2026 MLB Season Preview

Standings

NL EAST
x-New York Mets 95-67
y-Atlanta Braves 89-73
y-Philadelphia Phillies 86-76
Miami Marlins 76-86
Washington Nationals 61-101

NL CENTRAL
x-Chicago Cubs 97-65
y-Cincinnati Reds 90-72
Pittsburgh Pirates 79-83
Milwaukee Brewers 75-87
St. Louis Cardinals 65-97

NL WEST
x-Los Angeles Dodgers 108-54
San Francisco Giants 85-77
Arizona Diamondbacks 83-79
San Diego Padres 81-81
Colorado Rockies 61-101

AL EAST
x-Toronto Blue Jays 88-74
y-New York Yankees 86-76
y-Boston Red Sox 83-79
Tampa Bay Rays 77-85
Baltimore Orioles 76-86

AL CENTRAL
x-Detroit Tigers 96-66
y-Kansas City Royals 88-74
Cleveland Guardians 81-81
Chicago White Sox 68-94
Minnesota Twins 63-99

AL WEST
x-Seattle Mariners 94-68
Texas Rangers 82-80
Athletics 80-82
Houston Astros 74-88
Los Angeles Angels 63-99

Playoffs

ALWC	ALDS	ALCS	–
3 – Toronto vs. (TOR in 3) 6 – Boston	2 – Seattle vs. (SEA in 5) 3 – Toronto
		1 – Detroit vs. (DET in 6) 2 – Seattle	Detroit Tigers AL CHAMPIONS
4 – Kansas City vs. (NYY in 2) 5 – NY Yankees	1 – Detroit vs. (DET in 4) 5 – NY Yankees

NLWC	NLDS	NLCS	–
3 – NY Mets vs. (NYM in 2) 6 – Philadelphia	2 – CHI Cubs vs. (NYM in 4) 3 – NY Mets
		1 – LA Dodgers vs. (LAD in 6) 3 – NY Mets	Los Angeles Dodgers NL CHAMPIONS
4 – Cincinnati vs. (CIN in 2) 5 – Atlanta	1 – LA Dodgers vs. (LAD in 3) 4 – Cincinnati

WORLD SERIES:
Detroit Tigers over Los Angeles Dodgers in 6 games

Team Projections

NATIONAL LEAGUE

MVP: Shohei Ohtani, LAD
Cy Young: Paul Skenes, PIT
Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean, NYM
Reliever of the Year: Robert Suarez, ATL
Manager of the Year: Terry Francona, CIN

GOLD GLOVES:
C: Patrick Bailey, SF
1B: Matt Olson, ATL
2B: Brice Turang, MIL
SS: Francisco Lindor, NYM
3B: Ke’Bryan Hayes, CIN
LF: Ian Happ, CHC
CF: Michael Harris II, ATL
RF: Ronald Acuna Jr., ATL
UTIL: Javier Sanoja, MIA
P: David Peterson, NYM

SILVER SLUGGER:
C: Drake Baldwin, ATL
1B: Freddie Freeman, LAD
2B: Ketel Marte, ARI
SS: Elly De La Cruz, CIN
3B: Manny Machado, SD
LF: Juan Soto, NYM
CF: Jackson Chourio, MIL
RF: Kyle Tucker, LAD
DH: Shohei Ohtani, LAD

Atlanta Braves

Manager: Walt Weiss
1st year as Braves manager, 5th year as a manager (Colorado ’13-’16)
Career record: 283-365 – AGE: 62

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
RF	#13	Ronald Acuña Jr.	28	R/R	.290 AVG, 21 HR, 42 RBI, .935 OPS
2B	#1	Ozzie Albies	29	S/R	.240 AVG, 16 HR, 74 RBI, 14 SB
3B	#27	Austin Riley	28	R/R	.260 AVG, 16 HR, 54 RBI, .737 OPS
1B	#28	Matt Olson	31	L/R	.272 AVG, 29 HR, 95 RBI, .850 OPS
C	#30	Drake Baldwin	24	L/R	.274 AVG, 19 HR, 80 RBI, .810 OPS
DH	#12	Sean Murphy	31	R/R	.199 AVG, 16 HR, 45 RBI, .709 OPS
LF	#18	Mike Yastrzemski	35	L/L	.233 AVG, 17 HR, 46 RBI, .735 OPS – (SF/KC)
SS	#14	Mauricio Dubón	31	R/R	.241 AVG, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 3 SB – (HOU)
CF	#23	Michael Harris II	24	L/L	.249 AVG, 20 HR, 86 RBI, 20 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#20	Jonah Heim	30	S/R	.213 AVG, 11 HR, 43 RBI, .602 OPS – (TEX)
INF	#24	Nacho Alvarez Jr.	22	R/R	.234 AVG, 2 HR, 15 RBI, .626 OPS
UTIL	#2	Jorge Mateo	30	R/R	.177 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 15 SB – (BAL)
OF	#36	Eli White	31	R/R	.234 AVG, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 10 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#51	Chris Sale	36	LHP	7-5, 2.58 ERA, 165 Ks, 1.07 WHIP
2	#99	Spencer Strider	27	RHP	7-14, 4.45 ERA, 131 Ks, 1.40 WHIP
3	#66	Grant Holmes	29	RHP	4-9, 3.99 ERA, 123 Ks, 1.34 WHIP
4	#55	Bryce Elder	26	RHP	8-11, 5.30 ERA, 131 Ks, 1.39 WHIP
5	#40	Reynaldo Lopez	32	RHP	5 IP, 5.40 ERA, 1 K, 2.20 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#75	Robert Suárez	34	RHP	40 SVs, 2.97 ERA, 75 Ks, 0.90 WHIP – (SD)
SU	#26	Raisel Iglesias	36	RHP	29 SVs, 3.21 ERA, 73 Ks, 1.00 WHIP
RP	#45	Tyler Kinley	35	RHP	3 SVs, 3.96 ERA, 73 Ks, 1.18 WHIP – (COL/ATL)
RP	#52	Dylan Lee	31	LHP	2 SVs, 3.29 ERA, 76 Ks, 0.98 WHIP
RP	#65	Hunter Stratton	29	RHP	1 SV, 5.21 ERA, 16 Ks, 1.58 WHIP – (PIT/ATL)
RP	#71	Ian Hamilton	30	RHP	40 IP, 4.28 ERA, 42 Ks, 1.25 WHIP – (NYY)
RP	#49	Aaron Bummer	32	LHP	54.1 IP, 3.81 ERA, 51 Ks, 1.25 WHIP
LNG	#46	Dylan Dodd	27	LHP	35 IP, 3.60 ERA, 30 Ks, 0.94 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
INF	#7	Ha-seong Kim	30	R/R	Hand injury Potential return in June
LF	#17	Jurickson Profar	32	S/R	PED Suspension Suspended for 162 games
SP	#56	Spencer Schwellenbach	25	RHP	Elbow surgery Potential return in July
SP	#32	A.J. Smith-Shawver	23	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in September
SP	#64	Hurston Waldrep	23	RHP	Elbow surgery Potential return in August
RP	#77	Joe Jiménez	31	RHP	Knee surgery Potential return in May
RP	#81	Danny Young	31	LHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in August

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Didier Fuentes – #75 (SP, Age: 20, RHP) – ATL Prospect Rank: #3
Hayden Harris – #79 (SP, Age: 26, LHP) – ATL Prospect Rank: #22
Daysbel Hernández – #62 (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Anthony Molina – #43 (RP, Age: 24, RHP)
Joel Payamps – #53 (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Joey Wentz – #33 (RP, Age: 28, LHP)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
J.R. Ritchie (P, Age: 22, RHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #90
Lucas Braun (P, Age: 24, RHP) – ATL Prospect Rank: #9
Blake Burkhalter (P, Age: 25, RHP) – ATL Prospect Rank: #15

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Carlos Carrasco (SP, Age: 39, RHP)
Martín Pérez (SP, Age: 35, LHP)
James Karinchak (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Sandy León (C, Age: 37, S/R)
Chadwick Tromp (C, Age: 31, R/R)
Luke Williams (UTIL, Age: 29, R/R)
José Azocar (OF, Age: 29, R/R)
Ben Gamel (OF, Age: 33, L/L)
DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (OF, Age: 28, L/L)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
Breakout Player: SP Didier Fuentes
Addition: CP Robert Suarez
Grade: B-
Lineup Rank: 8th
Rotation Rank: 7th
Bullpen Rank: 4th

It was a rough year in 2025 for the Braves, riddled with injuries and inconsistent play from their core of star bats. They missed the playoffs and never really seemed to be in the hunt at all, with long-term injuries to Acuna, Sale, Strider, and more. This led into a tough offseason that saw long-time manager and WS Champion Brian Snitker retire. They decided to hire Walt Weiss, a baseball lifer and former manager of the Rockies. Their offense should see much more success this year, with a fully healthy squad and NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin added to the core of Acuna, Albies, Olson, and Riley. Marcell Ozuna left in free agency, but will likely be swapped out by Sean Murphy as DH in an attempt to keep him fully healthy. The bats should not be the issue in Atlanta, as I see them bouncing back on offense.

The pitching, on the other hand, is a different story as the rotation that struggled a year ago didn’t get any better and only got more injury prone. Schwellenbach, Smith-Shawver, and Waldrep are already slated to miss the majority of the season. They will rely on Chris Sale who is aging and had injuries last year, and a bounce back season from Reynaldo Lopez who only pitched in one game after an all-star 2024 season. Youngsters like Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, Didier Fuentes, and Hayden Harris will be relied on heavily for starts. The bullpen should be okay, with Robert Suarez as the new closer and Iglesias re-signed to set him up. I think the Braves, overall, will have a solid year and push for the division crown.

Miami Marlins

Manager: Clayton McCullough
2nd year as Marlins manager
Career/Team record: 79-83 – AGE: 46

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
SS	#9	Xavier Edwards	26	S/R	.283 AVG, 3 HR, 43 RBI, 27 SB
CF	#87	Jakob Marsee	24	L/L	.292 AVG, 5 HR, 33 RBI, .842 OPS
DH	#50	Agustín Ramírez	24	R/R	.231 AVG, 21 HR, 67 RBI, 16 SB
LF	#28	Kyle Stowers	28	L/L	.288 AVG, 25 HR, 73 RBI, .912 OPS
2B	#6	Otto López	27	R/R	.246 AVG, 15 HR, 77 RBI, 15 SB
1B	#5	Christopher Morel	26	R/R	.219 AVG, 11 HR, 33 RBI, 7 SB – (TB)
3B	#1	Connor Norby	25	R/R	.251 AVG, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 8 SB
RF	#17	Owen Caissie (R)	23	L/R	5/26, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .568 OPS – (CHC)
C	#34	Liam Hicks	26	L/R	.247 AVG, 6 HR, 45 RBI, .693 OPS

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
UTIL	#8	Javier Sanoja	23	R/R	.243 AVG, 6 HR, 38 RBI, 6 SB
INF	#21	Graham Pauley	25	L/R	.224 AVG, 4 HR, 11 RBI, .678 OPS
OF	#18	Griffin Conine	28	L/R	.253 AVG, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .732 OPS
OF	#13	Heriberto Hernández	26	R/R	.266 AVG, 10 HR, 44 RBI, .784 OPS

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#22	Sandy Alcántara	30	RHP	11-12, 5.36 ERA, 142 Ks, 1.27 WHIP
2	#39	Eury Pérez	22	RHP	7-6, 4.25 ERA, 105 Ks, 1.05 WHIP
3	#26	Janson Junk	30	RHP	6-4, 4.17 ERA, 77 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
4	#23	Max Meyer	26	RHP	3-5, 4.73 ERA, 68 Ks, 1.42 WHIP
5	#	Chris Paddack	30	RHP	5-12, 5.35 ERA, 112 Ks, 1.28 WHIP – (MIN/DET)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#29	Pete Fairbanks	32	RHP	27 SVs, 2.83 ERA, 59 Ks, 1.04 WHIP – (TB)
SU	#53	Calvin Faucher	30	RHP	15 SVs, 3.28 ERA, 59 Ks, 1.28 WHIP
RP	#37	Anthony Bender	31	RHP	4 SVs, 2.16 ERA, 42 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
RP	#30	Tyler Phillips	28	RHP	4 SVs, 2.78 ERA, 52 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
RP	#58	Cade Gibson	27	LHP	54.2 IP, 2.63 ERA, 43 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
RP	#84	Lake Bachar	30	RHP	3 SVs, 3.93 ERA, 75 Ks, 1.20 WHIP
RP	#43	Andrew Nardi	27	LHP	DNP – Back inflammation
LNG	#20	Braxton Garrett	28	LHP	DNP – UCL surgery

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
RP	#32	Ronny Henriquez	25	RHP	UCL Surgery Will miss the entire season

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Adam Mazur – #60 (SP, Age: 24, RHP)
Ryan Gusto – #65 (SP, Age: 26, RHP)
Bradley Blalock – #31 (SP, Age: 25, RHP)
Josh Simpson – #66 (RP, Age: 28, LHP)
Michael Petersen – #49 (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Maximo Acosta – #24 (INF, Age: 23, R/R)
Esteury Ruiz – #3 (OF, Age: 26, R/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Thomas White (P, Age: 21, LHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #17
Robby Snelling (P, Age: 22, LHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #39
Joe Mack (C, Age: 23, L/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #62
Kemp Alderman (OF, Age: 23, R/R) – MIA Prospect Rank: #9

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Jesús Tinoco (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Tyler Zuber (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Zach Brzykcy (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Daniel Johnson (OF, Age: 30, L/L)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: LF Kyle Stowers
Breakout Player: OF Owen Caissie
Addition: CP Pete Fairbanks
Grade: C-
Lineup Rank: 11th
Rotation Rank: 12th
Bullpen Rank: 12th

The Marlins surprised a lot of people in 2025, with new manager Clayton McCullough leading a young and feisty group of sluggers. Kyle Stowers was the breakout star, as the key piece they got in return for Trevor Rogers in 2024, he broke out as an all-star. Mid-season call-ups Jakob Marsee and Agustin Ramirez also slugged well, putting together a solid young core for the future. Now, after dealing Edward Cabrera to the Cubs, they add Owen Caissie to the mix of stock-piled top 100 bats that they have accumulated. Their offense still lacks veterans, with Christopher Morel as the only signed addition. I do think they will play spoiler in some ways to the better teams in the NL.

On the pitching side, losing Edward Cabrera was a blow, but not one that should be too detrimental. A bounce back year from Sandy Alcantara would be huge, and somewhat expected given his track record. Eury Perez and Max Meyer will need to stay healthy, and picking up a flyer on Chris Paddack was a solid move. Pete Fairbanks should lock down their 9th inning and add another good arm to the core bullpen of Faucher, Bender, Nardi, and more. On the way will be two of baseball’s top 40 pitching prospects in Thomas White and Robby Snelling. I like the Marlins to keep building on their successes and finish around .500 in 2026. They aren’t quite a playoff team yet, but they will at least be fun to watch.

New York Mets

Manager: Carlos Mendoza
3rd year as Mets manager
Career/Team record: 172-152, Career Playoff record: 7-6 – AGE: 46

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
SS	#12	Francisco Lindor	32	S/R	.267 AVG, 31 HR, 86 RBI, 31 SB
LF	#22	Juan Soto	27	L/L	.263 AVG, 43 HR, 105 RBI, 38 SB
3B	#19	Bo Bichette	27	R/R	.311 AVG, 18 HR, 94 RBI, .840 OPS – (TOR)
1B	#11	Jorge Polanco	32	S/R	.265 AVG, 26 HR, 78 RBI, .821 OPS – (SEA)
DH	#7	Brett Baty	26	L/R	.254 AVG, 18 HR, 50 RBI, .748 OPS
CF	#88	Luis Robert Jr.	28	R/R	.223 AVG, 14 HR, 53 RBI, 33 SB – (CWS)
C	#4	Francisco Alvarez	24	R/R	.256 AVG, 11 HR, 32 RBI, .787 OPS
2B	#10	Marcus Semien	35	R/R	.230 AVG, 15 HR, 62 RBI, 11 SB – (TEX)
RF	#3	Carson Benge (R)	23	L/R	MLB Prospect Rank: #16

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#13	Luis Torrens	29	R/R	.226 AVG, 5 HR, 29 RBI, .629 OPS
3B/1B	#27	Mark Vientos	26	R/R	.233 AVG, 17 HR, 61 RBI, .702 OPS
OF	#15	Tyrone Taylor	32	R/R	.223 AVG, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 12 SB
UTIL	#1	MJ Melendez	27	L/R	.083 AVG, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .321 OPS – (KC)

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#51	Freddy Peralta	29	RHP	17-6, 2.70 ERA, 204 Ks, 1.08 WHIP – (MIL)
2	#26	Nolan McLean (R)	24	RHP	5-1, 2.06 ERA, 57 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
3	#34	Kodai Senga	33	RHP	7-6, 3.02 ERA, 109 Ks, 1.32 WHIP
4	#59	Sean Manaea	34	LHP	2-4, 5.64 ERA, 75 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
5	#23	David Peterson	30	LHP	9-6, 4.22 ERA, 150 Ks, 1.37 WHIP
6	#35	Clay Holmes	32	RHP	12-8, 3.53 ERA, 129 Ks, 1.30 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#38	Devin Williams	31	RHP	18 SVs, 4.79 ERA, 90 Ks, 1.13 WHIP – (NYY)
SU	#30	Luke Weaver	32	RHP	8 SVs, 3.62 ERA, 72 Ks, 1.02 WHIP – (NYY)
RP	#33	A.J. Minter	32	LHP	11 IP, 1.64 ERA, 14 Ks, 1.00 WHIP
RP	#25	Brooks Raley	37	LHP	25.2 IP, 2.45 ERA, 25 Ks, 0.78 WHIP
RP	#40	Luis García	39	RHP	2 SVs, 3.42 ERA, 48 Ks, 1.46 WHIP – (LAD/WSH/LAA)
RP	#43	Huascar Brazobán	36	RHP	2 SVs, 3.57 ERA, 57 Ks, 1.24 WHIP
LNG	#32	Tobias Myers	27	RHP	50.2 IP, 3.55 ERA, 38 Ks, 1.36 WHIP – (MIL)

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
RP	#75	Reed Garrett	33	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Likely to miss entire season
RP	#72	Dedniel Núñez	29	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in September
RP	#58	Tylor Megill	30	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Likely to miss entire season

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Christian Scott – #45 (SP, Age: 26, RHP)
Jonah Tong – #21 (SP, Age: 22, RHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #48
Austin Warren – #44 (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Justin Hagenman – #47 (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Bryan Hudson (RP, Age: 28, LHP)
Joey Gerber – #56 (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Hayden Senger – #6 (C, Age: 28, R/R)
Vidal Bruján – #2 (UTIL, Age: 28, S/R)
Ronny Mauricio – #0 (INF, Age: 24, S/R)
Jared Young – #29 (OF, Age: 30, L/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Ryan Clifford (1B/OF, Age: 22, L/L) – NYM Prospect Rank: #5
Jacob Reimer (INF, Age: 22, R/R) – NYM Prospect Rank: #6
Jack Wenninger (P, Age: 23, RHP) – NYM Prospect Rank: #7
Jonathan Santucci (P, Age: 23, LHP) – NYM Prospect Rank: #10
Nick Morabito (OF, Age: 22, R/R) – NYM Prospect Rank: #13

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Adbert Alzolay (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Craig Kimbrel (RP, Age: 37, RHP)
Carl Edwards Jr. (RP, Age: 34, RHP)
Mike Baumann (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Brandon Waddell (RP, Age: 31, LHP)
Kevin Herget (RP, Age: 34, RHP)
Ben Rortvedt (C, Age: 28, L/R)
Austin Barnes (C, Age: 36, R/R)
Christian Arroyo (INF, Age: 30, R/R)
José Rojas (INF, Age: 33, L/R)
Mike Tauchman (OF, Age: 35, L/L)
Ji-Hwan Bae (OF, Age: 26, L/R)
Cristian Pache (OF, Age: 27, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: LF Juan Soto
Breakout Player: RF Carson Benge
Addition: SP Freddy Peralta
Grade: B+
Lineup Rank: 4th
Rotation Rank: 6th
Bullpen Rank:8th

The Mets had one of the biggest shakeups from season-to-season that we have seen in a long time after collapsing late in the season and failing to make the playoffs yet again. Another playoff let down led way for David Stearns and Steve Cohen to completely shake up the core. Lindor and Soto stayed, and became the key pieces they built around. Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz were not re-signed, while Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil were traded for whatever they could get to shed the money. Bo Bichette was signed to take over 3B and Luis Robert Jr. was traded for to play CF. This leads way for a good group of veterans, mixed with young talent in Brett Baty, Francisco Alvarez, and Mark Vientos to finally prove themselves.

The real issue last season was the let down of starting pitching, as injuries and a total collapse is what blew their season. The lack of a true ace was the main issue, and this was potentially solved long-term with the trade for Freddy Peralta, who is on an expiring contract. He’ll become the ace, with young phenom Nolan McLean supporting him, and what seems like fully healthy outlooks for Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, and David Peterson. After losing out on the best closer in baseball, Edwin Diaz, they signed Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, a couple of former Yankees to protect the back end. This team went from very thin to much deeper, especially when it comes to pitching depth. It was a strange offseason full of a variety of emotions for Mets’ fans, but the team looks to be much better than last year in several ways. Health and questions in the lineup will be the true difference makers, but the ceiling is quite high for this group. There’s no doubt the fanbase will be ready to erupt if another letdown occurs.

Philadelphia Phillies

Manager: Rob Thomson
5th year as Phillies manager
Career/Team record: 346-251, Career Playoff record: 21-17 – AGE: 62

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
SS	#7	Trea Turner	32	R/R	.304 AVG, 15 HR, 69 RBI, 36 SB
DH	#12	Kyle Schwarber	32	L/R	.240 AVG, 56 HR, 132 RBI, .928 OPS
1B	#3	Bryce Harper	33	L/R	.261 AVG, 27 HR, 75 RBI, .844 OPS
3B	#28	Alec Bohm	29	R/R	.287 AVG, 11 HR, 59 RBI, .741 OPS
RF	#53	Adolis García	32	R/R	.227 AVG, 19 HR, 75 RBI, 13 SB – (TEX)
C	#10	J.T. Realmuto	34	R/R	.257 AVG, 12 HR, 52 RBI, 8 SB
2B	#5	Bryson Stott	28	L/R	.257 AVG, 13 HR, 66 RBI, 24 SB
LF	#80	Justin Crawford (R)	22	L/R	MLB Prospect Rank: #53
CF	#16	Brandon Marsh	28	L/R	.280 AVG, 11 HR, 43 RBI, .785 OPS

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#13	Rafael Marchán	26	S/R	.210 AVG, 2 HR, 13 RBI, .587 OPS
UTIL	#4	Otto Kemp	26	R/R	.234 AVG, 8 HR, 28 RBI, .709 OPS
INF	#33	Edmundo Sosa	29	R/R	.276 AVG, 11 HR, 39 RBI, .777 OPS
OF	#23	Johan Rojas	25	R/R	.224 AVG, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 12 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#61	Cristopher Sánchez	29	LHP	13-5, 2.50 ERA, 212 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
2	#27	Aaron Nola	32	RHP	5-10, 6.01 ERA, 97 Ks, 1.35 WHIP
3	#44	Jesús Luzardo	28	LHP	15-7, 3.92 ERA, 216 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
4	#99	Taijuan Walker	33	RHP	5-8, 4.08 ERA, 86 Ks, 1.41 WHIP
5	#76	Andrew Painter (R)	22	RHP	MLB Prospect Rank: #28

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#59	Jhoan Durán	28	RHP	32 SVs, 2.06 ERA, 80 Ks, 1.10 WHIP – (MIN/PHI)
SU	#46	José Alvarado	30	LHP	7 SVs, 3.81 ERA, 32 Ks, 1.31 WHIP
RP	#40	Brad Keller	30	RHP	3 SVs, 2.07 ERA, 75 Ks, 0.96 WHIP – (CHC)
RP	#50	Orion Kerkering	24	RHP	4 SVs, 3.30 ERA, 65 Ks, 1.37 WHIP
RP	#58	Tanner Banks	34	LHP	1 SV, 3.07 ERA, 61 Ks, 1.01 WHIP
RP	#52	Jonathan Bowlan	29	RHP	44.1 IP, 3.86 ERA, 46 Ks, 1.22 WHIP – (KC)
RP	#60	Max Lazar	26	RHP	1 SV, 4.79 ERA, 26 Ks, 1.28 WHIP
LNG	#55	Chase Shugart	29	RHP	45 IP, 3.40 ERA, 31 Ks, 1.11 WHIP – (PIT)

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#45	Zack Wheeler	35	RHP	Thoracic Outlet Surgery Potential return in June

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Seth Johnson – #51 (RP, Age: 27, RHP)
Kyle Backhus – #19 (RP, Age: 28, LHP)
Alan Rangel – #57 (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Zach Pop – #56 (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Garrett Stubbs – #21 (C, Age: 32, L/R)
Pedro León – #24 (OF, Age: 27, R/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Aidan Miller (SS, Age: 21, R/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #23
Gabriel Rincones Jr. (OF, Age: 25, L/R) – PHI Prospect Rank: #8
Jean Cabrera (P, Age: 24, RHP) – PHI Prospect Rank: #15

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Bryse Wilson (SP, Age: 28, RHP)
Génesis Cabrera (RP, Age: 29, LHP)
Tim Mayza (RP, Age: 34, LHP)
Trevor Richards (RP, Age: 32, RHP)
Lou Trivino (RP, Age: 34, RHP)
René Pinto (C, Age: 29, R/R)
Dylan Moore (UTIL, Age: 33, R/R)
Liover Peguero (INF, Age: 25, R/R)
Bryan De La Cruz (OF, Age: 29, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: DH Kyle Schwarber
Breakout Player: OF Justin Crawford
Addition: RF Adolis García
Grade: B
Lineup Rank: 10th
Rotation Rank: 2nd
Bullpen Rank: 6th

The Phillies enter 2026 coming off another NL East crown, but no World Series to show for it. Drama circulated the team after the season, when GM Dave Dombrowski stated that he doesn’t think Bryce Harper is a reliable star anymore. Harper, unsurprisingly, took exception to the comments, and seeming to not feel fully comfortable in Philly moving forward. Regardless, these kinds of things can easily be repaired with winning baseball games. They’ll once again be the favorites in the East, after re-signed MVP runner-up Kyle Schwarber, and cutting ties with Nick Castellanos. Turner, Schwarber, Harper, and Bohm remain one of the scariest top of the lineups in all of baseball. Top prospect Aidan Miller is also on the horizon, and will likely take either Bryson Stott’s or Alec Bohm’s jobs after the season.

The pitching is what will be the bigger question this season, with veteran star Zack Wheeler sidelined to start the year. Ranger Suarez left for Boston, and Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo will be relied upon, at least early on, to anchor the rotation. Aaron Nola had a tough year, and it seems that injuries could be catching up with him. Top prospect Andrew Painter will have plenty of opportunities to break camp as a starter and begin to make a name for himself. Philly will definitely compete, but I anticipate them taking a step back this year. Yes, I know I said that last year, but with Atlanta’s and New York’s new look squads, the competition in the East should be much tougher. A lot is on the line though, as a down year could mean a huge shake-up, including Harper and Rob Thomson getting let go.

Washington Nationals

Manager: Blake Butera
1st year as Nationals manager
AGE: 33

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
SS	#5	C.J. Abrams	25	L/R	.257 AVG, 19 HR, 60 RBI, 31 SB
LF	#29	James Wood	23	L/R	.256 AVG, 31 HR, 94 RBI, 15 SB
1B	#2	Luis Garcia Jr.	25	L/R	.252 AVG, 16 HR, 66 RBI, 14 SB
C	#20	Keibert Ruiz	27	S/R	.247 AVG, 2 HR, 25 RBI, .595 OPS
DH	#4	Daylen Lile	23	L/R	.299 AVG, 9 HR, 41 RBI, .845 OPS
RF	#3	Dylan Crews	23	R/R	.208 AVG, 10 HR, 27 RBI, 17 SB
3B	#12	Brady House	22	R/R	.234 AVG, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 5 SB
2B	#8	José Tena	24	L/R	.243 AVG, 0 HR, 16 RBI, .669 OPS
CF	#30	Jacob Young	26	R/R	.231 AVG, 2 HR, 31 RBI, 15 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#14	Drew Millas	28	S/R	.306 AVG, 0 HR, 7 RBI, .807 OPS
1B/3B	#87	Andrés Chaparro	26	R/R	.247 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .504 OPS
UTIL	#21	Joey Wiemer	27	R/R	.236 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI, .715 OPS – (MIA)
OF	#6	Robert Hassell III	24	L/L	.223 AVG, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 4 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#40	Josiah Gray	28	RHP	DNP – Tommy John Surgery
2	#24	Cade Cavalli	27	RHP	3-1, 4.25 ERA, 40 Ks, 1.48 WHIP
3	#22	Foster Griffin	30	LHP	DNP – Played in NPB
4	#27	Jake Irvin	28	RHP	9-13, 5.70 ERA, 124 Ks, 1.43 WHIP
5	#36	Miles Mikolas	37	RHP	8-11, 4.84 ERA, 100 Ks, 1.32 WHIP – (STL)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#39	Clayton Beeter	27	RHP	1 SV, 4.26 ERA, 33 Ks, 1.22 WHIP – (NYY/WSH)
SU	#44	Jackson Rutledge	26	RHP	73.1 IP, 5.77 ERA, 65 Ks, 1.51 WHIP
RP	#50	P.J. Poulin	29	LHP	1 SV, 3.65 ERA, 27 Ks, 1.46 WHIP
RP	#99	Cole Henry	26	RHP	2 SVs, 4.27 ERA, 52 Ks, 1.42 WHIP
RP	#75	Paxton Schultz	28	RHP	24.2 IP, 4.38 ERA, 28 Ks, 1.42 WHIP – (TOR)
RP	#79	Andre Granillo (R)	25	RHP	1 SV, 4.71 ERA, 18 Ks, 1.38 WHIP – (STL)
LNG	#41	Brad Lord	26	RHP	5-10, 4.34 ERA, 108 Ks, 1.29 WHIP
LNG	#70	Mitchell Parker	26	LHP	9-16, 5.68 ERA, 103 Ks, 1.43 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#32	Trevor Williams	33	RHP	Tommy John Surgery (Jul. ’25) Likely to miss entire season
RP	#77	D.J. Herz	25	LHP	Tommy John Surgery (Apr. ’25) Potential return in June

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Andrew Alvarez – #54 (SP, Age: 26, LHP)
Ken Waldichuk – #52 (SP, Age: 28, LHP)
Gus Varland – #81 (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Richard Lovelady – #55 (RP, Age: 30, LHP)
Julian Fernández – #65 (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Jake Eder – #46 (RP, Age: 27, LHP)
Harry Ford – #17 (C, Age: 22, R/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #71
Nasim Núñez – #26 (INF, Age: 25, S/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Luis Perales (P, Age: 22, RHP) – WSH Prospect Rank: #6

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Cionel Pérez (RP, Age: 29, LHP)
Drew Smith (RP, Age: 32, RHP
Shinnosuke Ogasawara (RP, Age: 28, LHP)
Riley Adams (C, Age: 29, R/R)
Tres Barrera (C, Age: 31, R/R)
Matt Mervis (1B/3B, Age: 27, L/R)
Warming Bernabel (1B, Age: 23, R/R)
Trey Lipscomb (INF, Age: 25, R/R)
Orelvis Martinez (INF, Age: 24, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: LF James Wood
Breakout Player: RP Clayton Beeter
Addition: SP Miles Mikolas
Grade: D-
Lineup Rank: 13th
Rotation Rank: 15th
Bullpen Rank: 14th

The Nationals enter the new season as bottom dwellers in the NL and looking at more of the same this year. It almost seems that they are entering another rebuild, after dealing all-star MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers for more prospects. It was a move that made me scratch my head, as it seemed they were finally starting to put together a winner again after entering a rebuild in 2022 by dealing Juan Soto to the Padres. Still, their bats remain the same, with James Wood and C.J. Abrams as their star young pieces. Daylen Lile had a shockingly good rookie year after being called up after the deadline to fill in holes that their trades created. They’ll look to get more out of former top prospects Dylan Crews and Keibert Ruiz who haven’t been able to keep it consistent in the majors quite yet. Crews, Ruiz, Brady House, and Harry Ford are four guys I will be interested in watching this year.

The rotation inherited a major hole with the dealing of Gore, leaving them clearly without an ace. Josiah Gray will return from Tommy John and they’ll hope he can return to all-star form. Foster Griffin was brought back to the MLB after a stint in Japan, and veteran Miles Mikolas will be the experienced member of the group. The bullpen is also looking scarce, as they’ll rely heavily on Clayton Beeter, whom they acquired from the Yankees, to be their anchor. I don’t see this team being able to compete well, especially in a division that is stacked. They’re the clear cut favorites to finish at the bottom of the NL East.

Chicago Cubs

Manager: Craig Counsell
3rd year as Cubs manager, 12th year as a manager (Milwaukee ’15-’23)
Career record: 882-774, Cubs record: 175-149, Career Playoff record: 11-16 – AGE: 55

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
LF	#8	Ian Happ	31	S/R	.243 AVG, 23 HR, 79 RBI, .762 OPS
3B	#3	Alex Bregman	31	R/R	.273 AVG, 18 HR, 62 RBI, .821 OPS – (BOS)
RF	#27	Seiya Suzuki	31	R/R	.245 AVG, 32 HR, 103 RBI, .804 OPS
CF	#4	Pete Crow-Armstrong	23	L/L	.247 AVG, 31 HR, 95 RBI, 35 SB
1B	#29	Michael Busch	28	L/R	.261 AVG, 34 HR, 90 RBI, .866 OPS
SS	#7	Dansby Swanson	32	R/R	.244 AVG, 24 HR, 77 RBI, 20 SB
DH	#6	Matt Shaw	24	R/R	.226 AVG, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 17 SB
C	#15	Carson Kelly	31	R/R	.249 AVG, 17 HR, 50 RBI, .761 OPS
2B	#2	Nico Hoerner	28	R/R	.297 AVG, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 29 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C/1B	#25	Moisés Ballesteros (R)	22	L/R	.298 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI, .868 OPS
UTIL	#17	Tyler Austin	34	R/R	DNP – Played in NPB
OF	#20	Michael Conforto	33	L/R	.199 AVG, 12 HR, 36 RBI, .637 OPS – (LAD)
OF	#5	Dylan Carlson	27	S/L	.203 AVG, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 3 SB – (BAL)

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#18	Shōta Imanaga	32	LHP	9-8, 3.73 ERA, 117 Ks, 0.99 WHIP
2	#30	Edward Cabrera	27	RHP	8-7, 3.53 ERA, 150 Ks, 1.23 WHIP – (MIA)
3	#16	Matthew Boyd	35	LHP	14-8, 3.21 ERA, 154 Ks, 1.09 WHIP
4	#22	Cade Horton	24	RHP	11-4, 2.67 ERA, 97 Ks, 1.09 WHIP
5	#50	Jameson Taillon	34	RHP	11-7, 3.68 ERA, 98 Ks, 1.06 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#48	Daniel Palencia	26	RHP	22 SVs, 2.91 ERA, 61 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
SU	#88	Phil Maton	32	RHP	5 SVs, 2.79 ERA, 81 Ks, 1.06 WHIP – (STL/TEX)
RP	#24	Caleb Thielbar	39	LHP	1 SV, 2.64 ERA, 56 Ks, 0.88 WHIP
RP	#45	Hunter Harvey	31	RHP	10.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 11 Ks, 0.66 WHIP – (KC)
RP	#41	Hoby Milner	35	LHP	70.1 IP, 3.84 ERA, 58 Ks, 1.27 WHIP – (TEX)
RP	#71	Jacob Webb	32	RHP	1 SV, 3.00 ERA, 58 Ks, 1.03 WHIP (TEX)
RP	#37	Porter Hodge	24	RHP	2 SVs, 6.27 ERA, 40 Ks, 1.58 WHIP
LNG	#53	Colin Rea	35	RHP	11-7, 3.95 ERA, 127 Ks, 1.25 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#35	Justin Steele	30	LHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in May
RP	#77	Shelby Miller	35	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Likely to miss entire season

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Ben Brown – #32 (SP, Age: 26, RHP)
Javier Assad – #72 (SP, Age: 28, RHP)
Luke Little – #43 (RP, Age: 25, LHP)
Ryan Rolison – #33 (RP, Age: 28, LHP)
Jordan Wicks – #36 (RP, Age: 26, LHP)
Gavin Hollowell – #46 (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Ethan Roberts – #39 (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Miguel Amaya – #9 (C, Age: 26, R/R)
Kevin Alcántara – #13 (OF, Age: 23, R/R) – CHC Prospect Rank: #4
Justin Dean – #1 (OF, Age: 29, R/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Jaxon Wiggins (P, Age: 24, RHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #58
Jonathon Long (1B, Age: 24, R/R) – CHC Prospect Rank: #7
Pedro Ramirez (3B/2B, Age: 21, S/R) – CHC Prospect Rank: #9
James Triantos (2B/OF, Age: 23, R/R) – CHC Prospect Rank: #10

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Trent Thornton (RP, Age: 32, RHP)
Corbin Martin (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Jeff Brigham (RP, Age: 34, RHP)
Christian Bethancourt (3B/1B, Age: 34, R/R)
Scott Kingery (UTIL, Age: 31, R/R)
Chas McCormick (OF, Age: 30, R/L)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: CF Pete Crow-Armstrong
Breakout Player: C Moises Ballesteros
Addition: 3B Alex Bregman
Grade: A-
Lineup Rank: 2nd
Rotation Rank: 4th
Bullpen Rank: 3rd

The Cubs bounced back big time in 2025, showing that their rebuild has turned things into the exact opposite direction quite fast. Their biggest headline was not retaining Kyle Tucker, whom they didn’t even seem to fight for after trading multiple big prospects for him last winter. Nevertheless, they’ll be looking to take back the NL Central crown from Counsell’s former squad in the Brewers. The core of breakout star PCA, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, and Dansby Swanson adds another all-star infielder in Alex Bregman. It’s definitely one of the strongest lineups in the entire National League, with youngsters like Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros looking to take that next step in their second full seasons in the league.

The pitching staff was headlined by the resurgence of Matthew Boyd last year, as he transformed into all-star form yet again in his mid-30s. Shota Imanaga accepted the Qualifying offer, as it seems this will be his last year in Chicago. Edward Cabrera was brought in from Miami in a blockbuster move to help solidify the rotation. The bullpen is also looking strong, anchored by flame throwing Daniel Palencia who stepped in as the full-time closer in the second half last year. The Central is going to be a tough division, as the Cubs, Reds, and Pirates all seemed to get better. The Brewers, on the other hand, will have their work cut out for them, as they lost multiple key pieces. I like the Cubs to win the division, as I feel they’re the most complete team. But the Reds and Pirates are two squads that can surprise a lot of people and break out big time this year.

Cincinnati Reds

Manager: Terry Francona
2nd year as Reds manager, 25th year as a manager (Philadelphia ’97-’00, Boston ’04-’11, Cleveland ’13-’23)
Career record: 2,017-1,733, Reds record: 83-79, Career Playoff record: 44-34 – AGE: 67

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
CF	#29	T.J. Friedl	30	L/L	.261 AVG, 14 HR, 53 RBI, 12 SB
RF	#4	Noelvi Marte	24	R/R	.263 AVG, 14 HR, 51 RBI, 10 SB
SS	#44	Elly De La Cruz	24	S/R	.264 AVG, 22 HR, 86 RBI, 37 SB
DH	#28	Eugenio Suárez	34	R/R	.228 AVG, 49 HR, 118 RBI, .824 OPS – (ARI/SEA)
1B	#7	Spencer Steer	28	R/R	.238 AVG, 21 HR, 75 RBI, .723 OPS
LF	#22	J.J. Bleday	28	L/L	.212 AVG, 14 HR, 39 RBI, .698 OPS – (ATH)
C	#37	Tyler Stephenson	29	R/R	.231 AVG, 13 HR, 50 RBI, .737 OPS
3B	#3	Ke’Bryan Hayes	29	R/R	.235 AVG, 5 HR, 49 RBI, 12 SB – (PIT/CIN)
2B	#9	Matt McLain	26	R/R	.220 AVG, 15 HR, 50 RBI, 18 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#35	José Trevino	33	R/R	.238 AVG, 4 HR, 22 RBI, .623 OPS
1B/3B	#33	Christian Encarnacion-Strand	26	R/R	.208 AVG, 6 HR, 19 RBI, .610 OPS
OF	#30	Will Benson	27	L/L	.226 AVG, 12 HR, 41 RBI, .708 OPS
OF	#17	Dane Myers	29	R/R	.235 AVG, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 18 SB – (MIA)

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#21	Hunter Greene	26	RHP	7-4, 2.76 ERA, 132 Ks, 0.94 WHIP
2	#41	Andrew Abbott	26	LHP	10-7, 2.87 ERA, 149 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
3	#51	Brady Singer	29	RHP	14-12, 4.03 ERA, 163 Ks, 1.24 WHIP
4	#40	Nick Lodolo	28	LHP	9-8, 3.33 ERA, 156 Ks, 1.08 WHIP
5	#26	Chase Burns	23	RHP	0-3, 4.57 ERA, 67 Ks, 1.32 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#15	Emilio Pagán	34	RHP	32 SVs, 2.88 ERA, 81 Ks, 0.92 WHIP
SU	#64	Tony Santillan	28	RHP	7 SVs, 2.44 ERA, 75 Ks, 1.11 WHIP
RP	#49	Brock Burke	29	LHP	61.2 IP, 3.36 ERA, 52 Ks, 1.23 WHIP – (LAA)
RP	#46	Caleb Ferguson	29	LHP	65.1 IP, 3.58 ERA, 51 Ks, 1.16 WHIP – (PIT/SEA)
RP	#52	Pierce Johnson	34	RHP	1 SV, 3.05 ERA, 59 Ks, 1.20 WHIP – (ATL)
RP	#23	Graham Ashcraft	28	RHP	65.1 IP, 3.99 ERA, 64 Ks, 1.42 WHIP
RP	#47	Luis Mey	24	RHP	21 IP, 3.43 ERA, 21 Ks, 1.62 WHIP
RP	#34	Connor Phillips	24	RHP	25 IP, 2.88 ERA, 32 Ks, 0.92 WHIP

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Chase Petty – #61 (SP, Age: 22, RHP) – CIN Prospect Rank: #9
Brandon Williamson – #55 (SP, Age: 27, LHP)
Julian Aguiar – #39 (SP, Age: 24, RHP) – CIN Prospect Rank: #21
Rhett Lowder – #25 (SP, Age: 23, RHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #86
Sam Moll – #50 (RP, Age: 34, LHP)
Sal Stewart – #27 (INF, Age: 22, R/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #22
Blake Dunn – #59 (OF, Age: 27, R/R)
Rece Hinds – #57 (OF, Age: 25, R/R)
Tyler Callihan – #32 (OF, Age: 25, L/R) – CIN Prospect Rank: #19

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Héctor Rodríguez (OF, Age: 21, L/R) – CIN Prospect Rank: #6
Edwin Arroyo (SS, Age: 22, S/R) – CIN Prospect Rank: #8
Jose Franco (P, Age: 25, RHP) – CIN Prospect Rank: #12

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Lyon Richardson (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Anthony Misiewicz (RP, Age: 31, LHP)
Yunior Marte (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Tejay Antone (RP, Age: 32, RHP)
Nathaniel Lowe (1B, Age: 30, L/R)
Garrett Hampson (UTIL, Age: 31, R/R)
Michael Chavis (UTIL, Age: 30, R/R)
Michael Toglia (1B/3B, Age: 27, S/L)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SS Elly De La Cruz
Breakout Player: SP Rhett Lowder
Addition: 3B Eugenio Suárez
Grade: B
Lineup Rank: 9th
Rotation Rank: 5th
Bullpen Rank: 7th

The Reds enter the new season off of a last second sneak into the playoffs in Tito’s first year as manager. Sure, they got swept first round, but it was a step in the right direction for a team that is looking to start to compete after years of rebuild. Elly De La Cruz is the superstar, while the acquisition of Ke’Bryan Hayes at the deadline provided them dynamic defensive stability. T.J. Friedl, Spencer Steer, and Matt McLain have all developed into serviceable hitters as a solid everyday core. The lineup added another boost after signing Eugenio Suarez to be the power hitting DH in the middle of the order. I’m honestly a big fan of their homegrown lineup, as they have plenty of guys who can drive in runs and play winning baseball.

The pitching was the bright spot last year, with Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott developing into all-star top of the rotation pieces. Brady Singer and Nick Lodolo rounded out the rotation solidly, and former top prospects Chase Burns, Chase Petty, and Rhett Lowder will all have shots at getting spots this year. The bullpen retained it’s closer Emilio Pagan, while also adding veterans Brock Burke, Caleb Ferguson, and Pierce Johnson. Pagan may see some split in closer opportunities with Tony Santillan, but was re-signed with the idea he’s the favorite to get the closer job. I like Cincinnati as an all-around team, and I think they are well managed and can be a real threat to win the Central. Them and the Cubs will likely go back and forth atop the division all year long.

Milwaukee Brewers

Manager: Pat Murphy
3rd year as Brewers manager, 4th year as a manager (Padres ’15)
Career record: 226-182, Brewers record: 189-135, Career Playoff record: 4-8 – AGE: 67

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
RF	#10	Sal Frelick	25	L/R	.288 AVG, 12 HR, 63 RBI, 19 SB
CF	#11	Jackson Chourio	21	R/R	.270 AVG, 21 HR, 78 RBI, 21 SB
C	#24	William Contreras	28	R/R	.260 AVG, 17 HR, 76 RBI, .754 OPS
LF	#22	Christian Yelich	34	L/R	.264 AVG, 29 HR, 103 RBI, 16 SB
DH	#99	Gary Sánchez	33	R/R	.231 AVG, 5 HR, 24 RBI, .715 OPS – (BAL)
2B	#2	Brice Turang	26	L/R	.288 AVG, 18 HR, 81 RBI, 24 SB
1B	#28	Andrew Vaughn	27	R/R	.254 AVG, 14 HR, 65 RBI, .719 OPS – (CWS/MIL)
SS	#3	Joey Ortiz	27	R/R	.230 AVG, 7 HR, 45 RBI, 14 SB
3B	#13	Luis Rengifo	28	S/R	.238 AVG, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 10 SB – (LAA)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#33	Reese McGuire	31	L/R	.226 AVG, 9 HR, 24 RBI, .688 OPS – (CHC)
1B/OF	#9	Jake Bauers	30	L/L	.235 AVG, 7 HR, 28 RBI, .752 OPS
INF	#6	David Hamilton	28	L/R	.198 AVG, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 22 SB – (BOS)
OF	#5	Garrett Mitchell	27	L/R	.206 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#53	Brandon Woodruff	33	RHP	7-2, 3.20 ERA, 83 Ks, 0.91 WHIP
2	#32	Jacob Misiorowski	23	RHP	5-3, 4.36 ERA, 87 Ks, 1.24 WHIP
3	#46	Quinn Priester	25	RHP	13-3, 3.32 ERA, 132 Ks, 1.24 WHIP
4	#39	Chad Patrick	27	RHP	3-8, 3.53 ERA, 127 Ks, 1.28 WHIP
5	#52	Kyle Harrison	24	LHP	1-1, 4.04 ERA, 38 Ks, 1.37 WHIP – (SF/BOS)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#29	Trevor Megill	32	RHP	30 SVs, 2.49 ERA, 60 Ks, 1.13 WHIP
SU	#45	Abner Uribe	25	RHP	7 SVs, 1.67 ERA, 90 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
RP	#61	Ángel Zerpa	26	LHP	64.2 IP, 4.18 ERA, 58 Ks, 1.38 WHIP – (KC)
RP	#56	Grant Anderson	28	RHP	69.2 IP, 3.23 ERA, 74 Ks, 1.26 WHIP
RP	#47	Jared Koenig	32	LHP	2 SVs, 2.86 ERA, 68 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
RP	#37	DL Hall	27	LHP	38.2 IP, 3.49 ERA, 27 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
RP	#58	Rob Zastryzny	33	LHP	22 IP, 2.45 ERA, 20 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
LNG	#26	Aaron Ashby	27	LHP	3 SVs, 2.16 ERA, 76 Ks, 1.17 WHIP

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Logan Henderson – #43 (SP, Age: 23, RHP) – MIL Prospect Rank: #7
Robert Gasser – #54 (SP, Age: 26, LHP) – MIL Prospect Rank: #17
Brandon Sproat – #23 (SP, Age: 25, RHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #100
Craig Yoho – #48 (RP, Age: 26, RHP) – MIL Prospect Rank: #29
Carlos Rodriguez – #27 (RP, Age: 24, RHP)
Sammy Peralta – #57 (RP, Age: 27, LHP)
Easton McGee – #50 (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Tyler Black – #7 (1B/3B, Age: 25, L/R)
Akil Baddoo – #25 (OF, Age: 27, L/L)
Steward Berroa – #35 (OF, Age: 26, S/R)
Brandon Lockridge – #20 (OF, Age: 28, R/R)
Blake Perkins – #16 (OF, Age: 29, S/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Jett Williams (2B/SS/OF, Age: 22, R/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #51
Cooper Pratt (SS, Age: 21, R/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #64
Jeferson Quero (C, Age: 23, R/R) – MIL Prospect Rank: #8
Luis Lara (OF, Age: 21, S/R) – MIL Prospect Rank: #12
Luke Adams (1B/3B, Age: 21, R/R) – MIL Prospect Rank: #13

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Peter Strzelecki (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Jacob Waguespack (RP, Age: 32, RHP)
Greg Jones (OF, Age: 28, S/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: C William Contreras
Breakout Player: SP Kyle Harrison
Addition: INF Luis Rengifo
Grade: B
Lineup Rank: 6th
Rotation Rank: 9th
Bullpen Rank: 5th

The Brewers enter the new season as the cream of the crop, coming off the 1-seed in the NL, only to lose, yet again early in the playoffs. They dominated the regular season all year, and it’ll only be an uphill battle from this point forward. As the team tends to do once expensive players get close to free agency, they trade them for chips. Freddy Peralta was dealt after another all-star season, a move that not too many people expected should be the case for the back-to-back NL Central champs. Their lineup remains the same though, with Yelich coming off a resurgent 100 RBI season, with Chourio, Frelick, Turang, and Contreras all driving in a ton of runs themselves. They welcome back Gary Sanchez as the new DH, while letting Rhys Hoskins walk in free agency. Joey Ortiz becoming the successor at SS was not a sure thing last year, and with newly acquired Jett Williams inching his way to the majors, the SS job will be wide open.

The rotation is going to be interesting while trying to plus the gaping hole Peralta leaves behind. Woodruff is their veteran ace now, and flame throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski will be relied upon at the top of the rotation. Kyle Harrison was acquired from Boston, and he’ll have his first real chance at cracking a major league starting rotation. The bullpen was spectacular in 2025, and will maintain their close Trevor Megill, as well as Uribe, Anderson, Koenig, and newly acquired lefty Angel Zerpa. The Brewers will still be in the mix, but it’s tough to imagine this team striking gold for a third year in a row. It seems like now is the time they will likely come back down to Earth.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Manager: Don Kelly
2nd year as Pirates manager
Career/Team record: 59-65 – AGE: 46

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
CF	#15	Oneil Cruz	27	L/R	.200 AVG, 20 HR, 61 RBI, 38 SB
2B	#5	Brandon Lowe	31	L/R	.256 AVG, 31 HR, 83 RBI, .785 OPS – (TB)
RF	#10	Bryan Reynolds	31	S/R	.245 AVG, 16 HR, 73 RBI, .720 OPS
DH	#24	Marcell Ozuna	35	R/R	.232 AVG, 21 HR, 68 RBI, .756 OPS – (ATL)
LF	#29	Ryan O’Hearn	32	L/L	.281 AVG, 17 HR, 63 RBI, .803 OPS – (BAL/SD)
1B	#2	Spencer Horwitz	28	L/R	.272 AVG, 11 HR, 51 RBI, .787 OPS
C	#14	Joey Bart	29	R/R	.249 AVG, 4 HR, 30 RBI, .696 OPS
SS	#3	Nick Gonzales	26	R/R	.260 AVG, 5 HR, 30 RBI, .661 OPS
3B	#19	Jared Triolo	28	R/R	.227 AVG, 7 HR, 24 RBI, 13 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#32	Henry Davis	26	R/R	.167 AVG, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 2 SB
UTIL	#38	Nick Yorke (R)	23	R/R	.232 AVG, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB
1B/C	#13	Endy Rodríguez	25	S/R	.173 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .496 OPS
OF	#28	Jake Mangum	29	S/L	.296 AVG, 3 HR, 40 RBI, 27 SB – (TB)

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#30	Paul Skenes	23	RHP	10-10, 1.97 ERA, 216 Ks, 0.95 WHIP
2	#23	Mitch Keller	29	RHP	6-15, 4.19 ERA, 150 Ks, 1.26 WHIP
3	#36	Bubba Chandler (R)	23	RHP	4-1, 4.02 ERA, 31 Ks, 0.93 WHIP
4	#45	Hunter Barco (R)	25	LHP	3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 Ks, 1.00 WHIP
5	#65	José Urquidy	30	RHP	2.1 IP, 7.71 ERA, 3 Ks, 3.00 WHIP – (DET)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#60	Dennis Santana	29	RHP	16 SVs, 2.18 ERA, 60 Ks, 0.87 WHIP
CP	#31	Gregory Soto	31	LHP	1 SV, 4.18 ERA, 70 Ks, 1.43 WHIP – (BAL/NYM)
RP	#72	Isaac Mattson	30	RHP	47.2 IP, 2.45 ERA, 45 Ks, 1.13 WHIP
RP	#61	Justin Lawrence	31	RHP	17.2 IP, 0.51 ERA, 23 Ks, 0.96 WHIP
RP	#48	Evan Sisk	28	LHP	17.2 IP, 3.57 ERA, 25 Ks, 1.47 WHIP – (KC/PIT)
RP	#49	Yohan Ramírez	30	RHP	33.1 IP, 5.40 ERA, 45 Ks, 1.47 WHIP
LNG	#50	Carmen Mlodzinski	27	RHP	99 IP, 3.55 ERA, 89 Ks, 1.30 WHIP
LNG	#35	Braxton Ashcraft	26	RHP	69.2 IP, 2.71 ERA, 71 Ks, 1.25 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#17	Jared Jones	24	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in June

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Thomas Harrington – #78 (SP, Age: 24, RHP) – PIT Prospect Rank: #14
Mason Montgomery – #46 (RP, Age: 25, LHP)
Cam Sanders – #64 (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Kyle Nicolas – #66 (RP, Age: 27, RHP)
Rafael Flores – #43 (C, Age: 25, R/R) – PIT Prospect Rank: #10
Enmanuel Valdez – #47 (UTIL, Age: 27, L/R)
Billy Cook – #25 (OF, Age: 27, R/R)
Jhostynxon Garcia – #34 (UTIL, Age: 23, R/R) – PIT Prospect Rank: #6

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Konnor Griffin (SS/OF, Age: 19, R/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #1
Termarr Johnson (2B, Age: 21, L/R) – PIT Prospect Rank: #7
Antwone Kelly (P, Age: 22, RHP) – PIT Prospect Rank: #9
Wilber Dotel (P, Age: 23, RHP) – PIT Prospect Rank: #13

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Mike Clevinger (RP, Age: 35, RHP)
Beau Burrows (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Chris Devenski (RP, Age: 35, RHP)
Noah Davis (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Dominic Fletcher (OF, Age: 28, L/L)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SP Paul Skenes
Breakout Player: SS/OF Konnor Griffin
Addition: 2B Brandon Lowe
Grade: C
Lineup Rank: 12th
Rotation Rank: 8th
Bullpen Rank: 11th

The Pirates are not seen in very high regards by many baseball fans right now, the reason being their cheapness and main reason that we will likely see a lockout next offseason. Sure, they tried to save face by paying for two bats this offseason, while being “in the hunt” for several pitchers. But talks around a Paul Skenes extension already seem unlikely, while they await baseball’s #1 prospect Konnor Griffin to debut. Regardless, they do look more improved this year on the offensive side, adding veterans Ryan O’Hearn, Marcell Ozuna, and Brandon Lowe. Bryan Reynolds was their franchise cornerstone and Griffin’s debut could spell a big surge in the Pirates’ clubhouse.

On the pitching front, Paul Skenes is the guy, in only his second year he won his first Cy Young and has become the best righty in the game. Around him, top prospects Bubba Chandler and Hunter Barco will look to add depth, while they await the return of Jared Jones around the mid-season mark. Veterans Mitch Keller and Jose Urquidy are the likely experienced arms to help even out a young rotation. Other top pitching prospects in Antwone Kelly and Wilber Dotel will look to make their debuts at some point in 2026. I can see the Pirates being a surprising team in 2026, and one that may flip the script a bit. Their cheapness and incapability of retaining stars is troublesome, but for Skenes’ and the franchise’s sake, I hope they figure something out.

St. Louis Cardinals

Manager: Oliver Marmol
5th year as Cardinals manager
Career/Team record: 325-323, Career Playoff record: 0-2 – AGE: 40

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
CF	#11	Victor Scott II	25	L/L	.216 AVG, 5 HR, 37 RBI, 34 SB
SS	#0	Masyn Winn	23	R/R	.253 AVG, 9 HR, 51 RBI, 9 SB
DH	#48	Iván Herrera	25	R/R	.284 AVG, 19 HR, 66 RBI, .837 OPS
1B	#41	Alec Burleson	27	L/L	.290 AVG, 18 HR, 69 RBI, .801 OPS
2B	#16	Nolan Gorman	25	L/R	.205 AVG, 14 HR, 46 RBI, .666 OPS
RF	#18	Jordan Walker	23	R/R	.215 AVG, 6 HR, 41 RBI, 10 SB
C	#43	Pedro Pagés	27	R/R	.230 AVG, 11 HR, 45 RBI, .635 OPS
3B	#77	J.J. Wetherholt (R)	23	L/R	MLB Prospect Rank: #5
LF	#15	José Fermín	26	R/R	.283 AVG, 1 HR, 9 RBI, .793 OPS

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#63	Yohel Pozo	28	R/R	.231 AVG, 5 HR, 19 RBI, .637 OPS
INF	#25	Thomas Saggese	23	R/R	.258 AVG, 2 HR, 25 RBI, 3 SB
INF	#33	Ramón Urías	31	R/R	.241 AVG, 11 HR, 44 RBI, .675 OPS – (BAL/HOU)
OF	#27	Nathan Church (R)	25	L/L	.179 AVG, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#32	Matthew Liberatore	26	LHP	8-12, 4.21 ERA, 122 Ks, 1.31 WHIP
2	#3	Dustin May	28	RHP	7-11, 4.96 ERA, 123 Ks, 1.42 WHIP – (LAD/BOS)
3	#53	Andre Pallante	27	RHP	6-15, 5.31 ERA, 111 Ks, 1.45 WHIP
4	#40	Hunter Dobbins	26	RHP	4-1, 4.13 ERA, 45 Ks, 1.28 WHIP – (BOS)
5	#36	Michael McGreevy	25	RHP	8-4, 4.42 ERA, 58 Ks, 1.25 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#61	Riley O’Brien	31	RHP	6 SVs, 2.06 ERA, 45 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
SU	#59	JoJo Romero	29	LHP	8 SVs, 2.07 ERA, 55 Ks, 1.25 WHIP
RP	#55	Ryne Stanek	34	RHP	3 SVs, 5.30 ERA, 58 Ks, 1.57 WHIP – (NYM)
RP	#62	Kyle Leahy	28	RHP	1 SV, 3.07 ERA, 80 Ks, 1.23 WHIP
RP	#47	Justin Bruihl	28	LHP	13.2 IP, 5.27 ERA, 18 Ks, 1.90 WHIP – (TOR)
RP	#30	Tink Hence (R)	23	RHP	STL Prospect Rank: #15
LNG	#44	Gordon Graceffo	25	RHP	1 SV, 6.28 ERA, 40 Ks, 1.47 WHIP
LNG	#49	Matt Svanson	27	RHP	60.1 IP, 1.94 ERA, 68 Ks, 0.88 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
LF	#21	Lars Nootbaar	28	L/R	Calf Surgery Potential return in June

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Richard Fitts – #35 (SP, Age: 26, RHP)
Chris Roycroft – #58 (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
George Soriano – #65 (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Ryan Fernandez – #64 (RP, Age: 27, RHP)
Jimmy Crooks – #8 (C, Age: 24, L/R) – STL Prospect Rank: #8
César Prieto – #31 (INF, Age: 26, L/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Joshua Baez (OF, Age: 22, R/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #87
Jurrangelo Cijintje (P, Age: 22, SWITCH) – MLB Prospect Rank: #91
Leonardo Bernal (C, Age: 22, S/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #98
Quinn Mathews (P, Age: 25, LHP) – STL Prospect Rank: #7
Ixan Henderson (P, Age: 24, LHP) – STL Prospect Rank: #14

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Jared Shuster (SP, Age: 27, LHP)
Zack Thompson (RP, Age: 28, LHP)
Packy Naughton (RP, Age: 29, LHP)
Nelson Velázquez (OF/1B, Age: 27, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: C Iván Herrera
Breakout Player: INF J.J. Wetherholt
Addition: SP Dustin May
Grade: D-
Lineup Rank: 14th
Rotation Rank: 13th
Bullpen Rank: 13th

The Cardinals enter a new year in a much different situation than we are used to seeing them after embracing the rebuild. They traded Nolan Arenado to Arizona, Willson Contreras to Boston, and Brendan Donovan to Seattle, their three most established and valuable bats by far. This leads way for the young guys to step up and carry the offense. Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera, and Alec Burleson are going to be relied upon heavily to bolster the offense, with top prospect J.J. Wetherholt having a clear cut opportunity to break out. Other top prospects in OF Joshua Baez and C Leonardo Bernal should be on the horizon and could potentially make their debuts as well in 2026. Jordan Walker is the X-Factor, as he finally looked like he would break out last year, but fell back into a slump.

The rotation also let several pieces go, with Sonny Gray being dealt and Miles Mikolas leaving in free agency. Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevey were both former top prospects who will have a great chance to become staples in the rotation. Dustin May was also signed to help provide some promise and length in the rotation. The bullpen will feature mostly young pieces as well, with Riley O’Brien likely to be the main man getting opportunities as the closer. I don’t see much of a path for St. Louis to compete this year, and I don’t think they do either. The emphasis will be on the future and looking to acquire more prospects to help their farm system.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Manager: Torey Lovullo
10th year as Diamondbacks manager
Career/Team record: 664-692, Career Playoff record: 11-10 – AGE: 60

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
SS	#2	Geraldo Perdomo	26	S/R	.290 AVG, 20 HR, 100 RBI, 27 SB
2B	#4	Ketel Marte	32	S/R	.283 AVG, 28 HR, 72 RBI, .893 OPS
RF	#7	Corbin Carroll	25	L/L	.259 AVG, 31 HR, 84 RBI, 32 SB
3B	#28	Nolan Arenado	34	R/R	.237 AVG, 12 HR, 52 RBI, 3 SB – (STL)
LF	#12	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	32	R/R	.248 AVG, 19 HR, 80 RBI, 10 SB
DH	#26	Pavin Smith	30	L/L	.258 AVG, 8 HR, 28 RBI, .797 OPS
C	#14	Gabriel Moreno	26	R/R	.285 AVG, 9 HR, 40 RBI, .786 OPS
1B	#41	Carlos Santana	39	S/R	.219 AVG, 11 HR, 54 RBI, 7 SB – (CLE/CHC)
CF	#5	Alek Thomas	25	L/L	.249 AVG, 9 HR, 38 RBI, 7 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#8	James McCann	35	R/R	.260 AVG, 5 HR, 17 RBI, .754 OPS
INF	#10	Jordan Lawlar	23	R/R	.182 AVG, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB
UTIL	#13	Tim Tawa	26	R/R	.201 AVG, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 8 SB
OF	#1	Jorge Barrosa	25	S/L	.141 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .394 OPS

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#29	Merrill Kelly	37	RHP	12-9, 3.52 ERA, 167 Ks, 1.11 WHIP – (ARI/TEX)
2	#23	Zac Gallen	30	RHP	13-15, 4.83 ERA, 175 Ks, 1.26 WHIP
3	#57	Eduardo Rodríguez	32	LHP	9-9, 5.02 ERA, 143 Ks, 1.54 WHIP
4	#32	Brandon Pfaadt	27	RHP	13-9, 5.25 ERA, 147 Ks, 1.33 WHIP
5	#19	Ryne Nelson	28	RHP	7-3, 3.39 ERA, 132 Ks, 1.07 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#22	Paul Sewald	35	RHP	2 SVs, 4.58 ERA, 20 Ks, 1.22 WHIP – (CLE/DET)
SU	#45	Taylor Clarke	32	RHP	1 SV, 3.25 ERA, 44 Ks, 0.85 WHIP – (KC)
RP	#81	Ryan Thompson	33	RHP	1 SV, 3.92 ERA, 36 Ks, 1.33 WHIP
RP	#67	Juan Morillo	26	RHP	1 SV, 4.19 ERA, 36 Ks, 1.69 WHIP
RP	#24	Kade Strowd	28	RHP	26.1 IP, 1.71 ERA, 24 Ks, 1.10 WHIP – (BAL)
RP	#55	Brandyn Garcia (R)	25	LHP	12.1 IP, 5.84 ERA, 13 Ks, 1.54 WHIP
RP	#99	Drey Jameson	28	RHP	3 IP, 1 SV, 3.00 ERA, 2.33 WHIP
LNG	#34	Michael Soroka	28	RHP	3-8, 4.52 ERA, 95 Ks, 1.13 WHIP – (WAS/CHC)

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
1B	#31	Tyler Locklear	25	R/R	Shoulder surgery Potential return in May
SP	#39	Corbin Burnes	31	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in July
SP	#48	Blake Walston	24	LHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in June
RP	#33	A.J. Puk	30	LHP	UCL Surgery Potential return in June
RP	#27	Andrew Saalfrank	28	LHP	Shoulder Surgery Likely to miss entire season
RP	#63	Justin Martinez	24	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in August
RP	#64	Cristian Mena (R)	23	RHP	Shoulder injutry Potential return in May

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Yilber Díaz – #30 (SP, Age: 25, RHP) – ARI Prospect Rank: #23
Kevin Ginkel – #37 (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Grant Holman – #92 (RP, Age: 25, RHP)
Andrew Hoffmann – #56 (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Juan Burgos – #52 (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Philip Abner – #50 (RP, Age: 23, LHP)
Adrian Del Castillo – #25 (C, Age: 26, L/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Ryan Waldschmidt (OF, Age: 23, R/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #59
Tommy Troy (2B/OF, Age: 24, R/R) – ARI Prospect Rank: #4
LuJames Groover (3B, Age: 23, R/R) – ARI Prospect Rank: #10
Kohl Drake (P, Age: 25, LHP) – ARI Prospect Rank: #12
Mitch Bratt (P, Age: 22, LHP) – ARI Prospect Rank: #14

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Joe Ross (RP, Age: 32, RHP)
John Curtiss (RP, Age: 32, RHP)
Derek Law (RP, Age: 35, RHP)
Shawn Dubin (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Bryce Jarvis (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Tommy Henry (RP, Age: 28, LHP)
Jonathan Loáisiga (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Aramis Garcia (C, Age: 33, R/R)
Luken Baker (1B/OF, Age: 29, R/R)
Ildemaro Vargas (UTIL, Age: 34, S/R)
Jacob Amaya (INF, Age: 27, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: RF Corbin Carroll
Breakout Player: SP Yilber Díaz
Addition: 3B Nolan Arenado
Grade: B-
Lineup Rank: 7th
Rotation Rank: 11th
Bullpen Rank: 9th

The D-Backs are just two seasons removed from their World Series appearance and haven’t been able to do much to try to make it back there. Sure, pieces were signed, but trading away guys like Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez last season definitely threw a wrench in the works. Now, they enter the season a lot more healthy than they were a year ago, at least on the offensive side. Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, and Corbin Carroll are one of the best top threes in any order in the league, after all putting up Silver Slugger seasons in 2025. These, with the addition of Nolan Arenado, and the developments of Gabriel Moreno and Alek Thomas could pay big dividends in 2026.

There’s no doubt this team will hit, but I think the bigger concern will be around their pitching and the health of it. Corbin Burnes and Blake Walston won’t return until midseason, and relievers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez will both miss significant time as well. They were able to re-sign Zac Gallen and bring back Merrill Kelly whom they traded at the deadline to the Rangers. E-Rod and Pfaadt will look to have bounce back seasons after struggling and dealing with injuries all year last year. Without Puk or Martinez, the bullpen will rely upon a closer-by-committee with Sewald, Clarke, and Soroka all in the mix. I think Arizona can shock a lot of people this year and make a run in the playoffs. Things need to go right, and with the Dodgers in the division they’ll obviously be playing for 2nd place, but they aren’t much inferior to the Padres or Giants, if at all.

Colorado Rockies

Manager: Warren Schaeffer
2nd year as Rockies manager
Career/Team record: 36-86 – AGE: 41

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
3B	#3	Willi Castro	28	S/R	.226 AVG, 11 HR, 33 RBI, 10 SB – (MIN/CHC)
SS	#14	Ezequiel Tovar	24	R/R	.253 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI, 5 SB
C	#15	Hunter Goodman	26	R/R	.278 AVG, 31 HR, 91 RBI, .843 OPS
RF	#22	Mickey Moniak	27	L/R	.270 AVG, 24 HR, 68 RBI, .824 OPS
CF	#9	Brenton Doyle	27	R/R	.233 AVG, 15 HR, 57 RBI, 18 SB
LF	#27	Jordan Beck	24	R/R	.258 AVG, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 19 SB
2B	#6	Edouard Julien	26	L/R	.220 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI, .633 OPS – (MIN)
1B	#16	Blaine Crim	28	R/R	.200 AVG, 5 HR, 12 RBI, .732 OPS – (TEX/COL)
DH	#2	Tyler Freeman	26	R/R	.281 AVG, 2 HR, 31 RBI, 18 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#37	Braxton Fulford	27	R/R	.213 AVG, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 1 SB
INF	#8	Ryan Ritter	25	R/R	.241 AVG, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 3 SB
OF	#31	Jake McCarthy	28	L/L	.204 AVG, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 6 SB – (ARI)
OF	#20	Troy Johnston	28	L/L	.277 AVG, 4 HR, 13 RBI, .750 OPS – (MIA)

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#21	Kyle Freeland	32	LHP	5-17, 4.98 ERA, 124 Ks, 1.42 WHIP
2	#24	Michael Lorenzen	34	RHP	7-11, 4.64 ERA, 127 Ks, 1.33 WHIP – (KC)
3	#62	José Quintana	37	LHP	11-7, 3.96 ERA, 89 Ks, 1.29 WHIP – (MIL)
4	#32	Chase Dollander	24	RHP	2-12, 6.52 ERA, 82 Ks, 1.55 WHIP
5	#11	Tomoyuki Sugano	36	RHP	10-10, 4.64 ERA, 106 Ks, 1.33 WHIP – (BAL)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#38	Victor Vodnik	26	RHP	10 SVs, 3.02 ERA, 49 Ks, 1.40 WHIP
SU	#54	Seth Halvorsen	26	RHP	11 SVs, 4.99 ERA, 36 Ks, 1.56 WHIP
RP	#44	Jimmy Herget	32	RHP	83.1 IP, 2.48 ERA, 81 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
RP	#83	Brennan Bernardino	34	LHP	1 SV, 3.14 ERA, 43 Ks, 1.26 WHIP – (BOS)
RP	#47	Juan Mejia	25	RHP	1 SV, 3.96 ERA, 68 Ks, 1.26 WHIP
RP	#0	Jaden Hill	26	RHP	29.1 IP, 3.38 ERA, 31 Ks, 1.33 WHIP
RP	#36	Zach Agnos	25	RHP	4 SVs, 6.61 ERA, 19 Ks, 1.53 WHIP
LNG	#49	Antonio Senzatela	31	RHP	4-15, 6.65 ERA, 73 Ks, 1.84 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
OF	#23	Kris Bryant	34	R/R	Back injuries No timetable to return
RP	#40	Pierson Ohl	26	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Likely to miss entire season
RP	#46	Jeff Criswell	27	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in July

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Ryan Feltner – #18 (SP, Age: 29, RHP)
Tanner Gordon – #29 (SP, Age: 28, RHP)
Carson Palmquist – #45 (SP, Age: 25, LHP) – COL Prospect Rank: #22
Luis Peralta – #41 (RP, Age: 25, LHP)
Keegan Thompson – #34 (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Adael Amador – #1 (INF, Age: 22, S/R)
Kyle Karros – #12 (3B, Age: 23, R/R)
Zac Veen – #13 (OF, Age: 24, L/R) – COL Prospect Rank: #13

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Charlie Condon (OF, Age: 22, R/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #70
Cole Carrigg (OF, Age: 23, S/R) – COL Prospect Rank: #6
Roc Riggio (2B, Age: 23, L/R) – COL Prospect Rank: #10
Sean Sullivan (P, Age: 23, LHP) – COL Prospect Rank: #11
Welinton Herrera (P, Age: 21, LHP) – COL Prospect Rank: #14
Sterlin Thompson (OF, Age: 24, L/R) – COL Prospect Rank: #15

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Valente Bellozo (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
John Brebbia (RP, Age: 35, RHP)
Nicky Lopez (INF, Age: 31, L/R)
Vimael Machín (UTIL, Age: 32, L/R)
Drew Avans (OF, Age: 29, L/L)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: C Hunter Goodman
Breakout Player: 1B Blaine Crim
Addition: SP Michael Lorenzen
Grade: F
Lineup Rank: 15th
Rotation Rank: 14th
Bullpen Rank: 15th

Well, I don’t think there’s a whole lot to say about the Rockies besides the fact they will once again be at the bottom of the National League. A franchise that just hasn’t been able to get out of its own way since their lone World Series appearance in 2007. Their offense will look the same last year, with their star Kris Bryant no where to be seen and no timetable to return. It’s been a sad downfall for KB, who has been plagued with back injuries since signing with Colorado. Hunter Goodman will be their star, with Mickey Moniak and Brenton Doyle as breakout middle of the order hitters a year ago. Willi Castro should bring some speed along with SS Ezequiel Tovar.

The pitching, will be, and has always been the issue for the Rockies. They did think outside the box though, letting longtime starter German Marquez walk in free agency, and signing veterans Michael Lorenzen and Jose Quintana to eat up innings. Kyle Freeland is still their best pitcher, and has always put up solid numbers despite the elements he faces. Their bullpen isn’t awful, with Victor Vodnik, Seth Halvorsen, and Brennan Bernardino as the best arms. In a tough division, it’ll be tough to imagine the Rockies being anywhere higher than 65 wins.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Manager: Dave Roberts
11th year as Dodgers manager
Career/Team record: 944-575, Career Playoff record: 69-48 – AGE: 54

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
DH	#17	Shohei Ohtani	31	L/R	.282 AVG, 55 HR, 102 RBI, 1.014 OPS
SS	#50	Mookie Betts	33	R/R	.258 AVG, 20 HR, 82 RBI, 8 SB
1B	#5	Freddie Freeman	36	L/R	.295 AVG, 24 HR, 90 RBI, .869 OPS
C	#16	Will Smith	30	R/R	.296 AVG, 17 HR, 61 RBI, .901 OPS
LF	#23	Kyle Tucker	29	L/R	.266 AVG, 22 HR, 73 RBI, .841 OPS – (CHC)
RF	#37	Teoscar Hernández	33	R/R	.247 AVG, 25 HR, 89 RBI, .738 OPS
3B	#13	Max Muncy	35	L/R	.243 AVG, 19 HR, 67 RBI, .846 OPS
CF	#44	Andy Pagés	25	R/R	.272 AVG, 27 HR, 86 RBI, 14 SB
2B	#25	Tommy Edman	30	S/R	.225 AVG, 13 HR, 49 RBI, 3 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#68	Dalton Rushing	25	L/R	.204 AVG, 4 HR, 24 RBI, .582 OPS
INF	#6	Hyeseong Kim	27	L/R	.280 AVG, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 13 SB
INF	#72	Miguel Rojas	37	R/R	.262 AVG, 7 HR, 27 RBI, .715 OPS
OF	#12	Alex Call	31	R/R	.267 AVG, 5 HR, 31 RBI, .746 OPS – (WSH/LAD)

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#18	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	27	RHP	12-8, 2.49 ERA, 201 Ks, 0.99 WHIP
2	#7	Blake Snell	33	LHP	5-4, 2.35 ERA, 72 Ks, 1.26 WHIP
3	#17	Shohei Ohtani	31	RHP	1-1, 2.87 ERA, 62 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
4	#31	Tyler Glasnow	32	RHP	4-3, 3.19 ERA, 106 Ks, 1.10 WHIP
5	#11	Roki Sasaki	24	RHP	1-1, 4.46 ERA, 28 Ks, 1.43 WHIP
6	#80	Emmet Sheehan	26	RHP	6-3, 2.82 ERA, 89 Ks, 0.97 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#3	Edwin Díaz	31	RHP	28 SVs, 1.63 ERA, 98 Ks, 0.87 WHIP – (NYM)
SU	#66	Tanner Scott	31	LHP	23 SVs, 4.74 ERA, 60 Ks, 1.26 WHIP
RP	#49	Blake Treinen	37	RHP	2 SVs, 5.40 ERA, 36 Ks, 1.84 WHIP
RP	#51	Alex Vesia	29	LHP	5 SVs, 3.02 ERA, 80 Ks, 0.99 WHIP
RP	#86	Jack Dreyer	27	LHP	4 SVs, 2.95 ERA, 74 Ks, 1.05 WHIP
RP	#60	Edgardo Henriquez	23	RHP	1 SV, 2.37 ERA, 18 Ks, 1.16 WHIP
LNG	#70	Justin Wrobleski	25	LHP	2 SVs, 4.32 ERA, 76 Ks, 1.23 WHIP
LNG	#78	Ben Casparius	27	RHP	2 SVs, 4.64 ERA, 71 Ks, 1.28 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
UTIL	#8	Kiké Hernández	34	R/R	Shoulder injury Potential return in June
SP	#28	Bobby Miller	26	RHP	Shoulder injury Potential return in May
SP	#35	Gavin Stone	27	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in May
RP	#48	Brusdar Graterol	27	RHP	Shoulder injuries No timetable on return
RP	#59	Evan Phillips	31	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in August
RP	#41	Brock Stewart	34	RHP	Shoulder surgery Potential return in May

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Landon Knack – #96 (SP, Age: 28, RHP)
River Ryan – #77 (SP, Age: 27, RHP) – LAD Prospect Rank: #6
Kyle Hurt – #63 (RP, Age: 27, RHP) – LAD Prospect Rank: #24
Will Klein – #61 (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Paul Gervase – #65 (RP, Age: 25, RHP)
Alex Freeland – #76 (INF, Age: 24, S/R) – LAD Prospect Rank: #8
Michael Siani – #27 (OF, Age: 26, L/L)
Jack Suwinski (OF, Age: 27, L/L)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Jackson Ferris (P, Age: 22, LHP) – LAD Prospect Rank: #7

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Cole Irvin (SP, Age: 32, LHP)
Jordan Weems (RP, Age: 33, RHP)
Chuckie Robinson (C, Age: 31, R/R)
Seby Zavala (C, Age: 32, R/R)
Santiago Espinal (UTIL, Age: 31, R/R)
Keston Hiura (INF, Age: 29, R/R)
Nick Senzel (INF, Age: 30, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: DH/SP Shohei Ohtani
Breakout Player: SP Roki Sasaki
Addition: LF Kyle Tucker
Grade: A+
Lineup Rank: 1st
Rotation Rank: 1st
Bullpen Rank: 1st

The Dodgers enter the next season as back-to-back champs, looking for the first 3-peat since the Yankees in ’98, ’99, ’00. If there’s a team to do it, it’s this one, as they’ll enter the new year with an all-star roster and the clear cut favorites to win it all, again. Like Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, and Smith wasn’t bad enough, LA splurged for OF Kyle Tucker, the top hitter on the market this offseason, giving him an insane $60m AAV over a 4-year deal. This team just flat out prints money, and they add another perenial all-star to the core. With that, long-time Dodgers Max Muncy and Kike Hernandez were retained to add depth to the stacked roster.

The hitting is top notch, but the pitching will once again be a strong suit after adding the best closer in baseball in Edwin Diaz to man the ninth inning duties. After paying Tanner Scott big money last offseason, they’ll have two $20m/year back end relievers. The rotation will be anchored by Yamamoto, the World Series MVP, Snell, Glasnow, Ohtani, and all of their young depth with Sheehan, Miller, Stone, Knack, and Ryan. It’s an embarrassment of riches with this team, as even if they get hurt, they have reinforcements everywhere. They’re playing within the confines of the rules and the players love it, the owners on the other hand will be pissed after this season’s CBA expires.

San Diego Padres

Manager: Craig Stammen
1st year as Padres manager
AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
2B	#9	Jake Cronenworth	32	L/R	.246 AVG, 11 HR, 59 RBI, .744 OPS
RF	#23	Fernando Tatis Jr.	27	R/R	.268 AVG, 25 HR, 71 RBI, 32 SB
3B	#13	Manny Machado	33	R/R	.275 AVG, 27 HR, 95 RBI, 14 SB
CF	#3	Jackson Merrill	22	L/R	.264 AVG, 16 HR, 67 RBI, .774 OPS
DH	#30	Gavin Sheets	29	L/L	.252 AVG, 19 HR, 71 RBI, .746 OPS
SS	#2	Xander Bogaerts	33	R/R	.263 AVG, 11 HR, 53 RBI, 20 SB
LF	#41	Miguel Andújar	31	R/R	.318 AVG, 10 HR, 44 RBI, .822 OPS – (ATH/CIN)
1B	#21	Nick Castellanos	33	R/R	.250 AVG, 17 HR, 72 RBI, .694 OPS – (PHI)
C	#54	Freddy Fermín	30	R/R	.251 AVG, 5 HR, 26 RBI, .636 OPS – (KC/SD)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#12	Luis Campusano	27	R/R	0/21
1B/3B	#4	Ty France	31	R/R	.257 AVG, 7 HR, 52 RBI, .681 OPS – (MIN/TOR)
OF	#5	Ramón Laureano	31	R/R	.281 AVG, 24 HR, 76 RBI, .855 OPS – (BAL/SD)
OF	#29	Bryce Johnson	30	S/R	.342 AVG, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .817 OPS

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#27	Nick Pivetta	33	RHP	13-5, 2.87 ERA, 190 Ks, 0.99 WHIP
2	#34	Michael King	30	RHP	5-3, 3.44 ERA, 76 Ks, 1.20 WHIP
3	#44	Joe Musgrove	33	RHP	DNP – Tommy John Surgery
4	#98	Randy Vásquez	27	RHP	6-7, 3.84 ERA, 78 Ks, 1.32 WHIP
5	#38	J.P. Sears	30	LHP	9-11, 5.04 ERA, 117 Ks, 1.32 WHIP – (ATH/SD)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#22	Mason Miller	27	RHP	22 SVs, 2.63 ERA, 104 Ks, 0.91 WHIP – (ATH/SD)
SU	#40	Jason Adam	34	RHP	65.1 IP, 1.93 ERA, 70 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
RP	#56	Jeremiah Estrada	27	RHP	3 SVs, 3.45 ERA, 108 Ks, 1.16 WHIP
RP	#50	Adrian Morejón	27	LHP	3 SVs, 2.08 ERA, 70 Ks, 0.90 WHIP
RP	#58	Wandy Peralta	34	LHP	71.2 IP, 3.14 ERA, 63 Ks, 1.34 WHIP
RP	#66	David Morgan	26	RHP	47.1 IP, 2.66 ERA, 50 Ks, 1.23 WHIP
RP	#1	Yuki Matsui	30	LHP	1 SV, 3.98 ERA, 61 Ks, 1.36 WHIP
LNG	#33	Germán Márquez	31	RHP	3-16, 6.70 ERA, 83 Ks, 1.71 WHIP – (COL)

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#11	Yu Darvish	39	RHP	Undisclosed Considering retirement
SP	#17	Griffin Canning	29	RHP	Torn achilles Potential return in May
SP	#61	Matt Waldron	29	RHP	Infection Potential return in May
RP	#78	Bryan Hoeing	29	RHP	Elbow injury Potential return in May
RP	#76	Jhony Brito	28	RHP	UCL Surgery Potential return in June

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Bradgley Rodriguez – #72 (SP, Age: 22, RHP) – SD Prospect Rank: #6
Kyle Hart – #68 (RP, Age: 33, LHP)
Ron Marinaccio – #97 (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Alek Jacob – #37 (RP, Age: 27, RHP)
Ty Adcock – #52 (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Sung-mun Song – #24 (INF, Age: 29, L/R)
Will Wagner – #7 (INF, Age: 27, L/R)
Mason McCoy – #18 (INF, Age: 31, R/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Miguel Mendez (P, Age: 23, RHP) – SD Prospect Rank: #3
Garrett Hawkins (P, Age: 26, RHP) – SD Prospect Rank: #14

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Walker Buehler (SP, Age: 31, RHP)
Marco Gonzales (SP, Age: 34, LHP)
Triston McKenzie (SP, Age: 28, RHP)
Logan Gillaspie (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
José Miranda (1B/3B, Age: 27, R/R)
Nick Solak (INF, Age: 31, R/R)
Samad Taylor (OF, Age: 27, R/R)
Pablo Reyes (UTIL, Age: 32, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: RF Fernando Tatis Jr.
Breakout Player: SP Bradgley Rodriguez
Addition: RF/1B Nick Castellanos
Grade: C+
Lineup Rank: 3rd
Rotation Rank: 10th
Bullpen Rank: 2nd

The Padres had an interesting offseason, losing a lot of key pieces to their 90-win team in 2025. Mike Shildt is the first one, as he was let go and replaced by long-time Padre reliever Craig Stammen in his first manager role in the MLB. They also lost Ryan O’Hearn, Luis Arraez, Elias Diaz, Dylan Cease, and Robert Suarez all in free agency. The lineup remains the same top heavy order that they have built over the years, with Tatis, Crone, Machado, and Bogaerts. Veterans Nick Castellanos and Miguel Andujar should see some solid action as platoon pieces in the outfield. You know what you’re going to get with Machado and Tatis, and that’s all-star level numbers. But what they can get out of Jackson Merrill, Xander Bogaerts, and Jake Cronenworth will be the true X-Factors.

The rotation lost two big pieces, with Dylan Cease leaving for Toronto and Yu Darvish likely never playing again. Joe Musgrove will return after missing all of last year from Tommy John, while Michael King was re-signed on a multi-year deal to be a top of the line starter. Nick Pivetta became their ace a year ago, and will step into the role again, with veterans German Marquez and Griffin Canning also vying for rotation spots. The bullpen will be their strong suit, with Mason Miller as the flame throwing closer, and the mix of Estrada, Morejon, Adam, and Peralta eating up middle innings. I like the Padres, but I’m not convinced their offense will be able to carry them over the top. They’ll definitely be in a playoff mix for a Wild Card, but the Giants and Reds edge them out as of now.

San Francisco Giants

Manager: Tony Vitello
1st year as Giants manager
AGE: 47

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
LF	#17	Heliot Ramos	26	R/R	.256 AVG, 21 HR, 69 RBI, .728 OPS
2B	#1	Luis Arráez	28	L/R	.292 AVG, 8 HR, 61 RBI, 11 SB – (SD)
SS	#2	Willy Adames	30	R/R	.225 AVG, 30 HR, 87 RBI, 12 SB
DH	#16	Rafael Devers	29	L/R	.252 AVG, 35 HR, 109 RBI, .851 OPS – (BOS/SF)
3B	#26	Matt Chapman	32	R/R	.231 AVG, 21 HR, 61 RBI, .770 OPS
CF	#51	Jung Hoo Lee	27	L/R	.266 AVG, 8 HR, 55 RBI, 10 SB
RF	#9	Harrison Bader	31	R/R	.277 AVG, 17 HR, 54 RBI, .796 OPS – (MIN/PHI)
C	#14	Patrick Bailey	26	S/R	.222 AVG, 6 HR, 55 RBI, .602 OPS
1B	#8	Bryce Eldridge (R)	21	L/R	3/28, 0 HR, 4 RBI

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#6	Daniel Susac (R)	24	R/R	SF Prospect Rank: #21
INF	#10	Casey Schmitt	27	R/R	.237 AVG, 12 HR, 40 RBI, .706 OPS
2B/OF	#49	Tyler Fitzgerald	28	R/R	.217 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 9 SB
OF	#7	Will Brennan	28	L/L	1/11 – (CLE)

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#62	Logan Webb	29	RHP	15-11, 3.22 ERA, 224 Ks, 1.24 WHIP
2	#38	Robbie Ray	34	LHP	11-8, 3.65 ERA, 186 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
3	#12	Adrian Houser	33	RHP	8-5, 3.31 ERA, 92 Ks, 1.28 WHIP – (CWS/TB)
4	#54	Tyler Mahle	31	RHP	6-4, 2.18 ERA, 66 Ks, 1.13 WHIP – (TEX)
5	#65	Landen Roupp	27	RHP	7-7, 3.80 ERA, 102 Ks, 1.48 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#74	Ryan Walker	30	RHP	17 SVs, 4.11 ERA, 60 Ks, 1.27 WHIP
SU	#76	Spencer Bivens	31	RHP	3 SVs, 4.00 ERA, 61 Ks, 1.33 WHIP
RP	#68	Erik Miller	28	LHP	30 IP, 1.50 ERA, 22 Ks, 1.47 WHIP
RP	#93	Matt Gage	33	LHP	31 IP, 3.19 ERA, 27 Ks, 1.52 WHIP – (DET/SF)
RP	#77	Carson Seymour	27	RHP	36 IP, 4.75 ERA, 26 Ks, 1.39 WHIP
RP	#34	J.T. Brubaker	32	RHP	28.2 IP, 3.77 ERA, 22 Ks, 1.22 WHIP – (NYY/SF)
RP	#70	José Buttó	27	RHP	1 SV, 3.90 ERA, 58 Ks, 1.40 WHIP – (NYM/SF)
LNG	#43	Tristan Beck	29	RHP	2 SVs, 4.61 ERA, 41 Ks, 1.11 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
OF	#0	Drew Gilbert	25	L/L	Shoulder injury Potential return in May
RP	#73	Randy Rodríguez	26	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in September
RP	#31	Sam Hentges	29	LHP	Shoulder surgery Potential return in May
RP	#63	Joel Peguero	28	RHP	Hamstring strain Potential return in June
RP	#64	Jason Foley	30	RHP	Shoulder surgery Potential return in July
RP		Rowan Wick	33	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Likely to miss entire season

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Hayden Birdsong – #60 (SP, Age: 24, RHP)
Carson Whisenhunt – #25 (SP, Age: 25, LHP) – SF Prospect Rank: #12
Blade Tidwell – #46 (SP, Age: 24, RHP) – SF Prospect Rank: #10
Trevor McDonald – #72 (SP, Age: 25, RHP) – SF Prospect Rank: #16
Keaton Winn – #67 (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Reiver Sanmartín – #48 (RP, Age: 29, LHP)
Christian Kross – #50 (INF, Age: 28, R/R)
Jerar Encarnacion – #19 (OF, Age: 28, R/R)
Luis Matos – #29 (OF, Age: 24, R/R)
Grant McCray – #58 (OF, Age: 25, L/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Jesus Rodriguez (C/3B, Age: 23, R/R) – SF Prospect Rank: #18

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Michael Fulmer (RP, Age: 33, RHP)
Eric Haase (C, Age: 33, R/R)
Diego Cartaya (C, Age: 24, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SP Logan Webb
Breakout Player: SP Hayden Birdsong
Addition: 2B/1B Luis Arraez
Grade: B-
Lineup Rank: 5th
Rotation Rank: 3rd
Bullpen Rank: 10th

The Giants enter the new season with another fresh face at the helm after just one year with Bob Melvin. Long-time college coach Tony Vitello takes over and is ready to give a crack at the pros. He inherits a team that is just overcoming somewhat of a rebuild, while acquiring some star talent. Rafael Devers was acquired at last year’s deadline, adding him to a lineup with Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Heliot Ramos, and more. With the intense power, they also signed Luis Arraez to be the slap hitter and high on base presence at the top of the order to set the table for their big sluggers. Without a clear cut 1B option, top prospect Bryce Eldridge has a great opportunity to take over the position.

On the pitching side, Logan Webb and Robbie Ray will once again anchor the top of the rotation. Veterans Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle will fill out the rotation with good depth to add to their collection of young starters. Landen Roupp, Hayden Birdsong, and Carson Whisenhunt will all get chances throughout the year to join the rotation and make a name for themselves. 2025 All-Star flame thrower Randy Rodriguez will likely miss the whole year, leaving Ryan Walker or Spencer Bivens as the top choices to get ninth inning opportunities. The Giants have as good a chance as anyone to land a Wild Card in the NL. Them, the D-Backs, and Padres will be fighting with several other teams for 3 spots, and the race can likely come down to the final week of the season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

MVP: Bobby Witt Jr., KC
Cy Young: Garrett Crochet, BOS
Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle, DET
Reliever of the Year: Cade Smith, CLE
Manager of the Year: A.J. Hinch, DET

GOLD GLOVES:
C: Cal Raleigh, SEA
1B: Christian Walker, HOU
2B: Jackson Holliday, BAL
SS: Bobby Witt Jr., KC
3B: Jose Ramirez, CLE
LF: Steven Kwan, CLE
CF: Denzel Clarke, ATH
RF: Wilyer Abreu, BOS
UTIL: Ceddanne Rafaela, BOS
P: Max Fried, NYY

SILVER SLUGGER:
C: Cal Raleigh, SEA
1B: Nick Kurtz, ATH
2B: Jose Altuve, HOU
SS: Bobby Witt Jr., KC
3B: Jose Ramirez, CLE
LF: Roman Anthony, BOS
CF: Julio Rodriguez, SEA
RF: Aaron Judge, NYY
DH: Yordan Alvarez, HOU

Baltimore Orioles

Manager: Craig Albernaz
1st year as Orioles manager
AGE: 43

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
2B	#7	Jackson Holliday	22	L/R	.242 AVG, 17 HR, 55 RBI, 17 SB
LF	#3	Taylor Ward	32	R/R	.228 AVG. 36 HR, 103 RBI, .792 OPS – (LAA)
SS	#2	Gunnar Henderson	24	L/R	.274 AVG, 17 HR, 68 RBI, 30 SB
1B	#25	Pete Alonso	31	R/R	.272 AVG, 38 HR, 126 RBI, .871 OPS – (NYM)
C	#35	Adley Rutschman	28	S/R	.220 AVG, 9 HR, 29 RBI, .673 OPS
RF	#9	Tyler O’Neill	30	R/R	.199 AVG, 9 HR, 26 RBI, .684 OPS
DH	#29	Samuel Basallo (R)	21	L/R	.165 AVG, 4 HR, 15 RBI, .559 OPS
CF	#17	Colton Cowser	25	L/R	.196 AVG, 16 HR, 40 RBI, 14 SB
3B	#16	Coby Mayo	24	R/R	.217 AVG, 11 HR, 28 RBI, .687 OPS

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
1B/OF	#6	Ryan Mountcastle	29	R/R	.250 AVG, 7 HR, 35 RBI, .653 OPS
UTIL	#23	Blaze Alexander	26	R/R	.230 AVG, 7 HR, 28 RBI, .706 OPS – (ARI)
OF	#30	Leody Taveras	27	S/R	.205 AVG, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 9 SB – (TEX/SEA)
OF	#13	Heston Kjerstad	27	L/R	.192 AVG, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 1 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#28	Trevor Rogers	28	LHP	9-3, 1.81 ERA, 103 Ks, 0.90 WHIP
2	#34	Shane Baz	26	RHP	10-12, 4.87 ERA, 176 Ks, 1.33 WHIP – (TB)
3	#40	Chris Bassitt	37	RHP	11-9, 3.96 ERA, 166 Ks, 1.33 WHIP – (TOR)
4	#24	Zach Eflin	31	RHP	6-5, 5.93 ERA, 50 Ks, 1.42 WHIP
5	#38	Kyle Bradish	29	RHP	32 IP, 2.53 ERA, 47 Ks, 1.03 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#21	Ryan Helsley	31	RHP	21 SVs, 4.50 ERA, 63 Ks, 1.54 WHIP – (STL/NYM)
SU	#45	Keegan Akin	30	LHP	8 SVs, 3.41 ERA, 59 Ks, 1.37 WHIP
RP	#39	Andrew Kittredge	35	RHP	5 SVs, 3.40 ERA, 64 Ks, 0.98 WHIP – (BAL/CHC)
RP	#50	Rico García	32	RHP	34.1 IP, 3.15 ERA, 38 Ks, 1.19 WHIP – (NYM/NYY/BAL)
RP	#78	Yennier Canó	31	RHP	2 SVs, 5.12 ERA, 53 Ks, 1.48 WHIP
RP	#71	Dietrich Enns	34	LHP	2 SVs, 4.08 ERA, 49 Ks, 1.40 WHIP – (DET/BAL)
LNG	#68	Tyler Wells	31	RHP	21.2 IP, 2.91 ERA, 18 Ks, 0.88 WHIP
LNG	#64	Dean Kremer	30	RHP	11-10, 4.19 ERA, 142 Ks, 1.21 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
3B	#11	Jordan Westburg	27	R/R	UCL tear Potential return in May
RP	#74	Félix Bautista	30	RHP	Shoulder surgery Potential return in September
RP	#60	Colin Selby	28	RHP	Shoulder injury Potential return in June

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Cade Povich – #37 (SP, Age: 25, LHP)
Chayce McDermott – #59 (SP, Age: 27, RHP)
Brandon Young – #63 (SP, Age: 27, RHP)
Grant Wolfram – #48 (RP, Age: 29, LHP)
Jackson Kowar – #57 (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Yaramil Hiraldo – #76 (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Jeremiah Jackson – #82 (UTIL, Age: 25, R/R)
Bryan Ramos – #67 (INF, Age: 23, R/R)
Dylan Beavers – #12 (OF, Age: 24, L/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #69

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Luis De León (P, Age: 22, LHP) – BAL Prospect Rank: #4
Trey Gibson (P, Age: 23, RHP) – BAL Prospect Rank: #5
Enrique Bradfield Jr. (OF, Age: 24, L/L) – BAL Prospect Rank: #10
Nestor German (P, Age: 24, RHP) – BAL Prospect Rank: #12
Levi Wells (P, Age: 24, RHP) – BAL Prospect Rank: #15

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Albert Suárez (RP, Age: 36, RHP)
Josh Walker (RP, Age: 31, LHP)
Maverick Handley (C, Age: 26, R/R)
Sam Huff (C, Age: 28, R/R)
Thairo Estrada (INF, Age: 30, R/R)
Ryan Noda (1B/OF, Age: 30, L/L)
Jhonkensy Noel (OF, Age: 24, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SS Gunnar Henderson
Breakout Player: C/1B Samuel Basallo
Addition: 1B Pete Alonso
Grade: C+
Lineup Rank: 6th
Rotation Rank: 11th
Bullpen Rank: 15th

The O’s are coming off of a letdown year that practically saw nothing go right for them. Ultimately, Brandon Hyde was let go mid-season, and young stars Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, and Colton Cowser all took huge steps backwards offensively. Well they took notice and addressed several issues this offseason, most notably signing superstar 1B Pete Alonso to a massive 5-year deal to anchor the middle of the lineup. They also acquired Taylor Ward from the Angels who had a career year in 2025. Now, these veterans provide plenty of depth around Gunnar, Holiday, Rutschman, and so much more. This offense can easily be seen as one of the best odds to have a huge bounce back year.

Although the offense did next to nothing, the pitching was somehow worse. Trevor Rogers was the only bright spot, as he returned midseason and put up ace-like numbers. Shane Baz was acquired via trade with Tampa and veteran Chris Bassitt was added to give depth in the middle of the rotation. This will take the ease off of young arms Kyle Bradish, Cody Povich, and Dean Kremer to continue developing and potentially carve out future spots in the rotation for themselves. The bullpen still seems in trouble, with Felix Bautista going down once again with injury. They gambled with Ryan Helsley, signing him to a 3-year deal coming off of his worst year in the bigs. I do think the Orioles will improve drastically, and their offense will likely be one of the top in the AL. I’m just not entirely sure they’re going to be a playoff team, given the competition in their division.

Boston Red Sox

Manager: Alex Cora
8th year as Red Sox manager (2nd stint)
Career/Team record: 610-524, Career Playoff record: 18-10 – AGE: 50

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
CF	#16	Jarren Duran	29	L/R	.256 AVG, 16 HR, 84 RBI, 24 SB
1B	#40	Willson Contreras	33	R/R	.257 AVG, 20 HR, 80 RBI, .791 OPS – (STL)
LF	#19	Roman Anthony	21	L/R	.292 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI, .859 OPS
SS	#10	Trevor Story	33	R/R	.263 AVG, 25 HR, 96 RBI, 31 SB
DH	#7	Masataka Yoshida	32	L/R	.266 AVG, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 3 SB
C	#75	Carlos Narváez	27	R/R	.241 AVG, 15 HR, 50 RBI, .726 OPS
RF	#52	Wilyer Abreu	26	L/L	.247 AVG, 22 HR, 69 RBI, .786 OPS
2B	#28	Kristian Campbell	23	R/R	.223 AVG, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 2 SB
3B	#17	Caleb Durbin	26	R/R	.256 AVG, 11 HR, 53 RBI, 18 SB – (MIL)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#12	Connor Wong	29	R/R	.190 AVG, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB
INF	#2	Isiah Kiner-Falefa	30	R/R	.262 AVG, 2 HR, 40 RBI, 15 SB – (PIT/TOR)
INF	#32	Andruw Monasterio	28	R/R	.270 AVG, 4 HR, 16 RBI, .755 OPS – (MIL)
2B/OF	#3	Ceddanne Rafaela	25	R/R	.249 AVG, 16 HR, 63 RBI, 20 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#35	Garrett Crochet	26	LHP	18-5, 2.59 ERA, 255 Ks, 1.03 WHIP
2	#55	Ranger Suárez	30	LHP	12-8, 3.20 ERA, 151 Ks, 1.22 WHIP – (PHI)
3	#54	Sonny Gray	36	RHP	14-8, 4.28 ERA, 201 Ks, 1.23 WHIP – (STL)
4	#66	Brayan Bello	26	RHP	11-9, 3.35 ERA, 124 Ks, 1.24 WHIP
5	#29	Johan Oviedo	28	RHP	2-1, 3.57 ERA, 42 Ks, 1.21 WHIP – (PIT)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#44	Aroldis Chapman	38	LHP	32 SVs, 1.17 ERA, 85 Ks, 0.70 WHIP
SU	#22	Garrett Whitlock	29	RHP	1 SV, 2.25 ERA, 91 Ks, 1.08 WHIP
RP	#57	Greg Weissert	31	RHP	4 SVs, 2.82 ERA, 57 Ks, 1.16 WHIP
RP	#76	Zack Kelly	31	RHP	35.1 IP, 4.58 ERA, 35 Ks, 1.33 WHIP
RP	#63	Justin Slaten	28	RHP	3 SVs, 4.24 ERA, 25 Ks, 1.09 WHIP
RP	#47	Jovani Morán	28	LHP	4 IP, 6.75 ERA, 5 Ks, 2.00 WHIP
RP	#67	Danny Coloumbe	36	LHP	2 SVs, 2.30 ERA, 43 Ks, 1.16 WHIP – (MIN/TEX)
LNG	#50	Kutter Crawford	29	RHP	DNP – Wrist surgery

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
1B	#36	Triston Casas	26	L/R	Torn patellar tendon Potential return in May
INF	#23	Romy González	29	R/R	Shoulder injury Potential return in May
SP	#43	Patrick Sandoval	29	LHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in May
RP	#89	Tanner Houck	29	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in September

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Payton Tolle – #70 (SP, Age: 23, LHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #19
Connelly Early – #71 (SP, Age: 23, LHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #56
Marcelo Mayer – #11 (3B/2B, Age: 23, L/R)
Nate Eaton – #18 (UTIL, Age: 29, R/R)
Nick Sogard – #20 (INF, Age: 28, S/R)
Mickey Gasper – #30 (INF, Age: 30, S/R)
Anthony Seigler – #48 (INF, Age: 26, L/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Jake Bennett (P, Age: 25, LHP) – BOS Prospect Rank: #7
Mikey Romero (INF, Age: 22, L/R) – BOS Prospect Rank: #13
Tyler Uberstine (P, Age: 26, RHP) – BOS Prospect Rank: #15

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Seth Martinez (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Matt Thaiss (C, Age: 30, L/R)
Jason Delay (C, Age: 31, R/R)
Brendan Rodgers (INF, Age: 29, R/R)
Vinny Capra (3B/1B, Age: 29, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SP Garrett Crochet
Breakout Player: OF Roman Anthony
Addition: SP Ranger Suarez
Grade: B
Lineup Rank: 9th
Rotation Rank: 3rd
Bullpen Rank: 10th

The Red Sox enter the new season in a bit of a situation that perplexes some in the fanbase. The trade of Rafael Devers still aggravates fans and letting Alex Bregman leave in free agency struck another nerve. They still look like one of the scariest young teams in the league, led by the first full season of star OF Roman Anthony. After shining on the WBC stage for Team USA, the expectations are sky high for him. Willson Contreras was added in a trade with the Cardinals to finally give them a 1B option outside of injury plagued Triston Casas. Wilyer Abreu and Carlos Narvaez are coming off of career years and will look to bolster the lineup even further.

The rotation definitely needed some extra juice, outside of the War Pig Garrett Crochet who had a Cy Young caliber season in his first year in Boston. They signed lefty ace Ranger Suarez and traded for veteran all-star Sonny Gray, two moves that I think bolster their rotation as one of the best in the league. Brayan Bello goes from #2 starter to pure depth piece, and other young arms in Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval will return early in the season. Aroldis Chapman looked like the game’s best closer and will man those duties again with Garrett Whitlock as his supporting piece. I think the Red Sox will be a definite playoff team and a contender to make a run. They’re starting to build something special, and it makes you wonder what they could be if they never traded Devers. But that’s a discussion for another time.

New York Yankees

Manager: Aaron Boone
9th year as Yankees manager
Career/Team record: 697-497, Career Playoff record: 25-27 – AGE: 53

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
CF	#12	Trent Grisham	29	L/L	.235 AVG, 34 HR, 74 RBI, .811 OPS
1B	#22	Ben Rice	27	L/R	.255 AVG, 26 HR, 65 RBI, .836 OPS
RF	#99	Aaron Judge	33	R/R	.331 AVG, 53 HR, 114 RBI, 1.144 OPS
LF	#35	Cody Bellinger	30	L/L	.272 AVG, 29 HR, 92 RBI, 13 SB
2B	#13	Jazz Chisholm Jr.	28	L/R	.242 AVG, 31 HR, 80 RBI, 31 SB
DH	#27	Giancarlo Stanton	36	R/R	.273 AVG, 24 HR, 66 RBI, .944 OPS
3B	#19	Ryan McMahon	31	L/R	.214 AVG, 20 HR, 53 RBI, .693 OPS – (COL/NYY)
C	#28	Austin Wells	26	L/R	.219 AVG, 21 HR, 71 RBI, .712 OPS
SS	#11	Anthony Volpe	24	R/R	.212 AVG, 19 HR, 72 RBI, 18 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#25	J.C. Escarra	30	L/R	.202 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI, .629 OPS
INF	#72	José Caballero	29	R/R	.236 AVG, 5 HR, 36 RBI, 49 SB – (TB/NYY)
UTIL	#14	Amed Rosario	30	R/R	.276 AVG, 6 HR, 23 RBI, .745 OPS – (WSH/NYY)
UTIL	#95	Oswaldo Cabrera	27	S/R	.243 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI, .631 OPS

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#54	Max Fried	32	LHP	19-5, 2.86 ERA, 189 Ks, 1.10 WHIP
2	#81	Luis Gil	27	RHP	4-1, 3.32 ERA, 41 Ks, 1.40 WHIP
3	#31	Cam Schlittler	25	RHP	4-3, 2.96 ERA, 84 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
4	#98	Will Warren	26	RHP	9-8, 4.44 ERA, 171 Ks, 1.37 WHIP
5	#40	Ryan Weathers	26	LHP	38.1 IP, 3.99 ERA, 37 Ks, 1.28 WHIP – (MIA)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#53	David Bednar	31	RHP	27 SVs, 2.30 ERA, 86 Ks, 1.04 WHIP – (PIT/NYY)
SU	#75	Camilo Doval	28	RHP	16 SVs, 3.58 ERA, 72 Ks, 1.32 WHIP – (SF/NYY)
RP	#63	Fernando Cruz	35	RHP	2 SVs, 3.56 ERA, 72 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
RP	#41	Tim Hill	36	LHP	67 IP, 3.09 ERA, 37 Ks, 1.10 WHIP
RP	#73	Yerry De Los Santos	28	RHP	35.2 IP, 3.28 ERA, 28 Ks, 1.51 WHIP
RP	#47	Brent Headrick	28	LHP	23 IP, 3.13 ERA, 30 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
LNG	#33	Ryan Yarbrough	34	LHP	1 SV, 4.36 ERA, 55 Ks, 1.20 WHIP
LNG	#58	Paul Blackburn	32	RHP	1 SV, 6.23 ERA, 34 Ks, 1.51 WHIP – (NYM/NYY)

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#36	Clarke Schmidt	30	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Likely to miss entire season
SP	#45	Gerrit Cole	35	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in June
SP	#55	Carlos Rodón	33	LHP	Elbow surgery Potential return in May

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Angel Chivilli – #57 (RP, Age: 23, RHP)
Osvaldo Bido – #56 (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Jake Bird – #59 (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Max Schuemann – #30 (INF, Age: 28, R/R)
Jorbit Vivas – #90 (INF, Age: 25, L/R)
Jasson Domínguez – #24 (OF, Age: 23, S/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Carlos Lagrange (P, Age: 22, RHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #79
Elmer Rodríguez (P, Age: 22, RHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #82
Spencer Jones (OF, Age: 24, L/L) – NYY Prospect Rank: #6
Chase Hampton (P, Age: 24, RHP) – NYY Prospect Rank: #8

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Rafael Montero (RP, Age: 35, RHP)
Ali Sánchez (C, Age: 29, R/R)
Paul DeJong (INF, Age: 32, R/R)
Zack Short (INF, Age: 30, R/R)
Seth Brown (1B/OF, Age: 33, L/L)
Randal Grichuk (OF, Age: 34, R/R)
Marco Luciano (UTIL, Age: 24, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: RF Aaron Judge
Breakout Player: SP Ryan Weathers
Addition: SP Ryan Weathers
Grade: B+
Lineup Rank: 4th
Rotation Rank: 5th
Bullpen Rank: 9th

The Yanks enter the new season with an identical roster to the squad that they ran out last year. Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman have made it known that the money they have already spent, north of $300m in total payroll, should be enough to produce a winner. And even though their offense struggled to support Judge, they believe that the team is good enough to figure it out. Trent Grisham accepting the $21m qualifying offer after a career year threw a wrench in their works, and undoubtedly took them out of the race for top free agents. Cody Bellinger, Amed Rosario, and Paul Goldschmidt were all re-signed as their offense didn’t add any non-Yankees from 2025.

The pitching also remained the same, with Ryan Weathers being acquired from Miami in the only real move the team made. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon should both return by mid-season, so Max Fried, Luis Gil, and young phenom Cam Schlittler will be the top leverage rotation pieces to begin the season. Last year’s deadline acquisitions in Bednar and Doval will man the back end of the bullpen after losing both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to the Mets in free agency. The Yankees will be a playoff team again, and they will find a way to compete regardless of the offensive production. I’m just not convinced that this core can win it all as presently constructed. The front office will need to get creative again if they get off to a bad start in 2026.

Tampa Bay Rays

Manager: Kevin Cash
12th year as Rays manager
Career/Team record: 896-784, Career Playoff record: 15-19 – AGE: 48

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
LF	#14	Chandler Simpson	25	L/R	.295 AVG, 0 HR, 26 RBI, 44 SB
DH	#2	Yandy Díaz	34	R/R	.300 AVG, 25 HR, 83 RBI, .848 OPS
3B	#13	Junior Caminero	22	R/R	.264 AVG, 45 HR, 110 RBI, .846 OPS
1B	#8	Jonathan Aranda	27	L/R	.316 AVG, 14 HR, 59 RBI, .883 OPS
CF	#31	Cedric Mullins	31	L/L	.216 AVG, 17 HR, 59 RBI, 22 SB – (BAL/NYM)
SS	#7	Carson Williams (R)	22	R/R	.172 AVG, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 2 SB
2B	#11	Gavin Lux	28	L/R	.269 AVG, 5 HR, 53 RBI, .724 OPS – (CIN)
C	#40	Nick Fortes	29	R/R	.229 AVG, 5 HR, 21 RBI, .644 OPS – (MIA/TB)
RF	#17	Jake Fraley	30	L/L	.241 AVG, 6 HR, 23 RBI, .714 OPS – (CIN/ATL)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#9	Hunter Feduccia	28	L/R	.148 AVG, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB – (LAD/TB)
UTIL	#6	Taylor Walls	29	S/R	.220 AVG, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 14 SB
OF	#21	Jonny DeLuca	27	R/R	.333 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 6 SB
OF	#55	Justyn Henry-Malloy	26	R/R	.221 AVG, 1 HR, 17 RBI, .654 OPS – (DET)

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#57	Drew Rasmussen	30	RHP	10-5, 2.76 ERA, 127 Ks, 1.02 WHIP
2	#44	Ryan Pepiot	28	RHP	11-12, 3.86 ERA, 167 Ks, 1.16 WHIP
3	#18	Shane McLanahan	28	LHP	DNP – Tommy John Surgery
4	#28	Nick Martinez	35	RHP	11-14, 4.25 ERA, 116 Ks, 1.21 WHIP – (CIN)
5	#32	Steven Matz	34	LHP	2 SVs, 3.05 ERA, 59 Ks, 1.10 WHIP – (STL/BOS)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#22	Griffin Jax	31	RHP	66 IP, 4.23 ERA, 99 Ks, 1.29 WHIP – (MIN/TB)
CP	#60	Garrett Cleavinger	31	LHP	2 SVs, 2.35 ERA, 82 Ks, 0.95 WHIP
RP	#63	Edwin Uceta	28	RHP	1 SV, 3.79 ERA, 103 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
RP	#47	Bryan Baker	31	RHP	3 SVs, 4.06 ERA, 83 Ks, 1.11 WHIP – (BAL/TB)
RP	#71	Cole Sulser	36	RHP	22.2 IP, 1.99 ERA, 22 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
RP	#24	Steven Wilson	31	RHP	2 SVs, 3.42 ERA, 51 Ks, 1.30 WHIP – (CWS)
RP	#59	Mason Englert	26	RHP	44.2 IP, 3.83 ERA, 44 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
LNG	#61	Ian Seymour	27	LHP	57 IP, 3.63 ERA, 64 Ks, 1.18 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
RP	#39	Manuel Rodríguez	29	RHP	Elbow surgery Potential return in June

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Yoendrys Gómez – #94 (SP, Age: 26, RHP)
Joe Boyle – #36 (SP, Age: 26, RHP)
Jesse Scholtens – #65 (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Hunter Bigge – #43 (RP, Age: 27, RHP)
Kevin Kelly – #49 (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Joe Rock – #68 (RP, Age: 25, LHP)
Ben Williamson – #15 (UTIL, Age: 25, R/R)
Jacob Melton – #29 (OF, Age: 25, L/L) – TB Prospect Rank: #4
Victor Mesa Jr. – #25 (OF, Age: 24, L/L)
Richie Palacios – #1 (OF, Age: 28, L/R)
Ryan Vilade – #26 (OF, Age: 27, R/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Brody Hopkins (P, Age: 24, RHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #85
Tre’ Morgan (1B/OF, Age: 23, L/L) – TB Prospect Rank: #19

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Cam Booser (RP, Age: 33, LHP)
Andrew Wantz (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Jake Woodford (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Blake Sabol (C, Age: 28, L/R)
Logan Davidson (1B, Age: 28, S/R)
Edward Olivares (OF, Age: 30, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: 3B Junior Caminero
Breakout Player: OF Chandler Simpson
Addition: SP Nick Martinez
Grade: C+
Lineup Rank: 11th
Rotation Rank: 10th
Bullpen Rank: 1st

The Rays enter the new season in familiar territory, with a roster that doesn’t impress at first glance, but a coaching staff that is ready to strike. It will be a tall task this year though, playing in the same division as the reigning AL Champs and three other squads that have good chances to make the playoffs. Yandy Diaz returns as the star bat, as they saw one of their longest tenured producers get traded in Brandon Lowe. Freeing up the middle infield will set the stage for top prospect Carson Williams to ultimately slide into full time SS duties, with breakout star Junior Caminero beside him at 3B. Veteran infielder Gavin Lux will look to redeem his worth, post-injuries, as the full time 2B.

The true bread and butter will once again come from the pitching staff. In typical Rays fashion, they traded Shane Baz as he is approaching the end of his arbitration years, for young talent that they can control for much longer. Shane McClanahan is finally fully healthy and will return after nearly two years on the shelf. Veterans Nick Martinez and Steven Matz were signed in redemption projects where they hope to sprinkle their Tampa magic and resurrect their careers. The bullpen is always tough, with Cleavinger, Uceta, and Jax returning to anchor the back end. I see the Rays landing fifth in the division despite being able to play spoiler on several teams.

Toronto Blue Jays

Manager: John Schneider
5th year as Blue Jays manager
Career/Team record: 303-257, Career Playoff record: 10-12 – AGE: 46

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
DH	#4	George Springer	36	R/R	.309 AVG, 32 HR, 84 RBI, .959 OPS
2B	#2	Ernie Clement	29	R/R	.277 AVG, 9 HR, 50 RBI, .711 OPS
1B	#27	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	26	R/R	.292 AVG, 23 HR, 84 RBI, .848 OPS
C	#30	Alejandro Kirk	27	R/R	.282 AVG, 15 HR, 76 RBI, .769 OPS
3B	#7	Kazuma Okamoto (R)	29	R/R	DNP – Played in Japan (NPB)
RF	#47	Addison Barger	26	L/R	.243 AVG, 21 HR, 74 RBI, .756 OPS
CF	#5	Daulton Varsho	29	L/R	.238 AVG, 20 HR, 55 RBI, .833 OPS
LF	#36	Davis Schneider	27	R/R	.234 AVG, 11 HR, 31 RBI, .797 OPS
SS	#0	Andrés Giménez	27	L/R	.210 AVG, 7 HR, 35 RBI, 12 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#55	Tyler Heineman	34	S/R	.289 AVG, 3 HR, 20 RBI, .777 OPS
INF	#49	Leo Jiménez	24	R/R	2/29, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .301 OPS
OF	#38	Nathan Lukes	31	L/R	.255 AVG, 12 HR, 65 RBI, .730 OPS
OF	#3	Myles Straw	31	R/R	.262 AVG, 4 HR, 32 RBI, 12 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#34	Kevin Gausman	35	RHP	10-11, 3.59 ERA, 189 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
2	#84	Dylan Cease	30	RHP	8-12, 4.55 ERA, 215 Ks, 1.33 WHIP – (SD)
3	#39	Trey Yesavage (R)	22	RHP	14 IP, 3.21 ERA, 16 Ks, 1.43 WHIP
4	#17	José Berríos	31	RHP	9-5, 4.17 ERA, 138 Ks, 1.30 WHIP
5	#31	Max Scherzer	41	RHP	5-5, 5.19 ERA, 82 Ks, 1.29 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#23	Jeff Hoffman	33	RHP	33 SVs, 4.37 ERA, 84 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
SU	#71	Tyler Rogers	35	RHP	77.1 IP, 1.98 ERA, 48 Ks, 0.94 WHIP – (SF/NYM)
RP	#77	Louis Varland	28	RHP	72.2 IP, 2.97 ERA, 75 Ks, 1.20 WHIP – (MIN/TOR)
RP	#68	Mason Fluharty	24	LHP	1 SV, 4.44 ERA, 56 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
RP	#63	Braydon Fisher	25	RHP	50 IP, 2.70 ERA, 62 Ks, 1.02 WHIP
RP	#54	Brendon Little	29	LHP	1 SV, 3.03 ERA, 91 Ks, 1.36 WHIP
LNG	#66	Cody Ponce	31	RHP	DNP – Played in Korea (KBO)
LNG	#56	Eric Lauer	30	LHP	9-2, 3.18 ERA, 102 Ks, 1.11 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
LF	#25	Anthony Santander	31	S/R	Shoulder surgery Potential return in August
SP	#57	Shane Bieber	30	RHP	Forearm injury Potential return in May
SP	#44	Bowden Francis	29	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Likely to miss entire season
RP	#93	Yimi García	35	RHP	Elbow injury Potential return in May

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Jake Bloss – #28 (SP, Age: 24, RHP) – TOR Prospect Rank: #8
Chase Lee – #52 (RP, Age: 27, RHP)
Tommy Nance – #45 (RP, Age: 35, RHP)
Lazaro Estrada – #60 (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Jesús Sánchez – #12 (OF, Age: 28, L/R)
Jonatan Clase – #8 (OF, Age: 23, S/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Ricky Tiedemann (P, Age: 23, LHP) – TOR Prospect Rank: #5
R.J. Schreck (OF, Age: 25, L/R) – TOR Prospect Rank: #9
Yohendrick Pinango (OF, Age: 23, L/L) – TOR Prospect Rank: #10
Josh Kasevich (INF, Age: 25, R/R) – TOR Prospect Rank: #13

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Yariel Rodríguez (SP, Age: 29, RHP)
Joe Mantiply (RP, Age: 35, LHP)
Jorge Alcala (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Josh Fleming (RP, Age: 29, LHP)
Connor Seabold (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Eloy Jiménez (OF, Age: 29, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Breakout Player: 3B/1B Kazuma Okamoto
Addition: SP Dylan Cease
Grade: A-
Lineup Rank: 1st
Rotation Rank: 2nd
Bullpen Rank: 6th

The Jays came within a fly ball of knocking off the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series a year ago, and they know it will be a long road to get back to that point. They will return arguably an even deeper squad this year in hopes of paying revenge on the league. Bo Bichette left in free agency, but he will be replaced by Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto, while the rest of the bunch remains the same. Vlad, Springer, and Kirk will anchor the lineup, while the 2025 playoffs’ breakout star Ernie Clement will see a full-time gig on the infield. They’ll likely be without Anthony Santander for a while yet again, giving Addison Barger and Davis Schneider more opportunities for everyday play.

The rotation got even stronger, as they added Dylan Cease to a core of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and top prospect Trey Yesavage. Future Hall-of-Famer Max Scherzer was re-signed as well to provide depth while former all-star Shane Bieber also returned and will likely rejoin the rotation in May. This has become one of the league’s deepest pitching rotations and a squad that provides star power in so many different ways. With the Mariners hungry for another shot at Toronto, it’s going to be tough to definitively say that they will return to the World Series. Not to mention the power they have in their division with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles all looking stronger or just as strong as a year ago.

Chicago White Sox

Manager: Will Venable
2nd year as White Sox manager
Career/Team record: 60-102 – AGE: 43

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
2B	#10	Chase Meidroth	24	R/R	.253 AVG, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 14 SB
LF	#23	Andrew Benintendi	31	L/L	.240 AVG, 20 HR, 63 RBI, .738 OPS
SS	#12	Colson Montgomery	24	L/R	.239 AVG, 21 HR, 55 RBI, .840 OPS
1B	#5	Munetaka Murakami (R)	26	L/R	DNP – Played in Japan (NPB)
3B	#20	Miguel Vargas	26	R/R	.234 AVG, 16 HR, 60 RBI, .717 OPS
DH	#8	Kyle Teel	24	L/R	.273 AVG, 8 HR, 35 RBI, .786 OPS
RF	#21	Austin Hays	30	R/R	.266 AVG, 15 HR, 64 RBI, .768 OPS – (CIN)
C	#7	Edgar Quero	22	S/R	.268 AVG, 5 HR, 36 RBI, .689 OPS
CF	#25	Derek Hill	30	R/R	.216 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 7 SB – (MIA/CWS)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#26	Korey Lee	27	R/R	9/35, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .762 OPS
INF	#0	Luisangel Acuña	24	R/R	.234 AVG, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 16 SB – (NYM)
INF	#50	Lenyn Sosa	26	R/R	.264 AVG, 22 HR, 75 RBI, .727 OPS
UTIL	#27	Brooks Baldwin	25	S/R	.240 AVG, 11 HR, 38 RBI, 5 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#64	Shane Smith	25	RHP	7-8, 3.81 ERA, 145 Ks, 1.20 WHIP
2	#59	Sean Burke	26	RHP	4-11, 4.22 ERA, 133 Ks, 1.44 WHIP
3	#47	Erick Fedde	33	RHP	4-13, 5.49 ERA, 83 Ks, 1.52 WHIP – (STL/ATL/MIL)
4	#65	Davis Martin	29	RHP	7-10, 4.10 ERA, 104 Ks, 1.29 WHIP
5	#18	Anthony Kay	30	LHP	DNP – Played in Japan (NPB)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#58	Seranthony Domínguez	31	RHP	2 SVs, 3.16 ERA, 79 Ks, 1.28 WHIP – (BAL/TOR)
SU	#44	Jordan Hicks	29	RHP	2 SVs, 6.95 ERA, 58 Ks, 1.66 WHIP – (SF/BOS)
RP	#49	Jordan Leasure	27	RHP	7 SVs, 3.92 ERA, 81 Ks, 1.23 WHIP
RP	#15	Sean Newcomb	32	LHP	2 SVs, 2.73 ERA, 91 Ks, 1.35 WHIP – (ATH/BOS)
RP	#40	Tyler Gilbert	32	LHP	1 SV, 3.88 ERA, 49 Ks, 1.26 WHIP
RP	#53	Brandon Eisert	28	LHP	2 SVs, 4.39 ERA, 74 Ks, 1.44 WHIP
RP	#38	Chris Murphy	27	LHP	34.2 IP, 3.12 ERA, 30 Ks, 1.18 WHIP – (BOS)
LNG	#48	Jonathan Cannon	25	RHP	4-10, 5.82 ERA, 86 Ks, 1.49 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#33	Drew Thorpe	25	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in May
RP	#61	Mike Vasil	25	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Will miss entire season
RP	#52	Prelander Berroa	25	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in May
RP	#57	Ky Bush (R)	26	LHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in June

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Fraser Ellard – #55 (RP, Age: 28, LHP)
Grant Taylor – #31 (RP, Age: 23, RHP)
Wikelman González – #66 (RP, Age: 24, RHP)
Curtis Mead – #17 (INF, Age: 25, R/R)
Everson Pereira – #28 (OF, Age: 24, R/R)
Tristan Peters – #29 (OF, Age: 26, L/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Braden Montgomery (OF, Age: 22, S/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #36
Noah Schultz (P, Age: 22, LHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #49
Hagen Smith (P, Age: 22, LHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #72
Tanner McDougal (P, Age: 22, RHP) – CWS Prospect Rank: #6
William Bergolla Jr. (SS/2B, Age: 21, L/R) – CWS Prospect Rank: #11

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Austin Voth (RP, Age: 33, RHP)
Lucas Sims (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Ryan Borucki (RP, Age: 32, LHP)
LaMonte Wade Jr. (1B/OF, Age: 32, L/L)
Oliver Dunn (INF, Age: 28, L/R)
Jarred Kelenic (OF, Age: 26, L/L)
Dustin Harris (OF, Age: 26, L/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SS Colson Montgomery
Breakout Player: INF Chase Meidroth
Addition: 1B/3B Munetaka Murakami
Grade: D
Lineup Rank: 15th
Rotation Rank: 15th
Bullpen Rank: 13th

After coming just inches shy of the worst record in baseball history in 2024, the White Sox made some improvements in 2025. It’s tough to say a 60-win team was “better” from year-to-year but that’s just truly how bad this organization was in 2024. A few top prospects showed some promise in Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, Miguel Vargas, and Chase Meidroth. They’ll look to carry that momentum after the addition of Japanese phenom Munetaka Murakami, whom they signed to a 2-year deal in hopes that he becomes a homerun hitting threat in the middle of their lineup. Veteran Austin Hays will join Andrew Benintendi in the outfield as they await top prospect Braden Montgomery to arrive at some point this season. The lineup will still have a tough time competing, but they at least have a couple of pieces that will be fun to watch.

The rotation was a disaster last year and it will likely be much of the same this season. The one solid piece was Shane Smith who became their lone all-star representative last year. Veteran Erick Fedde was added as well as lefty Anthony Kay, who looked to re-invent himself after a year playing in Japan. The bullpen signed veteran Seranthony Dominguez to close, and he’ll likely be a sought after trade piece at the deadline. Jordan Hicks was also brought in at an all-time low price after a disaster season split with the Giants and Red Sox. He could potentially become their closer of the future if he can right the ship. There won’t be much competing coming from this team, but improving on 60 wins shouldn’t be too hard, you would think.

Cleveland Guardians

Manager: Stephen Vogt
3rd year as Guardians manager
Career/Team record: 180-143, Career Playoff record: 5-8 – AGE: 41

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
LF	#38	Steven Kwan	28	L/L	.272 AVG, 11 HR, 56 RBI, 21 SB
2B	#10	Daniel Schneemann	29	L/R	.206 AVG, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 9 SB
3B	#11	José Ramirez	33	S/R	.283 AVG, 30 HR, 85 RBI, 44 SB
DH	#9	Kyle Manzardo	25	L/R	.234 AVG, 27 HR, 70 RBI, .768 OPS
1B	#8	Rhys Hoskins	33	R/R	.237 AVG, 12 HR, 43 RBI, .748 OPS – (MIL)
SS	#13	Gabriel Arias	26	R/R	.220 AVG, 11 HR, 54 RBI, 8 SB
C	#23	Bo Naylor	26	L/R	.195 AVG, 14 HR, 47 RBI, .661 OPS
RF	#22	Nolan Jones	27	L/R	.211 AVG, 5 HR, 34 RBI, 8 SB
CF	#1	Ángel Martinez	24	S/R	.224 AVG, 11 HR, 45 RBI, 8 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#27	Austin Hedges	33	R/R	.161 AVG, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 1 SB
INF	#4	Brayan Rocchio	25	S/R	.233 AVG, 5 HR, 44 RBI, 8 SB
1B	#6	David Fry	30	R/R	.171 AVG, 8 HR, 23 RBI, 1 SB
UTIL	#2	C.J. Kayfus	24	L/L	.220 AVG, 4 HR, 19 RBI, .707 OPS

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#32	Gavin Williams	26	RHP	12-5, 3.06 ERA, 173 Ks, 1.27 WHIP
2	#28	Tanner Bibee	27	RHP	12-11, 4.24 ERA, 162 Ks, 1.23 WHIP
3	#26	Logan Allen	27	LHP	8-11, 4.25 ERA, 122 Ks, 1.40 WHIP
4	#44	Slade Cecconi	26	RHP	7-7, 4.30 ERA, 109 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
5	#77	Parker Messick (R)	25	LHP	39.2 IP, 2.72 ERA, 38 Ks, 1.31 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#36	Cade Smith	26	RHP	16 SVs, 2.93 ERA, 104 Ks, 1.01 WHIP
SU	#33	Hunter Gaddis	27	RHP	3 SVs, 3.11 ERA, 73 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
RP	#43	Shawn Armstrong	35	RHP	9 SVs, 2.31 ERA, 74 Ks, 0.81 WHIP – (TEX)
RP	#62	Erik Sabrowski	28	LHP	29.1 IP, 1.84 ERA, 42 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
RP	#29	Tim Herrin	29	LHP	42.2 IP, 4.85 ERA, 45 Ks, 1.57 WHIP
RP	#52	Matt Festa	33	RHP	54.2 IP, 4.12 ERA, 56 Ks, 1.08 WHIP
RP	#35	Colin Holderman	30	RHP	1 SV, 7.01 ERA, 18 Ks, 1.95 WHIP – (PIT)
LNG	#54	Joey Cantillo	26	LHP	95.1 IP, 3.21 ERA, 108 Ks, 1.26 WHIP

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Connor Brogdon – #75 (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Andrew Walters – #91 (RP, Age: 25, RHP) – CLE Prospect Rank: #26
Doug Nikhazy – #65 (RP, Age: 26, LHP)
Petey Halpin – #0 (OF, Age: 23, L/R)
Johnathan Rodriguez – #30 (OF, Age: 26, R/R)
George Valera – #7 (OF, Age: 25, L/L) – CLE Prospect Rank: #29

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Travis Bazzana (2B, Age: 23, L/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #20
Chase DeLauter (OF, Age: 24, L/L) – MLB Prospect Rank: #46
Angel Genao (SS, Age: 21, S/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #66
Cooper Ingle (C, Age: 24, L/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #99
Khal Stephen (P, Age: 23, RHP) – CLE Prospect Rank: #7
Kahlil Watson (OF, Age: 22, L/R) – CLE Prospect Rank: #15

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Codi Heuer (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Kolby Allard (RP, Age: 28, LHP)
Carlos Hernández (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Dom Nuñez (C, Age: 31, L/R)
Carter Kieboom (3B/1B, Age: 28, R/R)
Stuart Fairchild (OF, Age: 30, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: 3B Jose Ramirez
Breakout Player: INF Travis Bazzana
Addition: 1B Rhys Hoskins
Grade: B-
Lineup Rank: 14th
Rotation Rank: 7th
Bullpen Rank: 2nd

The Guardians enter the new season after a late surge to the playoffs that resulted in back-to-back AL Central championships. After the Tigers led the division all year, Cleveland’s late season push established them once again as being the team to beat in the division. Now in 2026, they bring back practically the same squad that outperformed expectations two years in a row. JRam is their star, while young pieces in Kyle Manzardo, Gabriel Arias, and Bo Naylor continue to add to the core.

The lineup will carry it’s weight, but the rotation is what I’ll be keeping a close eye on this year. Tanner Bibee struggled as the ace last season, while Gavin Williams developed into a big game pitcher and the new young ace of Cleveland. Logan Allen and Slade Cecconi had solid years, while former top prospect Parker Messick had a solid showing in his limited time in the majors. Obviously, the two pieces missing is star closer Emmanuel Clase and starter Luis Ortiz, both of whom got busted in a betting scandal last season. Cade Smith now becomes the new closer, as their bullpen remains one of the best in the AL. Veterans Shawn Armstrong and Collin Holderman will also give depth around their back end. On paper, they are the third best team in the division, behind the Tigers and Royals. I think KC will have a breakout season and I like Detroit to be a World Series contender. So it’ll be tough for them to over-perform yet again, but similar to the Brewers, they always find a way to get the job done.

Detroit Tigers

Manager: A.J. Hinch
6th year as Tigers manager, 13th year as a manager (D-Backs ’09-’10, Astros ’15-’19)
Career record: 964-868, Tigers record: 392-413, Career Playoff record: 35-26 – AGE: 52

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
DH	#33	Colt Keith	24	L/R	.256 AVG, 13 HR, 45 RBI, .746 OPS
2B	#25	Gleyber Torres	29	R/R	.256 AVG, 16 HR, 74 RBI, .745 OPS
LF	#31	Riley Greene	25	L/L	.258 AVG, 36 HR, 111 RBI, .806 OPS
1B	#20	Spencer Torkelson	26	R/R	.240 AVG, 31 HR, 78 RBI, .789 OPS
RF	#30	Kerry Carpenter	28	L/R	.252 AVG, 26 HR, 62 RBI, .788 OPS
3B	#39	Zach McKinstry	30	L/R	.259 AVG, 12 HR, 49 RBI, .771 OPS
C	#13	Dillon Dingler	27	R/R	.278 AVG, 13 HR, 57 RBI, .752 OPS
SS	#28	Javier Báez	33	R/R	.257 AVG, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 5 SB
CF	#22	Parker Meadows	26	L/R	.215 AVG, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 4 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#34	Jake Rogers	30	R/R	.187 AVG, 3 HR, 19 RBI, .610 OPS
INF	#27	Trey Sweeney	25	L/R	.196 AVG, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 3 SB
OF	#46	Wenceel Pérez	26	S/R	.244 AVG, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 8 SB
OF	#8	Matt Vierling	29	R/R	.239 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#29	Tarik Skubal	29	LHP	13-6, 2.21 ERA, 241 Ks, 0.89 WHIP
2	#59	Framber Valdez	32	LHP	13-11, 3.66 ERA, 187 Ks, 1.24 WHIP – (HOU)
3	#9	Jack Flaherty	30	RHP	8-15, 4.64 ERA, 188 Ks, 1.28 WHIP
4	#12	Casey Mize	28	RHP	14-6, 3.87 ERA, 139 Ks, 1.27 WHIP
5	#35	Justin Verlander	43	RHP	4-11, 3.85 ERA, 137 Ks, 1.36 WHIP – (SF)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#74	Kenley Jansen	38	RHP	29 SVs, 2.59 ERA, 57 Ks, 0.95 WHIP – (LAA)
SU	#67	Kyle Finnegan	34	RHP	24 SVs, 3.47 ERA, 55 Ks, 1.11 WHIP – (WSH/DET)
RP	#19	Will Vest	30	RHP	23 SVs, 3.01 ERA, 75 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
RP	#48	Brant Hurter	27	LHP	2 SVs, 2.43 ERA, 68 Ks, 1.33 WHIP
RP	#75	Brenan Hanifee	27	RHP	60 IP, 3.00 ERA, 40 Ks, 1.32 WHIP
RP	#57	Bailey Horn	28	LHP	11.1 IP, 1.59 ERA, 10 Ks, 1.59 WHIP
RP	#38	Drew Anderson	31	RHP	DNP – Played in Korea (KBO)
LNG	#66	Sawyer Gipson-Long	28	RHP	31.1 IP, 7.18 ERA, 26 Ks, 1.28 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#45	Reese Olson	26	RHP	Shoulder surgery Likely to miss entire season
SP	#21	Jackson Jobe	23	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in July
RP	#52	Troy Melton	25	RHP	Forearm strain Potential return in June
RP	#4	Beau Brieske	27	RHP	Groin strain Potential return in May

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Keider Montero – #54 (SP, Age: 25, RHP)
Dylan Smith – #58 (RP, Age: 25, RHP) – DET Prospect Rank: #21
Ty Madden – #52 (RP, Age: 25, RHP) – DET Prospect Rank: #20
Drew Sommers – #51 (RP, Age: 25, LHP)
Jace Jung – #17 (3B, Age: 25, L/R)
Jahmai Jones – #18 (OF, Age: 28, R/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Kevin McGonigle (SS, Age: 21, L/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #2
Max Clark (OF, Age: 21, L/L) – MLB Prospect Rank: #10
Max Anderson (2B/3B, Age: 24, R/R) – DET Prospect Rank: #5
Hao-Yu Lee (3B/2B, Age: 23, R/R) – DET Prospect Rank: #6
Jake Miller (P, Age: 24, LHP) – DET Prospect Rank: #16

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Scott Effross (RP, Age: 32, RHP)
Phil Bickford (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Tanner Rainey (RP, Age: 33, RHP)
Burch Smith (RP, Age: 36, RHP)
Tomás Nido (C, Age: 32, R/R)
Austin Slater (OF, Age: 33, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SP Tarik Skubal
Breakout Player: SS Kevin McGonigle
Addition: SP Framber Valdez
Grade: A-
Lineup Rank: 3rd
Rotation Rank: 4th
Bullpen Rank: 4th

The Tigers choked mightily a year ago, blowing a season’s long lead of the division and ultimately not making it far as a Wild Card team. Heading into this year, the ship should definitely be righted with a deep roster filled with star power in both the lineup and starting rotation. All of their main stars return, with Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres, Spencer Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter anchoring the lineup. Colt Keith and Parker Meadows should see full-time work this year, while the emergence of baseball’s #2 prospect Kevin McGonigle is inevitable. Their lineup was one of the most run producing groups in the league last year, and will likely do more of the same in 2026.

The rotation was great last year and it only got better with the signing of all-star ace Framber Valdez. He is now the right hand (or left hand) man to Tarik Skubal who won his second straight Cy Young in 2025. Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize will look to improve a bit after shaky seasons, while Tiger legend and future Hall-of-Famer Justin Verlander was brought back, likely to end his career where it all began. Both Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan were signed to be a tag team duo in the 8th and 9th innings. Besides McGonigle, they will also be awaiting the potential call-up of #10 MLB prospect Max Clark who’s flashiness will bring a surge to the Tigers lineup. Their mix of homegrown talent and all-stars makes them my favorite to win the AL this year. I think things finally go right, and Detroit has a shot at their first World Series title since 1984.

Kansas City Royals

Manager: Matt Quatraro
4th year as Royals manager
Career/Team record: 224-262, Career Playoff record: 3-3 – AGE: 52

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
2B	#6	Jonathan India	29	R/R	.233 AVG, 9 HR, 45 RBI, .798 OPS
SS	#7	Bobby Witt Jr.	25	R/R	.295 AVG, 23 HR, 88 RBI, 38 SB
1B	#8	Vinnie Pasquantino	28	L/L	.264 AVG, 32 HR, 113 RBI, .798 OPS
DH	#13	Salvador Pérez	35	R/R	.236 AVG, 30 HR, 100 RBI, .729 OPS
3B	#11	Maikel García	26	R/R	.286 AVG, 16 HR, 74 RBI, 23 SB
C	#22	Carter Jensen (R)	22	L/R	.300 AVG, 3 HR, 13 RBI, .941 OPS
RF	#14	Jac Caglianone	23	L/L	.157 AVG, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 1 SB
LF	#1	Isaac Collins	28	S/R	.263 AVG, 9 HR, 54 RBI, 16 SB – (MIL)
CF	#15	Lane Thomas	30	R/R	.160 AVG, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 4 SB – (CLE)

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
2B/OF	#19	Michael Massey	28	L/R	.244 AVG, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 2 SB
UTIL	#2	Tyler Tolbert	28	R/R	14/50, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 21 SB
OF	#28	Kyle Isbel	29	L/R	.255 AVG, 4 HR, 33 RBI, .654 OPS
OF	#0	Starling Marte	37	R/R	.270 AVG, 9 HR, 34 RBI, .745 OPS – (NYM)

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#55	Cole Ragans	28	LHP	3-3, 4.67 ERA, 98 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
2	#67	Seth Lugo	36	RHP	8-7, 4.15 ERA, 125 Ks, 1.29 WHIP
3	#52	Michael Wacha	34	RHP	10-13, 3.86 ERA, 126 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
4	#50	Kris Bubic	28	LHP	8-7, 2.55 ERA, 116 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
5	#65	Noah Cameron	26	LHP	9-7, 2.99 ERA, 114 Ks, 1.10 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#53	Carlos Estévez	33	RHP	42 SVs, 2.45 ERA, 54 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
SU	#46	John Schreiber	32	RHP	1 SV, 3.80 ERA, 62 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
RP	#25	Matt Strahm	34	LHP	6 SVs, 2.74 ERA, 70 Ks, 1.07 WHIP – (PHI)
RP	#60	Lucas Erceg	30	RHP	2 SVs, 2.64 ERA, 48 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
RP	#41	Daniel Lynch IV	29	LHP	1 SV, 3.06 ERA, 45 Ks, 1.36 WHIP
RP	#31	Nick Mears	29	RHP	1 SV, 3.49 ERA, 46 Ks, 0.97 WHIP – (MIL)
RP	#66	James McArthur	29	RHP	DNP – Elbow surgery
LNG	#36	Bailey Falter	28	LHP	7-7, 4.45 ERA, 81 Ks, 1.28 WHIP – (PIT/KC)

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#32	Stephen Kolek	28	RHP	Oblique strain Potential return in June
RP	#48	Alec Marsh	27	RHP	Labrum surgery Likely to miss entire season

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Ryan Bergert – #38 (SP, Age: 26, RHP)
Steven Cruz – #64 (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Mitch Spence – #54 (RP, Age: 27, RHP)
Alex Lange – #56 (RP, Age: 30, RHP)
Luinder Avila – #58 (RP, Age: 24, RHP) – KC Prospect Rank: #9
Mason Black – #47 (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Nick Loftin – #12 (OF, Age: 27, R/R)
John Rave – #16 (OF, Age: 28, L/L)
Kameron Misner – #26 (OF, Age: 28, L/L)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Ben Kudrna (P, Age: 23, RHP) – KC Prospect Rank: #10
Steven Zobac (P, Age: 25, RHP) – KC Prospect Rank: #13

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Aaron Sanchez (SP, Age: 33, RHP)
José Cuás (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Héctor Neris (RP, Age: 36, RHP)
Eli Morgan (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Jorge Alfaro (C, Age: 32, R/R)
Brandon Drury (UTIL, Age: 33, R/R)
Abraham Toro (UTIL, Age: 29, S/R)
Josh Rojas (INF, Age: 31, L/R)
Kevin Newman (INF, Age: 32, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SS Bobby Witt Jr.
Breakout Player: RF/1B Jac Caglianone
Addition: RP Matt Strahm
Grade: B
Lineup Rank: 5th
Rotation Rank: 8th
Bullpen Rank: 8th

The Royals were one of the breakout teams of last year, and after years of rebuild, they finally look to be a playoff contender. Bobby Witt is the star and arguably the best infielder in all of baseball. Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino have developed into emerging all-star youngsters and they bring power to a lineup with franchise icon Salvador Perez. Perez is still producing with the bat, and can likely see more of a consistent DH role this year with top prospect Carter Jensen taking the bulk of the catching duties. Jac Caglianone is a breakout candidate that should catch his stride in his sophomore season after struggling in 2025 and getting yo-yo’d up and down the minors.

The rotation is all around solid with a good core of Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Noah Cameron, and veterans Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha. Bailey Falter could see time in the rotation as well and primarily will be a long relief option out of the bullpen. The bullpen brings back MLB’s saves leader Carlos Estevez with the additions of Matt Strahm and Nick Mears into the mix. I like the Royals a lot, and I think they are the clear second best team in the division. It may be tough to beat the Tigers out of the division, but it is pretty wide open in the AL.

Minnesota Twins

Manager: Derek Shelton
1st year as Twins manager, 7th year as a manager (Pirates ’20-’25)
Career record: 306-440 – AGE: 56

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
CF	#25	Byron Buxton	32	R/R	.264 AVG, 35 HR, 84 RBI, 24 SB
RF	#9	Trevor Larnach	29	L/R	.250 AVG, 17 HR, 60 RBI, .727 OPS
2B	#15	Luke Keaschall	23	R/R	.302 AVG, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 14 SB
3B	#23	Royce Lewis	26	R/R	.237 AVG, 13 HR, 52 RBI, 12 SB
1B	#56	Josh Bell	33	S/R	.239 AVG, 22 HR, 63 RBI, .747 OPS – (WSH)
DH	#37	Víctor Caratini	32	S/R	.259 AVG, 12 HR, 46 RBI, .728 OPS – (HOU)
C	#27	Ryan Jeffers	28	R/R	.266 AVG, 9 HR, 47 RBI, .752 OPS
SS	#22	Brooks Lee	25	S/R	.236 AVG, 16 HR, 64 RBI, 3 SB
LF	#38	Matt Wallner	28	L/R	.202 AVG, 22 HR, 40 RBI, .776 OPS

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#70	Alex Jackson	30	R/R	.220 AVG, 5 HR, 8 RBI, .763 OPS – (BAL)
UTIL	#2	Kody Clemens	29	L/R	.213 AVG, 19 HR, 52 RBI, .715 OPS – (PHI/MIN)
OF	#30	James Outman	28	L/R	.134 AVG, 6 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB – (LAD/MIN)
OF	#16	Austin Martin	27	R/R	.282 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 11 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#41	Joe Ryan	29	RHP	13-10, 3.42 ERA, 194 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
2	#17	Bailey Ober	30	RHP	6-9, 5.10 ERA, 120 Ks, 1.30 WHIP
3	#24	Simeon Woods Richardson	25	RHP	7-4, 4.04 ERA, 107 Ks, 1.28 WHIP
4	#26	Taj Bradley	25	RHP	6-8, 5.05 ERA, 127 Ks, 1.31 WHIP – (TB/MIN)
5	#20	Mick Abel	24	RHP	3-4, 6.23 ERA, 39 Ks, 1.51 WHIP – (PHI/MIN)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#48	Justin Topa	35	RHP	4 SVs, 3.90 ERA, 49 Ks, 1.43 WHIP
CP	#44	Cole Sands	28	RHP	3 SVs, 4.50 ERA, 64 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
RP	#55	Taylor Rogers	35	LHP	50.2 IP, 3.38 ERA, 53 Ks, 1.38 WHIP – (CIN/CHC)
RP	#19	Eric Orze	28	RHP	3 SVs, 3.02 ERA, 40 Ks, 1.37 WHIP – (TB)
RP	#43	Anthony Banda	32	LHP	65 IP, 3.18 ERA, 61 Ks, 1.22 WHIP – (LAD)
RP	#57	Kody Funderburk	29	LHP	1 SV, 3.51 ERA, 40 Ks, 1.51 WHIP
RP	#54	Zak Kent	28	RHP	17.2 IP, 4.58 ERA, 16 Ks, 1.42 WHIP – (CLE)
LNG	#45	Travis Adams	26	RHP	33.2 IP, 7.49 ERA, 31 Ks, 1.66 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#58	David Festa	26	RHP	Shoulder surgery Potential return in June
SP	#49	Pablo López	30	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Likely to miss entire season

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Zebby Matthews – #52 (SP, Age: 25, RHP)
Tristan Gray – #4 (INF, Age: 30, L/R)
Eric Wagaman – #13 (1B, Age: 28, R/R)
Alan Roden – #18 (OF, Age: 26, L/R)
Ryan Kreidler – #5 (OF, Age: 28, R/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Walker Jenkins (OF, Age: 21, L/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #14
Emmanuel Rodriguez (OF, Age: 23, L/L) – MLB Prospect Rank: #74
Connor Prielipp (P, Age: 25, LHP) – MIN Prospect Rank: #5
Gabriel Gonzalez (OF, Age: 22, R/R) – MIN Prospect Rank: #7
Kendry Rojas (P, Age: 23, LHP) – MIN Prospect Rank: #10
Hendry Mendez (OF, Age: 22, L/L) – MIN Prospect Rank: #12
Andrew Morris (P, Age: 24, RHP) – MIN Prospect Rank: #13

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Julian Merryweather (RP, Age: 34, RHP)
Dan Altavilla (RP, Age: 33, RHP)
Matt Bowman (RP, Age: 34, RHP)
Orlando Arcía (INF, Age: 31, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SP Joe Ryan
Breakout Player: OF Walker Jenkins
Addition: 1B Josh Bell
Grade: D+
Lineup Rank: 13th
Rotation Rank: 14th
Bullpen Rank: 12th

The Twins enter the new season coming off a total rebuild and take down at the 2025 deadline. They opted to let long-time manager Rocco Baldelli go in the offseason, bringing in Derek Shelton who was let go during the 2025 season in Pittsburgh. They have one of the more stacked incoming rookie classes in all of baseball, with top OF prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez set to debut at some point this year. Their star Byron Buxton still remains, as he’s the leader of a group of misfits. The key will be getting a full season out of Royce Lewis and developments of former top prospects Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee.

The rotation still holds one key trade piece, and that’s ace Joe Ryan who has drawn interest from every contender in need of starting pitching. If Minnesota falls out fast, he will likely get deal for a few prospects at the deadline this year. Mick Abel was an interesting piece that they received last year from Philly, as he had a big spring and will look to impact the rotation. The bullpen will be led by veterans Justin Topa and Anthony Banda, with Taylor Rogers and Eric Orze as good offseason additions. They won’t compete much this year, but development and emergence from young pieces will prove if they’ll be ready sooner rather than later.

Athletics

Manager: Mark Kotsay
5th year as Athletics manager
Career/Team record: 255-393 – AGE: 50

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
RF	#4	Lawrence Butler	25	L/R	.234 AVG, 21 HR, 63 RBI, 22 SB
SS	#5	Jacob Wilson	23	R/R	.311 AVG, 13 HR, 63 RBI, .800 OPS
1B	#16	Nick Kurtz	23	L/L	.290 AVG, 36 HR, 86 RBI, 1.002 OPS
DH	#25	Brent Rooker	31	R/R	.262 AVG, 30 HR, 89 RBI, .814 OPS
LF	#21	Tyler Soderstrom	24	L/R	.276 AVG, 25 HR, 93 RBI, .820 OPS
C	#23	Shea Langeliers	28	R/R	.277 AVG, 31 HR, 72 RBI, .861 OPS
2B	#22	Jeff McNeil	33	L/R	.243 AVG, 12 HR, 54 RBI, .746 OPS – (NYM)
3B	#3	Max Muncy	23	R/R	.214 AVG, 9 HR, 23 RBI, .638 OPS
CF	#1	Denzel Clarke	25	R/R	.230 AVG, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#29	Austin Wynns	35	R/R	.291 AVG, 6 HR, 21 RBI, .865 OPS – (CIN/ATH)
INF	#2	Darell Hernaíz	24	R/R	.231 AVG, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 3 SB
UTIL	#77	Andy Ibáñez	32	R/R	.239 AVG, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 4 SB – (DET)
OF	#26	Carlos Cortes	28	L/S	.309 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI, .866 OPS

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#40	Luis Severino	32	RHP	8-11, 4.54 ERA, 124 Ks, 1.30 WHIP
2	#59	Jeffrey Springs	33	LHP	11-11, 4.11 ERA, 138 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
3	#45	Aaron Civale	30	RHP	4-9, 4.85 ERA, 88 Ks, 1.26 WHIP – (MIL/CWS/CHC)
4	#57	Jacob López	28	LHP	7-7, 4.08 ERA, 113 Ks, 1.27 WHIP
5	#19	Luis Morales	23	RHP	4-3, 3.14 ERA, 43 Ks, 1.15 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#36	Hogan Harris	29	LHP	4 SVs, 3.20 ERA, 65 Ks, 1.35 WHIP
SU	#58	Scott Barlow	33	RHP	1 SV, 4.21 ERA, 75 Ks, 1.39 WHIP – (CIN)
RP	#60	Justin Sterner	29	RHP	65 IP, 3.18 ERA, 70 Ks, 1.05 WHIP
RP	#49	Michael Kelly	33	RHP	2 SVs, 3.18 ERA, 29 Ks, 1.29 WHIP
RP	#38	Mark Leiter Jr.	35	RHP	2 SVs, 4.84 ERA, 54 Ks, 1.54 WHIP – (NYY)
RP	#61	Elvis Alvarado	27	RHP	42.1 IP, 3.19 ERA, 50 Ks, 1.32 WHIP
LNG	#35	J.T. Ginn	26	RHP	4-7, 5.08 ERA, 99 Ks, 1.36 WHIP
LNG	#46	Luis Medina	26	RHP	DNP – Tommy John Surgery

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#53	Gunnar Hoglund (R)	26	RHP	Sprained knee Potential return in May

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Brady Basso – #66 (SP, Age: 28, LHP)
Mason Barnett – #63 (SP, Age: 25, RHP) – ATH Prospect Rank: #17
Joey Estes – #68 (RP, Age: 24, RHP)
Tyler Ferguson – #44 (RP, Age: 32, RHP)
Jack Perkins – #50 (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Eduarniel Núñez – #54 (RP, Age: 26, RHP)
Zack Gelof – #20 (INF, Age: 26, R/R)
Brett Harris – #11 (INF, Age: 27, R/R)
Colby Thomas – #32 (OF, Age: 25, R/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Leo De Vries (SS, Age: 19, S/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #4
Gage Jump (P, Age: 22, LHP) – MLB Prospect Rank: #57
Henry Bolte (OF, Age: 22, R/R) – ATH Prospect Rank: #5
Braden Nett (P, Age: 23, RHP) – ATH Prospect Rank: #6
Kade Morris (P, Age: 23, RHP) – ATH Prospect Rank: #12
Henry Baez (P, Age: 23, RHP) – ATH Prospect Rank: #14

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Wander Suero (RP, Age: 34, RHP)
Geoff Hartlieb (RP, Age: 32, RHP)
Nick Anderson (RP, Age: 35, RHP)
Joel Kuhnel (RP, Age: 31, RHP)
Brooks Kriske (RP, Age: 32, RHP)
Chad Wallach (C, Age: 34, R/R)
Joey Meneses (1B, Age: 33, R/R)
Michael Stefanic (UTIL, Age: 30, R/R)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: 1B Nick Kurtz
Breakout Player: CF Denzel Clarke
Addition: 2B/OF Jeff McNeil
Grade: C+
Lineup Rank: 7th
Rotation Rank: 13th
Bullpen Rank: 14th

After what has seemed like an eternity of a rebuild, the A’s started to formulate a young lineup that could take the baseball world by storm. Nick Kurtz became a star as a rookie, Jacob Wilson became an all-star, and Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, and Lawrence Butler are stellar supporting pieces. It’ll only get better as baseball’s #4 prospect Leo De Vries could make his debut this year. Sure, they still aren’t spending a ton of money and will be at their makeshift home in Sacramento for two more seasons, but their future awaits in Las Vegas and beyond with a potential star studded team to lead them to their new home. It’s an exciting time for the A’s, well at least on the offensive end.

The rotation and bullpen still remain lackluster at best, with Luis Severino as their ace and Jeffrey Springs looking for a bounce back year. Veteran Aaron Civale will provide depth in the rotation, with youngsters J.T. Ginn, Luis Morales, Brady Basso, and Luis Medina all having shots to establish themselves in the rotation. The bullpen will be held together with the likes of Hogan Harris, Michael Kelly, Scott Barlow, and more. It’s by far one of the weaker arm groups in the entire AL. In a tough division, I don’t see the A’s quite making the playoffs but they’ll come pretty darn close. The pitching needs to be addressed, but this lineup can stick with anyone in the game.

Houston Astros

Manager: Joe Espada
3rd year as Astros manager
Career/Team record: 175-148, Career Playoff record: 0-2 – AGE: 50

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
SS	#3	Jeremy Peña	28	R/R	.304 AVG, 17 HR, 62 RBI, 20 SB
2B	#27	José Altuve	35	R/R	.265 AVG, 26 HR, 77 RBI, 10 SB
LF	#44	Yordan Alvarez	28	L/R	.273 AVG, 6 HR, 27 RBI, .797 OPS
1B	#8	Christian Walker	34	R/R	.238 AVG, 27 HR, 88 RBI, .717 OPS
3B	#1	Carlos Correa	31	R/R	.276 AVG, 13 HR, 52 RBI, .734 OPS – (MIN/HOU)
DH	#15	Isaac Paredes	27	R/R	.254 AVG, 20 HR, 53 RBI, .809 OPS
C	#21	Yainer Díaz	27	R/R	.256 AVG, 20 HR, 70 RBI, .701 OPS
RF	#11	Cam Smith	23	R/R	.236 AVG, 9 HR, 51 RBI, 8 SB
CF	#6	Jake Meyers	29	R/L	.292 AVG, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 16 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#18	César Salazar	30	L/R	3/13, 1 RBI
INF	#20	Nick Allen	27	R/R	.221 AVG, 0 HR, 22 RBI, 8 SB – (ATL)
OF	#10	Joey Loperfido	26	L/R	.333 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI, .879 OPS – (TOR)
OF	#16	Zach Cole (R)	25	L/R	12/47, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 3 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#58	Hunter Brown	27	RHP	12-9, 2.43 ERA, 206 Ks, 1.03 WHIP
2	#45	Tatsuya Imai (R)	27	RHP	DNP – Played in Japan (NPB)
3	#50	Mike Burrows	26	RHP	2-4, 3.94 ERA, 97 Ks, 1.24 WHIP – (PIT)
4	#53	Cristian Javier	28	RHP	37 IP, 4.62 ERA, 34 Ks, 1.27 WHIP
5	#43	Lance McCullers Jr.	32	RHP	2-5, 6.51 ERA, 61 Ks, 1.81 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#52	Bryan Abreu	28	RHP	7 SVs, 2.28 ERA, 105 Ks, 1.16 WHIP
SU	#74	Bryan King	29	LHP	2 SVs, 2.78 ERA, 69 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
RP	#45	Steven Okert	34	LHP	1 SV, 3.01 ERA, 84 Ks, 0.89 WHIP
RP	#65	Enyel De Los Santos	30	RHP	66 IP, 4.36 ERA, 62 Ks, 1.29 WHIP – (ATL/HOU)
RP	#46	Roddery Muñoz	26	RHP	11 IP, 8.18 ERA, 14 Ks, 1.64 WHIP – (STL)
RP	#51	Ryan Weiss (R)	29	RHP	DNP – Played in Korea (KBO)
LNG	#17	Kai-Wei Teng	27	RHP	2-4, 6.37 ERA, 39 Ks, 1.55 WHIP – (SF)
LNG	#69	A.J. Blubaugh (R)	25	RHP	32 IP, 1.69 ERA, 35 Ks, 0.88 WHIP

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#56	Ronel Blanco	32	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in August
SP	#39	Hayden Wesneski	28	RHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in July
SP	#60	Brandon Walter	29	LHP	Tommy John Surgery Likely to miss entire season
RP	#71	Josh Hader	32	LHP	Bicep inflammation Potential return in May
RP	#62	Bennett Sousa	31	LHP	Oblique strain Potential return in June
RP	#55	Nate Pearson	29	RHP	Elbow strain Potential return in May

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Colton Gordon – #61 (SP, Age: 27, LHP)
Spencer Arrighetti – #41 (SP, Age: 26, RHP)
Jason Alexander – #54 (RP, Age: 33, RHP)
Brice Matthews – #0 (INF, Age: 24, R/R) – HOU Prospect Rank: #4
Zach Dezenzo – #9 (OF, Age: 25, R/R)
Shay Whitcomb – #10 (OF, Age: 27, R/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Ethan Pecko (P, Age: 23, RHP) – HOU Prospect Rank: #7
Miguel Ullola (P, Age: 23, RHP) – HOU Prospect Rank: #13

NOTABLE NON-ROSTER INVITES:
Peter Lambert (RP, Age: 29, RHP)
Christian Vázquez (C, Age: 35, R/R)
Carlos Pérez (C, Age: 25, R/R)
Cavan Biggio (UTIL, Age: 30, L/R)
Taylor Trammell (OF, Age: 28, L/L)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: 2B/LF Jose Altuve
Breakout Player: SP Tatsuya Imai
Addition: SP Tatsuya Imai
Grade: C+
Lineup Rank: 10th
Rotation Rank: 9th
Bullpen Rank: 5th

The Astros start the new season coming off of an unlikely snub of the playoffs that they fell to in the hands of the Tigers last year. The team was undoubtedly riddled with inconsistencies and injuries, with Altuve and Alvarez missing extended time during the season. They brought back former franchise star Carlos Correa in a deadline deal with the Twins, making him their 3B going forward, although he seems like a shell of his former two-way stardom he once had in Houston, mainly due to injuries. Newly signed 1B Christian Walker also missed time with injuries, so the key will be for their core of veterans to stay on the field. The problem is, they don’t have many alternatives if their group of veterans either play badly or get hurt. Their farm system is one of the weakest in baseball, and mostly filled with pitching prospects.

The rotation doesn’t impress either, with star ace Hunter Brown as the only real reliable piece we know of. Framber Valdez left in free agency and was replaced by Tatsuya Imai, a Japanese star that they hope will translate well to the MLB. Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers will be X-Factors, two long-time Astros and former big rotation pieces that are coming back from injury. Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu will anchor the late innings, while they await multiple injury plagued arms to return. Houston will compete, mainly because of their pitching, but there are too many good teams in the AL to think they land a top 6 spot. I like them with the A’s being right on the outside looking in.

Los Angeles Angels

Manager: Kurt Suzuki
1st year as Angels manager
AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
SS	#9	Zach Neto	25	R/R	.257 AVG, 26 HR, 62 RBI, 26 SB
1B	#18	Nolan Schanuel	24	L/R	.264 AVG, 12 HR, 53 RBI, .742 OPS
RF	#27	Mike Trout	34	R/R	.232 AVG, 26 HR, 64 RBI, .797 OPS
CF	#7	Jo Adell	26	R/R	.236 AVG, 37 HR, 98 RBI, .778 OPS
C	#14	Logan O’Hoppe	26	R/R	.213 AVG, 19 HR, 43 RBI, 2 SB
LF	#3	Josh Lowe	28	L/R	.220 AVG, 11 HR, 40 RBI, 18 SB – (TB)
DH	#12	Jorge Soler	34	R/R	.215 AVG, 12 HR, 34 RBI, .680 OPS
2B	#20	Adam Frazier	34	L/R	.267 AVG, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 8 SB – (PIT/KC)
3B	#10	Yoán Moncada	30	S/R	.234 AVG, 12 HR, 35 RBI, .783 OPS

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#25	Travis d’Arnaud	37	R/R	.197 AVG, 6 HR, 21 RBI, .598 OPS
3B/1B	#46	Jeimer Candelario	32	S/R	.113 AVG, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .410 OPS – (CIN)
INF	#2	Oswald Peraza	25	R/R	.164 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 9 SB – (NYY/LAA)
OF	#22	Bryce Teodosio	26	R/L	.203 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 SB

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
A	#16	Yusei Kikuchi	34	LHP	7-11, 3.99 ERA, 174 Ks, 1.42 WHIP
2	#21	Grayson Rodriguez	26	RHP	DNP – Elbow injuries – (BAL)
3	#59	José Soriano	27	RHP	10-11, 4.26 ERA, 152 Ks, 1.40 WHIP
4	#41	Jack Kochanowicz	25	RHP	3-11, 6.81 ERA, 72 Ks, 1.75 WHIP
5	#47	Alek Manoah	28	RHP	DNP – Torn UCL – (TOR)

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
CP	#48	Reid Detmers	26	LHP	3 SVs, 3.96 ERA, 80 Ks, 1.30 WHIP
SU	#39	Kirby Yates	39	RHP	3 SVs, 5.23 ERA, 52 Ks, 1.33 WHIP – (LAD)
RP	#68	Jordan Romano	32	RHP	8 SVs, 8.23 ERA, 47 Ks, 1.45 WHIP – (PHI)
RP	#56	Ryan Zeferjahn	28	RHP	2 SVs, 4.74 ERA, 73 Ks, 1.47 WHIP
RP	#63	Chase Silseth	25	RHP	11 IP, 1.64 ERA, 13 Ks, 1.46 WHIP
RP	#13	Drew Pomeranz	37	LHP	1 SV, 2.17 ERA, 57 Ks, 1.07 WHIP – (CHC)
RP	#67	Joey Lucchesi	32	LHP	38.1 IP, 3.76 ERA, 31 Ks, 1.23 WHIP – (SF)
LNG	#37	Brent Suter	36	LHP	67.2 IP, 4.52 ERA, 53 Ks, 1.29 WHIP – (CIN)

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
3B	#6	Anthony Rendon	35	R/R	Hip/Retirement Likely to miss entire season
RP	#44	Ben Joyce	25	RHP	Shoulder surgery Potential return in May
RP	#24	Robert Stephenson	33	RHP	Elbow injury Potential return in June

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Caden Dana – #36 (SP, Age: 22, RHP)
Sam Aldegheri – #61 (SP, Age: 24, LHP) – LAA Prospect Rank: #17
José Fermin – #65 (RP, Age: 24, RHP)
Víctor Mederos – #58 (RP, Age: 24, RHP)
Ryan Johnson – #32 (RP, Age: 23, RHP) – LAA Prospect Rank: #2
Vaughn Grissom – #5 (INF, Age: 25, R/R)
Christian Moore – #4 (INF, Age: 23, R/R)
Kyren Paris – #19 (UTIL, Age: 24, R/R)
Denzer Guzman – #43 (INF, Age: 22, R/R) – LAA Prospect Rank: #8
Matthew Lugo – #15 (OF, Age: 24, R/R)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Nelson Rada (OF, Age: 20, L/L) – LAA Prospect Rank: #3
George Klassen (P, Age: 24, RHP) – LAA Prospect Rank: #5
Chris Cortez (P, Age: 23, RHP) – LAA Prospect Rank: #13

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SS Zach Neto
Breakout Player: INF Christian Moore
Addition: SP Grayson Rodriguez
Grade: C-
Lineup Rank: 12th
Rotation Rank: 12th
Bullpen Rank: 11th

The Angels enter the new season in similar fares that they have grown accustomed to, very little expectations. Over the past decade in the Mike Trout era, they have only seen one playoff appearance. I know I mention this pretty much every year, but with Trout hitting a major fall off due to injuries last season, his prime seems to be well past him. Still, there offense is usually not the issue, but it might be this year. The divorce with Anthony Rendon is finalized, as it becomes possibly the worst free agent contract in league history. Taylor Ward was also dealt to Baltimore for pitching help, leaving Jo Adell and Zach Neto as Trout’s best supporting pieces. They’ll need more consistency from Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe in the middle of the order. Veterans Josh Lowe and Adam Frazier were added for depth as well.

The past couple of off-seasons it has seemed that they have made more of an effort to address pitching needs. Yusei Kikuchi was signed last year and had a solid 2025 season. A couple of former all-star level arms coming off of full year injuries in 2025 in Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah will be huge X-Factors to this rotation. The bullpen is littered with aging closers in Kirby Yates, Drew Pomeranz, and Jordan Romano. The eventual returns to health for Robert Stephenson and Ben Joyce will be huge pieces to throw into the mix. But it’s tough to predict this team doing much under recently retired new manager Kurt Suzuki. It seems like another lost year for the Halos.

Seattle Mariners

Manager: Dan Wilson
3rd year as Mariners manager
Career/Team record: 111-85, Career Playoff record: 6-6 – AGE: 57

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
3B	#33	Brendan Donovan	29	L/R	.287 AVG, 10 HR, 50 RBI, .775 OPS – (STL)
C	#29	Cal Raleigh	29	S/R	.247 AVG, 60 HR, 125 RBI, .948 OPS
CF	#44	Julio Rodríguez	25	R/R	.267 AVG, 32 HR, 95 RBI, 30 SB
LF	#56	Randy Arozarena	31	R/R	.238 AVG, 27 HR, 76 RBI, 31 SB
1B	#12	Josh Naylor	28	L/L	.295 AVG, 20 HR, 92 RBI, 30 SB – (ARI/SEA)
DH	#8	Dominic Canzone	28	L/R	.300 AVG, 11 HR, 32 RBI, .840 OPS
2B	#2	Cole Young	22	L/R	.211 AVG, 4 HR, 24 RBI, .607 OPS
SS	#3	J.P. Crawford	31	L/R	.265 AVG, 12 HR, 58 RBI, .722 OPS
RF	#10	Víctor Robles	28	R/R	.245 AVG, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 6 SB

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#18	Mitch Garver	35	R/R	.209 AVG, 9 HR, 30 RBI, 3 SB
UTIL	#21	Miles Mastrobuoni	30	L/R	.250 AVG, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 6 SB
OF	#30	Rob Refsnyder	35	R/R	.269 AVG, 9 HR, 30 RBI, .838 OPS – (BOS)
OF	#20	Luke Raley	31	L/R	.202 AVG, 4 HR, 19 RBI, .631 OPS

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#58	Luis Castillo	33	RHP	11-8, 3.54 ERA, 162 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
2	#22	Bryan Woo	26	RHP	15-7, 2.94 ERA, 198 Ks, 0.93 WHIP
3	#36	Logan Gilbert	28	RHP	6-6, 3.44 ERA, 173 Ks, 1.03 WHIP
4	#68	George Kirby	28	RHP	10-8, 4.21 ERA, 137 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
5	#26	Emerson Hancock	26	RHP	4-5, 4.90 ERA, 64 Ks, 1.38 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#75	Andrés Muñoz	27	RHP	38 SVs, 1.73 ERA, 83 Ks, 1.03 WHIP
SU	#47	Matt Brash	27	RHP	4 SVs, 2.47 ERA, 58 Ks, 1.25 WHIP
RP	#83	Eduard Bazardo	30	RHP	78.2 IP, 2.52 ERA, 82 Ks, 1.02 WHIP
RP	#55	Gabe Speier	30	LHP	62 IP, 2.61 ERA, 82 Ks, 0.87 WHIP
RP	#45	José Ferrer	26	LHP	11 SVs, 4.48 ERA, 71 Ks, 1.27 WHIP – (WSH)
RP	#43	Cole Wilcox (R)	26	RHP	1 IP, 3 ER, 1 K – (TB)
RP	#64	Casey Legumina	28	RHP	49.2 IP, 5.62 ERA, 55 Ks, 1.45 WHIP
LNG	#88	Cooper Criswell	29	RHP	17.2 IP, 3.57 ERA, 9 Ks, 1.58 WHIP – (BOS)

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
SP	#50	Bryce Miller	27	RHP	Oblique strain Potential return in May
SP	#54	Carlos Vargas	26	RHP	Lat strain Potential return in May
RP	#23	Logan Evans	24	RHP	UCL surgery Likely to miss entire season

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Ryan Loutos – #52 (RP, Age: 27, RHP)
Blas Castaño – #62 (RP, Age: 27, RHP)
Josh Simpson – #37 (RP, Age: 28, LHP)
Troy Taylor – #59 (RP, Age: 24, RHP)
Yosver Zulueta – #61 (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Jhonny Pereda – #5 (C, Age: 30, R/R)
Ryan Bliss – #1 (INF, Age: 26, R/R)
Leo Rivas – #76 (INF, Age: 28, S/R)
Rhylan Thomas – #31 (OF, Age: 26, L/L) – SEA Prospect Rank: #23

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Colt Emerson (SS, Age: 20, L/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #9
Michael Arroyo (2B, Age: 21, R/R) – MLB Prospect Rank: #67
Michael Morales (P, Age: 23, RHP) – SEA Prospect Rank: #16

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: C Cal Raleigh
Breakout Player: OF Dominic Canzone
Addition: INF Brendan Donovan
Grade: A-
Lineup Rank: 2nd
Rotation Rank: 1st
Bullpen Rank: 3rd

After coming just a series shy from their first ever World Series appearance, the Mariners are one of the youngest and hungriest cores in the game. Cal Raleigh joined the likes of Aaron Judge and Roger Maris atop AL homerun supremacy, and doing it as a Gold Glove catcher was even more spectacular. J-Rod also had his first career 30-30 season, a feat that seems like it can be reached yearly for him barring injuries. They bring back late season addition Josh Naylor on a new 5-year deal to anchor the offense beside those two, and Cardinals all-star Brendan Donovan to take over 2B and 3B duties. Cole Young is on the rise and one of the top prospects in baseball, Colt Emerson, is nearing a debut. This team has the makings to be scary for a long time.

The rotation stays the same as one of the best in the league, with Bryan Woo, Luis Castllo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert as the headliners. Bryce Miller should return early in the season while Cooper Criswell and Emerson Hancock will provide depth. The bullpen is led by flame throwing closer Andres Munoz, and added Nationals lefty Jose Ferrer to the mix this offseason. I’m a big fan of the Mariners, and I think it’ll be either them or the Tigers to come out of the AL this year. Seattle’s nearly 60 year curse of never appearing in the Fall Classic could come to an end in 2026.

Texas Rangers

Manager: Skip Schumaker
1st year as Rangers manager, 3rd year as a manager (Marlins ’23-’24)
Career record: 146-178, Career Playoff record: 0-2 – AGE: 46

POS.	NO.	LINEUP	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
RF	#24	Brandon Nimmo	33	L/R	.262 AVG, 25 HR, 92 RBI, 13 SB – (NYM)
LF	#36	Wyatt Langford	24	R/R	.241 AVG, 22 HR, 62 RBI, 22 SB
SS	#5	Corey Seager	31	L/R	.271 AVG, 21 HR, 50 RBI, .860 OPS
1B	#21	Jake Burger	29	R/R	.236 AVG, 16 HR, 53 RBI, .687 OPS
DH	#3	Joc Pederson	33	L/L	.181 AVG, 9 HR, 26 RBI, 2 SB
2B	#8	Josh Smith	28	L/R	.251 AVG, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 12 SB
3B	#6	Josh Jung	28	R/R	.251 AVG, 14 HR, 61 RBI, 4 SB
CF	#32	Evan Carter	23	L/R	.247 AVG, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 14 SB
C	#11	Kyle Higashioka	35	R/R	.241 AVG, 11 HR, 47 RBI, .693 OPS

POS.	NO.	BENCH	Age	B/T	2025 Season Stats
C	#9	Danny Jansen	30	R/R	.215 AVG, 14 HR, 36 RBI, .721 OPS – (TB/MIL)
INF	#20	Ezequiel Durán	26	R/R	.224 AVG, 0 HR, 14 RBI, 11 SB
UTIL	#0	Sam Haggerty	31	S/R	.253 AVG, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 12 SB
OF	#4	Andrew McCutchen	39	R/R	.239 AVG, 13 HR, 57 RBI, .700 OPS – (PIT)

–	NO.	ROTATION	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
A	#48	Jacob deGrom	37	RHP	12-8, 2.97 ERA, 185 Ks, 0.92 WHIP
2	#17	Nathan Eovaldi	36	RHP	11-3, 1.73 ERA, 129 Ks, 0.85 WHIP
3	#1	MacKenzie Gore	27	LHP	5-15, 4.17 ERA, 185 Ks, 1.35 WHIP – (WSH)
4	#22	Jack Leiter	25	RHP	10-10, 3.86 ERA, 148 Ks, 1.28 WHIP
5	#80	Kumar Rocker	26	RHP	4-5, 5.74 ERA, 56 Ks, 1.46 WHIP

–	NO.	BULLPEN	Age	R/L	2025 Season Stats
CP	#62	Robert Garcia	29	LHP	9 SVs, 2.95 ERA, 68 Ks, 1.25 WHIP
CP	#31	Chris Martin	39	RHP	2 SVs, 2.98 ERA, 43 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
RP	#68	Jalen Beeks	32	LHP	1 SV, 3.77 ERA, 47 Ks, 1.08 WHIP – (ARI)
RP	#13	Tyler Alexander	31	LHP	1 SV, 4.98 ERA, 82 Ks, 1.40 WHIP – (MIL/CWS)
RP	#60	Cole Winn	26	RHP	41.2 IP, 1.51 ERA, 35 Ks, 0.96 WHIP
RP	#45	Carter Baumler (R)	24	RHP	TEX Prospect Rank: #24
LNG	#67	Jacob Latz	29	LHP	1 SV, 2.84 ERA, 76 Ks, 1.24 WHIP
LNG	#16	Jakob Junis	33	RHP	66.2 IP, 2.97 ERA, 55 Ks, 1.23 WHIP – (CLE)

POS.	NO.	INJURED LIST	Age	B/T	Injury
INF	#39	Cody Freeman	25	R/R	Back fracture Potential return in May
SP	#52	Jordan Montgomery	33	LHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in June
SP	#61	Cody Bradford	28	LHP	Tommy John Surgery Potential return in May

DEPTH PIECES ON 40-MAN ROSTER:
Marc Church – #30 (RP, Age: 25, RHP)
Jose Corniell – #59 (RP, Age: 22, RHP) – TEX Prospect Rank: #4
Michel Otañez – #63 (RP, Age: 28, RHP)
Emiliano Teodo – #82 (RP, Age: 25, RHP) – TEX Prospect Rank: #17
Luis Curvelo – #57 (RP, Age: 25, RHP)
Willie MacIver – #47 (C, Age: 29, R/R)
Justin Foscue – #56 (INF, Age: 27, R/R)
Michael Helman – #23 (OF, Age: 29, R/R)
Alejandro Osuna – #19 (OF, Age: 23, L/L)

TOP PROSPECTS WHO COULD MAKE THEIR DEBUTS IN 2026:
Winston Santos (P, Age: 23, RHP) – TEX Prospect Rank: #5
David Davalillo (P, Age: 23, RHP) – TEX Prospect Rank: #7
Cameron Cauley (UTIL, Age: 23, R/R) – TEX Prospect Rank: #13
Leandro Lopez (P, Age: 23, RHP) – TEX Prospect Rank: #14

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:
MVP: SP Jacob deGrom
Breakout Player: CF Evan Carter
Addition: SP MacKenzie Gore
Grade: B-
Lineup Rank: 8th
Rotation Rank: 6th
Bullpen Rank: 7th

Rounding out all 30, we have the Rangers who look to right the ship after two down years in 2024 and 2025. Hall-of-Fame manager Bruce Bochy stepped down after the season, leading way for Skip Schumaker to take over. Skip led the Marlins to a playoff appearance in the two years he was in Miami and will try to lead Texas back to the promised land. Their lineup remains the same, except for swapping out Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo in an offseason trade with the Mets. Wyatt Langford began to develop into a solid big leaguer, and much of the same is expected of Evan Carter who should be playing his first full season in the majors. Their lineup is very middle of the pack, but with the ability to have huge success if Joc Pederson and Jake Burger can bounce back.

The top of their rotation is elite, with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi as the two co-aces. MacKenzie Gore was added from Washington and can be a huge addition if he can bounce back from the second half struggles he had last year. Young righties Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker could see full-time rotation spots if they keep developing into reliable starters. The Rangers are one of the biggest Wild Cards in the AL this year, as they seem ready to break out if all goes right. They still have most of the core that won them a World Series in 2023, and after two non-playoff years I can see them landing a Wild Card spot in 2026.