With the first game of the 2026 MLB season just hours away, we got the Rotoworld Baseball crew together to offer their predictions on how things will play out.
As most preseason prediction articles go, this is intended to be a fun exercise more than anything else. But just a quick warning: You probably won’t hear the end of it if someone hits on an obscure prediction.
Below you’ll find our picks for division winners, Wild Card teams, World Series winners, and all of the top individual awards. Enjoy Opening Day!
⚾️ Coming soon: MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
- ,
- ,
2026 MLB Division Winner and Wild Card Predictions
| Staff Member | AL East | AL Central | AL West | AL Wild Card Teams | NL East | NL Central | NL West | NL Wild Card Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Pouliot | Blue Jays | Tigers | Mariners | Red Sox, Yankees, Astros | Mets | Cubs | Dodgers | Phillies, Brewers, Pirates |
| Eric Samulski | Red Sox | Tigers | Astros | Yankees, Blue Jays, Mariners | Mets | Cubs | Dodgers | Phillies, Brewers, Giants |
| D.J. Short | Yankees | Tigers | Mariners | Red Sox, Orioles, Tigers | Phillies | Cubs | Dodgers | Mets, Padres, Brewers |
| George Bissell | Orioles | Royals | Mariners | Red Sox, Blue Jays, Guardians | Phillies | Brewers | Dodgers | Mets, Cubs, Giants |
| David Shovein | Blue Jays | Tigers | Rangers | Yankees, Astros, Royals | Phillies | Cubs | Dodgers | Mets, Padres, Giants |
| James Schiano | Yankees | Tigers | Mariners | Red Sox, Orioles, Royals | Mets | Cubs | Dodgers | Phillies, Brewers, Padres |
| Jorge Montanez | Yankees | Tigers | Mariners | Blue Jays, Red Sox, Rangers | Mets | Cubs | Dodgers | Phillies, Giants, Braves |
| Chris Crawford | Yankees | Tigers | Mariners | Blue Jays, Royals, Orioles | Phillies | Cubs | Dodgers | Braves, Brewers, Padres |
| Vaughn Dalzell | Blue Jays | Tigers | Rangers | Mariners, Red Sox, Yankees | Braves | Cubs | Dodgers | Phillies, Padres, Pirates |
2026 MLB Playoffs and World Series Predictions
| Staff Member | ALCS Matchup | ALCS Matchup | World Series Matchup/Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Pouliot | Red Sox vs. Blue Jays | Cubs vs. Dodgers | Blue Jays over Cubs |
| Eric Samulski | Red Sox vs Astros | Mets vs Dodgers | Dodgers over Astros |
| D.J. Short | Yankees vs. Mariners | Dodgers vs. Phillies | Mariners over Dodgers |
| George Bissell | Blue Jays vs. Mariners | Dodgers vs. Phillies | Blue Jays over Dodgers |
| David Shovein | Tigers vs. Yankees | Phillies vs. Dodgers | Tigers over Dodgers |
| James Schiano | Tigers vs. Red Sox | Cubs vs. Dodgers | Tigers over Dodgers |
| Jorge Montanez | Yankees vs. Mariners | Mets vs. Dodgers | Mariners over Dodgers |
| Chris Crawford | Mariners vs. Yankees | Dodgers vs. Phillies | Dodgers over Mariners |
| Vaughn Dalzell | Tigers vs Red Sox | Dodgers vs Phillies | Dodgers over Tigers |
2026 MLB Award Predictions
| Staff Member | AL MVP | NL MVP | AL Cy Young | NL Cy Young | AL ROY | NL ROY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Pouliot | Julio Rodriguez | Shohei Ohtani | Tarik Skubal | Cristopher Sánchez | Carter Jensen | Sal Stewart |
| Eric Samulski | Bobby Witt Jr. | Shohei Ohtani | Garrett Crochet | Paul Skenes | Kevin McGonigle | Sal Stewart |
| D.J. Short | Julio Rodriguez | Shohei Ohtani | Tarik Skubal | Paul Skenes | Samuel Basallo | Nolan McLean |
| George Bissell | Gunnar Henderson | Shohei Ohtani | Garrett Crochet | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Kazuma Okamoto | JJ Wetherholt |
| David Shovein | Aaron Judge | Shohei Ohtani | Tarik Skubal | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Kevin McGonigle | Konnor Griffin |
| James Schiano | Julio Rodríguez | Shohei Ohtani | Garrett Crochet | Eury Pérez | Kevin McGonigle | Owen Caissie |
| Jorge Montanez | Aaron Judge | Shohei Ohtani | Tarik Skubal | Cristopher Sánchez | Kazuma Okamoto | Nolan McLean |
| Chris Crawford | Julio Rodríguez | Shohei Ohtani | Logan Gilbert | Paul Skenes | Carter Jensen | JJ Wetherholt |
| Vaughn Dalzell | Bobby Witt Jr. | Ronald Acuña Jr. | Garrett Crochet | Paul Skenes | Tatsuya Imai | Bubba Chandler |
