Hey-o! Your favorite sportswriter has returned from his two-month-long hibernation, and he is back to preview America’s pastime. More specifically, the 2026 MLB season.The Los Angeles Dodgers have done an excellent job of “ruining baseball”, as they captured their second consecutive World Series title back in November, but not before being pushed to their limits by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 iteration of the Fall Classic that will be remembered as one of the finest World Series in recent history.
Never mind the looming lockout, the inevitably forecasted winter that seems to be casting its dark shadow further and further over the landscape of Major League Baseball with each passing day. Before we get to that, we have an entire season to play! So, just like last year, this piece will be divided into two parts.
And also just like last year, I will be going team-by-team and predicting what I believe their regular season record will be in 2026. And in this article I am covering the American League, which sees the Blue Jays as its defending champions, but there are 15 other teams chomping at the bit to dethrone them. Except maybe the White Sox.
Sorry, South Siders. I will have more on you in a little bit, but for now, let’s dive into the 2026 American League! And what better place to start than with the…
American League East
Boston Red Sox
Last season, the Red Sox were so close but simultaneously so far, as they lost to their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees, in the AL Wild Card Series. It was a bit of an overachievement for a team that was generally quite young and had just traded one of their best and most veteran hitters (Rafael Devers) to the San Francisco Giants. Yes, I understand that Devers was having a down year, but it was still a loss all things considered for Boston.
But then the arrival of Roman Anthony changed everything, and the Red Sox rode that momentum into the playoffs, where they gave their bitter rivals in the Big Apple pretty much everything they could handle, but ultimately fell just short in the end.
This season, it is going to be the Roman Anthony show at Fenway Park. Anthony is now unquestionably the most dynamic hitter in the lineup. There are lots of other things to like about this batting order, but there is no question that Anthony will be the star of the show. Wilyer Abreu is still a really good hitter despite tailing off a bit after his white-hot start to 2025, and Willson Contreras, Trevor Story, Jarren Duran, and Ceddanne Rafela will still be doing their things. But Roman Anthony basically determines how good the Red Sox are going to be.
On the pitching side, the big splash signing was that of former Philadelphia Phillie Ranger Suarez, who inked a five-year, $130 million deal with the Red Sox. He will slot in nicely with top ace Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray, who is coming off a 2025 season where he posted a 4.28 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. I do wonder if Suarez will unseat Gray at that second spot at some point in the season. Regardless, I expect a reasonably large step forward from this Red Sox team in 2026, to the point where they could potentially be a pennant threat in the AL should everything line up right.
Prediction: 89-73
Baltimore Orioles
The O’s were quite possibly the biggest disappointment in baseball last season, as their normally excellent hitting core was practically completely undone by a horrendous lack of consistent starting pitching. Or, really, just any pitching, for that matter.
For the majority of the year, the Orioles just couldn’t pitch. They had no consistency in that department, and Baltimore’s front office knew that, based on the disastrous results of last year. They knew things needed to be different, and as a result, the Orioles signed former Blue Jay Chris Bassitt and former Tampa Bay Ray Shane Baz to anchor their starting rotation. Add in Kyle Bradish looking to get his first full season under his belt since returning from Tommy John surgery in the middle of last year, and that rotation already looks better than whatever last season was…on paper.
Oh, and don’t think I forgot to talk about the hitting core: the Orioles signing former Mets star Pete Alonso to a massive contract over the winter is another addition to an already stacked batting order. The likes of Alonso, Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Jackson Holliday (when he recovers from his hand surgery) is a force to be reckoned with. Oh, and not to mention former LA Angel Taylor Ward, who is fresh off a 103-RBI season in 2025. He’s here too.
But there is potential for this to go wrong. A couple of injuries to the rotation? A couple of down seasons and inconsistent production in the middle of the order? That could spell trouble for this iteration of the Orioles. They will still be in contention in the division and in the AL, but they are really, really hoping everything finally works out this time around.
Prediction: 88-74
New York Yankees
The Yankees once again came up short in the postseason in 2025, as after defeating the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series they were bested by the eventual American League champion Blue Jays in the ALDS. And what may be concerning for some is that manager Aaron Boone seems rather content in trying to get back to the mountaintop with largely the same group of guys.
Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge is still here, of course, as is Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was acquired from the Miami Marlins in mid-2024 and is coming off a 31-homer, 80-RBI season during his first full season in the Bronx.
But the real story of this team might very well be the pitching rotation. The Yankees currently boast a rotation of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Cam Schlittler, and new addition Ryan Weathers, who arrives over from Miami. Cole is unfortunately injured at the moment and may not be back for another month or two, but in the meantime, the Yankees have an excellent rotation, even until Cole returns.
But as always, the onus is on the batting order, just like it has been over the past several seasons. The Yankees will be one of the best teams in the AL during the regular season, that’s not where the question lies. The question is, will they be able to actually rely on that hitting to be consistent and productive when they need it the most? Particularly…in October?
Prediction: 90-72
Tampa Bay Rays
Ah, yes. The Rays.
The Rays are here in the American League East, and they are coming off a season where they finished a somewhat disappointing (but also somewhat expected) 77-85 and missed the postseason for the second consecutive season. Of course, it did not help that the Rays were literally displaced from their home ballpark due to extensive damage from Hurricane Milton, but it was a season that left a bad taste in the mouth of Rays players, coaches, and fans.
Now, they return to Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay for the 2026 season, and they are looking to turn the page and improve on that 2025 mark. One massive bright spot for them is the rapid emergence of third baseman Junior Caminero, who looks like a future face of the franchise and is one of the fastest-rising young stars in Major League Baseball. Caminero is coming off a 45-homer, 110-RBI season and should look to assert himself into the AL MVP race.
Outside of Caminero…what else is there? The pitching rotation leaves something to be desired, and there are questions as to how Shane McClanahan will look as he plays for the Rays for the first time in two years following Tommy John surgery and a triceps procedure. Drew Rasmussen is an excellent arm, but there is simply something missing from this rotation and from this team. Everyone in their division seemingly got better, while I’m wondering if the Rays truly improved.
It could very well be shaping up to be a 2026 season that was an awful lot like 2025.
Prediction: 78-84
Toronto Blue Jays
The defending American League champions, barring some kind of epic, unexplainable collapse, should not be going anywhere. They lost a couple of pieces in the offseason, but they added ace Dylan Cease to a squad that quite literally had the Dodgers on the ropes in Game 7 of the World Series just a few short months ago.
About Toronto’s batting order: there is nothing to say here that hasn’t already been said. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is one of the best players in baseball and a perennial MVP candidate. Daulton Varsho, George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, and others should be doing their usual things. Losing Bo Bichette to the Mets hurts, but if there’s any time that is capable of overcoming it, it’s the Blue Jays.
And for how good their batting order is, their pitching rotation might be even better. Cease joins a group that is loaded with talent. Kevin Gausman is one of the best aces in the American League, and Trey Yesavage had an excellent 2025 season and Toronto likely doesn’t get to the Fall Classic without him. Shane Bieber is hurt, but he is coming off a season where he posted a 3.57 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.
Toronto came up inches short. Blades of grass short, if you want to put it that way. It applies here. The Blue Jays will be competing with the Yankees for the top of this ridiculous AL East, and if everything goes according to plan this year, not only will Toronto be thinking about a return trip to the World Series, they’ll be hell-bent on bringing the Commissioner’s Trophy that they so narrowly missed out on in 2025 back to Canada’s most populous city in 2026.
Prediction: 92-70
American League Central
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are a good baseball club, let’s get that out of the way right now. They are coming off an excellent 2025 season where they went 87-75 and were inches away from besting the Seattle Mariners and reaching the ALCS for the first time since 2012, but lost in that 15-inning epic in Game 5 of the ALDS.
Now, Detroit is looking to build off of the success they have attained over the past couple of years. But of course, the prevailing question is what is to be done with the future of Tarik Skubal, the best pitcher in the American League and a multi-time Cy Young winner. The Tigers want to sign him to a monster extension, but they seem hesitant to meet the price that Skubal is asking for. If they decide that they don’t want to meet that price, the possibility exists of a trade to get something back for him and avoid having him leave the club for nothing in the offseason.
On the other side of the ball, the hitting core is mostly intact, as Spencer Torkelson, Javy Baez, Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres, Dillon Dingler, and Kerry Carpenter will be doing their things, barring injuries of course. Baez recovered nicely from a historically horrendous 2024 to have an outstanding bounce-back year in 2025, earning an All-Star nod to boot. The Tigers’ shortstop is looking to build on that success here in 2026.
This team is really good, and they should be good once again in 2026 with most of the same nucleus still here. They will be contenders for the division and should be considered a contender for the AL. But the story of the Tigers, as it has mostly been for the better part of the last few seasons, will be that of Tarik Skubal. If an agreement can be reached and an extension can be signed between now and next winter, everything’s great in the 313.
But if not, and Skubal wants out or threatens to leave the team in the offseason? Then things could get incredibly dicey for a team that fancies itself as a World Series contender.
Prediction: 88-74
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians have somewhat overachieved the past couple of seasons, as last year they racked up 88 wins and a first-place finish in the AL Central before losing to those darn Tigers in the AL Wild Card Round. And back in 2024, the Guardians hit 92 wins and another first-place finish in the division before bowing out to the Yankees in the ALCS.
Now, the Guardians will be looking to achieve even more of that same success in 2026. The offense is practically carried by the might of superstar third baseman Jose Ramirez, who is coming off yet another 30-homer season. He also racked up 85 RBIs and hit .283, along with a whopping 44 stolen bases. So, yeah, basically just another day in the office for Ramirez.
But he seems to be Cleveland’s most consistent offensive threat, and it is fair to wonder how good this Cleveland offense can truly be. Steven Kwan came back down to earth a little bit in 2025 after an awesome 2024, and the same can be said for Bo Naylor, who hit .195 (oof) last season.
The pitching staff is generally solid, as you can certainly do worse than Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee as two of your premier starters. Williams was inside the top 30 in strikeouts last year, and Bibee wasn’t much further behind. Both guys are excellent at striking batters out, and barring some kind of wild injury it should be more of the same in 2026.
But I’m looking at this roster, both from a hitting and pitching standpoint (mainly hitting), and I can’t help but wonder if this team truly got better than what they were last year. They dropped five wins from their 2024 total. Something tells me that trend could very well continue.
Prediction: 83-79
Chicago White Sox
Oh boy.
Last season was…better. It was still really, really bad for the White Sox, but it was better than…whatever 2024 was supposed to be. That team, as I discussed last year, was historically horrific. Literally. If you don’t believe me, go look it up.
But the less said about that team, the better for White Sox fans. And while 2025 was a micro-step forward for Chicago, it is the very beginning of a very, very, very long rebuild. And 2026 looks like it’s going to be more of the same.
The White Sox are coming off a 2025 season where they finished 60-102, and they are simply looking to take another baby step forward in 2026. They will be helmed by second-year manager Chris Getz, who really does have his work cut out for him as he is tasked with rebuilding one of the worst teams Major League Baseball has ever seen.
Let’s call a spade a spade: there is not a whole lot to write home about regarding this roster. Perhaps the most intriguing player in this batting order is 24-year-old catcher Kyle Teel, who is coming off a season where he hit .273 and tallied 35 RBIs and eight home runs. That sounds promising, but it’s not a White Sox season without some accompanying bad news: as of right now, Teel is dealing with a strain in his hamstring and could be sidelined for about a month.
The pitching rotation features Shane Smith as its premium ace, and Smith is coming off a year where he made the All-Star Game while posting a 3.81 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, and he was just inside the top 50 in strikeouts in 2025 with 145 on the year.
But there is simply not much on this roster. And barring practically everyone overachieving, this is going to be another very slow, very long season for the South Siders.
Prediction: 63-99
Minnesota Twins
The Twins completed one of the most surprising and ambitious fire sales that we have seen in recent memory in 2025, as they traded away practically their entire core and have, more or less, committed to a full-scale rebuild.
They have a ton of young arms, including highly touted 24-year-old right-hander Mick Abel. Abel arrived in the Twin Cities in the trade that sent veteran closer Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies, and Abel is one of the arms that will look to lead the Twins into their next era.
However, despite the fire sale and the amount of talent that the Twins dealt away at the 2025 trade deadline, ace Joe Ryan still remains in Minnesota…for some reason. Ryan should still put up excellent numbers and cement himself as one of the best pitchers in the AL (and one of the best arms in Major League Baseball, period), but it is, admittedly, a bit curious as to why Ryan is still a Twin.
There is not a lot in the hitting core outside of 23-year-old second baseman Luke Keaschall, although Keaschall just has a knack for getting the ball into play and oozes with potential. Depending on how he and the rest of this very, very young core develops in Minnesota, they could definitely make some of their games interesting.
However, this team will more than likely be dragged to wins by the many solid pitchers they have on their team. The staff they have acquired can make a case for one of the most underrated rotations in the AL. But all that being said, the season after essentially nuking the franchise is typically a difficult one. The rest of the teams in the division are in no way pushovers. And the Twins know that their aging, inconsistently-healthy offensive core was not going to get it done.
But for right now? There just isn’t enough here. Not this year.
Prediction: 68-94
Kansas City Royals
Let’s see what the Royals have here: Bobby Witt Jr. Bobby Witt Jr. Bobby Witt Jr…and did I mention Bobby Witt Jr.?
Kidding aside, Bobby Witt Jr is one of the top three players in the AL, and he very well could be a top three player in Major League Baseball. Witt is a perennial AL MVP candidate, and he will continue to produce, that is basically a given at this point.
The Royals are looking to go from “playoff contender” to “World Series contender” this season. Their pitching rotation is anchored by Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, and Kris Bubic. Bubic, in particular, is coming off a very good year in 2025, and he will look to keep that momentum going in 2026.
The bullpen is one of the factors that will likely determine Kansas City’s ceiling. It left something to be desired last season and it was one of the reasons that the Royals went 82-80 last year and just barely missed the postseason.
There is still a lot of talent in this batting order. Witt is one of the top players in baseball, and there isn’t anything to say about him that hasn’t already been said. Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino have been staples at catcher and at first base, respectively. Jonathan India had a bit of a down year in his first season in Kansas City, but the Royals are expecting a rebound from him in 2026.
The most interesting figure in this order could very well be right fielder Jac Caglione, a highly touted prospect who had a frustrating rookie season last year. Caglione only hit .157 and had seven home runs with 18 RBIs, but there were flashes of serious promise in between all the disappointment and frustration. Caglione is looking to take another step forward in 2026.
I think the Royals are better than their 82-80 mark that they showed last season, but I don’t exactly think they are *much* better than that. They will absolutely be in contention for a playoff spot in the AL (and probably in contention for the division title as well along with Detroit and Cleveland), but the AL wild card race can get very crowded…very quickly.
Prediction: 84-78
American League West
Athletics
Again, no location behind the Athletics’ name this season, as their move to Las Vegas still has not happened and they are stuck in West Sacramento for the next couple of seasons. Totally not weird at all!
But for the first time in quite a long time, the Athletics have legitimate promise. The headliner on this roster is wunderkind first baseman Nick Kurtz, as Kurtz is coming off a 2025 season where he hit .290 with 36 home runs, 86 RBIs, and he was third in Major League Baseball with a ridiculous 1.002 OPS. Yeah. Insane.
Kurtz clearly looks like a potential face of the franchise in every sense of the word. And his supporting cast is getting better. Shea Langeliers is coming off a 31-homer, 72-RBI season and he should be a staple at the catcher position. Lawrence Butler is an excellent glove in right field and hit 21 home runs last season. Left fielder Tyler Soderstrom hit 25 homers and 93 RBIs in 2025, and he hit .276 at the plate.
Suffice to say, there is a lot to like about this Athletics batting order. The pitching rotation is…less certain, as Luis Severino looks like he is going to be the Athletics’ primary ace going into this season. That is a bit concerning, and Jeffrey Springs, Aaron Civale, and Jacob Lopez don’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence.
But this offense has the potential to be one of the best in the AL, and it has the potential to be one of the best in Major League Baseball in 2026. Imagine saying that a few years ago! But regardless, the A’s should be considered a very, very sneaky contender this year, and if everything lines up just right, then, a potential playoff berth could very well be in the cards. I’m not certain they’re quite there *yet*, but…crazier things have happened, right?
Prediction: 80-82
Houston Astros
This is going to be an interesting season for the Astros, and they are coming off a 2025 season where they had a strong 55-35 start and looked like they were going to run away with the AL West. Then, the batting order and the pitching rotation were thrashed by injuries, and the second half of the season was a bit of a trainwreck, as Houston ended up finishing 87-75 and narrowly missing the playoffs.
Now, the Astros are looking to return to the postseason in 2026. And it seems that the injury bug has already begun to hit, as Bennett Sousa and Josh Hader are both starting the season on the IL. Add on that shortstop Jeremy Pena is dealing with a potentially very dicey finger injury that is apparently struggling to heal, and things could get a touch hairy for the Astros to open the year.
However, as has been the case for years, there is still a ton of talent on this team. Yordan Alvarez returns from a sluggish, injury-plagued year and will look to re-establish himself as one of the best power hitters in baseball. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa are still here, Correa re-acquired from the Twins.
The pitching staff is anchored by ace Hunter Brown, who has looked like one of the best pitchers in baseball and a strikeout machine when things are clicking. The rest of the rotation is a tad bit uncertain, as it consists of Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, and Spencer Arrighetti (the last of whom just got optioned the other day), among others, but Brown looks like one of the most consistent aces in the AL.
But there are a few question marks with this current iteration of the Astros. If everything goes according to plan, they are capable of winning the division. But if something like 2025 happens again, well, then things could very quickly turn south in H-Town. Only time will tell.
Prediction: 85-77
Texas Rangers
Now, we get to my team (yes, I am a native of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 214 born and raised. If you wanted to learn fun facts about this article’s author, today’s your lucky day). The Rangers are coming off a brutally frustrating and frankly mediocre 2025 season where they finished a perfectly middle-of-the-pack 81-81.
Their problem was somewhat simple: they couldn’t hit. Like, at all. They couldn’t hit with any sort of contact, power, or even consistency. Their rotation was one of the best in baseball, but there was practically nothing on the offensive side. Their batting order was consistently inconsistent.
Here in 2026, though, there are some differences. Former manager Bruce Bochy is gone, having gone back into retirement three years after leading Texas to their first World Series in franchise history. His replacement is Skip Schumaker, who had seemingly been the first choice to replace Bochy all along, and finally, Schumaker gets his chance to lead the Rangers into their next era.
The majority of the hitting core is still intact, and ditto for the pitching rotation, but with two major changes. The first is that Marcus Semien is gone, having been shipped to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo is coming off an extremely solid 2025 season where he hit .262 with 25 home runs and 92 RBIs. He is looking to have similar success with a new team in 2026.
The other major shake-up is the deal for former Washington Nationals ace Mackenzie Gore. Gore, who is one of the best pitchers in baseball when everything is clicking, posted a 4.17 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP in 2025, but he also notched 185 strikeouts. He, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jacob DeGrom will be the main pieces in a pitching staff that should be among the AL’s best.
But regardless of that, I’m not certain enough changed here. Obviously, the Rangers are hoping on some bounce-back seasons from several of their most important hitters. But if that does not happen? Then it could be a similar-ish story to 2025 in Arlington.
Prediction: 85-77
Seattle Mariners
The defending division champions are coming off a storybook 2025 season, where they made their first American League Championship Series since 2001. Unfortunately, that story had a terrible ending as they were defeated in heartbreaking fashion by the Blue Jays in seven games, thanks in large part to a go-ahead home run from George Springer in Game 7.
But the Mariners are looking to put 2025 behind them and build on their success in 2026. They have all the pieces in place to do it, as Cal Raleigh is looking to follow up his incredible, unprecedented, and completely unexpected near-MVP campaign last year. I mean, the guy hit 60 home runs as a switch-hitting catcher. Do you know 1) how rare that is, and 2) how difficult that is to do?
The lineup is filled with talent. Josh Naylor patrols first base with 22-year-old Cole Young at second. Brendan Donovan mans third and J.P. Crawford should be doing his thing at shortstop, even as he deals with a shoulder injury. Randy Arozarena and perennial AL MVP candidate Julio Rodriguez are patrolling left and center field, respectively. Not to mention there are nice depth pieces with Victor Robles, Mitch Garver, and Luke Raley. Losing Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco hurts, but there’s still a lot to like here.
The pitching rotation should once again compete for the distinction as one of the best in the American League and as one of the best in baseball. Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby, and Luis Castillo as your starters is an insane amount of talent.
This team should win the division if everyone plays to their fullest capabilities, even as they lost a couple of key parts in the batting order. It should be another entertaining season in the Emerald City.
Prediction: 89-73
Los Angeles Angels
Why is Mike Trout still here?
At this point, it seems like Trout is practically cursed to spend the rest of his career as an Angel, and the sheer lack of talent around him is, frankly, a bit mystifying. The Angels, just like the past few years, are in quite a non-enviable position. They are coming off a 2025 season where they finished 72-90 and were slotted dead last in the AL West.
Now, things might be even worse. Trout is pretty much the only thing to like about this current iteration of the Angels. Keeping Jorge Soler is nice but he is coming off a season where he hit just .215 and had twelve home runs. Josh Lowe is a decent addition but he only hit .220 last year. Logan O’Hoppe had a good season as well, and 25-year-old shortstop Zach Neto looks like he could very well be a piece for the future.
Outside of that, there is not a whole lot else here. The pitching rotation is decent, as Yusei Kikutchi is a solid arm, but there is not a lot of consistency in this staff. Grayson Rodriguez had a decent season in 2025 but he is dealing with an arm injury and is expected to start 2026 on the IL.
There is just too little cohesion to truly get excited about the Angels this year, especially in a division that is expected to be incredibly competitive and with an owner like Arte Moreno, who I wonder about, in the sense that I am curious to know if he actually desires to make the team he owns better from a competitive standpoint. Regardless, barring something insane happening, this team should finish in the cellar of the AL West once again this season.
Prediction: 68-94
