Category: Baseball

The San Francisco Giants play the very first game of the 2026 MLB season tonight against the New York Yankees at Oracle Park. As a reminder, this game will only be broadcast on Netflix.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-handed ace Logan Webb, who concluded the 2025 season with a 3.22 ERA, 2.60 FIP, with 224 strikeouts to 46 walks in 207 innings pitched, finishing fourth in Cy Young Award voting.

He’ll be facing off against Yankees southpaw Max Fried, who concluded the 2025 season with a 2.86 ERA, 3.07 FIP with 189 strikeouts to 51 walks in 195.1 innings pitched, also finishing fourth in Cy Young Award voting for the American League.

Game #1

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. New York Yankees

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 5:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: n/a

National broadcast: Netflix

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

After a glacially slow winter and a spring that flew by, Opening Day is here! The Yankees begin their quest for No. 28 after the 2025 season ended in disappointing fashion, getting rolled by the Blue Jays in four games in the ALDS. The Giants meanwhile are hoping to get back to the postseason after missing out on the playoffs with a .500 or worse record in each of the last four seasons. They’ve made it to the playoffs just once since 2016.

San Francisco team president Buster Posey has overseen some major signings and trades already in his short tenure at the helm of the front office, perhaps none more noteworthy than hiring Tony Vitello as manager despite the former Tennessee Volunteers head coach possessing zero professional baseball experience either as a player or coach. The Yankees on the other hand were one of the least ambitious teams of the offseason, happy to run it back with last year’s squad and making only minor additions in hope of a better outcome. There’s new ground being broken this Opening Day, with Netflix hosting its first-ever MLB broadcast. It is blackout-free.

Max Fried is named the Opening Day starter for the first time with the Yankees after earning the distinction three times with the Braves. The 32-year-old southpaw has made four starts at Oracle Park in his career, pitching to a 2.59 ERA with a 23:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .209 batting average allowed across 24.1 innings. Look for him to lean on the cutter against the Giants’ righty-heavy lineup, a pitch which went from an afterthought to his most-frequently used pitch after joining the Yankees. Fried finished fourth in last year’s AL Cy Young race after going 19-5 in 32 starts, with a 2.86 ERA (142 ERA+), 3.07 FIP, and 189 strikeouts in 195.1 innings.

Logan Webb has been named the Giants’ Opening Day starter for the fifth year in a row. He’s a throwback workhorse in this era of five-and-dive starters, with the most starts (132), innings pitched (820), and second-most fWAR (19.1) of any qualified starter over the last four seasons. He’s a sinker-sweeper-changeup guy and one of the preeminent ground ball and command artists in the game, placing well into the 90th percentile in groundball and walk rates across the last five years, though he did strike out over 200 batters for the first time in his career last season. He’s coming off his third-straight top-six NL Cy Young finish having gone 15-11 in 34 starts, with a 3.22 ERA (124 ERA+), 2.60 FIP, and 224 strikeouts in 207 innings.

There are both familiar and new faces in Yankees lineup relative to Opening Day 2025. Trent Grisham was their most used leadoff hitter and reprises that role after rejoining on the qualifying offer. He bats ahead of the Captain, Aaron Judge beginning the quest for his third-straight AL MVP crown. Cody Bellinger was the Yankees’ big-money signing of the winter, re-upping for five years and $162.5 million — he bats third. Ben Rice is perhaps the Yankees’ best development story since Judge, his meteoric rise earning him the right to bat cleanup. Giancarlo Stanton continues his march towards Cooperstown and stands as the X-factor of the offense if he can stay healthy and produce like he did in the second half last year. Jazz Chisholm Jr. bats sixth after becoming just the third player in franchise history with a 30-30 season. José Caballero starts at shortstop with Anthony Volpe still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and looks to lead the AL in stolen bases for the third year in a row. Trade Deadline acquisition Ryan McMahon and fourth-year catcher Austin Wells are among the game’s best defensively at their positions but are looking to rebound from disappointing campaigns at the plate —they bat eighth and ninth.

The Giants have assembled their lineup around a core of nine-figure stars. Willy Adames and Matt Chapman have a legitimate claim as the best all-around left side of an infield in MLB. This might be the one year that Gerrit Cole — on the IL as he finishes his Tommy John rehab — is relieved not to be Opening Day starter given the presence of his personal nemesis Rafael Devers. That trio bats second-through-fourth, ahead of leadoff hitter and offseason signing three-time batting champion Luis Arraez. Jung Hoo Lee plays right and bats fifth while Heliot Ramos breaks a 19-year streak of the Giants naming a different Opening Day left fielder since Barry Bonds. Casey Schmitt gets the surprise nod at firsts ahead of the Giants’ consensus top prospect Bryce Eldridge. Patrick Bailey established himself as the best defensive catcher in baseball and bats eighth, while former Yankees and Giants offseason signing Harrison Bader rounds out the lineup and patrols center.

How to watch

Location: Oracle Park — San Francisco, CA

First pitch: 8:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: Netflix

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280

Online stream: Netflix

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

With expectations higher around this Mariners team than any other this decade, it makes sense that fans want to know how to watch their hometown nine this season. Frustratingly, despite the early announcement of a new streaming option, details about the cable situation for non cord-cutters have been thin on the ground. Finally, we have some clarification on the eve of Opening Day. Mariners games will indeed be available on both Comcast/Xfinity and Charter/Spectrum cable in the Seattle/Tacoma area, but now we have an exact channel listing.

Xfinity: channel 1261

Spectrum: channel 414

While there was no announcement about DirecTV, this post indicates it will remain on channel 687.

If you had the ability to get Mariners games in the past, the games should still be part of your cable package. If you tune into these channels as a test and don’t get anything today, don’t fret; they’ll only be live during game time. RIP to Root Sports and the pre-game Mariners content where we learned about players’ first baseball gloves and the like, I guess.

You can also of course follow the team in-market with Mariners.TV as a streaming option. Out-of-market fans, as in years past, can watch on MLB.TV. All the various options are described here. [Pro tip: if you are a T-Mobile subscriber, you can get MLB TV free through March 31st by downloading the T-Life app.] On your smart TV, download the MLB app; you can access the games from there. If you can’t figure out how to do that, try an Amazon Fire Stick/Chromecast or similar and connect it through the HDMI port. I use the app on my LG TV, but I hear the external connection is more reliable.

And for those of you who love that old-time magic of a radio broadcast, the Mariners will continue to be on their flagship station Seattle Sports 710 with all the radio voices you know and love, including Rick Rizzs in his final season.

There are a few exceptions to the MLB TV/Mariners TV lineup. Two Mariners games will be broadcast exclusively on Apple TV’s “Friday Night Baseball” this year, and four on Peacock, taking over the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. There are also a pair of games on whatever “ESPN Unlimited” is; I have a request in with the team to clarify if that will be exclusive for ESPN+ subscribers, available on cable, or will be broadcast on Mariners TV still. This story will be updated with clarification.

• March 27th vs. the Guardians (Apple TV, 6:45)
• March 29th vs. the Guardians (Peacock, 4 PT)
• April 11th vs. the Astros (ESPN Unlimited)
• April 14th at the Padres (ESPN Unlimited)
• May 1st vs. the Royals (Apple TV, 6:45 PT)
• May 17th, Padres at Mariners (Peacock, 4 PT)
• July 5th, Blue Jays at Mariners (Peacock, 5 PT)
• August 16th, Mariners at Astros (NBC/Peacock, 4 PT)

There are also a handful of Mariners games on MLB Network this year, but those games will still be broadcast on Mariners TV. Similarly, the games on TBS (March 31st vs. the Yankees) and FOX/FS1 (April 18th vs. the Rangers; April 27th at the Twins; May 11th at the Astros; May 16th vs. San Diego, May 23rd at the Royals; July 18th vs. the Giants; July 25th at the Rangers; August 1st vs. the Twins). All dates are subject to change.

Got any more questions about how to watch the Mariners in 2026? Let us know in the comments!

The 2026 MLB season kicks off tonight at 7:05pm tonight on ESPNFox Sports Netflix, because of course we are starting with some streaming. It is the first day of the new season, but there are only two teams playing, which never quite feels like an actual opening day. Either way I’m excited that we get real games again. Kicking things off, it will be the Yankees at the Giants.

It is a pretty solid pitching matchup plus plenty of star power in the lineups. What’s not to love?

Welcome to the 2026 season of Major League Baseball!

The Colorado Rockies won’t play until Friday, as MLB is doing a bit of a staggered start to the season. Roughly half of the league will start playing on Thursday, with the other handful picking up the action on Friday. However, there is just a single game tonight as the New York Yankees take on the San Francisco Giants to kick off the season and a new broadcasting partnership with the streaming giant Netflix.

Max Fried will take the hill for the Yankees after a spectacular season in 2025. The veteran lefty put his name in the Cy Young race consideration in his first season as a Yankee, where he went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA. The Yankees struggled with putting together the rotation thanks to injuries, but Fried was a constant and looks to replicate that success in 2026.

Taking the pill for the Giants will be Logan Webb. A model of consistency, Webb has become the de facto ace for the Giants and for good reason. He went 15-11 with a 3.22 ERA in 207 innings over 34 starts in 2025, and it seems only a matter of time until he wins a Cy Young in his career. The hope is that he will get a bit more support from the Giants’ offense this season, taking the pressure off the need to be near perfect in every start.

Now here are the details:

First Pitch: 6:05 p.m. MDT (Pregame show 5 p.m.)

TV: Netflix

Radio: KNBR 680, 1510 AM – KSFN (Giants), WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (Yankees)

Lineups:

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The Dodgers’ have been tested on their path to immortality, overcoming a wave of pitching injuries in 2024 and near-elimination in last year’s Fall Classic. Because of that, manager Dave Roberts said the pressure on the team actually feels lessened now.

“I think the back-to-back was more of something,” he said this spring. “I don’t think we feel any pressure. I felt it more last year.”

While that might be true internally, the external spotlight on the team has never been brighter.

The club’s record-breaking spending has caused consternation around the league, raising fears of a lockout at season’s end. The addition of two more star signings this past offseason –– Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz, to go along with the blockbuster acquisitions of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and others in previous winters –– has fueled a narrative they are bad for the competitive balance of the sport.

Not since those late-90s Yankees has a single team been so polarizing.

And perhaps at no point in the game’s modern era has a roster ever looked so stacked.

Thus, their pursuit of a three-peat will be baseball’s central storyline all summer and into the fall. Plenty will be rooting for the Dodgers’ downfall this year. But history beckons if they can triumph again, with a case for “greatest team of all-time” to be made if they can return to the mountaintop.

First Base

Last year, Freddie Freeman paid for his heroics in the 2024 World Series. Though the former MVP was still good (.295 average, 24 home runs, 90 RBIs, and a ninth career All-Star selection), he was clearly limited by the ankle injury he played through the postseason before, resulting in increased strikeout rates and decreased defensive range. This offseason, however, the 36-year-old got back to full health. And now, he has eyes set on a resurgent campaign, raving about the feel of his swing during spring training.

Second Base

Eventually, this will be Tommy Edman’s spot. But as he recovers from an offseason ankle surgery that will sideline him for the start of the campaign, the Dodgers will have to get creative. Miguel Rojas figures to get plenty of early at-bats. Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland present left-handed options for him to platoon with. When Edman does return, the Dodgers will be hoping for him to also display improved production, after being hampered by his injury last year.

Shortstop

Mookie Betts proved himself as a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop in his move to the position last year. Now, he needs to show he can still be an MVP-caliber hitter, too. Coming off a 2025 campaign in which he posted career lows in batting average (.285) and OPS (.732), Betts has tried to “re-wire” his swing and regain the strength he lost last year following a spring training stomach virus. He voiced optimism about his play this spring. But time will tell if he can fully rediscover his once-elite form.

Third Base

Now the Dodgers’ longest-tenured player, Max Muncy is back for his ninth season with the club, trying to avoid the injury problems that have plagued him the past two years. When healthy in 2025, there were stretches Muncy still looked like one of the game’s premier slugging threats. But his oblique has long been bothersome, prompting changes to his training program this winter in search of better health and more consistent play.

Left Field

Despite offseason trade rumors, Teoscar Hernández returns to the Dodgers in a new position, going back to left field after last year’s struggles in right. Hernández was hampered by a groin injury in 2025, but also left much to be desired with his defensive consistency and at-bat quality. So, he got in better shape this winter, made a point of playing early and often this spring, and now is hoping to get back to his 2024 form, when he had a career-best, All-Star caliber season in his first year in Los Angeles.

Center Field

The Dodgers haven’t successfully integrated many prospects into their lineup in recent years. But Andy Pages has been the exception. He was almost an All-Star last year, batting .272 with 27 home runs in his first full MLB campaign. And despite a horrific postseason slump that led to a World Series benching, he still made a season-saving catch in Game 7 that will forever live in Dodgers lore. Now, he is looking to take the next step, and cement his place in the team’s long-term future.

Right Field

Entering the offseason, the Dodgers insisted they didn’t need another superstar acquisition. Then, they went and signed Kyle Tucker to a $240 million contract anyway. With that deal comes lofty expectations for the four-time All-Star. He has been one of the most prolific hitters in the majors the last half-decade, yet is still looking for a signature, MVP-caliber type campaign. The Dodgers think he’s capable of that this year, especially if he can get back to Gold Glove form defensively.

Catcher

Amid all the other memorable moments from last year’s World Series run, Will Smith’s extra-inning, title-winning home run in Game 7 has almost been forgotten. Within the organization, however, it was further validation of his status as arguably the best catcher in the sport. Smith will be seeking a fourth consecutive All-Star nod this year, but the Dodgers will also be mindful of his workload. Former top prospect Dalton Rushing will back him up, trying to rebound from a disappointing rookie performance.

Designated Hitter

The only real question with Shohei Ohtani this year is how he re-adjusts to full-time two-way duties. Because offensively, he has continued to put up historic levels of production. Last year, he captured his fourth MVP award while hitting a career-high 55 home runs. If there’s anything he can improve on, it’s cutting down on strikeouts (he had 187 last year) and upping a batting average that dipped to .282 a season ago.

Starting Pitching

If healthy, this should be the best rotation in the sport. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start opening day, aiming for a Cy Young Award coming off his heroic 2025 performance and World Series MVP honors. Tyler Glasnow has said his mechanics feel as good as they have in years. And eventually, Blake Snell will return from a shoulder injury that limited him this offseason and will keep him out for the start of the season. Roki Sasaki is the wild card of the group, returning to a starting role after his surprise emergence as last year’s playoff closer. Emmet Sheehan provides further depth, while River Ryan and Gavin Stone are returning from injuries (albeit, while facing limited workloads).

Relief Pitching

The biggest weakness from last year’s team, the Dodgers’ bullpen should be improved thanks to their offseason signing of All-Star closer Edwin Díaz. Still, Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen will need to bounce back from poor 2025 performances. Alex Vesia will need to remain one of the top left-handed relievers in the game. And younger arms like Jack Dreyer, Ben Casparius, Will Klein, Kyle Hurt and Edgardo Henriquez will need to provide depth. The unit should get stronger as the year goes on, with Brock Stewart, Evan Phillips and Brusdar Graterol coming back from injuries. Justin Wrobleski also offers a trustworthy multi-inning option.  

Bench

Alex Call will be the fourth outfielder. Rojas, Espinal, Kim, Freeland and Kiké Hernández will all be utility options. The Dodgers are unlikely to have many pinch-hit opportunities this year, given the stars populating their primary lineup. But an aging roster means injuries are bound to happen, so expect stretches of the year where depth will be tested.

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In what’s arguably the most stereotypical sibling relationship in professional baseball — and maybe all of sports — the Padres play the role of little brother extremely well. They’re always chasing the bigger, better, stronger — and back-to-back defending champion — older brother 124 miles to the north in the Dodgers.

The Padres have become one of the most lovable teams in professional sports, choosing to stay in San Diego and take pride in an incredible atmosphere at Petco Park. They’ve spent money building a championship-contending roster, yet for some reason, they’ve yet to break through to the game’s biggest stage.

They’ve made the postseason in four of the past six seasons but have been eliminated by their rival in the NLDS in 2020 and 2024 — two years the Dodgers won the World Series. They found success in 2022 when they eliminated the Mets and Dodgers, but Bryce Harper’s eighth inning homerun in Game 5 of the NLCS still stings to this day as San Diego ran out of pitching and fell 4-1.

Last year, the Padres fell 2-1 in the Wild Card Round to the Cubs.

So what happens this year?

With a first-time manager in Craig Stammen — who’d only been in the coaching ranks less than two years before being hired — does San Diego finally break through in 2026? Or does disappointment reign supreme and the Friar Faithful is left heartborken… again?

Most Important Hitter: Fernando Tatis Jr.

There are multiple players who can fit into this role for the Padres, which isn’t ideal, but the logic is that the players hitting in the middle of the lineup won’t matter if there’s no one on base for them. Enter Tatis Jr. He only hit .268 last season but had a team-leading .368 on-base percentage — numbers that must be higher this year. His ability to put pressure on opposing defenses — team-high 32 steals — will infuse energy into the rest of the lineup, something this team desperately needs. Simply put, the Padres will go as far as Tati takes them.

Most Important Pitcher: Michael King

By far the biggest concern with the Padres is the pitching. Can Nick Pivetta replicate last year’s breakout season? When will Joe Musrgive return from Tommy John surgery, and what will he look like? Will Randy Vasquez ever be anything more than a back-of-the-rotation starter? What will Walker Buehler look like? All of that makes Michael King’s emergence as the team’s ace that much more important. He flashed greatness in his first season with the team (13-9, 2.95 ERA in 2024), but injuries limited him last season. The bullpen will be elite again, but the Padres need an ace and King has to answer the call.

Who Will Have a Bigger Year Than Expected: Jackson Merrill

As a rookie in 2024, Merrill Jr. became a star with Padres and their fanbase when he hit .296 with 24 homeruns in 156 games. However, injuries derailed last season as he became more pull-heavy, which led to a .264 average in just 115 games. But he came on strong at the end of last year and looks good in spring training. That sets the stage for a redemption season as he’s expected to protect either Tatis Jr. or Manny Machado in the lineup.

Who Is Most Likely to Disappoint: Nick Castellanos

Conventional wisdom would say someone in the bullpen after losing Robert Suarez, but Mason Miller might be the best closer in the game. That leads us back to the offense and free agent signee Nick Castellanos. Once one of the most feared hitters in the game, Castellanos flamed out with the Phillies and they were begging for anyone to take him. The Padres took a flier on him, much at the behest of Machado. If Castellanos is good, it’s a game-changer. But there’s no real reason to expect that.

Key Call Up: Bradgley Rodriguez

With more questions on offense, Tirso Ornelas could be big for the Padres — but it’s more likely the Padres address that issue via trade at the deadline. While the bullpen looks dominant with Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon and David Morgan behind Miller, that’s where the depth ends. Rodriguez impressed in limited big league action last year and could provide a huge spark and added depth to keep this group fresh heading into the postseason.

Biggest Managerial Decision

It’s not so much a singular decision that will define Stammen’s season, but more about how he handles a veteran roster as a first-time manager. He was a part of the Padres locker room four years ago and played alongside the core of this current roster. How does he command the respect of the locker room? How does he make the tough decisions despite personal relationships with the players? How he handles the vibe check with the Padres will ultimate decide his success.

Don’t Be Surprised If…

… Tatis Jr re-enters the MVP conversation and the Padres push the Dodgers to the brink in the NL West. Tatis came on strong to end last year and was great for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, both of which are strong indications that he surges in 2026. And if Tatis Jr. can be that good, San Diego could challenge its older brother for their first NL West crown in 20 years.

Sure To Make Fans Grumble

The drama in the front office. Ever since Peter Seidler passed away in 2023 and his family took over control of the organization, the most fight the organization has shown has been with laweyrs in the court system — and the resolution looks nowhere close. How much of this drama hangs over the organization and those in the clubhouse, and does it affect the way San Diego approaches the trade deadline.

How Their Season Will End 

There’s always one team in each league that shocks, but this year won’t be the Padres. If healthy and the stars return to star status — and Musgrove and Castellanos provide legitimate sparks — the Padres have enough talent to win it all. But the primary problem that has plagued this franchise — execution on offense in the playoffs — will rear its ugly head again. San Diego will will win a round or two in the postseason but fall short of their ultimate goal.

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Napalm, as an incendiary agent, has nothing on the manner president of baseball operations David Stearns approached the roster after the Mets missed the playoffs last year.

Stearns blew up the foundation and rebuilt. The first look at his new vision for the Mets will be on display in Thursday’s season opener against the Pirates at Citi Field, with Paul Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, as part of the resistance.

Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, Luis Robert Jr., Carson Benge and Freddy Peralta are among those who will get their first exposure to the New York scene as part of the home team.

Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Edwin Díaz will be scattered across the continent, playing or preparing for Opening Day elsewhere.

In sum, the Mets subtracted the franchise’s all-time home run leader (Alonso), a fan favorite (Nimmo), a former batting champion (McNeil) and the most electric closer in team history (Díaz).

Seldom, if ever, have the Mets looked so different between the final pitch of one season and the start of the next.

Meet the (new) Mets.

“Opening Day, there’s always jitters regardless,” said Semien, who arrived in a November trade that sent Nimmo to Texas. “But go to a new team, and a team like the Mets, so much history, such a good fan base, energy and we are going to have to go out there and calm ourselves down.”

Robert, traded from the White Sox, already understands there’s a difference between playing in Queens and on Chicago’s South Side.

“I am sure that Thursday the stadium is going to be packed, which is something that over the last few years in Chicago I didn’t get to experience that,” Robert said through an interpreter. “It’s going to be a new experience for me.”

Bichette was the headliner, added to a lineup that will be more reliant on putting the ball in play than in recent seasons.

Juan Soto remains the focal point, following a season in which he placed third in the MVP voting.

Bichette, the new third baseman, was asked if there was anything he had come to realize by the end of spring training that he didn’t know about the Mets when camp began.

“I think with the WBC it was kind of go through the motions a bit until everybody got back,” said Bichette, who was signed to a three-year contract worth $126 million. “I knew we were good, but once I saw kind of our first full lineup, I think we’re even better than we thought we were.

“Everybody can hit from top to bottom, obviously great pitching, so we have the potential to do some really cool things. But now we have got to get out there to do it.”

Skenes, who followed his NL Rookie of the Year season in 2024 with a Cy Young Award last year, will add to the afternoon’s intrigue.

The right-hander posted a 1.97 ERA in 32 starts last season with 216 strikeouts in 187 ²/₃ innings.

If there isn’t enough newness to the Mets, the team will also unveil the rookie Benge, who won the starting right field job in spring training.

“I am seeing five tools,” Semien said of Benge. “Now just comes experience. Experience at this level outweighs everything, but when you have the tools and maturity, it puts you in better position to be ready for your first shot at it.”

The additional new piece on display will be Peralta, the rotation upgrade who arrived from Milwaukee in January for Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. The right-hander gives the Mets a proven ace, removing a weight that otherwise would have rested on stud rookie Nolan McLean’s shoulders after only eight major league starts.

“We are hungry to win and we are going to give everything we have to bring a championship to New York,” Peralta said.

At the dawn of the 2025 season, we published a column with the headline, “What’s the future for aging Angel Stadium? It feels like an increasingly uncertain one.”

With opening day 2026 upon us, we’d like to update that: “What’s the future for the Angels? It feels like an increasingly uncertain one.”

I don’t mean to be an alarmist. Nothing is happening today, or tomorrow, or in the very near future.

However, the Angels’ stadium lease expires in six years, so what might happen beyond then is starting to come into focus. Angels owner Arte Moreno turns 80 this summer. Moreno — or a new owner, if Moreno eventually sells the team — could simply exercise options to extend the lease for another six years.

Read more:In Anaheim and Sacramento, a two-front challenge to the Angels' Los Angeles name

But that would not resolve the larger issue of replacing or renovating Angel Stadium. In the coming months, the city expects to release an assessment of what it would take to keep the stadium up and running for years to come, and that could trigger a debate between the city and the Angels about who should pay for what.

The Angels are frustrated by all of this, and in particular by what they consider the curiously timed skirmishes over their 21-year-old Los Angeles name. They are annoyed that, for the second consecutive season, city issues have detracted from the hope and faith and joy that surrounds opening day. It is the city, after all, that walked away from two deals that would have secured the Angels’ long-term future in Anaheim.

During negotiations for the last deal, city officials made clear that keeping the Angels was the top priority, even if Anaheim could make more money selling the stadium property to a developer that would not need to retain the stadium.

Now, with six years left on the lease and no commitment beyond then, the mayor of Anaheim says it is time to prepare for a future with or without the Angels.

“We need to plan for what we see as a vision for that property when the lease has expired,” Mayor Ashleigh Aitken told me. “That’s going to take time. No matter how that deal goes, we’re not breaking ground on any project next year.

“But what we need to do, whether it includes the Angels — which I hope it does — or not, is come up with a vision that includes everything residents want to see happen on that land. And only then can we truly advocate for a project that makes sense for us.”

On the day of the home opener last season, Aitken issued an open letter inviting Moreno to meet with her for “an open and honest conversation about the future of baseball in Anaheim” and listing eight starting points for negotiations on a new deal, including the Angels’ restoration of the Anaheim name.

“They have not reached out to us about reopening negotiations for potential development around the property,” Aitken said.

Moreno previously explored other potential ballpark sites, including Tustin in 2014 and Long Beach in 2019.

In Tustin, the targeted land is no longer available. In Long Beach, the proposed waterfront lot remains vacant, but the challenge remains too: Over 81 games each season, how would tens of thousands of fans drive into and out of a ballpark primarily accessible by a single freeway?

Read more:Angels, with longest playoff drought in MLB, turn to first-time manager Kurt Suzuki

For the Los Angeles Angels, perhaps the solution could be found in Los Angeles County.

The Dodgers could bar every other major league team from moving into L.A., but not the Angels. Under MLB rules, neither team could stop the other team from moving anywhere within Los Angeles County or Orange County.

The logical landing spot would be Inglewood, where the Rams, Chargers and Clippers have moved since 2020. Inglewood Mayor James Butts said SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome have helped to revitalize the city, with unemployment down, home prices up, and municipal revenue up.

“Before, we were known for gangs and crimes and poverty,” Butts told me.

“Now, we are known as the sports and entertainment capital of the western United States.”

How about a baseball stadium in place of the Forum?

“The Forum parcel is absolutely not large enough for a baseball stadium,” Butts said.

Butts said he believes a baseball stadium there would require about 170 acres for the stadium and surrounding parking. Angel Stadium and its surrounding parking lots cover about 150 acres.

On the other hand, the Athletics are building a ballpark on a nine-acre site in Las Vegas, where nearby parking, entertainment and dining options already exist, with more on the way, and with the A’s not responsible for any of that. The same could be true for the Angels in Inglewood, with Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer developing the land around the sports facilities.

However, Butts said he did not envision baseball coming to Inglewood, at least so long as he remains the mayor. Not enough room in town, he said.

“We’re maxed out when it comes to sports,” Butts said. “We are not going to reduce the housing stock and move residents out to have a baseball team.”

Anaheim has one, plus a 150-acre site perfect for a new stadium surrounded by restaurants and shops and homes. There will be days to be anxious and worried about the Angels’ future in the city they have called home for 60 years. Today is not one of them.

Read more:Shaikin: Angels should match Zach Neto's loyalty and give him a long-term deal

Take it from the mayor of Anaheim, who told me that even after telling me why she wants the city attorney to look into whether the Angels are violating their stadium lease.

“Opening day, to me, is nothing about clauses in a contract,” Aitken said. “It’s about family traditions. It’s about kicking off summer. And it’s about getting so many factions and neighborhoods of Anaheim together for a singular purpose, which is cheering on our hometown boys. That’s the beauty of baseball.”

And, as a lifelong Angels fan, she had one more thing to say.

“Right now,” Aitken said, “we’re tied for first place.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers’ modern-day dynasty is already cemented, with the club having won back-to-back World Series and three in the past six seasons.

Now, they are chasing history, trying to join the 1972-1974 Athletics and 1998-2000 Yankees as the only franchises in MLB’s expansion era (since 1961) to win three consecutive championships.

Such expectations might sound suffocating. Anything short of another title will be a failure.

Most important hitter: Kyle Tucker

The Dodgers roster is getting older, with seven of their nine projected starters in the lineup past the age of 30. That’s why the offseason signing of Kyle Tucker was so important. At 29, he still in the prime of his career. And by slotting into the No. 2 spot of the order, he will play a critical role, providing protection for Shohei Ohtani and setting the table for Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts behind him. The Dodgers think he can be an MVP-caliber player. He’s never had a better opportunity to prove it.

Most important pitcher: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Without Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers don’t win last year’s World Series –– and might have even been in danger of missing the playoffs. They’ll have more talent around him this year, thanks to Edwin Díaz’s addition as closer and Shohei Ohtani’s return to full-time pitching duties. But Yamamoto has established himself as the team’s ace, making his performance (and health coming off a burdensome October workload) paramount for a team that struggled on the mound at times last season.

Bigger year than expected: Teoscar Hernandez

After becoming a fan favorite during his debut Dodgers season in 2024, Teoscar Hernández had a frustrating encore last year after signing a three-year extension. His defense was bad. His at-bat quality was lacking. And he wasn’t 100% healthy. However, he transformed his body this offseason, put up huge spring numbers and looks poised for a resurgent campaign; capable of a bounce-back year as an overlooked member of the team’s star-studded lineup.

Most likely to disappoint: Roki Sasaki

In some ways, Roki Sasaki helped save the Dodgers season by returning from a shoulder injury and starring as an emergency closer in the playoffs. However, there remain many questions about his return to starting pitching. Can he command his fastball? Can he find a third pitch? Can he live up to the lofty expectations that accompanied his arrival from Japan? That’s a lot for a 24-year-old with eight career MLB starts. More growing pains could be ahead.

Key call-up: River Ryan

While it won’t technically be his MLB debut, after he appeared in four games in 2024, River Ryan’s return from Tommy John surgery will mark a new beginning in his career. During his brief 2024 debut, the right-hander impressed with a 1.33 ERA. Now, he might be even better, having added 30 pounds during his rehab and improved his six-pitch repertoire. His workload will be limited this year, meaning he is likely to open in triple-A. But at some point, he’ll be counted on in the rotation. Hopes are high for how he’ll perform.

Biggest managerial decision

Already, Dave Roberts has indicated an eagerness to give his biggest, and oldest, stars more days off. The only problem: Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and others have long been loath to days on the bench. Thus, striking that workload balance will be an ongoing challenge for Roberts all year, as he tries to keep guys both fresh for the long haul and happy over the course of a long season.

Don’t be surprised if…

… The Dodgers are looking for a frontline starting pitcher at the trade deadline. The easiest way for this season to go wrong, after all, is if injuries ravage a rotation that was pushed to its physical limits during last year’s playoffs. And if that happens, the Dodgers have shown a willingness to be aggressive on the trade market for impact players. Having a top-ranked farm system will give them options too.

Sure to make fans grumble

Bullpen usage. One luxury of having a team as good as the Dodgers’ is that they can take the long view, and occasionally punt on winnable games to keep their roster –– and bullpen, specifically –– fresh for the end of the year. That means, some nights, conservative reliever decisions might lead to frustrating losses. But if it means the Dodgers have a healthier pitching staff come October, it’s a trade-off they’re willing to make.

Will make playoffs if…

… Everything goes anywhere close to expected, thanks to the vast margin for error their $400-plus million payroll will provide. Even before opening day, a 14th-consecutive postseason trip seems assured.

Will miss playoffs if…

… A meteor crashes into Earth, perhaps? Plenty can go wrong, from pitching injuries to bullpen struggles to underperformance from an aging lineup. But even in a worst-case scenario, the Dodgers should still be playing in October.

Prediction

105-57: Even while winning back-to-back World Series, the Dodgers have somewhat underperformed the past two years by not winning 100 games. That should change this year, with the team looking better equipped to handle the rigors of a 162-game marathon.

How their season will end

Without a third-straight World Series. Right now, it’s difficult to see any team stacking up with the Dodgers. Yet, Fangraphs’ computer model gives them only a 26.7% chance of winning it all. That’s still three times as good as the next closest contender. But it serves as a reminder that, in the crapshoot of a long year and unforgiving postseason format, even the best team is more likely to lose than not. So, while the Dodgers survived a World Series scare last year, odds are they eventually trip up at some point. It’s just hard to see when, or how, right now.

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The Boston Red Sox enter 2026 with the clear expectation of returning to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in eight years.

The 2026 team stands on a foundation of exceptionally deep starting pitching, horses to stabilize the bullpen, and colossal pressure on Roman Anthony to carry a reshuffled offense. In fact, it’s basically the opposite of how they entered the season last year in terms of roster construction. Boston’s 2025 Opening Day lineup in Texas seemed poised to put on a power show all summer long; the pressure was on newly-acquired ace Garrett Crochet to anchor an injury-plagued, inconsistent rotation. But these two completely different roster constructions should land the Red Sox in the exact same place: A playoff berth, likely followed by an early exit in the building block years of a return to contention. 

The 2026 team, like last year’s version, should teeter around 90 wins, though playing through the gauntlet that is the American League East says more about Boston’s talent than the win total. What’s probably ahead for the Red Sox is a simple step forward. Host playoff action at Fenway Park and make it to the ALDS. Anything added on is gravy. 

You know what this two-year stretch feels like? The building stages we went through in 2016 and 2017. 

The Red Sox offense produced like an absolute wagon in 2016. That year featured David Ortiz’s retirement tour, the last healthy season from Dustin Pedroia, 31 homers from Mookie Betts, and the ascension of Xander Bogaerts. The offense told the story of the team. Despite a solid Boston introduction for David Price and a Cy Young award for Rick Porcello, pitching shortcomings led to a first-round sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Indians. 

That feels like the 2025 Red Sox. 

In 2017, the Red Sox got real with pitching, as Chris Sale racked up over 300 strikeouts and Craig Kimbrel cruised to 35 saves and a microscopic 1.43 ERA. Ultimately, the offense regressed without any real power threat and found the same result: 93 wins followed by an ALDS loss, this time to the Houston Astros. 

In shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone in the 2026 Red Sox trend in that direction. Boston structured two totally different rosters for Alex Cora to navigate to October. Understand the direction. Understand the growth. Understand the value of playoff experience.

These may not be the years the duck boats roll through the city. But what Boston should see this year is October baseball and the early chapters of the next true Red Sox contender.

MLB Opening Day 2026 is finally here, but the first game of the season is airing on an unusual platform.

For the first time, Netflix has an exclusive MLB broadcast as they’ll stream Yankees vs. Giants Wednesday night in a standalone opener, much to the chagrin of YES Network play-by-player Michael Kay. Most other teams open Thursday, with some teams’ seasons starting Friday.

Netflix has previously streamed boxing bouts and NFL games on Christmas Day.

Here’s what you need to know about how to watch Yankees vs. Giants on Netflix for Opening Day.

Do I need Netflix to watch the game?

Yes, Wednesday’s Yankees vs. Giants game is only available to watch on Netflix, which requires a paid subscription. Fans in the tri-state area can also listen to the game on WFAN.

What time does it start?

Yankees vs. Giants starts at 8:05 p.m. ET.

Can I watch it for free?

Netflix does not offer a free trial.

Who are the Netflix broadcasters?

Matt Vasgersian will be the play-by-player, while CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence will be the in-booth analysts. Elle Duncan will be the host on the desk with Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and Anthony Rizzo.

Lauren Shehadi is the in-game reporter, and Netflix comedic star Bert Kreischer, along with WWE’s The Usos, will be contributing.

Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, a former Texas Rangers draft pick, will also be a special guest.

What about the rest of the Yankees vs. Giants series?

After an off day Thursday, YES will air Game 2 of the series Friday at 4:35 p.m. ET.

Fox will air Saturday’s game at 7:15 p.m. ET.

The Yankees are off Sunday before starting a series Monday against the Mariners in Seattle.

Who are the starting pitchers for the Yankees vs. Giants opener?

Lefty Max Fried will start for the Yankees, while righty Logan Webb gets the ball for the Giants.

Yankees lineup

1. Trent Grisham, CF

2. Aaron Judge, RF

3. Cody Bellinger, LF

4. Ben Rice, 1B

5. Giancarlo Stanton, DH

6. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B

7. Jose Caballero, SS

8. Ryan McMahon, 3B

9. Austin Wells, C

Giants lineup

1. Luis Arraez, 2B

2. Matt Chapman, 3B

3. Rafael Devers, DH

4. Willy Adames, SS

5. Jung Hoo Lee, RF

6. Heliot Ramos, LF

7. Casey Schmitt, 1B

8. Patrick Bailey, C

9. Harrison Bader, CF

Garrett Crochet came to the Boston Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox in a move that surely made the southsiders groan and throw everything within reach as far as possible. All Crochet did once settling in Beantown was post a 6.3 bWAR season that featured and AL-best 205.1 IP and MLB-best 255 Ks, efforts that were buttressed by a sterling 2.59 ERA, 2.89 FIP, and minuscule 1.03 WHIP.

He finished 2nd in the American League Cy Young Award voting to Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers while making his second consecutive All Star Game and even inked a 6-year, $170 million extension to be Boston’s ace through 2031.

That’s a long-winded way of suggesting that it’s pretty obvious who Boston will roll out to start for them on Opening Day 2026 when they face the Cincinnati Reds, almost as obvious as stating that Crochet is left-handed.

The Reds will immediately get the chance to see how to line up against a southpaw, something they struggled with mightily in 2025. Their collective 79 wRC+ as a team against lefties was the 5th worst in all of baseball with bottom-feeders like the Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, and Pittsburgh Pirates among those few teams who did worse. Compounding that problem is that each of Austin Hays (155 wRC+ vs. LHP) and Miguel Andujar (153) are no longer with the club after being two of the precious few hitters last year who actually could perform against LHP.

In terms of the players we can actually expect to be part of the lineup, let’s walk through what manager Terry Francona has hinted at over the course of the offseason, beginning with the outfield.

Noelvi Marte struggled mightily against LHP in 2025 (55 wRC+ in 104 PA), but it seems as if he’s going to be given another shot this year to prove that was a fluke. It’s something he’s been working on a lot over the winter, and my best guess is that he’ll be in RF to start.

TJ Friedl (88 wRC+ in 198 PA) wasn’t as effective against southpaws last year as he had been in previous seasons, but he’s typically not terrible against them. Where Francona moves him is the wild card here, as Dane Myers (119 wRC+ in 117 PA against LHP in 2025 with Miami) is a plus defender in CF who the Reds brought over specifically because he can hit LHP. Friedl could, in theory, slide over to LF, but that’s likely where Spencer Steer will get some run given the options across the infield. Lefty Will Benson will undoubtedly be on the pine to start this one.

On the infield, it seems a foregone conclusion that the Reds are going to trust that the defense of Ke’Bryan Hayes will continue to be so monumental that it outweighs his abysmal output at the plate. He’ll start at 3B and likely bat 9th. Elly De La Cruz is the team’s lone switch-hitter, and he’ll bat righty and hit 3rd while playing SS. Matt McLain has regained the faith of Francona thanks to his electric spring, and all signs point to him hitting 2nd while playing 2B most everyday, but especially against LHP. At 1B, Sal Stewart appears poised to be the almost-everyday option there, particularly against LHP – and I expect that to be the case on Thursday vs. Crochet.

That leaves the DH spot for Eugenio Suárez, who has typically bashed LHP across his lengthy career (.824 OPS vs. .781 against RHP), while one of Tyler Stephenson or Jose Trevino will catch. In 2025, starter Andrew Abbott pitched to Stephenson in 18 games and Trevino in 10, so odds are it’ll be Ty Steves.

With that spelled out, here’s how I expect things to look on the card Tito hands to the home plate umpire tomorrow afternoon in Great American Ball Park:

1. Friedl – CF
2. McLain – 2B
3. De La Cruz – SS
4. Stewart – 1B
5. Suárez – DH
6. Steer – lf
7. Stephenson – C
8. Marte – RF
9. Hayes – 3B

Given the status of the game in Cincinnati, I think Francona will give Friedl the start, with Myers getting a chance to pinch-hit against Crochet at some point mid-game and remain in as defensive cover for Marte (if the game’s close, or if the Reds have an unexpected lead).

This may seem like a bit of a deep dive for one particular game, but it’s what I expect to be the thought process for Francona each and every time they face a southpaw this year with this particular roster in place.

We’re a few hours away from a brand new season of San Francisco Giants baseball. Over the last four years, the Giants have gone 321-327. The hope, then, is that starting tonight — when the Giants host the New York Yankees at 5:05 p.m. PT on Netflix — the Giants can put together a campaign that’s more than two games off of the center line for the first time since 2021 which, unfortunately, was also their last winning season.

To prepare you for tonight’s matchup, here are 26 predictions for the Giants 2026 season. They’re mostly (though not entirely) optimistic, because if you’re a Giants fan who doesn’t have optimism on March 25, when will you have it? And they’re mostly not incredibly bold, because … well … look … yes I’m optimistic, but I’m trying to also be realistic here. And we’ll make them quick (editor’s note: no, apparently, we will not), because it’s Opening Day, you’ve got things to do!

1. Willy Adames and Rafael Devers start the season hot

There’s no denying that Willy Adames and Rafael Devers are two of the team’s best hitters. There’s also no denying that their respective introductions to the fanbase last year didn’t go as planned. Adames, fresh off signing the (then) largest contract in franchise history, was hitting .193/.281/.303 a week into June. Devers, who came over later that month in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox, hit 21-100 with 36 strikeouts in his first 28 games following the deal.

Just for good measure, they were — among players who made the Opening Day roster — the two coldest hitters on the team in Cactus League play, with respective OPS figures of .438 and .510.

I’m saying it doesn’t matter, and they hit the ground running. Starting tonight. Speaking of which…

2. Someone plays 160 games

A year ago, Devers became the rare player who appeared in 163 games, thanks to the schedule at the time of the trade. It was the fourth time in his career he played at least 150 games. Adames? 160 games last year, and 161 the year prior. Matt Chapman has played in 150 games on four different occasions, while Heliot Ramos got into 157 games a year ago.

160 is a large number of games, and the smart money says that everyone will get dinged up enough that it doesn’t happen. But I don’t listen to the smart money. Which, unfortunately, explains a lot about me.

3. The Giants have more debuts this year than last year

Last year, six different Giants made their Major League debut, with an even split between position players and pitchers: hitters Christian Koss, Bryce Eldridge, and Drew Gilbert, and arms Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour, and Joel Peguero.

I think we’ll get more this year. That’s perhaps slightly bold, given that the Giants didn’t make any Rule 5 protections this season, though they did make a Rule 5 selection in Daniel Susac, who made the Opening Day roster and thus, barring something truly unexpected, will be the first Giant to debut this season.

The bulk of the young, unproven players in camp this year (like the aforementioned Carsons) have already made their debuts, though there were a few standouts — Victor Bericoto, anyone? — who are still waiting for the first call. San Francisco has a set enough roster that this may be a bold prediction, but there’s also talent in the pipeline.

4. Logan Webb throws multiple complete game shutouts

I think Logan Webb ends the year still searching for his elusive first no-hitter, but along the way, I’ll say he makes it through nine donut innings on multiple occasions. Webb has just two such games in his career — once each in 2024 and 2025 — and, subsequently, has led the National League in them in each of the past two years.

5. Adrian Houser is replaced

This prediction looked smarter a few weeks ago, when it was accompanied by a rosier prediction: Hayden Birdsong ends the year as the team’s No. 2 starter. Since then, Birdsong was shut down and scheduled for Tommy John surgery, ending his 2026 before it began.

I still think that Houser ends the year outside of the rotation, and not because of injury. The Giants will give him every chance to stick, since he’s on a two-year deal, and I think he’ll be fine. Not good, per se, but fine. But at some point, something more enticing will come along — maybe the development of Whisenhunt, Seymour, Trevor McDonald, or Blade Tidwell; maybe a trade; maybe a reliever who gets a chance to stretch out — and the Giants will shift Houser to a different role (or the same role, with a different team).

On that note…

6. The rotation looks worse entering the offseason than last year

The Giants rotation doesn’t project to be good, but it’s not hard to see how it could overperform and be an asset. But even if that happens, the team has quite an issue ahead of them: after patching two spots in the rotation this past winter, they’ll enter the next offseason in at least the same situation, with Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle entering free agency. I already predicted that Houser will lose his spot in the starting five, but that doesn’t guarantee the Giants find a suitable replacement, as we all saw with Jordan Hicks a year ago. There’s a very real world in which the Giants enter the offseason with a rotation of Webb, Landen Roupp, and a trio of question marks.

7. They have three All-Stars

This one just feels right. The Giants have a quartet of clear All-Star talents in Webb, Adames, Devers, and Chapman. Patrick Bailey is an All-Star level catcher, though he doesn’t hit well enough to get recognized as such. Ryan Walker has been an All-Star level reliever in the past. Heliot Ramos has been a literal All-Star, and Luis Arráez has been three times. Harrison Bader and Jung Hoo Lee have it in them if everything breaks right.

Most of those players won’t be All-Stars this year. But three of them will be.

8. We see Tim Lincecum

Everyone’s favorite Giant, Tim Lincecum, has mostly been absent at 24 Willie Mays Plaza since retiring. That’s always been part of Timmy’s lore: I’m not sure there’s ever been a Giant who was more personable and fan friendly, yet I’m also not sure there’s ever been a Giant who so badly wanted to hide from the spotlight of stardom. He is, at once, as comfortable and uncomfortable as you can be with the idea of being adored by the masses.

That will never change. Fans clamoring for Lincecum to show up at the ballpark on a regular basis like Mays did and Barry Bonds does, will always be disappointed. You won’t see him yukking it up with Kruk and Kuip in the broadcast booth once a month, or running drills with Buster Posey in Scottsdale. The dam will never break, but at some point I expect someone to come along and meagerly splash some water from one side of it onto the other. Maybe it’s a Wall of Fame ceremony, maybe it’s to celebrate Brandon Belt, or maybe it’s entirely out of the blue, but I think we see the long hair and soul-healing smile of Tim Lincecum sometime this year.

Above all else, I hope he’s doing OK.

9. ABS has no impact on Patrick Bailey’s defense

When it was announced that the automated balls and strikes challenge system was coming to Major League Baseball, fans flocked to question how it would impact Bailey’s all-world framing statistics. I always felt like the answer was “not at all.” While Bailey has been known to egregiously steal a strike or two, the bulk of his framing value — to my eye — comes from the 50/50 balls. It sounds silly to say, but a lot of Bailey’s defensive wizardry comes in the form of helping umpires get the correct call, not the incorrect one. A good framer is less invested in getting the pitches four inches off the plate called for strikes, and more determined to ensure that the ones that just tickle the edge of the zone are properly called. With only two failed challenges allowed, it’s hard to see that skill being notably diminished under the new system.

10. The bullpen will look dramatically different at the end of the year

There’s always a lot of turnover in the bullpen. That’s the case for all 30 teams. Players surprise, for better and for worse; injuries abound; and guys need rest and reset time.

I predict an especially heavy turnover year for the Giants bullpen. I think the eight arms in the ‘pen for Game No. 162 will have more than 50% turnover from the octet that will be behind the outfield wall at Oracle Park tonight, though that’s not a very bold prediction given that Sam Hentges, Jason Foley, Reiver Sanmartín, and Peguero are all starting the year injured. And along those lines…

11. We get more bullpen heat

I’ll admit it: the Giants had me worried this offseason with their bullpen plan of action. They still do, admittedly, though that fear has been slightly reduced. I wasn’t a fan of the way the front office — which had already traded Camilo Doval and lost Randy Rodríguez for the year — targeted crafty finesse relievers, instead of chasing the electric stuff that defines every good modern bullpen. My fears were compounded when the team traded Kai-Wei Teng right before camp, and then Birdsong suffered his season-ending injury, and then they reassigned Gregory Santos and his triple-digit heater to Minor League camp.

But they happily surprised me with their Opening Day roster, which included the admissions of both Keaton Winn and Caleb Kilian. I suspect those two will stick, and more heat will join them (and Erik Miller). Santos will likely get called up at some point, and Peguero will get healthy eventually. Will Bednar will likely factor into the mix some day, and perhaps Blade Tidwell moves from the AAA rotation to the MLB bullpen. Spencer Miles probably gets returned by the Toronto Blue Jays at som point in the season. As a result, by the end of the year, I project the bullpen to be modernized, with a whole slew of flame-throwing arms.

While we’re on the subject…

12. Gregory Santos will be their best reliever

I want to make it clear that this is a positive Santos prediction, not a negative Walker one. I think Walker will have a fantastic year, and I believe he’ll stay in the closer role all year long, and deservedly so.

But I also think that, by the end of the year, the reliever you think is best on the team is Santos. Perhaps it sounds like I’m a little high on the aforementioned 100-mph fastball. Maybe it seems as though I’m being very bold by predicting that an NRI who has already been reassigned ends the year as the star of the ‘pen. You might think I’m just clinging to an old belief in someone who was once one of the top prospects in the system, despite that being many years ago, before getting designated for assignment and playing for two other franchises before returning home.

No. It’s just an understanding that Santos, when healthy and in rhythm, is really good. He only has one healthy season (2023 with the Chicago White Sox), but in that year he ranked 11th out of all MLB relievers in FIP (2.65) and 15th in fWAR (1.5). His average fastball velocity (98.8 mph) was 98th percentile out of all MLB pitchers, while his walk rate (5.9%) was 85th percentile, and his barrel rate (1.5%) was 100th percentile. It is, frankly, a staggering profile.

He didn’t have the best spring, which is understandable: he’s only pitched 26.2 innings over the last two seasons, between both the Majors and the Minors. He has rust. But his injuries weren’t to his arm, and he’s only 26 years old. Expecting Santos to stay healthy might be a bold prediction; thinking he’ll excel if healthy, on the other hand, is a very mild one.

13. Rafael Devers is a Gold Glove finalist

Count me among those who were very impressed by how well — and quickly — Devers caught on at first base last year. And count me among those who think that anyone who can play third base in the Majors — even play it poorly, as Devers did — can handle first fairly gracefully. Give him a full season at the bag, and working with Ron Washington, and I think Devers will end the year as an asset at the corner, rather than a liability.

14. Harrison Bader and Luis Arráez go in different directions

It’s pretty obvious why the Giants went after Bader and Arráez this offseason, and made the pair the only two position players they signed to Major League deals. Both provide things the team desperately needed: in Bader’s case, center field defense and a third outfielder that isn’t a massive question mark; in Arráez’s case, a contact maven who can provide offense without regularly striking out, and frustrate opposing pitchers.

Yet while both offer some clear skills that the team desperately needs, they also have some glaring red flags in their respective games, and it’s why the market never fully materialized for either player (even in a modest offseason, Bader and Arráez earned just the 16th and 24th largest total contracts, respectively, among position players).

For Bader, the red flag comes from healthy pessimism that he can’t repeat his 2025 offensive performance. He hit so well last year (122 wRC+) that he ended up being a critical part of a sensational Philadelphia Phillies offense. But that came after a three-year run of hitting .239/.284/.360, for a wRC+ of 80. In other words, after three straight years of hitting like Bailey, Bader suddenly hit like Chapman in his age-31 season. The defensive savant has credited those improvements to a changed swing, but I’m dubious that it’s anything sustainable. His underlying statistics didn’t look much different, and still paint a fairly grim picture, and it’s easy to look at his success and see a lot of luck at play: he had a .359 BABIP, after entering the year with a career mark of just .292. Subsequently, his batting average (.277) outpaced his expected average (.220) by an outrageous 57 points, while his slugging (.449) was ahead of his expected slugging (.374) by a full 75 points. All while rocking a strikeout rate (27.1%) that was 7.4 percentage points ahead of his mark during his prior three years.

As for Arráez, the known concern is his poor second base defense, but I’m more worried about the declining numbers on offense. His wRC+ has gone from 131 in 2023, to 109 in 2024, to 104 a year ago, while his batting average has dipped from .354 to .314 to .292. If those trend lines continue, he’ll be a below-average hitter in 2026, with no defensive or baserunning value to make up for it.

The worst case scenario for each player is still a valuable addition to the Giants. Bader is good enough defensively to be a huge part of the team no matter how he hits, even if he eventually becomes a fourth outfielder. And Arráez is competitive enough with his at-bats that he’ll always provide something the Giants need in the batter’s box.

So my cop-out prediction is this: the red flags portend struggles for one of those players, but not for both of them. I don’t know which one. But the Giants will end the season either looking for a starting center fielder so Bader can be a defensive replacement, while bemoaning the fact that they can’t afford to re-sign Arráez, or they’ll end it geeked about Bader being their All-Star-level man in the middle, while wondering what the hell they should do at the keystone. Actually, let me amend that last point…

15. They figure out second base

The Giants haven’t hidden their concerns at second base, but they haven’t fully addressed them, either. They didn’t make a run at Bo Bichette in free agency. They flirted with trades for Brendan Donovan and CJ Abrams, but ultimately landed on a one-year deal for Arráez, with Casey Schmitt and Christian Koss backing him up.

I’m assuming there’s a belief within the organization that they only need a stopgap at the position for a few years. Four of their best prospects — Josuar González, Luis Hernández, Jhonny Level, and Gavin Kilen — play shortstop, which means at least one of them is likely to move to the other side of the bag, either to facilitate roster logistics or cover up defensive deficiencies. But none of those four have played above Low-A, so they need to figure something out for at least another year after this one, and probably two.

I predict they do exactly that. Perhaps Arráez rebounds offensively while showing off improved defense after a spring in the desert with Washington, and the team extends him before the year ends. Maybe he craters, and Schmitt or Koss takes the job and runs with it. Don’t sleep on Jesús Rodríguez, either: he may be the third-string catcher, but he was initially developed as a third baseman, spent much of spring at second, and has one hell of a bat. And hell, who knows … maybe they revisit those Abrams discussions at the trade deadline.

16. Kyle Harrison dominates them

My favorite move of the offseason didn’t involve the Giants at all: it was the Red Sox trading Kyle Harrison to the Milwaukee Brewers. Harrison, once the top prospect in the organization, hadn’t done well in his short stint with the BoSox, and now his fortunes have reversed. Instead of being in an organization that doesn’t value the pitches he throws the best, he gets new life with a team known for spinning gold out of hay bales of pitching prospects.

I expect big things for Harrison. He’s still just 24, and I haven’t forgotten the way he set Minor League records while tearing through the farm system. If there’s a place where he can succeed, it’s unequivocally Milwaukee.

So far, that’s what he’s done. Harrison not only made the Opening Day roster, but did so as part of the Brewers’ rotation. He’ll get a chance to prove himself every fifth day, and if he lines up to face the Giants this year … well … I expect that to go very, very well for him, and very poorly for the Giants. It just makes sense.

It should be noted that the Devers trade was, without question, a good one for the Giants. No amount of Harrison success will change that. But … if Harrison has a breakout season for the Brew Crew, it won’t reflect well on the Giants. While it won’t make them regret the trade in the slightest, it will open up the door for criticism. Why was their development team unable to get the most out of Harrison, when another team could? Why didn’t they push for a different prospect package and make their homegrown ace-in-the-making untouchable?

And as long as we’re talking about old friends…

17. Luis Matos has a big year … somewhere

As expected, the Giants designated Matos for assignment on Wednesday. He didn’t make the Opening Day roster, and he didn’t have options, and so his Giants story likely ends.

San Francisco waited until the 11th hour to DFA Matos, in hopes that he can sneak through waivers, but I doubt he does. He’d make a lot of sense on a bad team that can give him run, or on a team dealing with spring injuries that needs a fill-in, or on a team that just lost Jurickson Profar to a 162-game suspension, if such a thing happens to exist.

And I think he has a big year. This is not rooted in anything analytical: it’s really hard to look at Matos’ stats and underlying metrics and find a reason for optimism. Instead, it’s just a vibes and hope-based bold prediction, that the Matos who has shown flashes over the years finally puts it all together. There are certainly crazier things than a just-turned-24-year-old former top prospect figuring things out, even if it’s hard to envision how that would actually happen.

18. They swing another big deadline deal

I think the Giants are mostly done spending money. They still owe nearly half a billion to Devers, Adames, and Chapman, and their ownership group is openly, if not proudly, hesitant to dole out big contracts. And at some point they have to start planning for either a Logan Webb extension, or a big free agent to minimize the blowback after letting Webb sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

So I don’t expect the Giants to redo the Devers trade this summer, and take Bryce Harper or Fernando Tatis Jr. off someone’s hands, though I’d love to see that. But I still think they make a big trade. Likely that means giving up a few of their best prospects for a young, cost-controlled talent, but if they struggle in the standings, it could mean parting ways with some of their MLB-level players, and really re-upping the farm. Either way…

19. They have a top-five farm by the end of the year

This one is a fairly bold prediction. The Giants’ farm system has been steadily trending in the right direction, but they’re still a ways away from being in the top five. And while they’ll get a boost from having the No. 4 overall pick in July’s draft, they’ll likely take an even bigger hit, as top prospect Bryce Eldridge will almost certainly graduate this year.

But farms are built on top-end talent, and I think the Giants will replace Eldridge with the increased development of González and Hernández. I project the former is a top-five prospect at year’s end, and the latter a top-25. With players like Level, Kilen, Bo Davidson, Dakota Jordan, and Parks Harber threatening to rise the ranks as well, to make no mention of their cast of exciting young pitchers, it’s not inconceivable that the team could end the year with a farm system positively bursting with potential, even without Eldridge. And while I’ve got you here…

20. Bryce Eldridge has a distinctly mediocre season

Eldridge is unquestionably one of the top prospects in baseball. Yet there’s a reason that every projection system expects him to be, at best, an average bat with a sky-high strikeout rate. And there’s a reason he’s beginning the year in AAA.

He’ll be back in the Majors soon enough, and he’ll be must-watch TV when he is. And really, this prediction is less about throwing cold water on the Eldridge hype, and more about resetting your expectations. The lefty won’t turn 22 until a few days before the World Series, and will watch hundreds and hundreds of players older than he is get drafted in July.

Sure, we might all be dreaming of him anchoring the heart of the lineup with Devers, but here’s the reality: if Eldridge hits at the league average this season, that’s the type of performance that will have people writing sentences like this ahead of the 2027 season: Eldridge held his own as a 21-year getting his first taste of MLB pitching, so we can expect him to break out with a star-level performance this year.

That’s just how it goes. Eldridge is going to face the best pitchers in the world, who will have a scouting report on him. He’ll see pitches and gameplans that he’s never been exposed to before. He’ll struggle to tread water. And if he holds his own, just at an average level, that will be a sign of how good he is, not how bad he is.

21. There are more Tommy John surgeries coming down the line

The Giants have lost two of their most exciting pitchers to Tommy John surgery in the last eight months: Rodríguez last fall, and Birdsong this spring. Despite that, they’ve been remarkably good at keeping their pitchers from needing TJ over the years. That can’t last forever, and I fear that more such surgeries are in their future, be it at he Major League or Minor League levels. I’m not going to predict anyone in particular, though, as that would be supremely grim. Hey, let’s talk about something happier.

22. They have five 20-homer hitters

Last year, Adames finally broke the 30-home run curse that had lasted nearly two decades. This year, I predict the Giants have a remarkably balanced attack with the long ball, with a quintet putting the ball over the fence at least 20 times. Adames and Devers are locks if healthy: neither player has ever failed to hit 20 homers in a full season. Chapman is a near-lock. I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to project Ramos to pop for 20.

That still leaves one more spot though. I don’t know who it will be, but there are options. If Eldridge is called up sometime before June, he has a great chance of getting there. If either Schmitt or Jerar Encarnación gets consistent playing time, they could do it. Bader had 17 a year ago, so it’s not entirely inconceivable. Arráez surprisingly just got there if you combine his last three seasons…

Moving on.

23. Heliot Ramos rebounds in the right ways

The worst-kept secret in baseball is my undying belief in Ramos. If belief paid real dividends, you wouldn’t be reading this silly 5,000-word article, because I’d have retired to a beach somewhere after 2024. But 2025 was not just a step backwards for the now-26 year old, but it was an odd season. Much was made of his atrocious defensive play, and his uncharacteristic blunders on the basepaths, both of which are well documented. But what flew under the radar was his regression against left-handed pitchers. After crushing southpaws at a historic pace in 2024 — he had a .370/.439/.750 slash line, for a 222 wRC+ — Ramos fell back to earth in 2025, hitting just .254/.323/.420, good for a 107 wRC+.

But also flying under the radar was his emergence against righties. Ramos looked like he had potential to slip into a platoon in 2024, when he only hit .240/.286/.387, with an 89 wRC+ against same-handed pitchers. Remarkably, in 2025, he hit them nearly as well as lefties, slashing .257/.330/.392, with a 106 wRC+.

The result was that, while Ramos’ overall offensive package took a step backwards, he was the rare hitter who was comfortably above league-average against both right-handers and left-handers. The success against righties came in a huge sample size (more than 500 plate appearances), which gives us a lot of reason to believe it’s sustainable. I think we’ll see a rebound against left-handed hitters … not to the Aaron Judge-esque 1.189 OPS that he posted two years ago, but to something in between his 2024 and 2025. That, combined with sustained above-average hitting against righties, would make him one of the top hitters in baseball.

Perhaps more importantly, I think the defense recovers. It seems very clear that Ramos’ struggles in the grass a year ago were primarily mental, and both he and his coaches have said all the right things about him this spring. He has all the tools, he just needs to make them work. There’s a big year waiting for him.

24. Daniel Susac survives the year, but…

Most Rule 5 picks don’t last on their new team all year, and that’s doubly true for catchers. But I think Susac will be the exception to the rule (5). The Giants are fairly enamored with him, and they don’t need great production from their backup catcher, given how heavily they’ll rely on Bailey. They’ve been impressed with his defense, and his power — which is either excellent or underwhelming, depending on who you ask — was eye-opening in Spring Training, where his exit velocities were highly notable.

Susac has the makings of the rare Rule 5 pick who both has too much potential to not hoard, and is good enough to stick on talent alone. He entered the spring in pole position for the role due to his Rule 5 status, but ended the spring having won the job simply by outplaying veteran Eric Haase and Rodríguez, one of the team’s top prospects.

Which brings us to the “but…” This one’s a double prediction: I think Susac survives the year and plays well, but Rodríguez also becomes a huge part of the team at some point, be it as a second baseman, a third catcher, a fourth outfielder, or a super-utility player. There’s room at the table for both of them.

25. Tony Vitello doesn’t get thrown out early on

There’s been a lot of discussion about when Tony Vitello will get his first career ejection. He’s a manager who leads with a lot of energy, and wears emotions on his sleeve. He’s not afraid to mix things up. Those are the traits of someone who will get thrown out early and often.

I don’t buy the early part, though. Probably not the often part, either. For all his outward emotion, Vitello doesn’t strike me as the sort to pump up his team by getting ejected. I kind of feel like he’d view that as abandoning them. Especially in the early going, when he’s still establishing himself, he’ll want to make sure that he’s right there with his players, and not leaving them out on the grassy, playful battlefield.

Then again, MLB umps have more fragile egos than the ones in the SEC, so he may be in for a rude surprise at some point…

26. The Giants finish second in the NL West, and make the postseason

We end with the happiest prediction of all: postseason baseball returns to San Francisco. This prediction is partially optimism about the Giants, and partially pessimism about the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. I’ll stop short of saying they catch the Dodgers — wouldn’t that be fun, though? — but I think the curse of mediocrity is broken, and the Giants return to the postseason.

Happy Opening Day, everyone. Enjoy the optimism, even if it lasts for just a few hours.