2026 MLB Predictions Roundtable!
To celebrate the start of the new season, I've enlisted the help of several baseball writers to help forecast what will happen over the next several months...
Happy Opening Day!
While we did have a baseball game on Wednesday with the Yankees beating the Giants 7-0 on Opening Night, today is actually what all baseball fans live for.
We have eleven games spread throughout the afternoon and tonight to look forward to, with baseball officially back!
Man, that felt good to say.
And, to celebrate the start of the 2026 MLB season, and several months packed full of the best sport on the planet, I called on an army of baseball writers and experts to make their predictions for the year ahead.
We did this last year and it proved to be a resounding success. So, naturally, we’ve gone bigger and better second time around.
Sticking to the same format from last year, each writer selected division winners, a World Series pick, and individual award winners, before giving one reason each for why they are excited for the 2026 season.
Before we proceed, allow me to thank Neil Paine, Michael Baron, Jeffrey Bellone, Matt Musico, Drew Van Buskirk, Griffin Olah, Jack Zucker, Michael Mayer, and Allison Waxman for taking the time to take part in this. I will share links to all of their stellar work below.
So, without wanting to waste anymore time, let’s dive right into the 2026 Steele Sports Bar MLB Predictions Roundtable!
Michael Mayer - Metsmerized
Playoff / World Series Picks:
National League:
NL East - Mets
NL Central - Reds
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Phillies, Padres, Cubs
American League:
AL East - Red Sox
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Mariners
AL Wild Card - Yankees, Blue Jays, Astros
World Series
METS OVER Red Sox
AWARDS:
NL:
MVP - Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Cy Young - Paul Skenes (Pirates)
ROY - JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals)
AL:
MVP - Aaron Judge (Yankees)
Cy Young - Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
ROY - Kevin McGonigle (Tigers)
What Mike Is Excited For In 2026: There are a ton of really good, young players who will make their debut, or I believe will break out. Wetherholt and McGonigle, as mentioned above, but also Konnor Griffin, Roman Anthony, Chase Burns, Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, Trey Yesavage, Sal Stewart, and many, many more.
Allison Waxman - Metsmerized
Playoff / World Series Picks:
National League:
NL East - Mets
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Braves, Padres, Brewers
American League:
AL East - Yankees
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Mariners
AL Wild Card - Orioles, Royals, Red Sox
World Series
MARINERS OVER Dodgers
AWARDS:
NL:
MVP - Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Cy Young - Paul Skenes (Pirates)
ROY - Nolan McLean (Mets)
AL:
MVP - Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
Cy Young - Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
ROY - Carter Jensen (Royals)
What Allison Is Excited For In 2026: The Mets to break my heart all over again. All jokes aside, on the Mets side, I’m looking forward most (or maybe most anxious?) to watching this new roster come together. In past years, you always knew what you were going to get, but as a Mets fan, this is the first year going into a new season that feels like the first day of school; you just really don’t know what to expect. Now, as a baseball fan, I’m excited to watch baseball every day for the next six plus months. I mean, how many people last year thought the Blue Jays were going to the World Series? Give me another Cinderella story!!!
Jeffrey Bellone | Mets Fix
Playoff / World Series Picks:
National League:
NL East - Mets (Seriously)
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Braves, Phillies, Pirates
American League:
AL East - Yankees
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Mariners
AL Wild Card - Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles
World Series
DODGERS OVER Orioles
AWARDS:
NL:
MVP - Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Cy Young - Paul Skenes (Pirates)
ROY - Nolan McLean (Mets)
AL:
MVP - Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
Cy Young - Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
ROY - Kevin McGonigle (Tigers)
What Jeffrey Is Excited For In 2026: It seems we are on the cusp of meeting the next generation of superstars, from Nolan McLean in New York to Konnor Griffin in Pittsburgh. And don’t overlook Kevin McGonigle in Detroit. This rookie wave only adds to an exciting young group ready to take the next step in Jackson Holliday, Paul Skenes, and Junior Caminero, to name a few. Every so often, you get a year when it’s clear the next wave is coming. I think this is one of those years.
Michael Baron | Just Mets
Playoff / World Series Picks:
National League:
NL East - Phillies
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Mets, Padres, Diamondbacks
American League:
AL East - Blue Jays
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Mariners
AL Wild Card - Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles
World Series
DODGERS OVER Tigers
AWARDS:
NL:
MVP - Kyle Schwarber (Phillies)
Cy Young - Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers)
ROY - Nolan McLean (Mets)
AL:
MVP - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays)
Cy Young - Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
ROY - Kevin McGonigle (Tigers)
What Michael Is Excited For In 2026: I am actually most fascinated by the impact of the automated ball/strike system (ABS) in 2026. The strike zone is different because of it, and from what we saw in spring training, especially compared to that of the World Baseball Classic, it is definitely smaller and umpires were not being liberal with the bottom part of the zone at all. I also found it interesting how right the home plate umpires were in their ball/strike calls throughout spring training. That’s not to say they were right all the time, but they got calls right a lot more than I expected them to, the egregiously bad calls aside. It’s going to change outcomes of at-bats, it’s going to change outcomes of games, and I’m really interested to see how an overturned call impacts those outcomes.
Drew Van Burskirk | Just Mets | Piazza Party
Playoff / World Series Picks:
National League:
NL East - Mets
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Padres, Phillies, Marlins
American League:
AL East - Red Sox
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Mariners
AL Wild Card - Yankees, Royals, Blue Jays
World Series
METS OVER Tigers
AWARDS:
NL:
MVP - Juan Soto (Mets)
Cy Young - Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies)
ROY - Nolan McLean (Mets)
AL:
MVP - Aaron Judge (Yankees)
Cy Young - Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
ROY - Kevin McGonigle (Tigers)
What Drew Is Excited For In 2026: You may have noticed from my predictions that I’m a little bit of a homer. I don’t care — I believe in my team! The 2026 Mets look completely different, the familiar nucleus of the last seven years obliterated with laser focus by a front office determined to turn several pages and start a new chapter. The additions initially raised some eyebrows (‘How many guys are learning new positions? Who is replacing Edwin Díaz?’), and I don’t begrudge fans their due skepticism, but I anticipate a year of successful experimentation on several fronts. Kodai Senga’s spring performance left me highly encouraged, as has the progression of Bo Bichette at third base. Freddy Peralta looks like he’s been a Met his entire life, and Francisco Álvarez has been heralded by multiple new Mets as the perfect ambassador to welcome them into the family. Luis Robert Jr. has been all smiles and productive in the early days in his new environment, Brett Baty looks bulked up and dialed in at the plate, Carson Benge broke camp and is ready to take the league by storm, Devin Williams had a nearly flawless spring, Clay Holmes and Nolan McLean looked filthy on the world stage…what’s not to be excited about with the 2026 Mets?
Neil Paine | Neil’s Substack
Playoff / World Series Picks:
National League:
NL East - Mets
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Phillies, Braves, Brewers
American League:
AL East - Yankees
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Mariners
AL Wild Card - Blue Jays, Red Sox, Royals
World Series
MARINERS OVER Dodgers
AWARDS:
NL:
MVP - Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Cy Young - Paul Skenes (Pirates)
ROY - Nolan McLean (Mets)
AL:
MVP - Aaron Judge (Yankees)
Cy Young - Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
ROY - Kevin McGonigle (Tigers)
What Neil Is Excited For In 2026: Just appreciating the baseball we have while we’ve got it. I know the possibility of a labor stoppage will hang over the entire season, which is a bummer -- and hopefully they can bring that to a resolution without missing any games next season. But I also hope this moment can give us an excuse to stop and smell the fresh-cut grass and the leather of the gloves (to extend a tortured metaphor, lol) and all of the other things we love about baseball. There’s sometimes a tendency to be negative about the sport -- although I think NBA fans have now surpassed MLB’s in self-hatred -- but it feels like the game itself is as strong as it’s been in a while, and there are a lot of great players to celebrate.
Griffin Olah | SID Sports
Playoff / World Series Picks:
National League:
NL East - Phillies
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Padres, Braves, Brewers
American League:
AL East - Blue Jays
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Mariners
AL Wild Card - Yankees, Red Sox, Guardians
World Series
MARINERS OVER Dodgers
AWARDS:
NL:
MVP - Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Cy Young - Paul Skenes (Pirates)
ROY - Konnor Griffin (Pirates)
AL:
MVP - Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
Cy Young - Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
ROY - Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays)
What Griffin Is Excited For In 2026: The youth movement and changing of the guard. We’ve had a lot of veteran teams play well in previous years, but to me, this feels like a year where new blood takes over. The Tigers are hoping for young stars like Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark to take them over the top. The Pirates have one of the most exciting prospects in years in Konnor Griffin knocking on the door, coupled with a strong, young rotation. Other prospects like Nolan McLean, Samuel Basallo, Bubba Chandler, and more are getting playing time. The future is bright with these kids.
Jack Zucker | Jack’s Thoughts
Playoff / World Series Picks:
National League:
NL East - Phillies
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Padres, Brewers, Braves
American League:
AL East - Yankees
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Mariners
AL Wild Card - Blue Jays, Orioles, Guardians
World Series
DODGERS OVER Mariners
AWARDS:
NL:
MVP - Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Cy Young - Paul Skenes (Pirates)
ROY - Konnor Griffin (Pirates)
AL:
MVP - Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
Cy Young - Bryan Woo (Mariners)
ROY - Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays)
What Jack Is Excited For In 2026: I’m super excited to watch my Los Angeles Dodgers and our super team. Can we three-peat? That is the question heading into the season. Overall, I’m excited to watch yet another awesome year of the big leagues. Hopefully, both Roman Anthony and Paul Skenes can dominate, and my expensive baseball cards of theirs can skyrocket in price. I’m really looking forward to seeing these predictions come true!
Matt Musico | Daily Dingers
Playoff / World Series Picks:
National League:
NL East - Phillies
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Mets, Brewers, Padres
American League:
AL East - Blue Jays
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Mariners
AL Wild Card - Yankees, Red Sox, Guardians
World Series
BLUE JAYS OVER Dodgers
AWARDS:
NL:
MVP - Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Cy Young - Logan Webb (Giants)
ROY - Nolan McLean (Mets)
AL:
MVP - Aaron Judge (Yankees)
Cy Young - Garrett Crochet (Red Sox)
ROY - Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays)
What Matt Is Excited For In 2026: The MVP races and (obviously) home runs. I went with the obvious choices for my MVP predictions in each league, but I want to see which players rise to the occasion to try and challenge them. I’m particularly thinking about Juan Soto in the NL and Bobby Witt Jr. in the AL.
Five different players hit 50-plus homers in 2025, which tied an MLB record. It’s only happened two other times in baseball history: 1998 and 2001. Hopefully, we have a powerful encore in store for us this year.
Andrew Steele | Steele Sports Bar
Playoff / World Series Picks:
National League:
NL East - Phillies
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Mets, Pirates, Reds
American League:
AL East - Orioles
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Mariners
AL Wild Card - Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays
World Series
MARINERS OVER Dodgers
AWARDS:
NL:
MVP - Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Cy Young - Paul Skenes (Pirates)
ROY - Konnor Griffin (Pirates)
AL:
MVP - Gunnar Henderson (Orioles)
Cy Young - Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
ROY - Kevin McGonigle (Tigers)
What Andrew Is Excited For In 2026: This may sound simple, but I’m excited for everything. I truly am. Following a pulsating World Series, I feel like the sport is in a really good place, and I’m trying not to think about the looming labor war that is set to rock baseball next year. For now, I’m really looking forward to seeing juggernauts like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto continue to dominate. I can’t wait for the next wave of elite young talent led by Konnor Griffin and Nolan McLean. I will be watching every single start made by Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. I’m excited for teams like the Pirates, Tigers, and Orioles to make some real noise in 2026. And, finally, I’m excited to watch baseball every single day for the next seven months. Talk about heaven.
Enjoy Opening Day!
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Wow five pick Mets. Five pick Phillies. Guess it’s a toss up?