The MLB opening week has arrived, baseball fanatics! After a chaotic offseason, there is one certainty as the new season begins: Everyone else is, once again, chasing the current champions, the [Los Angeles Dodgers](/mlb/team/_/name/lad/los-angeles-dodgers) at the top of our initial rankings. Whether your team is hoping to dethrone Los Ángeles or is looking to become the biggest surprise of the season, we have everything you need for Opening Day.
Contents
Our MLB experts were called upon to rank each team from 1 to 30 in our first Power Rankings of the new season, and Alofoke Deportes baseball writers Jorge Castillo, Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez, and David Schoenfield joined to offer a breakdown of what to expect this season, along with Doolittle’s win-loss projections and playoff odds for the 30 teams.
American League
ATH | BAL | BOS | CHW | CLE | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY | SEA | TB | TEX | TORNational League
ARI | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | LAD | MIA | MIL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | WSHLevel 1: The reigning champions are alone
1. [Los Angeles Dodgers](/mlb/team/_/name/lad/los-angeles-dodgers) Projected Record: 102-60 | (Doolittle’s Odds: 98% playoff | 27.6% WS) What we’ll talk about most this season: Their quest for a three-peat and what it means for the future of MLB. The Dodgers could become the first team to win back-to-back World Series titles since the Yankees achieved the feat in 2000. They will begin the pursuit with the highest projected payroll in the majors by more than $30 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, after signing the best position player ([Kyle Tucker](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/34967/kyle-tucker)) and reliever ([Edwin Diaz](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/35394/edwin-diaz)) in the free agent market. His extravagant spending, along with the success, has generated widespread calls for a salary cap, which MLB will seek when the CBA expires on December 1, and will almost certainly lead to a lockout. That inevitably, and the possibility of missing games if not the entire 2027 season, looms, and Los Angeles is the focal point. — Castillo The most likely award winner in 2026: [Shohei Ohtani](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39832/shohei-ohtani), National League Cy Young. Yes, of course, Ohtani is also the favorite for the National League MVP. You don’t need us to tell you that. But when Ohtani sets out to do something, he tends to do that. And, apparently, he has set out to win a Cy Young, so we must plan accordingly. It’s almost sinful to reflect on what numbers an MVP-level bat and a Cy Young-level arm from Ohtani would produce in the same season. Really, it’s almost the only thing he hasn’t done. — Doolittle A bold (realistic) prediction: After winning 100 games in 2019, 2021, 2022 (finishing with 111 wins, the second most in the National League) and 2023, and would have surpassed 100 wins in 2020, the Dodgers more or less cruised through the last two regular seasons, winning 98 games in 2024 and only 93 in 2025. With consecutive titles under their belt, maybe the Dodgers need a new challenge for 2026: like crushing the regular season. With a healthier rotation, that may happen. Let’s go with 110 wins. — Schoenfield How they can dominate the sport (for the third consecutive year): Only two things can prevent the Dodgers’ dominance: apathy and injuries. The Dodgers have tended to treat the regular season as a testing period for October, which led them to rest players often and keep pitchers on the injured list a little longer than necessary. There’s a reason for that: their roster is older and their pitchers often get injured. The Dodgers used 40 different pitchers in both 2024 and 2025. Better luck regarding injuries on that side of the roster could propel them to compete for the win record. They are the two-time defending champions, and with Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz, they have addressed their only remaining gaps with two of the best players in the sport. It’s one of the best rosters ever assembled. — GonzalezLevel 2: The Biggest Threats to the Throne of Los Angeles
2. [Seattle Mariners](/mlb/team/_/name/sea/seattle-mariners) Projected Record: 90-72 | (Doolittle’s Odds: 72% playoff | 7.4% WS) What we’ll be talking about most this season: The Mariners’ continued quest to finally reach the World Series. Seattle was one win away from winning its first American League pennant last season, and this year’s team could be even better. The Mariners lost [Jorge Polanco](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32525/jorge-polanco) in free agency, but acquired All-Star utility player [Brendan Donovan](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/41773/brendan-donovan) and will have first baseman [Josh Naylor](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/35066/josh-naylor), an acquisition at the 2025 trade deadline, for the entire season after re-signing him. In the bullpen, after relying heavily on lefty [Gabe Speier](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/40327/gabe-speier) last season, Seattle added left-handed reliever [Jose A. Ferrer](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5119607/jose-ferrer) for another robust option. The rotation, after regressing in 2025, could improve. [Cal Raleigh](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/41292/cal-raleigh) and [Julio Rodriguez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/41044/julio-rodriguez) are superstars. The pieces are there to bounce back from October’s disappointment and break through. The most likely award winner in 2026: Julio Rodríguez, AL MVP. Rodríguez enjoyed his best season a year ago, in part because he played 160 games, but still feels he hasn’t quite made it. Entering his age-25 season, Rodríguez is a minimum of plate discipline away from truly reaching the stratosphere. We’re talking 7-8 bWAR, 35 home runs, 35 steals, and a highlight reel every night in center field. This has the opportunity to be a truly special season for the Mariners and if J-Rod is at the center of it, it wouldn’t be a surprise. — Doolittle A bold (realistic) prediction: We could predict something silly here like Cal Raleigh hitting 60 home runs or Josh Naylor stealing 30 bases or the Mariners reaching Game 7 of the American League Championship Series and leading that game in the seventh inning, but that kind of thing never happens. Let’s go with this: Rodríguez avoids his usual slow start and bats .290/.341/.560, which matches his second-half totals from 2025. He hits 40 home runs, reaches 8 WAR, and finishes third in the MVP voting. — Schoenfield How they can join the Los Angeles at the top level: During the last two months of the regular season, after acquiring Naylor and [Eugenio Suarez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32367/eugenio-suarez) via trade, the Mariners boasted the sixth-highest OPS in MLB and scored the fifth-most runs per game. Mariners fans of this era know they can count on their team to pitch well. The question is often whether they will hit enough. Bringing back Naylor and trading for Brendan Donovan will go a long way in being a more consistent offensive team. Most importantly, however, will be Rodriguez getting hot, and doing much better than his career batting line in the first half of .260/.319/.418. Maybe playing in the World Baseball Classic will help. — Gonzalez 3. [New York Yankees](/mlb/team/_/name/nyy/new-york-yankees) Projected Record: 89-73 | (Doolittle’s Odds: 70% playoff | 7.0% WS) What we will talk about most this season: The return of [Gerrit Cole](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32081/gerrit-cole). On Opening Day, the Yankees will look nearly identical to the 94-win team that was eliminated in the American League Division Series. Cole, however, could raise the ceiling of the group when he returns from Tommy John surgery.The 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner is expected to rejoin the club in June. It’s unlikely he’ll immediately regain his ace form after the significant procedure at age 35, but Cole has looked dynamic in spring training and possesses the talent, intelligence, and work ethic to do better than other pitchers who have initially struggled to recover from surgery. If he can return to front-of-the-rotation form alongside [Max Fried](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32685/max-fried), the Yankees will have one of the best rotations in the majors and one built for a deep October run. — Castillo
The most likely award winner in 2026: [Aaron Judge](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33192/aaron-judge), AL MVP. After the last two seasons, how could it be anything other than this? Judge recorded 9.7 bWAR in winning his third MVP award last season despite being relegated to the designated hitter position in 56 games due to his elbow injury. As we saw in the World Baseball Classic, that elbow is now looking good. If Judge wins again, he would join Barry Bonds and Shohei Ohtani as the only players with four MVP trophies. — Doolittle A bold (realistic) prediction: The 2019 Twins and the 2023 Braves are the only teams with five players who hit 30 home runs. The Yankees will match that total with Aaron Judge, [Jazz Chisholm Jr](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/41433/jazz-chisholm-jr), [Ben Rice](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5016968/ben-rice), [Trent Grisham](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/34995/trent-grisham) and [Cody Bellinger](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33912/cody-bellinger). After hitting 274 home runs in 2025, the Yankees once again lead the majors, hitting 290 home runs, although they don’t reach the MLB record of 307 shared by those Twins and Braves teams (and the club record of 306 set in 2019). — Schoenfield How can you join Los Angeles at the top level: We can say this with confidence about the Yankees: they are going to hit a lot of home runs, they are going to pitch and, sometimes, they will make us shake our heads with defensive errors and base running. What could really elevate them, however, is production from the left side of the infield. Last year, their shortstops and third basemen combined for a .664 OPS, the sixth-lowest in the majors. So, whether it’s [Anthony Volpe](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/42547/anthony-volpe), [Ryan McMahon](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33247/ryan-mcmahon), [Jose Caballero](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/42135/jose-caballero) or [Amed Rosario](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33215/amed-rosario), someone there has to step up. If so, the Yankees will be as deep, talented, and balanced as anyone. — Gonzalez 4. [Toronto Blue Jays](/mlb/team/_/name/tor/toronto-blue-jays) Projected Record: 88-74 | (Doolittle Odds: 66% playoff | 6.0% WS) What we’ll be talking about most this season: Can the Blue Jays exceed expectations again? A year ago, the Blue Jays seemed like a directionless organization after a strange offseason. The franchise’s seemingly failed contract negotiations with [Vladimir Guerrero Jr](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/35002/vladimir-guerrero-jr) made headlines. Their window with Guerrero and [Bo Bichette](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/38904/bo-bichette) as the core seemed to be closing. Forget about it. The Blue Jays were a great story in 2025, winning their first American League pennant in 32 years and being one out away from overthrowing the powerful Dodgers in the World Series. Now expectations are high after another eventful offseason. The Blue Jays signed starters [Dylan Cease](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/34943/dylan-cease) and [Cody Ponce](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/34999/cody-ponce), reliever [Tyler Rogers](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/34026/tyler-rogers) and third baseman [Kazuma Okamoto](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5134636/kazuma-okamoto), and recovered [Max Scherzer](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/28976/max-scherzer), but failed to sign Kyle Tucker and saw [Bo Bichette](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/38904/bo-bichette) go to the Mets. [Shane Bieber](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/40912/shane-bieber) (forearm) could miss significant time after opting for the last year of his contract. [Anthony Santander](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/36084/anthony-santander) (shoulder) is expected to miss most of the season after a disastrous first year in Toronto. The American League East is the best division in baseball. Defending their crown will be a difficult task. — Castillo The most likely award winner in 2026: Kazuma Okamoto, American League Rookie of the Year. It’s strange to think of a 29-year-old established star from the second-best baseball league in the world as a rookie, but Okamoto will carry that classification. As the everyday third baseman for the contending Blue Jays, Okamoto will be in the conversation if he meets his projections. Speaking of players who don’t look like rookies, if [Trey Yesavage](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4949041/trey-yesavage) can overcome his shoulder impingement, he could emerge as Okamoto’s main competitor. The guy already has 17 strikeouts in the World Series under his belt. — Doolittle A bold (realistic) prediction: What can Guerrero do for an encore after a scorching postseason in which he hit .397 with eight home runs in 18 games? How about avoiding some of the month-to-month inconsistency of last season and winning the American League batting title with a .335 average? He would join John Olerud as the only Jays hitter to win a title and become the fourth Jays player to hit .330 (joining Olerud, Carlos Delgado and Paul Molitor, who did it twice). How they can join the Los Angeles at the top level: The season hasn’t started yet and the Blue Jays’ rotation has already been devastated by injuries. [Bowden Francis](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4734325/bowden-francis) is out for the year with Tommy John surgery. Shane Bieber has forearm fatigue. [Jose Berrios](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32811/jose-berrios) is dealing with a stress fracture in his elbow. Yesavage, a breakout star last October, has a shoulder impingement. The Blue Jays were an offensive juggernaut during last year’s postseason and should be again, even without Bichette. But they can’t stay in the top division of the sport if two of Yesavage, Bieber, and Berrios don’t regain their health to become regular contributors. Equally important: a bounce-back year from closer [Jeff Hoffman](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33841/jeff-hoffman). — Gonzalez 5. [Philadelphia Phillies](/mlb/team/_/name/phi/philadelphia-phillies) Projected Record: 90-72 | (Doolittle’s Odds: 74% playoff | 5.9% WS) What we’ll be talking about most this season: [Bryce Harper](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/30951/bryce-harper) getting revenge on opposing pitchers. The Phillies’ president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, caused a stir in October when he questioned whether Harper would regain “elite” status or remain “good.” The comment evidently irritated Harper, who was still upset when he showed up for spring training. Harper’s .844 OPS was the lowest since his 21-year-old season in 2014, but still ranked 22nd in baseball. In 2024, his .898 OPS ranked 10th. He still thrives in big moments as he reminded the world with his home run to tie the game against Venezuela in the final of the World Baseball Classic. The Phillies need Harper at his best, and an angry Harper could be a problem for opponents. — Castillo The most likely award winner in 2026: [Cristopher Sanchez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/42359/cristopher-sanchez), National League Cy Young. Although [Paul Skenes](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4719507/paul-skenes) was a unanimous National League Cy Young winner last year, Sánchez had a very strong case for the award. He was as skilled as any pitcher in baseball, able to routinely combine dominance with the kind of efficiency that allowed him to go deep into games. Sánchez has improved every year as a major leaguer. Improving on his 2025 could be difficult, but if he simply matches that progress, he’ll be in the mix. — Doolittle A bold (realistic) prediction: Cristopher Sánchez had a great season in 2025, finishing second in the Cy Young voting and even finishing neck and neck with Paul Skenes in WAR (Sánchez led in bWAR, 8.0 to 7.7, while Skenes barely led in fWAR, 6.5 to 6.4). Sánchez will be great again, but the also left-handed [Jesus Luzardo](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39667/jesus-luzardo) will be even better. Luzardo had the highest strikeout rate last year and will avoid the two-start stretch from last year when he allowed 20 runs and inflated his ERA. He finishes third in the Cy Young voting, one spot ahead of Sánchez. — Schoenfield How they can join Los Angeles at the top level: For the Phillies, it will all come down to one thing: Will their offense show up in October? Over the last two years, the Phillies’ offense has combined to hit just .199/.297/.331, and they were eliminated in the divisional series each time. Despite it being a small sample size, the urgency increases significantly with each passing autumn. The players in the core group of this Phillies era (Bryce Harper, [Kyle Schwarber](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33712/kyle-schwarber), [Trea Turner](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33710/trea-turner), [J.T. Realmuto](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32177/jt-realmuto), [Aaron Nola](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33709/aaron-nola) and [Zack Wheeler](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/31267/zack-wheeler)) are now well into their 30s. They still have to secure a championship, and each year it will become more improbable. Assuming they stay relatively healthy, the Phillies will cruise through another regular season. What happens after that is all that matters. — Gonzalez 6. [New York Mets](/mlb/team/_/name/nym/new-york-mets) Projected Record: 92-70 | (Doolittle’s Odds: 78% playoff | 7.7% WS) What we will talk about the most this season: If David Stearns made the right decisions. The Mets’ president of baseball operations revamped the roster during the winter. Not everything was by choice, but he made it clear that he didn’t want to have the same team again, and the four players with the most time in the organization until last season are no longer there. The starting rotation should be better with [Freddy Peralta](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39825/freddy-peralta) on board and [Nolan McLean](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4433874/nolan-mclean) from the start of the year. [Francisco Lindor](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32129/francisco-lindor) and [Juan Soto](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/36969/juan-soto) remain the pillars of the lineup with newcomers Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco batting behind them. [Devin Williams](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33224/devin-williams) replaces Edwin Díaz as closer. If the Mets recover from their disastrous 2025 campaign, Stearns will receive a lot of love. If they don’t, New York will hear it. — Castillo The most likely award winner in 2026: Nolan McLean, National League Rookie of the Year. McLean will almost certainly be one of those rare players who will get Rookie of the Year votes more than once. His rookie status remains intact despite everything he has done as a major league player: namely, eight solid starts towards the end of last season that almost helped save the Mets’ disastrous season. This spring, it was McLean whom Mark DeRosa turned to pitch against Venezuela in the final of the World Baseball Classic. The only thing left is to start Game 1 of a playoff series for the Mets. It could happen this season. — Doolittle A bold (realistic) prediction: Remember [Francisco Alvarez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/41253/francisco-alvarez)? He was one of the best prospects in the game when he reached the majors at age 20 in 2022, then hit .209 as a rookie in 2023 and battled injuries in the last two seasons. But as the Mets collapsed in the second half of last year, Alvarez was quietly putting it together, hitting .276/.360/.561. At just 24 years old, he has his breakout year: he hits 30 home runs, makes the All-Star team, and is the best offensive catcher in the National League. — Schoenfield How they can join the Los Angeles at the top level: Even when the Mets slipped during the last two months of 2025, going 21-32 to surprisingly miss the playoffs, their offense led the majors in OPS. It was their pitching (4.96 ERA, the sixth highest in the majors during that stretch) that was the real problem. Pitching and defense will define this Mets season. A rotation headed by Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean should improve the former, and the additions of [Marcus Semien](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32146/marcus-semien) and [Luis Robert Jr](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39631/luis-robert-jr) should help the latter. The bullpen, however, will be interesting. The Mets need Devin Williams to build on the dominance he showed in Milwaukee, and for [Luke Weaver](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33770/luke-weaver) to get closer to the 2024 type of 2025. — Gonzalez 7. [Chicago Cubs](/mlb/team/_/name/chc/chicago-cubs) Projected Record: 89-73 | (Doolittle Odds: 68% playoff | 4.8% WS) What we’ll talk about most this season: The potential of [Pete Crow-Armstrong](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4717833/pete-crow-armstrong). PCA came to the majors as one of the best center fielders in baseball, but with doubts about his potential at the plate. In his first extended season in 2024, he recorded an 86
