With Opening Day approaching and rosters largely set, teams know what they're working with for 2026.
The trade market could bring reinforcements this summer, but that’s months away. Until then, teams looking to fill holes will need to bank on internal solutions. For the clubs below, that might not be such a bad thing.
These teams rank poorly in projected WAR (per FanGraphs Depth Charts) at specific spots on the diamond, but they have the potential to outperform expectations and turn projected weaknesses into strengths.
Catcher: White Sox (22nd in projected WAR)
Projected starter: Kyle Teel
Teams relying on inexperienced players is a recurring theme on this list, with projections tending to skew especially conservative for players lacking a significant big league track record. Chicago's catching tandem of Teel and Edgar Quero exemplifies that dynamic -- the two have 700 combined plate appearances between them. Quero was also the worst-rated defensive catcher last season, which doesn’t help matters. But the White Sox might have a stud in Teel. The centerpiece of the package the White Sox got from the Red Sox for Garrett Crochet in December 2024, Teel slashed .273/.375/.411 with eight homers over 297 plate appearances as a rookie last year. He got better as the year went on, too, recording an .833 OPS over his final 53 games.
First base: Reds (20th in projected WAR)
Projected starter: Sal Stewart
Prime Joey Votto isn’t walking through the door, but the Reds have a potential star on their hands in Stewart, MLB Pipeline’s No. 22 overall prospect. The 22-year-old certainly looked the part in a late-season cameo with the Reds last year, going deep five times and slugging .545 over 58 plate appearances. Even more eye-catching were the underlying metrics behind those numbers, including a 17.5% barrel rate, a .626 expected SLG and a .398 expected wOBA. He did all that while learning first base on the fly after coming through the Reds’ system as a third baseman. With Ke'Bryan Hayes at third and Eugenio Suárez occupying the DH spot, Cincinnati will be counting on Stewart to solidify himself as its starting first baseman in 2026.
Second base: Red Sox (25th in projected WAR)
Projected starter: Marcelo Mayer
Before Roman Anthony became the belle of the ball in Boston, Mayer was actually the more highly regarded prospect. In fact, Mayer was ranked 15th or higher on MLB Pipeline’s preseason list of the Top 100 prospects every year from 2022-25, peaking at No. 9 prior to ’23. Injuries and a .228/.272/.402 slash over 136 plate appearances as a rookie last season have taken some of the shine off Mayer, but he still possesses considerable upside at 23 years old. He’ll have a chance to earn significant playing time at second base this year.
Shortstop: White Sox (21st in projected WAR)
Projected starter: Colson Montgomery
While Montgomery flashed head-turning power as a rookie, projections expect his contact woes -- a concern that dogged him as a prospect and persisted in the Majors last year -- to ultimately define his profile in 2026. FanGraphs projects him for just a .414 slugging percentage and 96 wRC+ -- a far cry from the .529 SLG and 129 wRC+ he produced last season. Montgomery does have some clear holes in his swing, but he’s also a former Top 10 overall prospect who went deep 21 times in his final 57 games last season. There’s a real chance the projections are underrating him.
Third base: Reds (21st in projected WAR)
Projected starter: Ke'Bryan Hayes
Inexperience isn’t the issue here -- Hayes actually has more career plate appearances (2,542) than the other seven players on this list combined. The problem, rather, is that Hayes has been the worst hitter in the Majors over the past two seasons (minimum 900 PAs) with a 63 wRC+. So why is he on this list? Because he’s such a strong defender -- one of MLB’s best, regardless of position -- that he might not even need to be a league average hitter to rank as a top 10 player at his position. Just look at 2022-23, when Hayes produced a 93 wRC+ but had the 10th-most WAR (6.3) among primary third basemen.
Left field: Angels (28th in projected WAR)
Projected starter: Josh Lowe
After trading starting left fielder Taylor Ward to the Orioles for pitcher Grayson Rodriguez earlier in the offseason, the Angels collaborated with the Rays and Reds on a three-team deal in January that brought Lowe to Anaheim. Lowe is expected to take Ward’s place in left field, with Mike Trout likely moving back to center and Jo Adell starting in right. Injuries limited Lowe to 214 games in the past two seasons, over which he produced an 88 wRC+ with 0.9 WAR, and FanGraphs projects him for just 1.3 WAR this season. But we know he’s capable of more. After all, this is a former first-round Draft pick who put up 20 homers, 32 steals and 3.4 WAR for the Rays in 2023 and is still just 28 years old.
Center field: Phillies (20th in projected WAR)
Projected starter: Justin Crawford
The time is now for Crawford in Philadelphia, with MLB Pipeline’s No. 53 overall prospect slated to take over as the team’s starting center fielder. The son of former big leaguer Carl Crawford, Justin has a similar profile to his dad as an upper-echelon speedster -- his 75-grade speed is the fastest among MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects -- with excellent contact skills. The 22-year-old posted an eye-popping .334/.411/.452 slash with seven homers and 46 steals for Triple-A Lehigh Valley last season and has the potential to outperform his modest projections (99 wRC+, 1.7 WAR) by a comfortable margin as a rookie.
Right field: Royals (21st in projected WAR)
Projected starter: Jac Caglianone
Caglianone struggled on both sides of the ball as a rookie in 2025, producing -1.6 WAR over 62 games for the Royals. However, the electric bat speed and prodigious raw power that made him the No. 6 overall Draft pick in 2024 haven’t gone away, and the youngster’s expected stats show a hitter who deserved much better than the .157/.237/.295 slash he actually produced. Caglianone also has been lighting it up during Spring Training, registering multiple exit velocities above 115 mph -- including a double that topped the rarefied 120 mph mark and a 115.2 mph homer that traveled 460 feet. Caglianone’s outfield defense remains a work in progress after he spent his college career as a first baseman and pitcher. But the 23-year-old could be ready to erupt at the plate in 2026.
Starting rotation: Guardians (25th in projected WAR)
Projected starters: Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Slade Cecconi, Joey Cantillo
Cleveland lacks an established ace and saw both Williams and Bibee, its top two starters, post uninspiring peripheral numbers last season, which partly explains why the projections for its rotation are so pessimistic. Williams, though, possesses frontline potential if he can rein in his walk rate, and Bibee was a 3-plus WAR pitcher in both 2023 and ’24. There’s also real upside at the back end. Cantillo looked fantastic after moving to the rotation last July, recording a 2.96 ERA with a 3.21 FIP, a 25.9% strikeout rate and a 30.3% whiff rate over 13 starts. Fellow youngster Parker Messick (MLB Pipeline's No. 95 prospect) pitched well, too, posting a 2.72 ERA with a dazzling 6.33 K/BB ratio (38 strikeouts, six walks) over 39 2/3 innings. Messick may begin the year in the Minors but should be starting for the Guardians before long.