stay on the field and perform to their capabilities. It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where the Rays are more competitive than expected if they get peak All-Star seasons from Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Díaz in their lineup while also receiving consistent contributions from Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan in their rotation and reliable innings from Griffin Jax, Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta in the bullpen. -- Adam Berry
Red Sox: Bullpen needs to hold up
The bullpen was the area the Red Sox didn’t do a lot of upgrading to over the offseason. Sure, Aroldis Chapman was one of the most dominant closers in the game last year. But can he do that again at 38 years old? Garrett Whitlock emerged as an elite setup man, but he’ll have to do it again to provide the type of bridge to Chapman that the Sox need. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow did add a veteran arm late in Spring Training in lefty Danny Coulombe, but he will have to prove he still has enough left in the tank. Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert and Zack Kelly are all important right arms for manager Alex Cora. -- Ian Browne
Yankees: Handle business in the division
When the Yankees and Blue Jays finished tied atop the AL East with 94 victories last season, the tiebreaker went to Toronto based on its 8-5 record vs. New York. It wasn’t close -- the Jays had their number all season, especially at Rogers Centre, where Toronto won six of their seven meetings. Aaron Boone calls the AL East a “pack a lunch” division; while the Yanks must solve their Jays bugaboo, there are no gimmes with the other three teams. These Yankees led the Majors with 849 runs scored, and their pitching should be on par or better. Part of the “run it back” strategy is a belief that the chips will fall differently in 2026. Let’s see if it works. -- Bryan Hoch
AL Central
Guardians: The offense taking a step
There are no secrets here. The Guardians need more offensive production than they received in 2025, when they won the AL Central title despite their lineup's collective struggles. Cleveland's pitching staff gives it a good foundation and the addition of first baseman Rhys Hoskins should help. But the success of this season will be determined by whether returning hitters take a step forward, and the contributions the club receives from promising up-and-comers such as Chase DeLauter (Cleveland's No. 2 prospect and No. 46 overall, per MLB Pipeline), George Valera, CJ Kayfus and others. -- Tim Stebbins
Royals: The rotation stays healthy
The Royals were good for a lot of reasons in 2024, but the main one was because their rotation was one of the best in baseball -- and the five starters who opened the season in the rotation made the majority of starts. It was the complete opposite in ‘25, which is more the norm across the league, but the Royals really struggled when they didn’t have their ace, Cole Ragans, on the mound, as well as when Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic and Michael Wacha all missed time. The Royals are better set up with depth if that happens again in 2026, but the reality is they need their main starters to take the ball every five days for most of the season. The Royals are at their best when their pitching is leading them to wins. -- Anne Rogers
Tigers: The rotation carries the load
No, the days of Pitching Chaos aren’t necessarily over, but the Tigers’ late offseason investments in Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander reflect the value they’ve placed on leveraging a strong rotation and taking some of the workload off what became a taxed bullpen down the stretch last season. Tarik Skubal leads the way, but the Tigers also need Jack Flaherty to be good from the start, Casey Mize to figure out his fastball and Verlander to pick up where he left off down the stretch last season in San Francisco. -- Jason Beck
Twins: The 'young veterans' need to hit
The Twins are at a bit of a make-or-break stage with a group of hitters that they hoped would be the core of their lineup by now: Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee and Matt Wallner in particular. All were first-round picks. All were highly-regarded prospects. And none of them has put together the kind of consistent success that Twins fans (and the front office) dreamed of. They’ve all shown flashes, though, and they’re all at a point in their careers when a step forward wouldn’t be shocking. For this lineup to be as good as it can be, at least two of the three need to produce consistently at a high level. -- Matthew Leach
White Sox: Development? We're taking about development
The White Sox are looking to win games in 2026. Not necessarily setting their initial target on World Series champions or even AL Central winners, but they want to take meaningful steps forward from a team losing 100-plus games in three straight seasons. Even with the additions of first baseman Munetaka Murakami, outfielder Austin Hays and closer Seranthony Domínguez, the development of their rebuilt core will lead this team forward. Players such as Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, Chase Meidroth, Grant Taylor and Shane Smith had solid debuts in 2025, but they need to take that next step for the team to take that next step. -- Scott Merkin
AL West
Angels: Young players take a big step forward
The Angels need to see their young core of position players such as Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe take a big step forward while seeing other key veterans bounce back such as Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, Josh Lowe, Grayson Rodriguez and Kirby Yates. The rotation has some upside with Yusei Kikuchi, José Soriano, Reid Detmers and Rodriguez, but also some risk with Detmers returning to starting after pitching in relief last year and Rodriguez missing last year due to injury. -- Rhett Bollinger
Astros: Health
Last year, the Astros had the second-most total days missed on the injured list (behind the Dodgers), including long-term injuries to a number of impact players like designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, third baseman Isaac Paredes, shortstop Jeremy Peña and closer Josh Hader, as well as losing three starters to Tommy John surgery. They still led the division for most of the season and finished one game out of the playoffs. It’s not a stretch to say the Astros should return to the playoffs if they can avoid multiple major injuries. -- Brian McTaggart
Athletics: Pitching needs to take a step forward
The A’s lineup is expected to slug with the best of them. But to achieve their goal of making the playoffs in 2026, they will need more from their starting rotation, which combined for a 4.85 ERA last season that ranked fourth-highest in the Majors. Whether it’s a bounceback year from Luis Severino, a young electric arm like Luis Morales elevating his game or an elite prospect like Gage Jump (No. 57 prospect in MLB) coming up and dominating, better production from the starters will be key. -- Martín Gallegos
Mariners: Play to their potential
For the first time in this era in Seattle, the Mariners will enter Opening Day with virtually no question marks on their roster. The lineup features five All-Star selections within the past two seasons. The rotation could reclaim its reputation as the sport's best, if it stays healthy and plays to its ceiling. The bullpen features one of the AL's best closers (Andrés Muñoz), setup men (Eduard Bazardo) and lefty specialists (Gabe Speier), along with spin specialist Matt Brash and newcomer Jose A. Ferrer. The farm system features prospects that could help as soon as this season. On paper, the Mariners could win this division by a wide margin -- but that will hinge on the club playing to its potential. -- Daniel Kramer
Rangers: Improved offense
In 2025, the Rangers ranked 25th in wRC+ (92), 26th in slugging (.381), 26th in batting average (.234), tied for 26th in on-base percentage (.302), 22nd in runs (684) and tied for 22nd in walk rate (8.0%). Even with the best rotation in baseball and a good (but not great) bullpen, Texas could only muster an 81-81 record while missing the postseason for the second year in a row. Even an average offense would have had the Rangers closer to their expected win/loss record of 90-72. The offense has raked in Cactus League play, and while those stats don’t really count, everything is pointing towards a true uptick in offense in 2026. -- Kennedi Landry
National League East
Braves: No margin for error on health front
The Braves had six starters miss at least six weeks last year and they had three more starters suffer a significant injury during Spring Training. Right-hander Spencer Strider will begin the season on the injured list with an oblique strain. The offense will be tasked with covering some of the pitching staff’s woes. But in order to do this, the lineup will need to see Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies move back toward the level of production they provided before being limited by injuries that past two years. Health is a heavy variable for every club, but especially for those that will enter the season already affected by the injury bug. -- Mark Bowman
Marlins: Avoid regression
The inexperienced Marlins surprised the baseball world by improving by 17 wins and remaining in the postseason picture with a handful of games left in 2025 ... despite ace Sandy Alcantara posting one of the highest ERAs in the Majors and getting just a 4.25 ERA in 20 starts from Eury Pérez. If the roster stays relatively healthy and continues trending up rather than experiencing a sophomore slump, Miami could clinch a postseason berth. -- Christina De Nicola
Mets: The rotation must be better
The rotation has to be better than a year ago, when the Mets featured one of the league’s top starting staffs in April and May before collapsing in June (and never coming close to recovering). Freddy Peralta is here now to stabilize things, but Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga still represent major what-ifs for the Mets. The team will also look for Nolan McLean to continue developing into a superstar, and for Clay Holmes and David Peterson to provide steady veteran production. -- Anthony DiComo
Nationals: Young core takes next step
Development is key on the Major League and Minor League level. James Wood, 23, will look to carry his offensive power throughout the entire season (last year, he hit 24 homers in the first half and seven in the second) and lower his strikeout rate; Dylan Crews, 24, will look to re-establish consistent production beginning the season in Triple-A; and No. 3 prospect Harry Ford, 23, will get regular playing time in Rochester after appearing in just eight Major League games with Seattle. -- Jessica Camerato
Phillies: The rotation remains the strength
The Phillies are built to win in October, whether you think they’re “running it back” or not. If everybody is healthy, they should get there. They’re just too talented. But it all starts with starting pitching. If Zack Wheeler returns to Cy Young-caliber form, whenever he rejoins the rotation, the team’s strength becomes even stronger. Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter have shown good things this spring. They have the Phillies maybe a little more optimistic about everything going into the season. -- Todd Zolecki
NL Central
Brewers: The kids can pitch
Ace Brandon Woodruff is the only rotation candidate with more than two years of Major League service. With Woodruff still building pitch count and Quinn Priester opening the year on the injured list with thoracic outlet syndrome, the Brewers might wind up using Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick and Brandon Sproat in the opening series against the White Sox. All three made their Major League debuts last season. Misiorowski has 14 Major League starts on his resume, making him the third-youngest and third-greenest (in terms of MLB starts) pitcher in franchise history to get that honor. Other candidates for early-season starts include Robert Gasser (one year, 136 days of MLB service), Kyle Harrison (one year, 102 days) and eventually Logan Henderson (75 days) and Shane Drohan (zero days). If enough of them hit, this rotation could be solid. But they will have to prove it first. -- Adam McCalvy
Cardinals: Must do little things right
With the roster they currently have, the Cardinals must do the little things -- situational hitting, great defense and pitching -- to win games. They don’t have enough power to go after the three-run homer. Yes, they have Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman, but they are coming off disappointing seasons in 2025. Last year, the starting rotation was a combined 47-60 with a 4.67 ERA. The young staff is led by left-hander Matthew Liberatore, and there is a feeling that the walks will be down and the wins higher. For example, Liberatore had two walks in 15 innings this spring. In his mind, it was two walks too many. -- Bill Ladson
Cubs: Bregman's impact is real
The Cubs are not expecting Bregman to be a one-for-one replacement for the kind of offensive performance Kyle Tucker turned in during his one-year stint in Chicago last season. What the veteran can do is bring another experienced hitter with strong plate discipline and contact ability to a lineup already strong in that department. From there, the Cubs believe Bregman can help some younger players (notably Pete Crow-Armstrong, Moisés Ballesteros and Matt Shaw) either find more consistency or take a step forward in their MLB development. Bregman should fit right in with one of baseball’s best defensive units as well. If Bregman makes an immediate impact, this Cubs offense should be a formidable group. -- Jordan Bastian
Pirates: More offense, more often
The Bucs don’t need elite offense to take a step forward in 2026, but they do need consistency from the bats. That starts with getting solid contributions from the middle-of-the-order additions like Marcell Ozuna and Ryan O’Hearn, and continues with growth from players like Oneil Cruz and Henry Davis. If Pittsburgh can move from last in MLB in run production (583) last season to even somewhere in the middle of the pack in ’26, it would significantly ease the burden on a pitching staff led by NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. -- Dawn Klemish
Reds: Produce offense consistently
On paper, the Reds appear to have a deep rotation and bullpen, much like in 2025. What was missing consistently last year was offense, namely situational hitting. The signing of Eugenio Suárez was a huge addition and it should protect Elly De La Cruz, who will bat third just ahead of him. A better year from Matt McLain and a full season of rookie Sal Stewart should also help provide more offense. But if the pitching repeats its success of last season, it will be paramount that run support is provided to get Cincinnati where it wants to go -- a deep run into the playoffs. -- Mark Sheldon
NL West
D-backs: Big year for the rotation
The D-backs will be six-deep in the rotation when Merrill Kelly returns in April and seven-deep when Corbin Burnes comes back in July, and that depth will be important because the rotation will need to come up big for them this year. If the starters can pitch relatively deep into games, that would take a lot of pressure off the bullpen as well as the offense, which lacks some of the thunder it had last year. -- Steve Gilbert
Dodgers: Do the little things right
They may be back-to-back champions, but the Dodgers went through some ugly stretches last season. Once the calendar flipped to October, they played their best baseball, but that wasn't the case all year long. They don't need to vie for a regular-season win record, but it would serve the Dodgers well to secure a first-round bye for the postseason. Other than the obvious -- staying healthy -- they need to produce more consistent offense and play cleaner defense on a regular basis to accomplish that. -- Sonja Chen
Giants: Shutdown arms need to emerge in the bullpen
The bullpen remains the biggest question mark for the Giants, who traded away Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval last year and then lost Randy Rodríguez to Tommy John surgery last September. Ryan Walker hasn’t given up a run this spring and looks poised to reclaim the closer role this year, but it’s unclear who else will be counted on to pitch in high-leverage spots. Erik Miller should be part of the back-end mix if he’s healthy, but he’s been slowed by a back issue. Joel Peguero, Sam Hentges, Reiver Sanmartin and Jason Foley are also expected to open the season on the injured list, so the Giants will need others like José Buttó, Spencer Bivens and Matt Gage to step up and show they can hold leads late in games. -- Maria Guardado
Padres: A healthy rotation
Every year, every team in baseball can point to healthy starting pitching as the biggest thing it needs for a successful season. It’s true for everyone. But, trust me, it’s more true for these Padres. This rotation boasts serious upside. It also has very little depth. And nearly all of the pitchers they’ll be counting on this year come with some level of injury concern, on the wrong side of 30 years old. That’s a volatile mix. The San Diego offense is very good. The bullpen is elite. The rotation? TBD. -- AJ Cassavell
Rockies: Progress from youth
The success of the Rockies’ season should be measured by how many younger players become keepers, and even leaders. Outfielder Jordan Beck has been through one full season, and third baseman Kyle Karros and first baseman TJ Rumfield are heading into their first full seasons. There may still be growing pains, but by season’s end the Rockies will be better if they show steady production. Also, prospects such as first baseman Charlie Condon (Colorado's No. 2 prospect, No. 70 overall), center fielder/shortstop Cole Carrigg (Rockies' No. 6 prospect) and pitchers Sean Sullivan (No. 11 prospect) and Gabriel Hughes (No. 16 prospect) could be peeking into the Majors by the second half. -- Thomas Harding