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Record and Finish

95-67, first place in the AL East: The time is now! It’s not a perfect Red Sox team, but it’s the best Red Sox team they’ve fielded so far this decade, and its time for them to start making serious waves in the American League. There’s enough talent here where the goal should be to win the division and the pennant.

— Matt Gross

89-73, second place in the AL East: I don’t know why, but it feels like there’s something missing with this team.I like the pitching staff, but the lineup leaves a little something to be desired. Just one or two injuries and the offense could be seriously lacking. I think it’s a good team, but I see one of the Blue Jays or Yankees finishing ahead of them in the regular season. Maybe I’m just too conditioned to the Wild Card Red Sox, though.

— Jacob Roy

92-70, second place in the AL East: If they had gone out and acquired the middle-of-the-order power bat that was publicly stated as a priority for the offseason, I might feel differently, but I still have Toronto a notch above Boston at the moment. I don’t care how they looked on Opening Night, the Yankees running back the same squad and a staff that is mostly injured entering the season is lunacy. The Wild Card game will be at Fenway in 2026.

— Bob Osgood

90-72, second place in the AL East. This is a good team, kind of like last year, with a lot of improvements. The Roman Anthony-less September is looming like a shadow over everything Breslow has built here. Will a run of lefties shut down the roster? We know Duran and Abreu looked better against southpaws this spring but will it carry over? Can Trevor Story repeat his healthy year? Largely I think “yes” to these questions. But some will probably be “no.“ And that’s the difference between 90 wins and projecting, say, 95.

— Mike Carlucci

92-70, second place in the AL East. I think it’s immensely doable. Not adding a big bat is holding them up from taking the division, in my eyes, but putting the attention into the defense and rotation will pay off.

— Maura McGurk

This team sure looks an awful lot like the Seattle Mariners of recent vintage to me: A pitching rotation that could be the best in the game, but a lineup filled with question marks that could go through some ugly stretches this season. Over the past five years, those Mariners have averaged 88.6 wins, and that sounds about right to me. But the Mariners have been in a division with only two other legitimate playoff contenders, and I see three others in this AL East. This team definitely could win 92+ games and the division, but there’s just too much uncertainty on the roster for me to predict that. 88-72, third place in the AL East.

— Dan Secatore

94-68, first place in the AL East. Pretty simple calculus for me, folks: the offense is at least comparable to the 89-win team from 2025, while the pitching has certainly been improved by a considerable margin. It’s a tough division, yes, and maybe I’m too big of an optimist in your eyes. But hope springs eternal, and I think we can make some big strides in 2026.

—Fitzy Mo Peña

Who will have the most pleasantly surprising season?

I’m the Johan Oviedo guy, so I’m supposed to say Johan Oviedo, but his fastball shape in his final spring training start was concerning, to say the least, so I’ll pivot. Just about everyone is counting Triston Casas out. If he can get healthy, I’m willing to bet he’ll hit his way into the lineup. He’s too talented not to become a good player somewhere, at some point, so why not this year?

— Jacob Roy

Let’s go with Caleb Durbin here. His acquisition to play third base was one of the more interesting moves of the offseason, one that left the Brewers without a “true” third baseman themselves. Known as a strong contact hitter, I think that Durbin’s defense is what might truly become standout, leaving the Red Sox at worst with a solid enough infield to not be a liability and, at best, a team that excels finally with the glove. He’s still an unknown quantity going into his age-26 season, but I think the team will be well-served not having a sieve at third, not to name names.

— Jake Reiser

With Romy Gonzalez not ready for Opening Day, the infield bench options will have watchful eyes set upon them by Red Sox Nation. While pennant races usually aren’t won or lost by the bench, there are key moments down the stretch that are defined by a good pinch hit or a heads-up web gem by a guy not in his usual position. Andruw Monasteriomay only have 600 career at-bats, but he may surprise some folks as a righty option on an otherwise lefty-heavy club, and he’s also defensively versatile. Romy Gonzalez and many before him started with the same level of uncertainty. I’m not going to say he’ll be a world-beater or even an every day starter, but he’ll have some moments.

— Dean Roussel

Masataka Yoshida. It’s going to be a tough fight for at-bats but Masa is finally healthy again. He’s adjusted to the American schedule of baseball. His winter was mostly defined as “release him as a sunk cost.” I don’t know exactly what pleasantly surprising for a veteran looks like. 18 home runs, 150 games, and a lot of perfect running form?

— Mike Carlucci

Connelly Early. I think he’s the real deal and knows exactly what he’s doing with all of his vast array of weapons on the mound. He’s constantly getting better, takes the coaching, shows up ready every time it’s his turn, and is probably extra motivated to stay in the rotation now that he’s been handed Sunday’s slot in Game 3 of the season. I would not be shocked if he’s the second most reliable starter behind Crochet by the end of the season.

— Matt Gross

Brayan Bello. Now that he’s the fourth (or fifth?) starter in the Red Sxo rotation, it feels like counting Bello out is the trendy thing to do. But Bello is still just 26-years-old and is signed through 2029, with a club option for 2030. His peripherals may not back it up, but the full-season picture on Bello a year ago was solid. He threw 166 2/3 innings with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. In an 18-game stretch from May 23rd to August 27th, Bello was 8-5 with a 2.69 ERA, going 6+ innings in 13 of those starts! Move on from the shaky final month of the season; Bello has something to prove in ‘26.

— Bob Osgood

I’m going to say Caleb Durbin, even though it wouldn’t be a true surprise to have him do well. He’s a young and motivated head-down guy. His competency at third will be refreshing, and I think he’s going to truly lean into his speed and any possible tool he can wield in service of the team.

— Maura McGurk

Wilyer Abreu: If he steps up against lefties and stays healthy enough to show the power Boston knows he has, the national audience will have no choice but to bring Abreu’s name to the forefront.

— Tim Crowley

I’m optimistic that Ceddanne Rafaela can continue to make some improvements offensively while playing Platinum Glove-caliber defense in center. His xwOBA has climbed each of the last three seasons (2023 wasn’t a big sample size to be fair to him), and while I’m not even expecting him to be a bang average hotter compared to players league wide, it would be great if he could even be a perfectly cromulent back-of-the-order hitter.

—Fitzy Mo Peña

Does anyone even remember that Triston Casasis alive? We don’t know when he’ll be healthy, or whether he’ll have a position waiting for him when he is. But we do know this: There are only two players on the Red Sox capable of hitting over 30 homers and putting up an OBP around. 380. Casas is one of them.

— Dan Secatore

Who will have the most disappointing season?

I’m reluctantly going to say Trevor Story. He cut down on his strikeout rate considerably year over year, but also saw a huge jump in pitches over the heart of the plate. Very few hitters with his power saw as many pitches to hit. I’d expect pitchers to be more careful with him, and I don’t know if he has the discipline to take his walks.

— Jacob Roy

Color me the pessimist here, I don’t see Connor Wong bouncing back to anywhere near his earlier career form. I understand he was injured for a good deal of last season, but that doesn’t prevent me from thinking he’ll be a replacement level defensive-first, ok-framing, poor-hitting backup to Narváez. It’s my biggest question mark on the roster entering 2026.

— Jake Reiser

Regression is a pain. Sonny Gray has been dropping off since 2023,and I don’t see that changing as he transitions into his late-30s. The discrepancy between his FIP and ERA last year would suggest that perhaps he’s gotten a bit unlucky. And, he says in games long enough to allow him to be unlucky. But his hard hit percentage historically, along with the 6.84 ERA in his career at Fenway (albeit with a small sample size), worry me.

– Dean Roussel

I’m feeling the same as Jake but the other way: I think it’s Carlos Narváez. There was nothing expected of him last year. And teams last year seemed to be scouting him to trigger nonsense interference calls. Challenges will hopefully make “framing” less valuable. I honestly think he is still fine. They don’t need a new catcher. But against expectations Narváez might come up short.

— Mike Carlucci

I don’t think there’s any way Aroldis Chapman is as good as he was a year ago, when he was so automatic the game was pretty much over if the Sox took a lead into the ninth. In fact, he was so automatic that the bullpen isn’t really getting any discussion compared to the rest of the team this spring, and bullpens have a funny way of cracking when that happens. Chapman just turned 38 last month, and while he can still dial up the velocity, some regression seems guaranteed. The only question is how far is the fall off.

— Matt Gross

Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Is it a hot take to say that a backup/utility infielder will not take the world by storm this season? No. But if he’s signed for $6 million, putting the team over the second luxury tax threshold, and prevents them in any way from adding additional payroll for a true impact hitter? Yes, I plan to be disappointed. IKF had an OPS of .631 in 2025, with a career rate of .660, alongside an 82 career wRC+. His speed and defense are average at best, and he hit .227 against left-handers a year ago, an area that the team badly can use help in. Nate Eaton can do what Kiner-Falefa has been signed to do.

— Bob Osgood

I’m torn between Aroldis Chapman and Carlos Narváez, simply because I don’t think they can replicate the shockingly good years they had last year, and that will register as disappointment. Particularly in Chapman’s case, when the plan is to rely on him being lights-out again. I hate writing this because I don’t like to throw up any jinxes.

— Maura McGurk

Brayan Bello: Despite the weight of a top rotation starter off of him, Bello still struggles to attack with his arsenal and shows similar struggles to a tough 2025 finish.

—Tim Crowley

Going to, unfortunately, piggy back on what Mr. Roy said about Trevor Story. If anyone is going to disappoint, there’s a good chance it’s the guy with some iffy stuff under the hood who has injury question marks as well. Hope I’m wrong!

—Fitzy Mo Peña

It seems like a lot of Red Sox Nation is already sold on Caleb Durbin being a good to very good infield piece for the next ~5 years. And, sorry, but it’s hard for me to see a guy who hits baseballs with all the force of a rolled-up newspaper being a good big leaguer over the long-term.

—Dan Secatore

Amongst the newcomers, whose City Connect jersey will we see the most at Fenway come September?

The world could collapse into an apocalypse, and sports could be stopped entirely, but Payton Tolle would find a way to say something goofy into a camera. His happy-go-lucky personality, juxtaposed with his pure power on the mound, will make him a fan favorite.

— Jacob Roy

It’s Payton Tolle, full stop. He’s charismatic alongside pretty darn talented.

— Jake Reiser

Connelly Early. He’s young, his stuff is incredible, and he’s a homegrown talent. Plus, he’s a big lefty. Red Sox fans love that.

– Dean Roussel

Given that Fanatics/Nike basically ignore most players these days I think it has to be Sonny Gray who, as a veteran, will have jerseys made. Demand might be Early but good luck finding any number other than 34 in stock.

— Mike Carlucci

If Tolle manages to pop production wise, it’s going to be him with his combination of velocity and personality, but I’ll stick with my guy Connelly Early, who I’m more confident in being a solid rotation piece out of the gate this year, which fans should gravitate towards by midsummer.

— Matt Gross

It’s Payton Tolle. Anyone who has this much pride for the WBC sendoff needs to be a part of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

— Bob Osgood

Payton Tolle, no doubt.

— Maura McGurk

Tolle. The kid is charming, man.

—Fitzy Mo Peña

Tolle. Could he even be top-five in team jersey sales?

— Tim Crowley

So, um, what’s going to happen with Kristian Campbell this year?

He finally is given a true lane to run in but is stuck in the minors for most of the season…again. His mechanics are still one heck of a work in progress at the dish; it feels like he isn’t the first call-up at all from Worcester. Between Eaton, Hickey, Romero, Sogard, there’s more than enough spot guys that will be called to the big club before Campbell gets a shot.

— Jake Reiser

Some success at Triple A but remains completely blocked. Flipped at the deadline for a bullpen arm.

— Mike Carlucci

I’m not optimistic he gets out of Worcester this year. We’ve pretty much established that Campbell can’t play infield defense at the major league level, which means he’s now buried under the already overcrowded outfield/DH logjam the front office did little to alleviate this winter. This means Campbell really only has two paths to Boston this summer: One, he demolishes Triple-A pitching so much the Sox have to call him up and give him serious at-bats in favor of some combination of the Roman Anthony / Ceddanne Rafaela / Wilyer Abreu / Jarren Duran / Masataka Yoshida (and maybe even Triston Casas). Or two, a bunch of guys get injured and he’s the next best option. Unfortunately, that second scenario feels far more realistic as his quickest ticket back to the big leagues. To be fair though, the one thing he does have going in his favor is he’s right handed, which may lower the bar a little for him to get back to Boston’s unbalanced lineup.

— Matt Gross

He needs to dominate Triple-A LHP to earn the chance to platoon and fill in up in Boston. The roster construction as it stands in the infield makes it really hard for him to play his way back into a starting role.

—Tim Crowley

He works out the kinks in his rebuilt swing throughout the first half of the season and plays a role on the Red Sox in the second half. Injuries will happen with the big club, and the team has made far too big an investment in Campbell to allow a Blake Swihart situation to happen again.

— Bob Osgood

Speaking of jinxes! I would love to see him turn it around but where’s the evidence? His finding a home in the outfield is a mixed blessing; at least he can focus now, which presumably relieves some amount of pressure. But for godsakes this is the worst team to find yourself on in 2026 if you’re trying to make it to the big leagues as an outfielder. Campbell will be available for depth in the second part of the season (I guess) but I think it’s very possible he gets traded at the deadline—and that the fresh start might be good for him.

— Maura McGurk

It’s illegal for you to ask me that.

—Fitzy Mo Peña

In 10 years the 2026 Red Sox season will be remembered for…

The next steps forward. Remember, the name of the game here is CONSISTENCY in making and winning in the playoffs, not just one-and-done. This team is still very young, even with the additions of 3o-year-old Ranger Suárez and 36-year-old Sonny Gray. Roman Anthony is still 21. Marcelo Mayer is 23. Caleb Durbin is 26. Garrett Crochet is 26. Wilyer Abreu is 26. Jarren Duran is 29. The core of this team is well on the short side of 30. This team is still most likely a playoff team, but it’s about your stars of the future taking the next step to being great—and guys like Anthony, Abreu and Duran showcased that in the spring. Let’s see how it translates to 162 games in Boston.

— Jake Reiser

Establishing a floor. This team didn’t really shock anyone when they made a playoff run last year, but just how good how quickly Roman Anthony was surprised even the most optimistic of champions of the young outfielder. Same may be able to be said of Garrett Crochet, who is a bonafide Cy Young candidate…. hopefully perennially. Still, though, a lot of the new additions are guys who come with some volatility, although not as much as last season. Sonny Gray is getting older. Wilson Contreras is getting older. Caleb Durbin has a small sample size in his career. Johan Oviedo does too. If half of these lottery tickets don’t cash in, we’ll still get a playoff team, or one on the verge. Maybe we get a team that goes to Game 3 of the ALDS. Maybe we see a team popping champagne. We don’t know if either result is the lowest or highest result a team can expect, but this year will help establish a floor and give some clarity.

— Dean Roussel

It better be a deep postseason run. This team is as good as any of the other flawed contenders in the American League. With the Dodgers on the other side of the board, this Red Sox team should be right in the mix down to the very end, and this season should be remembered for whatever happens in very meaningful baseball games in the fall. Anything less is an underachievement.

— Matt Gross

A team that took a major step forward to shed the disappointment of the 2019-2025 era. This is a team that feels like it could make the ALCS on the back of its pitching rotation and bullpen, while being an impact hitter short. Hopefully I’ll feel differently after the trade deadline or if Tristan Casas can return and look like the player he was in 2023.

— Bob Osgood

Step two if things go ok. They hang in the division race a while but settle for a Wild Card. Maybe win that first round. We celebrate the progress made since 2022-2024. If Roman is a star, the lefties make gains against same-handed throwers, Early and maybe Tolle are breakouts, well, it’ll be remembered a while no matter how far they go into October as the real Red Sox rebirth.

— Mike Carlucci

For the drastic reduction in errors and once more plying the old-fashioned craft of good infield defense.

— Maura McGurk

Roman Anthony’s MVP campaign and a wild card series victory at Fenway Park.

— Tim Crowley

For being the Red Sox team that formally confirmed that we are back, baby. Even if we don’t end up on top by season’s end, 2026 is going to be the year that confirms it for folks who may not have been convinced after 2025: we’re in a new age, one that will be delicious (to quote a former Boston mayor) for Red Sox Nation.

—Fitzy Mo Peña

Winning the World Series, obviously. Because there’s no other reason why. The Red Sox are the balls!

— Jacob Roy

The near holy ascension of Roman Joseph Anthony.

—Dan Secatore

They might be the two best words in all of sports.  “Opening Day”

“One of my favorite memories of Opening Day from the Astros was in 1980 when my dad opened the home game in the Astrodome after signing the first million dollar contract. It was the Astros vs. the Dodgers and my dad hit a home run off of Don Sutton in that game and the fans went crazy!” – Reid Ryan, former Astros team president.

Richard Hidalgo launched 171 home runs in his major league career but none for him were more special than opening day 2000 at the old Three Rivers Stadium versus the Pirates.

On April 4th, 2000, Hidalgo would hit the first ever Astros Grand Slam on an Opening Day in a 5-2 victory.  “That day was special.  That’s the day that the numbers start to count. I loved that day. On that day, you know you have to do your job and I always wanted to start out good.”

Pitcher Scott Kazmir was no stranger to the pageantry, playing portions of 15 big league seasons across the major leagues.  However, for the 3x All-Star, the Houston native immediately recalled his 2015 transaction to the Astros telling us of a midsummer debut which constituted an “Opening Day” in its own right.  

“Being traded to Houston in 2015 was something really special for me. 

I grew up in Houston, so putting on an Astros uniform and pitching in front of my hometown crowd was a dream I’d carried since I was a kid. My home debut at Minute Maid Park is a memory I’ll never forget. The atmosphere in that ballpark felt like a true homecoming. When the roof is closed and that crowd gets going, it’s electric in a way you can’t fully describe until you’ve felt it.

That whole stretch with the Dodgers coming in for that home series in August was incredible. Houston fans showed up with so much passion, and you could feel the city really believing in that team. Being part of the first Astros playoff run since 2005, getting to experience that postseason atmosphere at Minute Maid as a Houston kid, that’s something I’ll carry with me forever.”

Kazmir would pitch seven scoreless innings in his hometown debut in a decisive victory over Kansas City.  His acquisition would fuel a post season berth for the first time in a decade. Eleven years removed, it’s still a vivid memory for the pride of Cypress Falls. 

SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes answers your Mets questions as the 2026 MLB season begins...

“Do you see them working out an extension with Peralta during the season, or do you think he’ll hit free agency? It feels odd they haven’t been able to make something work despite the difference on years.” – @nutedawn.bsky.social

This is a fascinating one for me because I also thought there was a decent chance they got a deal done before Opening Day, but here are the things we know for sure:

-- Peralta told Jon Heyman of the NY Post he is looking for seven or eight years.

-- David Stearns has no history – literally, none – of giving starting pitchers deals that long. The only reasons he has a history of giving deals that long at all are Christian Yelich and Juan Soto, one of which was the face of the franchise and not a hugely expensive player at the time, the other of which was pushed by ownership. Which leads me to…

-- Steve Cohen has shown a willingness to push to sign superstars even beyond the comfort level of his front office. Does Peralta, who will be 30 at season’s end, rise to that level? Or perhaps more importantly, does he rise to that level over a 30-year-old lefty named Tarik Skubal who will become a free agent this winter, too…?

-- Stearns DOES have a history – an extensive one, actually – of trying to keep Peralta on his teams as long as possible. He traded for him twice. He signed him to an extension when he was young. Comfort with Peralta could ease concerns about what the last years of a deal might look like. Comfort with Stearns could, perhaps, make Peralta more willing to work within the Mets’ preferred parameters.

-- Peralta has family in Queens. He seems to have found comfort in the Mets clubhouse, at least initially, and he has a history of durability.

-- Those things lead me to conclude that while both sides have seemed open to a long-term deal, neither side should be desperate to make one. As a result, I don’t necessarily see failing to get an extension done by the end of the season as a sure-fire dissolution of the partnership: Should Peralta hit the open market looking for an eight-year deal and find a cautious industry reluctant to give it, the Mets could offer a shorter-term, high-dollar deal like they have to many others, offering Peralta security without length.

All of which is to say, I don’t know if a deal will get done during the season. But while starters’ walk-years can often be contentious or complicated, I don’t expect that here. If he signs during the season, great. If he doesn’t, I wouldn’t expect either to abandon the possibility of a potential future with the other.

“How many games do you think Luis Robert Jr. and Marcus Semien will play this year? Are there plans to give them extra rest days in order to keep them fresh?” @dand-ri.bsky.social

This question is so crucial to the Mets' season because Robert Jr. might just be the biggest “if healthy” player of the last half decade, non-Mike Trout division. The Mets were very careful with him during spring training, to the point that Robert admitted he would rather have played in games sooner but understood the Mets’ desire to ensure his oft-injured legs were ready for duty. 

I would expect Carlos Mendoza and Co. to be similarly proactive in resting him regularly to avoid pushing him too far, but not so regularly that he does not start the majority of the games in center field. At some point, the guy just has to play.

Semien is a more complicated case. He does not want rest. He has always wanted to play. It is central to his identity and part of what has helped him develop a reputation as a steady, dogged worker during his career.

When I asked him earlier this spring about maybe playing less to produce more, he said he thinks he is best when he is playing. I’m sure the Mets will give him the chance to prove that. But if he is struggling offensively, like he did at times last year in Texas, I would assume the Mets will have a more convincing case to make that they try a little workload management.

“Do you think Carson Benge would've made the team if Tauchman hadn’t been injured? Was his spot secure based on his spring?” -- @SheaWasBetter

The short answer: Yes. I think once Benge proved he was not overmatched against big-league pitching early in spring, the decision was pretty much made. I know everyone’s been saying this, and it won’t matter if he’s 0-for-30 in two weeks, but he just looked so comfortable – almost defiantly comfortable – in the box and in the clubhouse.

He just seems to have such a simple approach to things. His job is to hit. He hates striking out. So he tries to do the former and not the latter.

Honestly, I think his place became so secure that the Mets wanted to make sure they could go without a backup middle infielder and carry Tauchman as a bench bat instead. I know they planned to get Bo Bichette some shortstop work all along, and I believe that. But I do think that once Benge looked like someone who could start five days a week, the best possible roster included Tauchman on the bench and therefore they needed to make sure Bichette could actually serve as a backup shortstop if needed.

Clearly they think he can, which is why they could bring Jared Young as that lefty bat Tauchman would have been. Anyway, yes. I think Benge secured that spot pretty early.

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Opening Day continues Thursday with a full MLB slate — and with it, our first real chance to attack the betting board.

With teams settling in, pitchers stretching out, and early overreactions already shaping the market, there’s value to be found if you know where to look.

Below, we break down the top moneyline MLB picks for Thursday, March 26.

MLB moneyline picks for March 26

Matchup	Pick
Pirates vs Mets	-116
White Sox vs Brewers	-192
Nationals vs Cubs	-217
Twins vs Orioles	+109
Angels vs Astros	-175
Tigers vs Padres	-137
Rays vs Cardinals	-120
Rangers vs Phillies	-154
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers	-250
Guardians vs Mariners	-250

Lines courtesy of Kalshi as of 3-26.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for March 26

Pirates vs Mets: Pirates (-116)

The New York Mets might be deeper, but early-season volatility + Paul Skenes = value. That’s it. In a game with a low total (6.5), the better pitcher matters more than lineup depth. 

White Sox vs Brewers: Brewers (-192)

The Chicago White Sox boast yet another weak roster with limited offensive upside, and the Milwaukee Brewers have the pitching edge with Jacob Misiorowski getting the ball to open up the season. 

Nationals vs Cubs: Cubs (-217)

The Chicago Cubs should control this game wire-to-wire. They're the better team with the bigger pitching edge. Laying -240 is not advisable, but it's the right side. 

Twins vs Orioles: Twins (+109)

I believe this line is wrong. It's pricing Baltimore as a clear tier above, but I don't believe that's the case. Twins have enough offense to trade blows, and the pitching isn’t a mismatch. You’re getting plus money in what I believe is a coin flip. Take the Twins.

Red Sox vs Reds: Reds Sox (-161)

Boston has the more reliable arm and the more complete lineup. Cincinnati can mash when it gets hot, but until then, we will take a wait-and-see approach. This feels like a game Boston controls if Garrett Crochet is dialed in. 

Angels vs Astros: Astros (-175)

Houston is just better across the board — lineup, pitching stability, experience. Angels can hang for stretches, but over nine innings, I'll take the better side. 

Tigers vs Padres: Tigers (-137)

Tarik Skubal is the separator. When you have the best pitcher in the game, you don’t need to be perfect elsewhere. The Padres are dangerous, but also inconsistent. Detroit has the edge where it matters most early in the season. 

Rays vs Cardinals: Rays (-120)

Tampa is almost always undervalued because it doesn’t have star power. Pitching matchup is competitive, and the Rays are better at manufacturing runs. You’re getting plus money on the team that just knows how to get it done.

Rangers vs Phillies: Phillies (-154)

This is one of the tighter games on the board, but Philadelphia at home with the better overall roster is enough. The Texas Rangers are live, but they rely more on timely hitting, and that could be an issue against Cristopher Sanchez.

Diamondbacks vs Dodgers: Dodgers (-250)

Arizona isn’t the team I'd back in a fade of L.A. with, unless you’re getting a much bigger pitching edge. Yoshinobu Yamamoto carries his playoff form into the opener and leads the Dodgers to one of many wins. 

Guardians vs Mariners: Mariners (-182)

Seattle is at home with the better starter and more power upside. Cleveland struggled to string hits together last year, and that'll be tough to do today against quality pitching. 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Dodgers’ first game against the Diamondbacks on Thursday will be exclusively televised by NBC, with streaming on Peacock. Lead play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti will call the game, alongside analysts Orel Hershiser and Luis González. NBC Sports plans to use analysts from each team on their broadcast this season, both on Sunday Night Baseball, their earlier Sunday games, as well as the wild card round, all of which will be on NBC Sports.

From Joe Reedy at Associated Press:

“At some point, somebody will ask if you’re around a bunch of baseball people, what three people would you want to have at the dinner table to talk baseball? And I kind of get to do that with this every week,” Benetti said. “It’s going to be two separate people who maybe you haven’t heard have a baseball conversation before. That brings me a lot of joy and curiosity, and we think it’s going to be for fans as well.”

After opening day, the Dodgers have three more games on NBC this regular season.

Links

The Dodgers open the season with eight pitchers on the injured list. They don’t necessarily plan it this way, but last year worked out in the most ideal way possible, with their top four starting pitchers all healthy and thriving for the postseason. Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register wrote about the Dodgers depth, including this from baseball operations Andrew Friedman: “I think we are breaking camp with the most talented group of pitchers one through 20 that we have ever had.”

Jeff Passan at ESPN wrote about how the baseball world revolves around the Dodgers, with this passage capturing how the Dodgers have collected and used that depth:

The Dodgers’ success in balancing the vagaries of a 162-game slog with the urgency of an October sprint is one of their greatest successes. Money gives them stars, yes, but just as much it offers options. If a player is not playing well, or is hurt, or needs to spend time working out kinks, he can with limited interruption to the rest of the team.

Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic wrote about the evolution of the Dodgers clubhouse culture through recent years.

Dave Roberts re-watched Game 7 of the World Series with Jack Harris and Dylan Hernández of The California Post. A fun watch.

In case you missed it, here is the Opening Day roster for your 2026 Kansas City Royals

Below this tweet on X, the Royals announced a series of roster moves.

Here is everything you need to know about the Royals opening day contest against the Atlanta Braves.

Also, on Friday, the AAA teams will have start their seasons. Here is everything you need to know about it.

Luinder Avila was tabbed as the one AAA prospect to keep an eye on for the Royals.

Avila debuted for the Royals last August and posted a 1.29 ERA with 16 strikeouts and six walks over 14 relief innings in the Majors but was unable to secure a spot back in Kansas City this spring, part of which he spent as a member of Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic-winning staff. The Royals plan to use him as a multi-inning arm with Omaha — someone who gets starts but doesn’t have a full starter’s workload in order to preserve the rotation and bullpen routes for him back to the bigs. Avila’s best pitch remains his low-80s curveball, and he was showing a pair of 96-97 mph fastballs in limited Cactus League looks.

David Lesky talked about five numbers that will define the Royals this season.

Kevin O’Brien of Royals Keep made five bold predictions about Royals players.

O’Brien also voiced concern about Carlos Estevez and his velocity.

MLB play started last night, as the Yankees blanked the Giants 7-0. Aaron Judge made the wrong type of history however.

The Sweet 16 starts tonight, and there is more baseball teams getting their first game in as well.

Barry Bonds was almost a Yankee?

Today’s song of the day is For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield

As most of you know, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend Winter Warmup as a reporter. Last year, I used that experience to write several season previews. Due to the late start of the top 20 prospect series (caused by waiting for Brendan Donovan to be traded), my Winter Warmup stories have been pushed to now instead of at the beginning of spring training. Thus technically, these could also be called season previews, but there’s a good chance I write a couple of these after the season has already started. I’ll try to pick stories that are not outdated for the ones during the season.

There has been a lot of discussion over how good the Cardinals will be this upcoming season. On the side of ‘better than you’d think’ the primary argument is that, despite trading three of the better players on the team, there is some reason to believe it won’t be a huge drop-off. That argument works for two of the three players.

In the case of Sonny Gray, it’s mainly because the on-field results were not actually that good. He had a 4.28 ERA. I don’t think that’s an unreasonably high bar. For Brendan Donovan however, the reason is because there is a not all that unrealistic chance that his replacement is just as good on day one.

Obviously, he won’t replace the versatility of Donovan and Donovan’s absence will be felt by whoever will take take the innings he would have surely played in LF. But as far as effect on winning games, duplicating Donovan’s production is certainly on the table.

Growing up, Wetherholt was around MLB players. Living where he lived, he would see players like Neil Walker and would grow up playing with Adam Laroche’s son and Jack Wilson’s son, otherwise known as Jacob Wilson of the Athletics. Because of this, the MLB dream seemed a little more real to him than to most people.

He looked up to players like Dustin Pedroia and Jose Altuve, being a bit undersized himself. Probably also a bit of their hustling and grind it out nature. He admired Robinson Cano’s swing. He attended West Virginia, where he pretty much immediately displayed his hitting prowess.

“He has that tool that’s not necessarily hard to come by, but it’s a very, very, very good tool,” said Victor Scott, who played with him at West Virginia for one year, when Scott was a junior and Wetherholt a freshman. “He has that hit tool. And he even had that as a kid in West Virginia.”

Luckily, he had a hamstring issue that caused him to fall in the MLB draft, or the Cardinals probably never get him. And almost two years later, he’s already set to make his MLB debut later today. Coming to spring training less than a year after getting drafted, manager Oliver Marmol was already impressed by him.

“The way he carried himself in that spring, your first year to be around big league guys and big league staff showed a lot about what he’s all about and I’m looking forward to that,” Marmol said.

Marmol calls what Wetherholt has “a quiet confidence” that is rare in young players. Jordan Walker was asked if he would give any advice, being himself once a highly touted player with high expectations on Opening Day.

“I don’t think he needs advice from me,” Walker said.  “He’s just so about what he does.  He looks like someone who’s not really fazed by anything.  He’s just about his work and he gets to work.  Anything else, he’s like ‘it’s going to come’.  I think he’s one of the most level-headed people I’ve ever met, so I don’t think anything will faze him.”

Wetherholt seems to have that necessary single-mindedness to succeed where he knows what he has to do and knows he can do it. He won’t let distractions get in the way. He won’t be flashy. When opposing fans sometimes stereotype Cardinals fan for only wanting the maybe boring, hard-working guy, they are probably thinking we will only like players if they’re like JJ Wetherholt. He’s that kind of guy. He will not do us any favors in arguing against that when he inevitably becomes a fan favorite. Because Cardinals do like that guy. They don’t only like that kind of player, but they in fact like type of player.

“One of the things I guess people maybe don’t know about him is how humble he is,” Scott said.  “He doesn’t like to boast about himself, he’s very down to earth.  That kid is definitely screwed on straight.”

See? It sounds like Scott was asked something they don’t know about Wetherholt with the way that was phrased, but he wasn’t led to that response. He was asked a more general question about being teammates with Wetherholt, and it followed the praise of his hit tool in answering the question.

Wetherholt himself has been praised for his nearly impeccable ability to swing at good pitches to hit and to not swing at bad pitches to hit. He is well aware of what type of hitter he is.

“I’m a swing decision guy,” Wetherholt said.  “I make good swing decisions, control the zone, drive the ball to all fields and that’s always gonna be my game.”

One would think one wouldn’t be disappointed if someone had a season like Wetherholt had last year. But for at least one part of his game, he was kind of disappointed he strayed from being an all-fields hitter.

“If I get an outside fastball, I cannot miss that pitch,” Wetherholt said. “I need to hit that as double in the left center gap, that’s something I didn’t do as well as I would like to last year, so that’s something I would like to get back to.”

And when asked about his surge in power, he doesn’t think he was doing anything differently. It thinks it was because the AAA ball was different and flew more. The AAA is in theory the MLB ball, but also he thinks the MLB ball might even be different a little. Either way, he’s not really worried about power.

“Power’s usually the tool that comes later,” Wetherholt.  “I’m comfortable with the power that I have but of course you’re always trying to add that.”

Try to become more of a power hitter, he’d likely stray from what he considers his game. If power happens because of his game, great, but don’t try to be that guy. At least maybe I’m thinking that way because it reminds me of when Albert Pujols used to say he was a line drive hitter who happened to hit homers. It’s a similar philosophy. Try to hit line drives and sometimes those become homers. Probably to a significantly lesser extent than Pujols of course.

There may be a temptation to hold back on believing in Wetherholt because of past experiences. But oddly, Jordan Walker seemed to perfectly describe the essential difference between himself and Wetherholt when he was asked what he can learn from Wetherholt.

“Relax a little bit,” Walker said. “When we’re hitting in the cage, he’s one of the most relaxed hitters I’ve ever seen. His mechanics are just so clean, relaxed, fluid.  It looks so easy when he does it.  When I go in the cage and I try to be relaxed, I have some of my best rounds.”

You’re never going to believe this, but somehow there is also a JJ Wetherholt quote that literally makes me think of Jordan Walker related to this same concept. He was not talking about Walker to be very clear. But he very well could have been.

“If you’re twitchy or you’re tense, you start to chase or you get frozen on fastballs down the middle,” Wetherholt said. “I’m definitely trying to be relaxed and  I’m just trying to get to use my barrel.”

I was listening to the interview before writing this and I felt my body jump a little. I sympathize with Walker though. I know who I am. I would be twitchy and tense for sure. I didn’t play baseball very far in life and it was unfortunately for talent-related reasons, but I don’t think I could advance because of the mental aspect of the game even if I was talented. I totally get in my own head about significantly less stressful things. But I do think that’s the number one issue with Walker, he’s not relaxed in the batter’s box.

Masyn Winn, who noted that he at least got a month in 2023 to prepare for a full season at the big leagues unlike JJ, is just hoping to make the transition as easy possible.

“I’m really looking forward to playing with JJ,” Winn said.  “I want him to come in comfortable and be himself.  I don’t want him to be walking on eggshells.  I want him to go out there and have a lot of fun.  I want to be there for JJ and let him be great.”

I think we’re good guys. I don’t think JJ Wetherholt will be a repeat of past experiences. He has the kind of hit tool and approach that typically translates, and it seems like nothing will faze him. I don’t know if he will bat leadoff later today, but I think he can handle it. One thing is for sure: JJ Wetherholt is ready for the big leagues.

“It’s always a good sight to see (Busch Stadium),” Wetherholt said.  “This place is beautiful.  It definitely gives you that feeling of ‘I don’t want to play in these minor league stadiums anymore, I want the real deal.’”

Happy Opening Day!

Good morning, baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants played their first game of the 2026 season last night against the New York Yankees. Which means it’s time for first impressions on the 2026 team!

That’s right, consider this your blank check for hot takes and small sample size analysis, baby! Let the unhinged diatribes or delusional optimism rip, I want to hear it all!

Unfortunately given the nature of having to pre-write these, the game has not yet been played as of the time I am writing this, so I don’t get to go first this time. But I look forward to reading through these later this morning to see how everyone is feeling!

What are your first impressions of the team after Opening Day?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants do not play today. They have a really odd schedule for this first series, with off days today and Sunday. But they’ll pick up the series with the Yankees again tomorrow!

Well folks, you made it. Opening Day is finally upon us and meaningful Guardians baseball will be on our TVs and radios tonight.

First pitch against the Mariners is at 10:10PM our time. Plan your post work naps and space out your caffeine accordingly.

Yesterday, the team announced its Opening Day roster. Notably, Johnathan Rodriguez was DFA’d to make room for Rhys Hoskins on the 40-man. All moves and positions can be read about here.

Meg, previously featured in the Painting the Corner series, did a new version of her “Who’s who?” graphic for this year’s roster.

Our Covering the Corner staff season predictions went live yesterday. See what we have in play for this season!

The Guards have ironed out their rotation plan to start the season:

Catch the latest Disgusting Baseball Podcast episode today!

This is the golden age of baseball in Southern California. The Angels heralded its dawn.

In 2002, the Angels won the World Series, the first of six postseason appearances within eight years. The Dodgers had played pretty good ball for more than a century, but they never had done that.

Angel Stadium was the place to be. The rally monkey was all the rage. The team nurtured a wave of young talent to surround Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero. In 2009, the final year of that run, the Angels drafted future Hall of Famer Mike Trout. In 2011, for the first and only time, the Angels sold more tickets than the Dodgers.

Neither the Angels nor the Dodgers made the playoffs in 2010, 2011, or 2012. Since then, the Dodgers have made 13 consecutive postseason appearances, with three World Series championships to show for it. The Angels have made one, and they did not win a game.

Read more:Inside Shohei Ohtani's baseball journey

Never — and this includes the Dodgers’ time in bankruptcy court — have the fates of the two Los Angeles franchises been so disparate. In 2026, the Dodgers could win their third consecutive World Series championship, and the Angels could finish in last place for the third consecutive year.

In a story on the Major League Baseball website, two writers ranked the 30 teams on the basis of how likely each team would be to win this year’s World Series. The Dodgers ranked as most likely. The Angels ranked as least likely.

At a time major league owners would like you to believe market size equals destiny, the team with baseball’s longest postseason drought plays in the second-largest market in North America.

Today, however, we come not to bemoan the bad times but celebrate the good times, for the Angels and Dodgers.

The century is a quarter old. So here are our quarter-century teams for both the Angels and Dodgers, based solely on performances for those teams. In a few places, we included a deserving player at a secondary position, if his primary position was fully stocked. Let us know where we got it right, and where we didn’t.

And, while you’re there, you’ll see the story of our golden age in a nutshell. Of the 22 players on the Dodgers’ first and second teams, 11 were on at least one of the World Series championship teams this decade. Of the 22 players on the Angels’ first and second teams, only four played for the Angels this decade.

One was Shohei Ohtani, the first-team designated hitter for both teams.

*We considered how long someone played for the Dodgers or Angels during this century, as well as how well someone played, but we’re making an exception here for two reasons: one, left field has not been a position of strength and depth for the Dodgers; and, two: Manny Ramirez’s two-month “Mannywood” run after the Dodgers traded for him in 2008 was simply astonishing: He played 53 games and drove in 53 runs, batting .396 with 17 home runs and a 1.232 OPS. In the playoffs, he batted .520 in eight games, hitting four home runs and driving in 10 runs, with a 1.747 OPS. The two-month “Mannywood” run was good for 3.5 WAR — the same WAR Freddie Freeman delivered over the entire 2025 season. (And, yes, in May of the following year, Ramirez was suspended for violating baseball’s drug policy.)

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

No game Wednesday. Today is of course Opening Day.

We have plenty of videos to watch and some good articles. Get you some coffee like the Cubs do, and enjoy. Or perhaps some Gatorade will do.

Ian Happ leads off today:

PCA DEPT.

Miscellaneous:

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

• Keith Law (The Athletic {$}): 2026 MLB season predictions: Forecasting the division races and postseason results. “I make it all up, and then I talk about it.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Anthony Rizzo and David Ross team up on ‘Lovable Reunion’ for Chicago Cubs’ 10-year anniversary. “Like the 1985 Bears, the 2016 Cubs will never really go away.” More from MLB.com*,
• Alex Bregman (The Players’ Tribune*): Let’s do this, Chicago!
• Daryl Van Schouwen (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Dylan Carlson, Scott Kingery make Cubs’ roster — for now. “ Carlson played all three outfield positions in camp and batted .298/.421/.404 with one home run.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): One more Chicago Cubs valuation puts the team at the $5 Billion mark. “… the annual Forbes MLB team valuations…“

Food For Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.