The Cleveland Guardians open the season on the West Coast with a game against the Seattle Mariners tonight.
Both teams are coming off divisional titles and return with rosters mostly intact, if not upgraded.
Seattle has an edge in the starting pitching matchup and brings in an absolutely stacked lineup, which is why my Guardians vs. Mariners predictions and MLB picks call for it to cover at home on Thursday, March 26.
Guardians vs Mariners predictions
Guardians vs Mariners best bet: Mariners -1.5 (+130)
The Seattle Mariners were the fourth-best hitting team with a 113 OPS in 2025 and have been even better this spring.
After scoring 4.7 runs per game last year, Seattle averaged 5.5 in spring training.
Logan Gilbert was effective as usual when healthy last season, finishing with a 3.44 ERA and an elite 32.3% strikeout rate. The Cleveland Guardiansranked 28th in scoring last year, so facing a top-shelf starter is not ideal for this set of bats.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibee had the worst year of his career. He didn’t find a solution this spring, giving up six homers in six starts with a 6.65 ERA.
COVERS INTEL: Bibee’s fastball whiff rate dropped from 21.3% in 2024 to 13.2% last year, and also declined for his cutter, sinker, and curve.
The Mariners added one of baseball's top leadoff batters in Brendan Donovan. He’ll get on base ahead of MVP candidates Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, which could result in a quick knockout of Bibee.
Bibee allowed 27 homers last year and failed to strike out a batter an inning, a trend that continued into the spring. The Cleveland bullpen is missing injured setup man Hunter Gaddis, and Matt Festa struggled this spring, posting a 6.75 ERA.
Guardians vs Mariners SGP
Mariners -1.5
Mariners first-inning moneyline
Mariners team total Over 3.5
Guardians vs Mariners home run pick: Cal Raleigh (+275)
There are matchup-based picks, and then there are ones where you don’t need to dive too deeply into the numbers. If anyone is going to homer in this game, it will be MLB’s reigning home-run leader playing in his home opener. Bibee’s struggles with the long ball make this an even better bet. He was even worse on the road, giving up twice as many home runs and an OPS 200 points higher than in home games. Randy Arozarena is the only member of the heart of Seattle’s order to homer against him, but that could easily change after tonight.
Guardians vs Mariners odds
Moneyline: Cleveland +158 | Seattle -188
Run line: Cleveland +1.5 (-152) | Seattle -1.5 (+126)
Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-122) | Under 6.5 (+100)
Guardians vs Mariners trend
The Seattle Mariners have covered the Run Line in 21 of their last 33 games. Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Mariners.
How to watch Guardians vs Mariners and game info
Location
T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
Date
Thursday, March 26, 2026
First pitch
10:10 p.m. ET
TV
Guardians TV, Mariners TV
Guardians starting pitcher
Tanner Bibee (2025: 12-11, 4.24 ERA)
Mariners starting pitcher
Logan Gilbert (2025: 6-6, 3.44 ERA)
Guardians vs Mariners latest injuries
Guardians vs Mariners weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
All eyes will be on Tarik Skubal as he starts what could be his last year with the Detroit Tigers, and he’ll have the San Diego Padres in his sights in today’s season opener.
It’s a heavyweight pitching matchup at Petco Park as Skubal and Nick Pivetta square off, and my Tigers vs. Padres predictions expect Detroit’s ace to pave the way to a road victory.
Take a closer look at this March 26 clash with my free MLB picks.
Tigers vs Padres predictions
Tigers vs Padres best bet: Tigers moneyline (-134)
After the Detroit Tigers’ late-season collapse last year, it’s easy to forget their scorching 29-15 start. I see Detroit flying out of the traps again here.
Tarik Skubal, coming off a 2.21 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 2025, should love the pitcher-friendly conditions at Petco Park.
The visitors are 4-1 SU in their past five season openers, and their two-time Cy Young winner has shown that his stuff travels (2.30 ERA on the road last season).
While the San Diego Padres had a strong home record last year, changes in the clubhouse — including new manager Craig Stammen — may take time to pay off.
COVERS INTEL: Skubal posted an ultra-stingy 1.77 ERA in day games last season, and he allowed just five home runs in 76 1/3 innings across those outings.
Tigers vs Padres same-game parlay (SGP)
The Under was 44-34-3 in San Diego’s home games in 2025, and this feels like another pitching duel.
Nick Pivetta is looking to prove his 2.87 ERA last season was legit, and the Tigers’ strikeout-heavy lineup can lurch from feast to famine within the same game.
The Padres’ big bats were quiet in their final few Spring Training outings, and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado — coming off WBC action — are among the hitters who’ve never faced Skubal.
I’m also backing Riley Greene’s bat to make an impact. He racked up a career-high 155 hits in 2025.
Tigers vs Padres SGP
Tigers moneyline
Under 7
Riley Greene Over 0.5 hits
Tigers vs Padres home run pick: Riley Greene (+360)
I’ll double down on Greene for the HR prop, too.
He crushed 36 dingers last season, with 32 of those coming off righties. That’ll put Pivetta under pressure here, and the Detroit slugger hit more homers on the road than at home in 2025.
Petco Park isn’t the easiest place to nail the long ball, but Greene’s power overrides that.
Tigers vs Padres odds
Moneyline: Detroit -134 | San Diego +114
Run line: Detroit -1.5 | San Diego +1.5
Over/Under: Over 7 | Under 7
Tigers vs Padres trend
The Padres have hit the Under in 80 of their last 143 games (+13.65 Units / 9% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Padres.
How to watch Tigers vs Padres and game info
Location
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Date
Thursday, March 26, 2026
First pitch
4:10 p.m. ET
TV
Detroit SportsNet, Padres TV
Tigers starting pitcher
Tarik Skubal (2025: 13-6, 2.21 ERA)
Padres starting pitcher
Nick Pivetta (2025: 13-5, 2.87 ERA)
Tigers vs Padres latest injuries
Tigers vs Padres weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
ON OPENING DAY: Since 1876, the first year of the National League, the Cubs have opened the season against 28 different teams. This will be their second against the Nationals. They lost to them at home, 2-1, on April 5, 2012. When the Nationals were the Montreal Expos, the Cubs were 1-2 against them in openers, winning in 1973 and losing in 1983 and 2001. All games were at Wrigley Field. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
IN MARCH: The Cubs are 10-13 in games played in March. Their first such game was in 1998. They played two in 2000, then one each in 2003, 2008 and 2014. Starting in 2018, they have played 17: three in 2018 and 2019, one in 2023, three in 2024 and seven last year. The Cubs have been the home team for only five of the 23 games, and three of those were in Tokyo, against the Mets in 2000 and against the Dodgers last year. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
IN MARCH AT WRIGLEY FIELD: The team’s only two previous games in March at Wrigley Field were against the Brewers. On March 31, 2008, Kosuke Fukudome, in his first game, hit a home run with two men on base and nobody out in the ninth inning to tie the score at 3. Craig Counsell doubled leading off the Brewers’ 10th and scored on a bunt, hit by pitch and sacrifice fly. The Cubs went down in order and lost, 4-3. On March 30, 2023, the Cubs won, 4-0, as Marcus Stroman and three relievers combined to allow four hits, walk five and strike out 12. The Cubs scored all their runs in the third inning on three singles, two walks and an error. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
LAST YEAR’S HOME OPENER: In 2025, the Cubs had played nine games before they opened at Wrigley Field, including two “home” games in the Tokyo Dome. They had a 5-4 record when they faced the Padres on April 4, 2025. The Cubs won the game 3-1, getting 7.1 strong innings from Shōta Imanaga.
Matthew Boyd had an excellent 2025, making the NL All-Star team, though he did run out of gas late in the season.
After being hit hard in Game 1 of the division series against the Brewers, he recovered to have an outstanding outing in Game 4.
Against the Nationals last year, Boyd made two starts, allowing 11 hits, one walk and four runs in 14.2 innings (2.45 ERA).
Boyd was particularly effective at Wrigley Field last year, posting a 2.51 ERA and 0.903 WHIP in 15 starts at home. The Cubs went 13-2 in those 15 games.
This will be his third Opening Day start (also 2020 and 2021 with the Tigers).
Cade Cavalli was the Nats’ first round pick in 2020 (22nd overall), taken six picks after the Cubs took Ed Howard and three picks after Pete Crow-Armstrong went to the Mets.
He was a Top 100 prospect three years in a row (2021-23), then missed the entire 2023 season with Tommy John surgery. He made 10 starts for the Nats last year and the results were okay: 4.25 ERA, 1.479 WHIP. He has never faced the Cubs or anyone on the Cubs’ active roster.
Please visit our SB Nation Nationals site Federal Baseball. If you do go there to interact with Nationals fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
The stadium has been a fixture of Chicago for more than a century, drawing baseball fans from across Illinois and Indiana through sunshine, rain and strong winds.
As a result, it's no surprise that Wrigley ranked among the best MLB stadiums in the country, according to a self-proclaimed subjective list by USA TODAY's sports site For The Win. The site ranked all 30 MLB stadiums based on general atmosphere, design, location, amenities, food and character.
Wrigley Field ranks among best MLB stadiums
Wrigley Field ranked fourth on the list, only behind San Diego's Petco Park, San Francisco's Oracle Park and Pittsburgh's PNC Park.
For The Win described a trip to Wrigley as "something that every sports fan should try to experience at least once," applauding the recent large-scale renovation while admitting the room for growth in the food selection.
"The Cubs officially completed their massive, multi-phase renovation in 2019, and I think it was done in a perfect way that brought in modern amenities while still respecting Wrigley Field’s old-school charm," the site said. "The food selection could be a bit better from a variety standpoint, but, I mean, you’re at Wrigley. Just enjoy it."
How did White Sox stadium rank?
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the White Sox's Rate Field landed near the bottom of the list, mainly for its lack of a skyline view.
For The Win ranked Rate Field No. 27 out of 30, above only Phoenix's Chase Field, Sacramento's Sutter Health Park and Tampa's Tropicana Field.
"I’ve mentioned it before, but I can’t get over how the stadium could’ve had an epic skyline view if it was flipped around," the site said. "Instead we’re left with a view of nothing. The team is eyeing a new stadium, though, that would have the view. I am glad they dropped the 'Guaranteed' from the name, so there's that."
ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 31: Todd Hollandsworth of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the Opening Day game against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 31, 1998 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images) | Sporting News via Getty Images
When the Dodgers host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday evening, it’ll be their first-ever game on March 26.
The Dodgers first played a regular season game in March in 1998, opening that year on March 31 against the Cardinals in St. Louis. Mark McGwire in the fifth inning off Ramón Martínez hit the first of his then-record 70 home runs that season. The Dodgers also played a single March game in 2003, 2008, and 2011.
The first time the Dodgers played before March 31 was in 2014 with two games in Australia, and they also had two-game international trips in Korea in 2024 and Japan in 2025. They’ve also played March games domestically in 2014, 2019, as well as annually from 2023-25. In all, the Dodgers have played 28 regular season games in March, and have won 20 of them, and are 14-5 in March games at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers have won 15 of their last 18 opening days, including the last four in a row.
Opening at home has been the norm for the Dodgers in recent years, especially when considering the domestic portion of the schedule. They opened the 2024 season in Seoul, South Korea and started 2025 in Tokyo, Japan, but their first game after returning home was at Dodger Stadium.
This is the 65th season of Dodger Stadium, and the 32nd time opening day is at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers are 19-12 in those games, with eight wins in their last nine such openers.
The Dodgers have won each of their last seven home openers in Los Angeles, dating back to 2019, and since Dodger Stadium opened in 1962 they are 37-27 in their first game at the ballpark.
The Mets added a bit of outfield depth ahead of their season opener, as the team has agreed to a minor league deal with Tommy Pham, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. If Pham gets called up to the team’s major league roster, he’d be on a $2.25 million salary with a potential $850k in bonuses, and he has an April 25 opt-out clause.
Pham is perhaps best known to Mets fans as a player who called his teammates with the 2023 Mets the “least-hardest working group of position players I’ve ever played with.”
In his stint with the Mets that year, Pham fared well, hitting .268/.348/.472 with a 124 wRC+ and 1.4 fWAR in 264 plate appearances. That led to the Mets trading him to the Diamondbacks for minor league infielder Jeremy Rodriguez at the deadline that year. His comments about his then-former teammates came later that season.
Since that trade, however, Pham hasn’t hit as well as he did with the Mets. He had a 92 wRC+ as he spent time with the White Sox, Cardinals, and Royals in 2024, and he finished the 2025 season with a 94 wRC+, having spent the entirety of the season with the Pirates.
In the short term, Pham figures to get some reps in the minors to get up to speed. Assuming he plays in Syracuse sometime soon, he’ll join fellow outfield depth options like MJ Melendez and some of the Mets’ top prospects in getting outfield innings there. Perhaps he’ll supplant Jared Young on the Mets’ major league roster before long, but it’ll be interesting to see if the team gives him a major league roster spot before his opt-out date.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 07: General view of the new LED scoreboard prior to the game between the Miami Marlins and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday, April 7, 2023 in New York, New York. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Jorge Polanco – 1B
Luis Robert – CF
Brett Baty – DH
Marcus Semien – 2B
Carson Benge – RF
Francisco Alvarez – C
SP: Freddy Peralta – RHP
Pirates lineup
Oneil Cruz – CF
Brandon Lowe – 2B
Bryan Reynolds – LF
Marcell Ozuna – DH
Ryan O’Hearn – RF
Jared Triolo – SS
Spencer Horwitz – 1B
Nick Gonzales – 3B
Henry Davis – C
SP: Paul Skenes – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 1:15 PM EDT TV: NBC/Peacock Radio: Audacy Mets Radio 880 AM, 92.3 FM HD2
BRADENTON, FL - MARCH 21: Paul Skenes (30) of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch during a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 21, 2026 at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the New York Mets at Citi Field looking to grab a win on Opening Day.
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WEST PALM BEACH, FL - MARCH 20: Hunter Brown #58 of the Houston Astros pitches during the game between the Miami Marlins and the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Friday, March 20, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Colten Strauss/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
This year marks the 65th season of Astros baseball and the 27th at Daikin Park.
The Houston Astros open the 2026 season at Daikin Park as they welcome in the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day!
TODAY’S PITCHING MATCHUP: Today’s Opening Day matchup of RHP Hunter Brown vs. RHP José Soriano features a pair of starters both making their first career Opening Day starts.
Brown is coming off an All-Star season, in which he finished third in the AL Cy Young voting after going 12-9 with a 2.43 ERA (50ER/185.1IP) in a career high 31 starts.
ON THE HUNT: RHP Hunter Brown, a 2025 All-Star, finished third in the AL in Cy Young voting last season after turning in the best year of his career with a 12-9 record, a 2.43 ERA (50ER/185.1IP) and posting a 1.03 WHIP. He held opponents to a career-low .201 average and posted 206 strikeouts in 185.1 innings pitched. His 2.43 ERA ranked 10th all-time among Astros starters and was the second-lowest by an Astros starter in the last 20 seasons (since 2005).
ON OPENING DAY: The Astros are 34-30 all-time on Opening Day, including a 25-20 record in home games on Opening Day.
The Astros are recently removed from an incredible, modern-day record, Opening Day streak of 10 consecutive wins from 2013-22. Following the streak, they lost on Opening Day in 2023 and 2024 before bouncing back for a 3-1 win over the Mets on Opening Day last season.
VS. THE ANGELS: The Astros will open the season with a divisional series against the Angels, who the Astros went 8-5 against in 13 games last season. This marks the second time the Astros have played the Angels on Opening Day, which also happened in 2022, resulting in a 3-1 Astros win.
OPENING DAY CORNERSTONE:2B Jose Altuve, who’s under contract for the next four seasons (2026-29), will be making his 14th career Opening Day start today, which marks the third-most in franchise history. Only 2B Craig Biggio (19, 1989-2007) and 1B Jeff Bagwell (15, 1991-2005) have more in Astros history.
ABOUT THE ROSTER: The Astros Opening Day roster includes 13 pitchers and 13 position players. Nine players are making their first appearance on an active Opening Day roster: RHP Mike Burrows, RHP AJ Blubaugh, RHP Tatsuya Imai, OF Joey Loperfido, IF/OF Brice Matthews, RHP Roddery Muñoz, RHP Christian Roa, RHP Kai-Wei Teng and RHP Ryan Weiss.
NEW FACES: The Astros focused their offseason efforts on acquiring pitching, landing RHP Mike Burrows and RHP Kai-Wei Teng in trades and RHP Tatsuya Imai and RHP Ryan Weiss off the free agent market. They also added a Rule 5 pick in RHP Roddery Muñoz, the Astros first Rule 5 selection since the 2017 Rule 5 Draft.
AT THE HELM:Manager Joe Espada is entering his third season as the Astros skipper.
In 2025, for the second consecutive season, Espada and his staff were forced to deal with an extremely high number of injuries. Despite an ever-changing roster that often was missing key players, to his credit, Espada managed to navigate his club to an 87-75 record, finishing in a tie for the final AL Wild Card berth (lost tiebreaker to DET).
IN THE BOX: Today is the fourth Opening Day for the Astros under GM Dana Brown, who was named the club’s GM in January of 2023.
It’s the 15th Opening Day for Owner & Chairman Jim Crane since he purchased the club in November of 2011.
TODAY’S FESTIVITIES: Today is Opening Day, presented by Adobe, at Daikin Park.
The day starts with Opening Day Street Fest, presented by Budweiser, which will take place from 12-3 p.m.
The ceremonial first pitch will be a celebration of the WBC, which was won by Team Venezuela, who were managed by Astros bench coach Omar López. López will throw out the first pitch to Javier Bracamonte, the Astros longtime bullpen catcher who also served that same role for Team Venezuela.
All fans in attendance will receive a 2026 Astros Schedule Magnet, courtesy of United.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS: Dating back to the 2015 season, the Astros have made nine postseason appearances in 11 seasons, winning seven division titles, four AL pennants (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) and two WS titles (2017, 2022).
In that span, the Astros became the only team in history to advance to seven consecutive ALCS (2017-23) and have posted the second-most wins in the Majors (976), trailing only the Dodgers (1,036).
The Baltimore Orioles will try to put a disappointing 2025 behind them as they host the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day.
Baltimore has a rejuvenated lineup and a budding ace on the mound today, so I’m taking it to win outright in my Twins vs. Orioles predictions.
Read on to take a closer look at today’s matchup in my free MLB picks for Thursday, March 26.
Twins vs Orioles predictions
Twins vs Orioles best bet: Orioles moneyline (-138)
While both teams underperformed badly last season, their prospects are very different coming into 2026.
The Minnesota Twins face an uphill climb in the AL Central, but the Baltimore Orioles are a trendy dark horse World Series pick.
Those hopes hinge on a bounce-back season for Gunnar Henderson, and the addition of slugger Pete Alonso to the middle of the lineup.
Trevor Rogers is looking to repeat his outstanding 2025 for Baltimore, when he went 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA. I’m picking Rogers lead the Orioles to an Opening Day win over Joe Ryan and the Twins this afternoon.
COVERS INTEL: Joe Ryan went 3-5 with a 4.89 ERA and 1.309 WHIP over his last 10 starts to end the 2025 season.
Twins vs Orioles same-game parlay (SGP)
While I expect Baltimore’s offense to rebound a bit in 2026, it’s worth noting that they were a Bottom 10 offense in run-scoring last season, plating 4.18 runs per game – just behind Minnesota (4.19).
With both teams throwing their aces on Opening Day, I like the Under here.
One player I do see generating a bit of offense is Henderson, who hit .400 with a 1.267 OPS for the United States in the World Baseball Classic.
Even in a down year, Henderson scored 85 runs last season, and I like him to come across today.
Twins vs Orioles SGP
Orioles moneyline
Under 8.5
Gunnar Henderson to score a run
Twins vs Orioles home run pick: Pete Alonso (+290)
Alonso was one of the biggest free agent moves in the offseason, and he’ll undoubtedly add a lot of punch to the middle of the Baltimore lineup.
The former Mets star has hit at least 34 home runs in every full season of his career, and his .871 OPS last season was his highest since his rookie season.
Ryan gave up seven homers in his last four starts of 2025, and I like Alonso to get off to a fast start in his new home.
Twins vs Orioles odds
Moneyline: Minnesota +118 | Baltimore -138
Run line: Minnesota +1.5 | Baltimore -1.5
Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5
Twins vs Orioles trend
The Twins were 1-6 in Ryan’s last seven starts in 2025. Find more MLB betting trends for Twins vs. Orioles.
How to watch Twins vs Orioles and game info
Location
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
Date
Thursday, March 26, 2026
First pitch
3:05 p.m. ET
TV
Twins TV, MASN
Twins starting pitcher
Joe Ryan (2025: 13-10, 3.42 ERA)
Orioles starting pitcher
Trevor Rogers (2025: 9-3, 1.81 ERA)
Twins vs Orioles latest injuries
Twins vs Orioles weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
May 16, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Royce Lewis (23) and Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) celebrate after defeating the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Ah, a fresh season. Unlimited potential. Anything is possible! Or at least, it feels that way until the moment your favorite team fails to score after having a runner on third base with no outs, or if the bullpen blows a five-run lead. That is when you remember that baseball, while beautiful, may be the most frustrating game of all.
Alas, the Orioles will enter yet another brand new campaign anyway. This one does genuinely begin with lofty aspirations. They were one of the busiest clubs over the winter, and on paper they look like a team that could do some great things. At the very least, they should improve upon their 75 wins from a season ago
The Twins, on the other hand, seem like they could be headed in the opposite direction. They went 70-92 in 2025, which cost Rocco Baldelli his job as manager. Derek Shelton will take the reins. He was last the skipper of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2020 through May of last year, when he was canned after a 12-26 start to the year. It’s not the most aspirational of hires, but Shelton is familiar with the organization, having served as bench coach back in 2018 and ‘19.
This past offseason was highlighted more by what the Twins did not do rather than what they did. Neither Joe Ryan nor Byron Buxton was traded. That would have made sense if the organization then went and made any sort of impact additions to their roster, but they largely sat on their hands. Josh Bell, Victor Caratini, and Taylor Rogers were the “marquee” free agents brought on. While each of them are fine major leaguers, they won’t elevate this team at all.
Instead, their hopes will be pinned on Buxton and Royce Lewis being the best versions of themselves. That is asking a lot of Buxton, entering his age-32 season, who always seems to miss some amount of time. The 126 games he played in 2025 was his most in a season since 2017. Lewis gets hurt a lot too. He played in 106 games last year, the most he has ever played as a big leaguer.
The rotation will be without Pablo López. He had Tommy John surgery in February and will miss the entire 2026 season. He only tossed 75.2 big league innings last year due to a right shoulder strain that became a forearm strain during rehab. But they were stellar innings as he had a 2.74 ERA and 1.11 WHIP prior to being shut down.
Who knows what will happen in the AL Central. Once again it looks like one of the league’s weaker divisions. So maybe the Twins could get some luck and sneak up on a few clubs. But the more likely outcome is that they deal with major injuries again and slump to be one of the worst team’s in the AL. That was the case in 2025, and they still managed to go 6-0 against the Orioles. That can’t happen again for an O’s team with postseason aspirations.
Game 1: Thursday, March 26th, 3:05 p.m., MASN
LHP Trevor Rogers (9-3, 1.81 ERA in 2025) vs. RHP Joe Ryan (13-10, 3.42 ERA in 2025)
Rogers threw just 109.2 innings last year, but he was so dominant that he earned some consideration for the AL Cy Young award anyway. OK, it was just one down-ballot vote, but it’s hard to argue the logic. The southpaw was spectacular, generating 5.4 bWAR, only 1.1 bWAR less than the award winner, Tarik Skubal, who threw nearly twice as many innings. He deserves the start here even if he is a strong candidate for some negative regression.
Ryan is likely to be one of the most sought after players at this year’s trade deadline if the season goes poorly for the Twins. The 29-year-old had a 3.42 ERA and struck out 194 over 171 innings last year, and he won’t hit free agency until after the 2027 season.
Game 2: Saturday, March 28th, 4:05 p.m., MASN
RHP Kyle Bradish (1-1, 2.53 ERA in 2025) vs. RHP Taj Bradley (6-8, 5.05 ERA in 2025)
The great X-factor of the 2026 Orioles could be Bradish. We know how good he can be. Over the last three seasons he has a 2.78 ERA and is striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings. Of course, he only has 240 total innings across those three seasons due to Tommy John surgery in mid-2025. So the big question will be how healthy he can remain. The O’s are likely to be conservative with him early, shortening starts, and skipping his turn occasionally. But when he does pitch it should be dynamite.
It’s not usually a good sign when the Rays trade away a pitcher. That’s an organization that tries to hoard pitching talent as much as possible, but they were OK with swapping Bradley for Griffin Jax last year. Bradley was even worse (6.61 ERA in 31.1 innings) for Twins than he was for the Rays (4.61 ERA in 111.1 innings). Minnesota is hard-pressed to find starting options, so Bradley will get plenty of chances to prove himself.
Game 3: Sunday, March 29th, 1:35 p.m., MASN
RHP Shane Baz (10-12, 4.87 ERA in 2025) vs. RHP Bailey Ober (6-9, 5.10 ERA in 2025)
The Orioles have talked about Baz as the rotation’s ceiling-raiser all offseason. In essence, they swap him into Grayson Rodriguez’s place in the rotation. Right now, that looks like a wise decision. Rodriguez is opening the season on the IL for the Angels while Baz looked quite good in his final spring tuneup against the Nationals. There is no denying the stuff. It’s great. Now he just needs to harness it.
Ober was a disappointment in 2025. After back-to-back seasons worth 3.0 bWAR and an ERA under 4 in 2023 and ’24, he flopped badly last year. His numbers this spring were rather ugly too. Across 13 spring innings he had a 1.769 WHIP and struck out just 4.2 batters per nine innings. You gotta take those stats with a grain of salt, but his trajectory is not what you want if you’re a Twins fan.
Good morning. Unless you’re manager Tony Vitello or on the Giants, in which case I just say I hope tomorrow is a better morning for you. Because the Yankees’ spanked the Giants 7-0 in the first game of the year.
There was one thing that happened last night that has never happened in an official MLB game before. The Yankees’ José Caballero made the first ever Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge. The call was upheld, so we’re still waiting on that first overturn.
One thing the Giants did last night was break the weirdest streak in baseball. After 19 seasons of having a different left fielder start for San Francisco on Opening Day, Heliot Ramos made his second-straight Opening Day start for the Giants. This streak goes back to Barry Bonds’ final season in 2007.
Speaking of Bonds, on the broadcast last night he revealed how he almost became a Yankee, only to hang up on George Steinbrenner when the “Boss” wanted an answer immediately. There’s been some question of the accuracy of the story, as Steinbrenner was officially banned from baseball during the time Bonds described.
Jordan Schusterman has a preview of the Tony Vitello era in San Francisco. For someone with no professional experience before showing up to camp, he has certainly won over a lot of grizzled MLB veterans.
The Red Sox will be serving "Lobstah Poutine" at Fenway Park this year! This ballpark food features crispy fries, lobster meat, clam chowder and crispy bacon all served in a custom lobster boat 🤤
I never thought I say that the Marlins did something right that the Red Sox messed up. But this looks delicious.
The Marlins' new "Machete" menu item is served in a custom carrying case 😳
This TWO-FOOT homemade flour tortilla is griddled on the flat top with melted mozzarella and Oaxaca cheeses, house-marinated carne asada, smoky guajillo pepper sauce, salsa verde and cilantro 👀
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 13: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves and Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies speak during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park on September 13, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last year’s National League East race ended with the Phillies (96-66) winning their second consecutive division crown, while the Mets (83-79) and Braves (76-86) both underperformed expectations and missed the playoffs entirely. The Marlins (79-83), meanwhile, came close to .500 as they showed promise and play a key role in ending the Mets’ postseason dreams on the final day of the regular season, and the Nationals (66-96) showcased their potential with their young, up-and-coming talent, despite finishing in the cellar.
Heading into Opening Day, the NL East race promises to be one of the most exciting ones to watch around the league. The Mets are projected to bounce back and contend for their first division title since 2015, while the Braves are expected to rebound and the Phillies once again have a roster built for a run at the postseason. So let’s review where things stand at the start of the 2026 season, and what Mets fans might expect from the team’s division rivals.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are coming off back-to-back NL East crowds and four consecutive playoff appearances, though they have failed to make it beyond the Division series in either of the previous two seasons after going to the World Series in 2022 and reaching the NLCS in 2023.
In many ways, the Phillies are “running it back”, as they enter 2026 with a very similar roster to the one they showcased last year. Their key offseason moves were re-signing Kyle Schwarber to a 5-year, $150 deal—Mets fans will recall that the club was also reportedly in on the Schwarber sweepstakes—and catcher J.T. Realmuto to a three-year deal. The Phillies also, very recently, extended two cornerstones of their rotation in left-handers Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo, which should offer them rotation stability for years to come. In terms of new faces, the club added slugging outfielder Adolis Garcia and reliever Mitch Keller. On the departure side, Philadelphia parted ways with Nick Castellanos, Harrison Bader, and Matt Strahm. The team will start the year without ace Zack Wheeler as he recovers from thoracic outlet surgery, but after a “successful spring,” he is set to begin a rehab assignment and could be back in April.
Both ZiPS and PECOTA have the Phillies taking a step back in 2026 and relinquishing their NL East crown, and that’s to be expected for a team that’s a year older and not necessarily better. Fangraphs projects the Phillies to win 87 games, which is actually down from their projection of 91 wins and an NL East crown from late January. This update lands them squarely in third place in the NL East but would secure them the second Wild Card in the National League. Baseball Prospectus is a little more bullish, projecting them to finish at 84.9 wins in their up-to-date model on March 25. The Phillies will once again go as far as Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber can carry them, as their veteran core remains strong but, again, one year older. Their rotation remains a strength, even as they wait for Wheeler’s return, and they have the benefit of a full season with closer Jhoan Duran, whom they acquired ahead of last year’s trade deadline.
Atlanta Braves
The Mets’ collapse stole the headlines around the league and took a lot of heat off the Braves, who unexpectedly fell flat on their faces and finished in fourth place after seven straight postseason appearances. The Braves, who won six straight division crowns from 2018-2023, fell below the .500 mark for the first time since 2017.
Atlanta enters the year with a new skipper at the helm, as Walt Weiss is set to succeed Brian Snitker, who held the position for ten years but chose to step down into an advisory role. Weiss previously served as Snitker’s bench coach. On the field, the team added reliever José Suarez and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. They also claimed Osvaldo Bido from the Yankees, inked Rowdy Tellez on a minor league deal, and brought in old friend Dom Smith, who is in position to potentially make the roster out of spring. Atlanta will be managing some injuries heading into this year, specifically to Spencer Strider, who begins the year on the injured list with a left oblique strain. Joey Wentz (torn ACL) and Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow inflammation) both begin the year on the 60-day IL.
Their roster is still loaded with talent, and the project models seem to agree that they will get back on the horse in 2026. Both ZiPS and PECOTA have them narrowly missing a division crown, falling just behind the Mets but handily securing the top Wild Card spot in the NL. Fangraphs sees them winning 88 games (matching the Mets) but falling short in the end. Baseball Prospectus, meanwhile, has them at 88.7 wins, just shy of the Mets’ simulated projection of 89.4.
Ronald Acuña Jr. remains their key player, and a healthy and elite season from their star outfielder could make all the difference (emphasis on ‘healthy’). There’s also Matt Olson, who played 162 games for the fourth straight season and finished with a 136 wRC+ and a 4.7 fWAR. Atlanta also desperately need a bounce back year from Austin Riley, who struggled last season and has not come close to his All-Star self from 2022 and 2023. The biggest bright spot for Atlanta last year was catcher Drake Baldwin, who earned Rookie of the Year honors after a stellar debut season, and he will now be thrust into a more prominent role going forward.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins surprised some folks last year when they came close to .500 and hung around the NL Wild Card picture until the late stages of the season—some of this is certainly due to the subpar competition, no doubt. They also flirted with trading ace Sandy Alcántara, who missed all of 2024 and struggled to regain his form in 2025 until well after the All-Star break. You can be sure that the team will again explore a trade this year, if they are not realistically in a playoff spot—Alcántara’s contract expires at the end of the 2026 season.
The Marlins did what they do best, which is trade their talented players for prospect capital. They made two headline moves in this vein: trading right-hander Edward Cabrera to the Cubs in a package centered around outfielder Owen Caissie, and trading left-hander Ryan Weathers to the Yankees for four prospects. It’s worth noting that Cabrera is under team control through 2028, and Weathers through 2029, which brought in a bigger return. To fortify their roster, the club signed utility player Christopher Morel and acquired Esteury Ruiz from the Dodgers. They also acquired right-hander Bradley Blalock from the Rockies and left-hander Kade Bragg from the Twins.
Unsurprisingly, their season last year has done little to sway perception of their team or inspire much from the projection models. They are, pretty much across the board, viewed as the fourth team in this division, as ZiPS sees them finishing 75-87 and PECOTA has them basically right around that with a sim W total of 74.7. In both scenarios, they fall well short of the third Wild Card spot, failing to earn a postseason spot for the third straight yea after their Wild Card appearance in 2023. They still have some bright young players to watch, including Xavier Edwards and 2025 All-Star Kyle Stowers. At the very least, Mets fans should take comfort in the fact that New York does not play Miami during the final week of the season—their final games against the pesky Marlins are September 7-9 at loanDepot Park.
Washington Nationals
Despite some promising young talent, the Nationals still came close to 100 losses and seem to be nowhere close to contention in the division. They confirmed those thoughts by trading one of their best veterans, pitcher MacKenzie Gore, to the Rangers for a package of five minor leaguers. On the major league side, they made some minor moves, adding Zack Littell, Foster Griffin, and Miles Mikolas, all on relatively affordable one-year deals. The rest of their roster was filled in by waiver claims.
The Nationals are projected to finish right near the bottom of the league yet again. ZiPS sees them finishing the year 69-93, a three-game improvement from their 2025 results. This would give them more wins than just the Colorado Rockies, and would tie them with the projected win total of the Chicago White Sox. PECOTA, meanwhile, is a bit more pessimistic, simulating a total of 67.1 wins for Washington, ahead of just the Rockies (59.4) and Angels (65.5) in their model. This year will be all about the growth of rising stars James Wood and CJ Abrams, and their continued growth will be the main point of concern for Washington in what is ultimately another rebuilding year.
Projections and Predictions
The Mets have been a popular pick to win the 2026 NL East title, and not just from ZiPS and PECOTA (see standings below) but also from several seasoned baseball journalists at MLB, ESPN, SNY, Newsday, the NY Post and more. However, as we have learned far too many times, projections and predictions are a far way off from reality. With that said, the Mets find themselves in a good position and should be able to size up well against the Phillies and Braves as they look to capture their first division crown in over a decade.
Well, here we are at the earliest-ever home opener for the Cubs. You already know how I feel about March baseball in Chicago (they generally shouldn’t, ever). And the forecast for the opener Thursday has temps falling from an early high of near 60 into the 40s. There’s a chance of rain that hopefully will hold off until the game is over.
For more on the Nationals, here’s Sam Sallick, manager of our SB Nation Nationals site Federal Baseball.
There is a lot of “new” for the Washington Nationals this year. They have a new front office, a new manager and a brand new coaching staff. It is a lot of change for an organization that had the same GM/manager combo for nearly a decade before this.
Paul Toboni and Blake Butera want to modernize the Nationals process. They have also provided an infusion of youth. Toboni is just 35 and Butera is the youngest manager in the league at just 33. The roster is also very young, especially on the position player side of things.
The Nats star players at the plate are James Wood and CJ Abrams. Wood had a tough spring after tailing off in the second half last year. However, he has some of the most impressive raw power in the game. Abrams saw his name in trade rumors, but unlike fellow Juan Soto trade piece MacKenzie Gore, he stayed in DC.
Speaking of Gore, the Nats pitching staff has looked very solid this spring. They are short on big names, but they’ve been throwing the ball well. Opening Day starter Cade Cavalli has been throwing the ball as well as anyone. He threw 14 scoreless innings this spring, which helped get him the Opening Day nod despite just 11 career starts.
Cavalli has an impressive arsenal. His mid to upper 90’s fastball and his power curve provide a strong foundation. However, he added a sweeper to give him a better weapon against right handed hitters, who he struggled against last year. I am bullish on Cavalli and think this will be a breakout year for him.
Behind him, the Nats actually have a few veterans in the rotation. Cubs fans know Miles Mikolas very well, and he is in DC now. They also picked up Zack Littell and Foster Griffin. I am intrigued by Griffin, who dominated in Japan the last few years before coming back to the States this offseason.
The Nats probably won’t be good, but hopefully they are better to watch this season. This new regime is rebuilding the rebuild in a lot of ways. However, I trust these new guys to get it right eventually.
Fun facts
The Cubs have a .486 winning percentage against the Nationals franchise since it began play in 1969 as the Montreal Expos. But they are .519 (69-64) since the team moved to Washington after 2004.
They are .526 overall at home vs. the Expos/Nationals, including .523 since 2005.
From 2021-24, the Cubs were 9-4 when hosting the Nationals. Last year, they won the series opener, then lost the next two games.
NOTE: The Cubs do not have starters officially listed for Saturday or Sunday as of the time of this post. Horton and Imanaga are listed here because that’s the order they last pitched in Spring Training games after Boyd. The Cubs are one of only three teams (also Angels and Rockies) that don’t have a starter listed for Saturday. Those three and the Braves are the only teams that don’t have a starter listed for Sunday.
Times & TV channels
Thursday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Saturday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Sunday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Prediction
I don’t see any reason the Cubs shouldn’t take at least two of three here.
Up next
The Cubs host the Los Angeles Angels at Wrigley Field in a three-game series beginning Monday evening.
Oct 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Fans cheer prior to game two of the NLDS round between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Usually, this question of the day part is where we ask a niche question about the team. Maybe it’s about someone’s approach at the plate, their recent work at that craft, or what you think about a player’s recent play.
Today is simple. It being the Phillies’ home opener (and season opener), we’re looking for your predictions on how the season will go. You can be as specific as you wish, you can be as broad as you wish. But let’s talk about our prognostications together. Come back later today when we here at TGP give you our predictions for the season so you can all look down on us and ridicule us when we’re wrong.
COVERS INTEL: Bibee’s fastball whiff rate dropped from 21.3% in 2024 to 13.2% last year, and also declined for his cutter, sinker, and curve.
