Let’s take a look at the American League.
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AL EAST
Baltimore Orioles – Over 85.5 wins
2025 Season Record: 75-87
Prediction: OVER; 87 wins
The Orioles are taking off, but we will see if their pitching can perform. The smaller problem for the Orioles in 2025 was a little unlucky hitting, with a down year for most of the team, including Gunnar Henderson. On the other side, the pitching was atrocious in Baltimore, in the bottom three in the AL for ERA and WHIP. That will kill a team’s energy and focus over the 162-game season.
Now I’ll refer you to below to look at their acquisitions: pitching is going to be a large improvement, thanks to Shane Baz, the re-signing of Zach Eflin and bolstering their bullpen with Helsley and Kittredge. It’s a solid improvement. Let’s not forget about the return of Kyle Bradish, who could be the Orioles ace in 2026. I’m not saying it’s going to be the best pitching staff in the AL East, but the hitting will also pick up this year – with the Pete Alonso signing, especially. The over/under line is tough, but I think they sneak right past it with 87 wins this season.
Exact Record Prediction: 86-74
Free agents:
C Gary Sánchez
SP Tomoyuki Sugano
Notable acquisitions:
1B Pete Alonso (5-year deal)
RP Ryan Helsley (2-year deal)
SP Shane Baz (trade with Rays)
OF Taylor Ward (trade with Angels)
SP Zach Eflin (re-signed; 1-year deal)
RP Andrew Kittredge (trade with Cubs)
OF Leody Taveras (1-year deal)
SP Albert Suárez (re-signed; MiLB deal)
Notable subtractions:
SP Grayson Rodriguez (trade with Angels)
SS Jorge Mateo (Braves)
Toronto Blue Jays – Over 88.5 Wins
2025 Season Record: 94-68
Prediction: OVER; 96 wins
Incredible year for the Blue Jays organization in 2025. That was the best World Series I’ve seen in possibly my whole life. Last year the Blue Jays over/under line was a measly 79.5 wins. They shined and their young players really stepped up, including Ernie Clement, Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger. Let’s also stop to appreciate the 35-year-old George Springer with a career year!
Their starting rotation looks really good this upcoming season, with the stable Kevin Gausman leading the rotation, followed likely by Dylan Cease and then Shane Bieber. Throw in Trey Yesavage and their great offense, Blue Jays can easily win the division again. Let’s not forget about the addition of Kazuma Okamoto, projected for 22 HRs and anywhere from 70-80 RBIs. I’ll take the over on the wins for the 2026 season.
Free agents:
SP Chris Bassitt
1B Ty France
INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa
SP Max Scherzer
Notable acquisitions:
SP Dylan Cease (7-year deal)
3B Kazuma Okamoto (4-year deal)
RP Tyler Rogers (3-year deal)
SP Cody Ponce (3-year deal)
RP Chase Lee (trade with Tigers)
DH Eloy Jiménez (re-signed; MiLB deal)
Notable subtractions:
SS Bo Bichette (Mets)
RP Seranthony Domínguez (White Sox)
Boston Red Sox – Over 87.5 Wins
2025 Season Record: 89-73
Prediction: OVER; 90 wins
Red Sox fans are all hyped about the sophomore season of Roman Anthony, producing over a 3.0 WAR in his rookie 2025 season with only 71 game appearances. Along with the new starting pitching coming in (Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez), plenty of depth already existing on the offense/defensive side and talent incoming from the NL Central (Caleb Durbin and Willson Contreras), this is appearing to be another playoff eligible team in the AL East. Getting rid of Devers might just work out after all.
I have a feeling about one player specifically, Jaren Durran. He’s entering his prime years at 28, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s an All-Star and MVP candidate for next season. All around, I really like the Red Sox this year. They may even beat out Toronto for the division.
Free agents:
SP Lucas Giolito
RP Justin Wilson
Notable acquisitions:
SP Ranger Suárez (5-year deal)
1B Willson Contreras (trade with Cardinals)
SP Sonny Gray (trade with Cardinals)
SP Johan Oviedo (trade with Pirates)
INF Caleb Durbin (trade with Brewers)
INF Andruw Monasterio (trade with Brewers)
INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa (1-year deal)
2B Brendan Rodgers (MiLB deal)
Notable subtractions:
3B Alex Bregman (Cubs)
SP Richard Fitts (trade with Cardinals)
SP Brandon Clarke (trade with Cardinals)
SP Hunter Dobbins (trade with Cardinals)
SP Kyle Harrison (trade with Brewers)
INF David Hamilton (trade with Brewers)
SP/RP Jordan Hicks (trade with White Sox)
SP/RP Steven Matz (Rays)
SP Dustin May (Cardinals)
OF Rob Refsnyder (Mariners)
OF Jhostynxon Garcia (trade with Pirates)
RP Liam Hendriks (Twins)
1B Nathaniel Lowe (Reds)
Tampa Bay Rays – Over 76.5 wins
2025 Season Record: 77-85
Prediction: OVER; 79 Wins
I always say never take the under on the Rays or Brewers, and this will continue into 2026. The Rays offer a competitive lineup this season with an underrated starting rotation. Although there will be a notable hole with Shane Baz leaving, Rasmussen has plenty of experience to take the ace role over, and Baz posted over a 4.6 ERA last season anyways.
The Rays are scrappy every year, and they’ll be returning home to Tropicana Park after a season at Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ spring training facility. Clearly the Rays are the weakest team in the AL East this year but are definitely still eligible to hit that 77-win total. I’ll predict the over with 79 wins for the Rays.
Free agents:
2B Coco Montes
Notable acquisitions:
SP/RP Steven Matz (2-year deal)
SP/RP Nick Martinez (1-year deal)
INF Gavin Lux (3-team trade with Angels, Reds)
3B Ben Williamson (3-team trade with Cardinals, Mariners)
OF Cedric Mullins (1-year deal)
OF Jacob Melton (3-team trade with Pirates, Astros)
OF Jake Fraley (re-signed; 1-year deal)
Notable subtractions:
2B Brandon Lowe (3-team trade with Pirates, Astros)
SP Shane Baz (trade with Orioles)
OF Josh Lowe (3-team trade with Angels, Reds)
RP Pete Fairbanks (Marlins)
OF Jake Mangum (3-team trade with Pirates, Astros)
RP Mason Montgomery (3-team trade with Pirates, Astros)
SP Adrian Houser (Giants)
UTIL Christopher Morel (Marlins)
OF Kameron Misner (trade with Royals)
New York Yankees – Over 90.5 wins
2025 Season Record: 94-68
2026 Prediction: UNDER; 88 wins
A little bit to say about the Yankees and the division is that it seems the rest of the division went outside in free agency and trades to acquire new talent, whereas the Yankees just seemed to re-sign already existing talent and drop or trade what wasn’t working. We’ll see how that works out this season.
I’m favoring teams like the Red Sox, Blue Jays and even the Orioles based on their offseason moves. The Yankees still have a great starting rotation, and Garrett Cole should return to the rotation in May/June, but we will see how the hitting outside of Judge maintains itself this upcoming year. Overall, yes, they’ll be good and I’m downplaying them a bit right now, but I’m going with the under for the 90.5 just based on the AL East competition this season. I’ll say 88 wins for the Yankees.
Free agents:
RP Jake Cousins
Notable acquisitions:
OF Cody Bellinger (re-signed; 5-year deal)
OF Trent Grisham (re-signed; accepted qualifying offer)
SP Ryan Weathers (trade with Marlins)
SP Ryan Yarbrough (re-signed; 1-year deal)
1B Paul Goldschmidt (re-signed; 1-year deal)
INF Amed Rosario (re-signed; 1-year deal)
SP Paul Blackburn (re-signed; 1-year deal)
3B Paul DeJong (MiLB deal)
RP Angel Chivilli (trade with Rockies)
RP Rafael Montero (MiLB deal)
Notable subtractions:
RP Devin Williams (Mets)
RP Luke Weaver (Mets)
RP Mark Leiter Jr. (Athletics)
RP Ian Hamilton (Braves)
RP Jonathan Loáisiga (D-backs)
OF Austin Slater (Tigers)
AL CENTRAL
Cleveland Guardians – Over 78.5 wins
2025 Season Record: 88-74
Prediction: OVER; 81 wins
Guardians fans (sorry K. Becks), can we add Clase as a notable subtraction?
Anyways, great finish in 2025 to reach the playoffs and kick out the Astros – pretty sure the whole league was rooting for that. Now, the common question is: what will happen in the AL Central in 2026? In 2025 the Guardians overperformed, no doubt, at their 88-win total. But to drop their win total all the way down to 78.5 might be a bit of a stretch. They added Shawn Armstrong, who will be a great bullpen arm, but other than that, nothing much. They posted top 5 in ERA and had the sixth fewest home runs allowed last season, so the pitching staff will have to carry them again.
It’s all about getting the sticks going with the Guardians. To give a quick summary of the bats in 2025, they were bottom five in OBP, slugging, OPS, and RBI totals. For almost all of the most notable hitting categories, the Guardians were bottom third of the league in 2025. That just goes to show how good their pitching was in 2025 to carry them to 88 wins. With great pitching, I’ll say the Guardians get to an even 81-81 record this upcoming season.
Free agents:
None
Notable acquisitions:
RP Colin Holderman (1-year deal)
RP Shawn Armstrong (1-year deal)
Notable subtractions:
OF Lane Thomas (Royals)
RP Sam Hentges (Giants)
RP Jakob Junis (Rangers)
SP John Means (Royals)
SP Triston McKenzie (Padres)
OF Will Brennan (Giants)
Kansas City Royals – Over 82.5 wins
2025 Season Record: 82-80
Prediction: OVER; 86 Wins
The Royals were one or two pieces away from winning the AL Central division, but I like their odds looking at the 2026 season. In 2025, they lost ace Cole Ragens for the majority of the season but still managed to record sixth best in ERA, top half in WHIP and bottom 10 in HRs allowed. With the reemergence of a healthy Ragens along with strengthening the bullpen with acquisitions of Mears and Strahm, pitching should take a healthy jump up in 2026.
Hitting needed to be a priority in the offseason if the Royals were looking to make a playoff appearance in 2026. They were bottom half in most notable hitting stats, including OPS, stolen bases, home runs and RBIs. They did try to solve this with the moves adding Issac Collins and Lane Thomas to help the outfield after a less than productive year in 2025, but I’ll be looking more at an improved season from rising star Jac Caglianone to help their offensive woes. I like this pick for the Royals to hit their over and achieve 86 wins in 2026.
Free agents:
OF Randal Grichuk
Notable acquisitions:
RP Matt Strahm (trade with Phillies)
OF Lane Thomas (1-year deal)
OF Isaac Collins (trade with Brewers)
RP Nick Mears (trade with Brewers)
OF Kameron Misner (trade with Rays)
RP Alex Lange (1-year deal)
SP John Means (MiLB deal)
RP Eli Morgan (MiLB deal)
C Luke Maile (re-signed; MiLB deal)
Notable subtractions:
OF Mike Yastrzemski (Braves)
SP Michael Lorenzen (Rockies)
RP Angel Zerpa (trade with Brewers)
OF MJ Melendez (Mets)
RP Hunter Harvey (Cubs)
RP Taylor Clarke (D-backs)
RP Jonathan Bowlan (trade with Phillies)
2B Adam Frazier (Angels)
Detroit Tigers – Over 85.5 wins
2025 Season Record: 87-75
Prediction: OVER; 90 wins
I think everyone feels that the Tigers are the best all-around team in the AL Central. With the addition of Framber Valdez to the starting pitching rotation along with the rise of Casey Mize in 2025, their top three starters could go up against any in the MLB. The question is whether the bullpen will hold up this year with the pitching. Additionally, whether the hitting can keep it up throughout 2026. I wanted to analyze their hitting and see the Tigers in at least the top 10 in most major categories, but that just wasn’t the case. They are top half in most notable stats, such as OPS, HRs and RBIs, but it feels like they will need more than this in 2026, especially considering that they were dead last in stolen bases in 2025. Not a lot of speed here.
To break into the conversation of World Series contenders from playoff probable clubs, they’ll need more out of the offense this year. For that, they’ll need to lean on their stars – Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Gleyber Torres – to take them to a new level. I’ll take the over for the Tigers; I’m confident they’ll win the division in 2026.
Free agents:
SP Alex Cobb
RP Tommy Kahnle
Notable acquisitions:
SP Framber Valdez (3-year deal)
SP Justin Verlander (1-year deal)
2B Gleyber Torres (re-signed; accepted qualifying offer)
RP Kenley Jansen (1-year deal)
RP Kyle Finnegan (re-signed; 2-year deal)
SP Drew Anderson (1-year deal)
OF Austin Slater (MiLB deal)
Notable subtractions:
RP Jason Foley (Giants)
SP José Urquidy (Pirates)
RP Chase Lee (trade with Blue Jays)
SP Chris Paddack (Marlins)
RP Paul Sewald (D-backs)
RP Rafael Montero (Yankees)
Minnesota Twins – Over 72.5 wins
2025 Season Record: 70-92
Prediction: OVER; 78 wins
The Twins certainly underperformed last season, but what do you expect when a team deals away half of their best players before the trade deadline? Early last season, the Twins were red hot, posting a 13-game winning streak before falling to the Milwaukee Brewers in game three of a series. The season completely flipped upside down afterwards. Ownership just seemed to be done with the mediocre performances of their higher paid players. Minnesota always seems to be good enough to make the playoffs, but often fails to live up to the potential. They finally just cut the string on Correa, Duran and a number of other less notable but still important pieces. On the flip side, Byron Buxton continues to perform at an All-Star level, and the rise of 2B Luke Keashall should be fun to watch this year.
In the offseason, they emphasized bringing in relief pitching to help their bullpen, but they will need their starters to have a much-improved season this year to reach the win threshold. They’ll be without former ace Pablo Lopez, who suffered a season-ending injury. Overall, the Twins aren’t getting enough credit and in the AL Central, anything can happen. I’ll take the over for the Twins this season and put it on the performance of some of the younger, up-and-coming players like Keashall, Zebby Matthews and Royce Lewis. I’ll say 78 wins for the Twins in 2026.
Free agents:
C Christian Vázquez
Notable acquisitions:
C Victor Caratini (2-year deal)
1B Josh Bell (1-year deal)
RP Taylor Rogers (1-year deal)
RP Liam Hendriks (MiLB deal)
RP Anthony Banda (trade with Dodgers)
SS Orlando Arcia (MiLB deal)
3B Gio Urshela (MiLB deal)
RP Andrew Chafin (MiLB deal)
Notable subtractions:
2B Edouard Julien (trade with Rockies)
RP Pierson Ohl (trade with Rockies)
Chicago White Sox – Over 67.5 Wins
2025 Season Record: 60-102
Prediction: OVER; 75 Wins
For the first time in years, there’s excitement for the White Sox. They are loaded with young offensive talent, much like the Athletics, and looking to build on the momentum of signing Japanese star Munetaka Murakami. Along with Murakami, there’s even bigger expectations for the growth of Colson Montgomery, who in 2025 put up 21 HRs in only 71 games played! The offense should be much improved in 2026. The issues come in with starting pitching.
There are notable holes to be filled here, but I’ll complement the true ace they have in Shane Smith. Other than him, it’s going to be a little rough. After Smith, the most likely rotation will be Sean Burke, Davis Martin, and then either Erick Fedde or Anthony Kay. Doesn’t exactly scream playoff starting rotation, does it? Saying all that, the White Sox are going to continue to get better this season offensively, and they’ll hit 75 wins this season. I’ll take over here.
Free agents:
None
Notable acquisitions:
INF Munetaka Murakami (2-year deal)
RP Seranthony Domínguez (2-year deal)
SP Anthony Kay (2-year deal)
SP/RP Jordan Hicks (trade with Red Sox)
OF Austin Hays (1-year deal)
2B Luisangel Acuña (trade with Mets)
SP/RP Sean Newcomb (1-year deal)
OF Jarred Kelenic (MiLB deal)
SP/RP Erick Fedde (1-year deal)
Notable subtractions:
OF Luis Robert Jr. (trade with Mets)
SP Martín Pérez (Braves)
RP Tyler Alexander (Rangers)
OF Michael A. Taylor (retired)
RP Miguel Castro (Angels)
OF Mike Tauchman (Mets)
AL WEST
Los Angeles Angels – Over 70.5 Wins
2025 Season Record: 72-90
Prediction: OVER; 76 Wins
It seems to happen every year that the Angels bring in many 1-year deals to fill notable holes from the prior season, only to have another mediocre season. I want to say this year is different, as the org has had pretty bad luck over a sustained period, but I can’t bring myself to say it. This is a team that consistently has problems with pitching and last season was no different, finishing in the bottom three in WHIP, ERA and home runs allowed. One bright spot on the staff was Jose Soriano. Soriano yielded a 4.26 ERA, but allowed only 12 home runs last season with 170 innings pitched and 152 strikeouts at age 26. Just got a bit unlucky. Look to see his ERA improve this season.
On the offensive end for the Angels, Jo Adell had a breakout year with 36 home runs, along with SS Zach Neto’s 26. It could be a dynamic power trio with Trout, Adell and Neto able to hit the long ball consistently. Although the Angels probably won’t make playoffs this season, I’m certain that they will hit the over for wins in their division. I’ll predict 76 wins for the Angels.
Free agents:
SP Tyler Anderson
Notable acquisitions:
SP Grayson Rodriguez (trade with Orioles)
OF Josh Lowe (3-team trade with Rays, Reds)
RP Kirby Yates (1-year deal)
SP Alek Manoah (1-year deal)
INF Vaughn Grissom (trade with Red Sox)
3B Yoán Moncada (re-signed; 1-year deal)
UTIL Chris Taylor (re-signed; MiLB deal)
RP Drew Pomeranz (1-year deal)
RP Jordan Romano (1-year deal)
RP Brent Suter (1-year deal)
RP Hunter Strickland (re-signed; MiLB deal)
2B Adam Frazier (MiLB deal)
Notable subtractions:
OF Taylor Ward (trade with Orioles)
RP Kenley Jansen (Tigers)
SP Kyle Hendricks (retired)
INF Luis Rengifo (Brewers)
RP Brock Burke (3-team trade with Rays, Reds)
RP Luis García (Mets)
RP Andrew Chafin (Twins)
Houston Astros – Over 85.5 wins
2025 Season Record: 87-75
Prediction: OVER; 89 wins
In 2025 the Astros were half a game away from making the playoffs after losing Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Yusei Kikuchi. Considering they still won 87 games after losing these stars gives me hope for a rebound in 2026. Looking first at their pitching, they lost Framber Valdez but gained Japanese star Tatsuya Imai; we’ll call it a wash. Next, I’d like to highlight the potential that Hunter Brown has for 2026. In 2025, he posted a 2.43 ERA with over 200 K’s, placing third in the AL CY Young voting. He’s sitting at +1300 odds to win 2026 CY Young, for you sports bettors out there looking for some good odds.
Nothing too crazy changed with the offense heading into 2026, but assuming that Alvarez stays healthy this season, playoffs are certainly within reach. I’ll take the over here and go with 89 wins for the Astros.
Free agents:
3B Ramón Urías
Notable acquisitions:
SP Tatsuya Imai (3-year deal)
SP Mike Burrows (3-team trade with Rays, Pirates)
OF Joey Loperfido (trade with Blue Jays)
INF Nick Allen (trade with Braves)
SP Ryan Weiss (1-year deal)
Notable subtractions:
SP Framber Valdez (Tigers)
UTIL Mauricio Dubón (trade with Braves)
OF Jacob Melton (3-team trade with Rays, Pirates)
OF Jesús Sánchez (trade with Blue Jays)
C Victor Caratini (Twins)
RP Craig Kimbrel (Mets)
2B Brendan Rodgers (Red Sox)
Athletics – Over 75.5 Wins
2025 Season Record: 76-86
Prediction: OVER; 80 wins
Personally, this might be the most excited I am about any AL team in 2026. This team will absolutely rake. Their lineup features super sophomore Nick Kurtz, who hit 36 HRs as a rookie, Brent Rooker, clubbing 31 HRs in the DH spot, Shea Langliers at 31 HRs and 24-year-old Tyler Soderstrom, finishing with 25 HRs. They’re going to score runs, no doubt about it.
Their problem: the pitching staff. It’s bad. They finished bottom five in most major pitching stats including ERA, WHIP and HRs allowed. Just a bit of improvement on this side could help them to get to the 80-win threshold in my mind. I’ll single out Luis Morales as the starter to hop in and significantly help them get to those 80 wins. He showed flashes of excellence after being brought up last August, and here’s to hoping this continues for the 23-year-old in 2026. I’ll take the over for the A’s.
Free agents:
RP José Leclerc
RP Scott McGough
Notable acquisitions:
2B/OF Jeff McNeil (trade with Mets)
SP Aaron Civale (1-year deal)
RP Mark Leiter Jr. (1-year deal)
RP Scott Barlow (1-year deal)
Notable subtractions:
SP/RP Sean Newcomb (White Sox)
OF JJ Bleday (Reds)
Seattle Mariners – Over 90.5 Wins
2025 Season Record: 90-72
Prediction: OVER; 93 wins
The Mariners finally broke out and won the AL West in 2025, the moment fans have been waiting for. They’ve established themselves as one of the best teams in the AL and overtook the Astros as favorites to win the division. The consistency from the starting pitching rotation was there in 2025, as it is pretty much every year, but what took them over the hump was an amazing offensive season from Cal Raleigh, a jump in production from Julio Rodriguez, and a combination of Jorge Polanco/Randy Arozarena/Josh Naylor helping take the offense to the next level. Now they add Brendan Donovan but subtract Polanco – which seems like a wash to me but could even be an upgrade.
The starting pitching is still the strong suit of this team overall and they’ll be just as good in 2026. In combination with some offensive stars taking off, I don’t see how the Mariners don’t win the division again. I’ll take the over at 93 wins.
Free agents:
C Mitch Garver
RP Luke Jackson
Notable acquisitions:
1B Josh Naylor (re-signed; 5-year deal)
INF Brendan Donovan (3-team trade with Cardinals, Rays)
RP Jose A. Ferrer (trade with Nationals)
OF Rob Refsnyder (1-year deal)
C Andrew Knizner (1-year deal)
RP Cooper Criswell (trade with Mets)
Notable subtractions:
3B Eugenio Suárez (Reds)
2B Jorge Polanco (Mets)
C Harry Ford (trade with Nationals)
RP Caleb Ferguson (Reds)
RP Gregory Santos (Giants)
SP Jurrangelo Cijntje (3-team trade with Cardinals, Rays)
3B Ben Williamson (3-team trade with Cardinals, Rays)
Texas Rangers – Over 83.5 Wins
2025 Season Record: 81-81
Prediction: UNDER; 83 wins
After another underwhelming season in 2025, Texas’s relatively recent World Series win now feels like the good old days. The stars aligned for them that season and it seems like that cannot be replicated with the same/similar players. They haven’t even made the playoffs since the World Series win, incredibly. They do have the proper ingredients to at least make the playoffs, with a fantastic starting rotation in DeGrom, Eovaldi, and now Mackenzie Gore. The question is: will they be able to hit?
They absolutely NEED Corey Seager to stay healthy – without him, it’s a bust. I’ll go with the under here as I don’t believe they put enough investment into hitting to see a resurgence in 2026. I’ll say they miss the over by one game and win 83 games this season.
Free agents:
SP Patrick Corbin
RP Danny Coulombe
SP Jon Gray
INF Donovan Solano
1B Rowdy Tellez
Notable acquisitions:
SP MacKenzie Gore (trade with Nationals)
OF Brandon Nimmo (trade with Mets)
C Danny Jansen (2-year deal)
SP Jordan Montgomery (1-year deal)
RP Chris Martin (re-signed; 1-year deal)
RP Alexis Díaz (1-year deal)
RP Jakob Junis (1-year deal)
RP Tyler Alexander 1-year deal)
SP Austin Gomber (MiLB deal)
RP Ryan Brasier (MiLB deal)
SP Cal Quantrill (MiLB deal)
RP Josh Sborz (re-signed; MiLB deal)
Notable subtractions:
2B Marcus Semien (trade with Mets)
OF Adolis García (Phillies)
SP Merrill Kelly (D-backs)
RP Phil Maton (Cubs)
RP Hoby Milner (Cubs)
RP Shawn Armstrong (Guardians)
RP Jacob Webb (Cubs)
SP Tyler Mahle (Giants)
C Jonah Heim (Braves)
SS Gavin Fien (trade with Nationals)
UTIL Dylan Moore (Phillies)
