Los Angeles, CA - March 24:Dodgers player Tommy Edman runs sprints as he rehabs from an ankle injury at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — In finalizing their 2026 opening day roster on Thursday, seven Dodgers were placed on the injured list, bringing the total to eight such players sidelined to begin the season.
Pitchers Blake Snell, Gavin Stone, Brusdar Graterol, Brock Stewart, Landon Knack, and Jake Cousins were all placed on the 15-day injured list. Infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman was placed on the 10-day injured list for position players.
They join reliever Evan Phillips and infielder/outfielder Kiké Hernández, who were placed on the 60-dayinjured list in February, and pitcher Bobby Miller, who was placed on the 60-day injured list on Tuesday.
Tommy Edman similarly had a light offseason after right ankle surgery in November, and did not play in any Cactus League games. After dealing with ankle issues in each of the last two seasons, Edman at Dodgers Fest on January 31 talked about his potential return.
“The timetable is more of as I progress, so it’s kind of hard to say when I’ll be able to hop back into a major league game again,” Edman said. “I want to make sure I’m a full go, and don’t have to worry about [the ankle] again the rest of the year.”
Both Snell and Edman participated in baseball activities at Dodger Stadium this week, but from the sound of things it sounds like they won’t be rushed back.
“Both are progressing. I still stand by the end of May. Tommy should really be an option, and with Blake, somewhere around that time,” manager Dave Roberts said Monday. “He’s going to need a rehab assignment. He’s thrown bullpens, which was good. The last one I saw a couple days ago, he was right around 90-91 (mph), so that was good. He looks good, says he’s healthy and feels good, no pain, so he’s on the come.”
Landon Knack made four starts this spring, and last pitched on March 13. He’s on the injured list with an intercostal strain, per Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic.
Bobby Miller was sidelined with shoulder soreness earlier this spring, and did not pitched in a game. He was placed on the 60-day injured list Tuesday with the signing of Jake Cousins.
Cousins had Tommy John surgery last June and won’t be back until after the All-Star break at the earliest.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 24: Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) makes a save on Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) in front during the third period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Colorado Avalanche on March 24, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Allowing too many goals has been a major problem for the Penguins. As recently as March 3rd, the team was sitting sixth in the NHL with 2.78 goals against per game. In the last 11 games since then, that’s gone out the window – the Pens sit 31st over the last three weeks with an average of 4.17 goals allowed per game. six times giving up six or more goals. Take out the 7-2 win over Colorado and the average balloons up to 4.80 over the rest of the games.
Prevention has been ugly from team defense slipping down to the performance of the goalies. HockeyStats.com has a cool new tracker of Goals Saved Above Expected, which has taken a big hit lately, especially for Arturs Silovs.
After a 5-0 shutout win against Vegas back on March 1st, Silovs’s GSAA crested at +5.45. After allowing five goals last night against Colorado, Silovs is down to -1.85 GSAA. Silovs spent a good portion of the season through much of December and all over Janaury underwater in the GSAA category before a strong February. Since then, it’s been a downward trend capped by the disastrous -3.38 GSAA performance last night when Colorado teed off on him.
Stuart Skinner has performed better on this metric, but his numbers have gone down too – peaking at +10.13 GSAA after the January 25th 3-2 win over Vancouver and now sitting at +8.55 for the season. Skinner’s season sample includes the +3.72 GSAA from his time at the beginning of the year with Edmonton so overall he’s at +4.83 GSAA while playing for the Penguins.
The question now shifts to the tolerance of the coaching and management for these performances, especially when it comes to Silovs. Silovs has given up four or more goals in five of his last six starts. So far, that hasn’t been an issue – the team has stayed committed to an even rotation of goalies every other game. Skinner has only started two consecutive games once with Pittsburgh, a stretch from Jan 17-19, otherwise the two netminders have evenly split starts one after the other.
The Pens have options. 21-year old Sergei Murashov ranks second in the AHL in GAA (2.20) and third in save percentage (.919%). Joel Blomqvist has a 12-5-4 record and is tied for 14th with a .906 save%. Murashov, however, posted a negative GSAA in three of his five NHL starts early in the 2025-26 season and some of the upcoming games against the Islanders and Red Wings next week could be the most consequential ones of the year.
That doesn’t seem like the wisest time to throw an untested player into the mix when the season is on the line, yet the struggles of Silovs makes it a question worth pondering.
The Penguins have benefited from goalies riding in at the last minute and helping their years, fitting in the 25th year after Johan Hedberg rode a moose into town and 10 years after Matt Murray emerged on the scene. It would be a bold move and take a lot of conviction to elevate Murashov into that position this spring, but it one that gains more traction with about each passing game where the Penguins can’t keep the puck out of the net.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 10: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during overtime at Kaseya Center on November 10, 2025 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the midst of a three-game stretch against teams from the Sunshine State. On Wednesday, they’ll take on the Miami Heat for the first of two games in a row against an opponent they could face in the first round of the playoffs.
The Cavs’ position at fourth in the conference is seemingly set. Spots five through 10 in the standings aren’t. Right now, two-and-a-half games separate the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors and the 10th-seeded Heat.
Miami is struggling and has fallen to the bottom of the Play-In as a result. They’ve lost five in a row. We’ll see if the Cavs can extend that losing streak a couple of games further this week.
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The link to the 2016 championship shirt HERE.
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports App, NBA League Pass
Point spread: Cavs -2.5
Cavs injury report: Max Strus – OUT (injury management), Dean Wade – QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Jaylon Tyson – OUT (toe), Jarrett Allen – OUT (knee), Craig Porter Jr. – OUT (groin), Larry Nance Jr. – QUESTIONABLE (illness), Olivier Sarr – OUT (G League)
Heat injury report: Terry Rozier – OUT (not with team), Vladislav Goldin – OUT (G League), Trevor Keels – OUT (G League), Jahmir Young – OUT (G League)
Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Keon Ellis, Sam Merrill, Evan Mobley
Heat expected starting lineup: Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo
The Sweet 16 is almost here – who’s still alive? We’re reviewing the week that was in the first week of the NCAA tournament and turning our focus to remaining teams. How bad (or good!) is your bracket? Join us in the SB Nation March Madness Feed and let’s talk about who’s most likely to make a run to glory.
NEW YORK — After years of rumor and speculation, the NBA is moving — suddenly rather quickly — toward expansion.
The league announced Wednesday, March 25 that its Board of Governors voted to formally explore bids for potential expansion franchises to be added to the Seattle and Las Vegas markets. The vote took place at the St. Regis Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where owners and their proxies gathered to discuss the prospect of adding a pair of teams in those markets.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters at the conclusion of the meetings that financial terms or figures were not discussed, and that the conversation focused on the competitive impact expansion would have on the NBA. Although Silver would not comment or speculate on franchise fees and eventual valuations of expansion teams, some reports have indicated potential valuations hovering between $7 billion and $10 billion.
“The market will determine the value of these teams and then we will decide whether it makes sense to move forward,” Silver said. “But I anticipate that there will be robust interest.”
Here’s everything you need to know about NBA expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas:
What does this mean?
This announcement doesn’t certify, with complete certainty, that NBA teams will be tipping off in Seattle and Las Vegas at the start of the 2028-29 season, though this is the next crucial step toward that.
Essentially, Wednesday’s vote signals an appetite for the 30 ownership groups in the NBA to expand to 32 teams. The league’s constitution stipulates that a measure like this requires at least 23 of 30 votes to pass, representing a supermajority of at least 76.7%. NBA owners, seeing the influx of revenue that would be generated from expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas, want that process to ramp up and intensify.
That said, there is a possibility that the exploration could yield a decision that ends up with multiple outcomes: no expansion, expansion to one of the two selected markets or expansion to both.
“There’s absolutely a chance that expansion may not happen,” Silver told reporters, adding that the league is being cautious and deliberate with the process.
It’s all going to come down to the packages and prospects presented by the potential ownership groups, though the NBA will be monitoring external indicators throughout the process.
“As to why it might not happen, at least standing here today, there’s nothing that I see in the relatively short-term future of this league, that would indicate today that there won’t be enormous interest in those markets that the Board will continue to support moving forward,” Silver said.
“Where the uncertainty, to me, lies is issues outside the league. There’s enormous instability in the world at the moment, and we may ultimately conclude, for reasons completely out of our control, that it’s not the right time to expand — that it’s something we should postpone and look at some later time. So that’s really what our caveat is.”
What happens next?
The NBA also announced that it contracted PJT Partners, an investment bank, to assess the economic health and viability of the prospective ownership groups that would be interested in establishing operations in those markets.
This means that prospective ownership groups for those two markets will now organize funding and build business plans and long-term prospectuses to present to the league office and investment bank. Eventually, proposals will be brought to the NBA’s Board of Governors, who would then select the options they view most favorably for the long-term health of the league.
If viable and appealing prospective ownership groups emerge, the Board of Governors could hold another vote, as soon as later this year, to finalize any potential transactions. That might be too quick of a timeline, though Silver made it clear he would want any potential ownership groups in place sooner rather than later.
“We need to know by the end of this calendar year to know what it is we’re doing,” Silver said. “It may not be that every I is dotted, but that would be our goal this year.”
Over the last three decades, team ownership within the major domestic sports leagues has been an exceptional investment. Franchise valuations have skyrocketed through ever-expanding media rights deals, so even though the reported $7 billion-$10 billion price tag may produce some sticker shock, it stands to reason that any potential ownership groups would see a sizable return on that investment.
Are the Seattle SuperSonics back?
That’s still yet to be determined. But Wednesday’s announcement is a crucial step toward the SuperSonics returning to Seattle.
The franchise, which began play in the city in 1967, eventually moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, where it became the Thunder. As part of a settlement with the City of Seattle at the time of the relocation, all SuperSonics intellectual property, including branding, color schemes, logos and history, will transfer at no cost to the new ownership group.
This means that, if and when a new ownership group officially clears NBA requirements and the expansion to Seattle is approved, it will have the right to use the SuperSonics logo and branding. But it would not be required to do so.
Given the rich history and tradition of the SuperSonics in Seattle, and the community’s attachment to the team, it’s an overwhelmingly logical choice to reestablish the SuperSonics in Seattle.
In a brief conversation with USA TODAY Sports following his press conference, Silver said that any potential decision to reestablish the SuperSonics brand would be up to the prospective owner, though Silver also acknowledged the wide reach and loyalty fans have to the brand.
“I do a great deal of traveling around the country and the world,” Silver said. “And one of the top five, six questions I get, easily, is ‘When are the Sonics coming back?’ ”
While in Seattle, the SuperSonics won six division titles, three conference championships and an NBA Finals in 1979.
Where will Las Vegas and Seattle NBA teams play?
The new Seattle team is likely to play in Climate Pledge Arena, currently home to the NHL's Seattle Kraken. The building, which still features the former KeyArena's roof after a $1.2 billion renovation was completed in 2021, has been designed to be retrofitted for basketball.
The new Las Vegas NBA franchise would likely play at T-Mobile Arena, at least initially. It's currently home to the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, as well as the NBA Cup semifinals and finals. The arena opened in 2016.
Who might own new Las Vegas, Seattle teams?
The NHL's Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken each have notable figures who could become focal points of potential ownership groups in the NBA.
Kraken owner Samantha Holloway formed a new company earlier this week, with a portfolio that includes majority ownership of the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena, “to enable the pursuit of future opportunities,” she announced. Its first major endeavor is expected to be the formal pursuit of Seattle's new NBA franchise, according to KOMO News.
Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, who also owns part of T-Mobile Arena, previously said he wanted to bring the NBA to Las Vegas. He said in a 2024 PBS interview, "We have a plan in place to spend about $300 million to improve" the arena for an NBA team.
LeBron James said recently he no longer is planning to be part of a group that puts in an ownership bid for a Las Vegas NBA franchise, despite previously expressing interest in doing so after his playing career.
How might an NBA expansion draft work?
When the NBA last held an expansion draft for the then-Charlotte Bobcats ahead of the 2004-05 season, each NBA team was permitted to protect a maximum of eight players under contract or entering restricted free agency on its roster. The Bobcats had to select a minimum of 14 unprotected players, but the other teams could only lose one player. Unrestricted free agents could not be protected or selected by the Bobcats. There were also special salary cap and trade exemptions in place.
That expansion draft, however, occurred under a previous collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association. NBA rules allow for changes to be made so long as the league and the players' union agree. With two teams joining the league this time, expansion draft adjustments could be in order.
When would the Las Vegas and Seattle franchises start playing?
The plan, as articulated by Silver last month, is for these two new franchises to join the league and begin playing games in time for the 2028-29 NBA season. This is all contingent on another formal vote of the NBA's Board of Governors once ownership groups are picked.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Los Angeles Dodgers, the two-time World Series champions, the team that is drawing all of the hatred, the team responsible for calls for a salary cap, wishes everyone would stop and just look at the numbers.
Yes, they project to open the season with a $322.4 million payroll, based on the MLB Labor Relations Department's present-day salary calculations on 40-man rosters obtained this week by USA TODAY Sports.
But guess what?
Due to the Dodgers' heavy use of deferred contracts and signing bonuses, the team's 2026 payroll is dwarfed by the New York Mets, whose 40-man payroll is projected at $357.6 million (in MLB's calculated present-day value).
That's a team that didn’t even make the playoffs last year and last won a World Series in 1986.
The New York Yankees, who last won the World Series in 2009, are the third team that projects to open the season with a payroll exceeding $300 million.
Why, there are three teams this season who will open the season with payrolls within $50 million of the Dodgers: the Yankees ($301 million), Philadelphia Phillies ($283.6 million) and Toronto Blue Jays ($278.9 million).
A record 11 teams are projected to open the season with payrolls of at least $200 million, according to the labor relations salary figures submitted to teams.
The San Francisco Giants, who last reached the playoffs in 2021, are the only team among the top 11 payrolls who have failed to reach the postseason in the last two years.
On the flip side – to the frustrations of the big-market teams who provide revenue sharing every year – there are eight teams whose opening-day payrolls will be below $100 million. The Cleveland Guardians are the only sub-$100 million team that reached the postseason last year.
Here are the bottom 11 teams in projected 40-man payroll:
The only teams without a top-10 payroll who reached the postseason the past two years are the Brewers and the Guardians. And yet, the only teams with a top-10 payroll who have reached the postseason each of the past two seasons are the Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies, and Padres.
The team making the biggest payroll jump in payroll from a year ago are the Tigers, rising by more than $60 million and the Blue Jays, with about a $50 million increase. The Texas Rangers, who missed the playoffs last year, had the biggest decrease from $220.5 million to $183.5 million.
There are 76 players who will earn more than $20 million this year, led by New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto, whose salary is $61.875 million when calculated by MLB’s Labor Relations Department. The LRD numbers include the player’s actual salary plus his pro-rated signing bonus before any player or club options.
This is why Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker, who signed a four-year, $240 million contract this winter, has a $33 million salary, per MLB’s calculations this year, but skyrockets to $80.5 million in 2027. He has an opt-out after the 2027 season, and his salary is listed at $53.79 million each of the last two years, according to the LRD.
Tucker will earn a base salary of just $1 million this season, and will earn $32 million of his $64 million signing bonus. The contract jumps in 2027 since his base salary rises from $1 million to $45 million, with a $48.5 million present-day value of his contact.
The Dodgers still are responsible for a $57.121 million luxury tax hit each year for Tucker. His AAV is reduced because of the $30 million of deferrals in his contract, lowering the present-day value of his contract from $240 million to $228.485 million.
It’s similar to the calculations for Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s contract. He signed a 10-year, $700 million contract, but $680 million is deferred, lowering the AAV to $460 million. Ohtani’s salary this year is calculated at $28.206 million, according to the LRD.
The LRD numbers are not used for team’s luxury tax calculations. The Dodgers’ luxury-tax payment for Ohtani will be $46 million, and not $28.2 million, but still saves them $24 million a year because of his record deferrals. Luxury tax salaries are the total of a players’ salary (present-day value) divided by the number of guaranteed years.
The Dodgers and Yankees each have six players earning at least $20 million this year, while the Mets, Giants and Padres have five players apiece.
The Washington Nationals are the lone team with no player earning $10 million, topped by Trevor Williams’ $7 million salary. The St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays each have only one $10 million player.
MLB payrolls 2026
(Entering opening week – Includes 40-man rosters, non-roster players and cash transactions)
DUNEDIN, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: Spencer Miles #62 of the Toronto Blue Jays poses for a portrait during photo day at the Toronto Blue Jays Player Development Complex on February 20, 2026 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Most of the league doesn’t play until tomorrow, and the Jays don’t open their season until Friday, but rosters still have to be finalized and so we’re getting some news this afternoon:
Ben Nicholson-Smith reports that Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles has made the roster. Miles looked pretty good this spring, but it’s still amazing to see a guy with 14.2 career minor league innings in the bigs. The team probably wanted to keep a long reliever with injuries forcing them to start the season with Eric Lauer in the rotation, but Miles is talented and has to stick or he offered back to the Giants. They chose upside over short term roster fit.
Shortstop Leo Jimenez has been designated for assignment. There’s a good chance that that marks the end of his time in the Blue Jays organization, as other teams will be interested in taking a look at his contact ability and up the middle defence. Jimenez signed out of Panama as a 16 year old back in July of 2017. He played most days down the stretch in 2024, posing league average offensive numbers with defence that graded out below average at shortstop but above at second. Injuries derailed his 2025 campaign, though, and he didn’t have a great spring while Josh Kasevich, his likely longer term successor in the backup shortstop role, raked.
With those moves, the Opening Day 26-man roster should just about be set:
Rotation: Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer, Eric Lauer
Bullpen: Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers, Louis Varland, Brendon Little (LHP), Mason Fluharty (LHP), Braydon Fisher, Spencer Miles, and one of Chase Lee or Tommy Nance
Catcher: Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heinemann
Infield: Vladimir Guerrero jr. (1B), Ernie Clement (2B), Kazuma Okamoto (3B), Andres Gimenez (SS)
Outfield: Addison Barger (RF), Daulton Varsho (CF), Jesus Sanchez (LF)
Designated Hitter: George Springer
Bench: Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider
Have to say, while I hate to lose a talented young player like Jimenez, that’s a mighty fine looking roster to my eye. Let me know why I’m wrong in the comments.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns met with reporters on Wednesday on what he called one his favorite days of the year. With the 2026 Opening Day roster set, the Mets held a team workout at Citi Field as they welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates into town to get the season started on Thursday.
Stearns discussed how Carson Benge earned the starting right field job, what he expects form Sean Manaea this season, and was also asked again about potential extension talks with ace Freddy Peralta.
Here’s what Stearns had to say….
Benge’s strong spring showing
Before this year’s camp even began, Stearns said that Benge would have every opportunity to win a spot on the Opening Day roster, and that’s exactly what happened.
Benge impressed with a tremendous spring training, both on and off the field.
“He was himself, and he just demonstrated a level of consistency in everything he did, whether it was the work off the field, his attitude in the clubhouse, the quality of his at-bats,’ Stearns explained. “It was just a very steady, professional camp for a guy who was under a fair amount of pressure and whose name had been in the headlines for a while, and was clearly going to be a story coming into camp. He had to know that. He certainly did know that. And he was just very consistent and steady throughout.”
Manaea’s dip in velocity
One of the bigger storylines this spring was Manaea’s lower-than-expected fastball velocity. After missing time last year with an oblique injury and then loose bodies in his pitching elbow, the lefty did not have elbow surgery.
This spring, Manaea’s four-seam fastball velocity sat in the high 80s, though he did hit 92 mph in the intrasquad game on Monday, and Stearns doesn’t sound all that concerned.
“We’ll kind of see exactly how it looks early in the season, but we expect Sean to be a big part of this team,” he said. “We’re going to need Sean to be a big part of this team. He’s going to make starts for us. I would expect him to make a lot of starts for us.
“I think we saw some flashes of really good during spring, especially in the last couple of outings the secondary stuff played pretty well, the command of the secondary stuff was pretty sharp towards the end of spring. The velocity is down a little bit. We still actually saw some swing-and-miss on the fastball even with lower velocity, so I think as we get into April here and as the lights turn on and he’s playing in front of tens of thousands of fans in games that matter, I think we’ll see the velocity tick up a little bit, and I think he’s going to be good for us.”
No news on Peralta contract talks
Ever since Peralta was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in an offseason trade, a potential contract extension for the free-agent-to-be has been a hot topic.
But speaking ahead of Stearns on Wednesday, Peralta offered a “no comment” when asked about contract talks, and as one might expect, Stearns followed suit.
“I’m not going to comment on any sort of extension or contract talks,” he said.
Major League Baseball has made some serious changes to the sport in recent years. From the universal DH to replay challenges to pitch clocks, and 2026 will be no different. This year, the league is introducing the ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) system thereby giving more power to the players.
Umpires have previously worked with virtual impunity, only subject to criticism from people on social media detailing their mistakes when it came to ball and strike calls. For all of time, whatever they said, went. However, that will no longer be the case in 2026. The ABS challenge system will give players the opportunity to challenge an umpire's ball or strike call, and given how vastly different players perform in 0-1 vs. 1-0 counts, this could lead to some game-changing scenarios.
And with Opening Day just hours away, we are ever so close to seeing it play out. Here's everything to know about the new ABS challenge system.
What is ABS?
ABS is an automated system that uses 12 cameras to depict exactly where each pitch crosses home plate. It has been used in the minor leagues since 2021, debuting in the Arizona Fall League and Low-A Southeast League before slowly being implemented into more and more minor league stadiums. Though the first baseball organization to use the system was the independent Atlantic League back in 2019.
Teams were allowed to experiment with the system during spring training this year.
How does the challenge system work?
Each team is granted two challenge opportunities at the start of each game. Throughout the contest, only the pitcher, batter and catcher can challenge pitches and they must indicate that they are challenging a call immediately after the call is made by tapping their helmet/hat.
If the challenge is successful and the call is overturned, the team retains that challenge. If the challenge is unsuccessful, the team loses that challenge for the rest of the game.
If a game goes into extra innings and all challenges have been depleted, the team will be granted one additional challenge opportunity per extra inning played, meaning they will get one for the tenth, one for the eleventh, and so on.
How accurate is ABS?
Very.
Although not 100% accurate, the system is close, but requires exact inputs for each batter's height in order to properly create a strike zone. According to MLB.com, the strike zone sits at between 27% and 53.5% of a player's height, very precise dimensions. All MLB players were re-measured prior to spring training in order to get more updated height figures.
FanDuel is living up to its self-proclaimed “Home of the Home Run” moniker with multiple new markets on offer entering the new MLB season.
Key Takeaways
FanDuel launches free-to-play Daily Dinger game.
Bettors can wager on the exit velocity of home runs.
The online sportsbook also upgraded with a multi-homer grid and a new “actionable” interface.
The online sportsbook announced on Wednesday three new products designed around long-ball betting just in time for the 2026 season opener between the New York Yankees and San Fracisco Giants.
The free Daily Dinger game allows users to select one player each day to hit a homer, earning a profit boost token for the next day if that player goes yard. Bettors can also also wager on home runs with an exit velocity of 110+ mph with Lazer markets. FanDuel is also implementing a dynamic multi-homer grid across the day’s games.
“FanDuel is the Home of the Home Run because we’ve purpose-built our MLB product around the most exciting and popular part of the game,” Karol Corcoran, managing director of FanDuel Sportsbook, said. “From new home run-specific markets to free-to-play experiences like Daily Dinger, these updates bring that vision to life. We are intentionally giving customers more ways to engage and greater confidence in their bets.”
More announcements
FanDuel isn't ending its experience enhancements there. The online sportsbook redesigned its MLB interface with “actionable” insights to inform customers through real-time confirmed batting lineups, star player grids, recent performance stats and trends, and player game logs right on the app.
FanDuel promises faster bet settlements, especially helpful for live wagering, and expanded same-game parlay functionality across core markets for prop bettors.
The operator also announced updated house rules. Player prop bets will only activate if the player is in the starting lineup and records a plate appearance.
Plenty of options
FanDuel operates sports betting in 24 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The sportsbook offers dozens of in-game markets, including player props and SGPs, as well as futures markets.
Heading into the season, FanDuel listed the Los Angeles Dodgers as +200 favorites to win the World Series, giving the NL squad the shortest odds to claim the MLB title since the 2003 Yankees.
The Yankees are -124 moneyline favorites in Wednesday's game, with the Giants at +106. New York’s -1.5 runline is at +152, and the total runs scored is seven. Moneylines, totals, player props, and more are open for Thursday’s 12 Opening Day contests.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 27: The Houston Astros train is seen with new paint behind the Daikin Park sign and pennants before a game against the New York Mets on Opening Day at Daikin Park on March 27, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Our staff gives their roster predictions, and some key players of note for them this season.
Adam Spolane: 88-74. 2nd AL West, Wild Card Team
Big season: Before last season, Yordan Alvarez had played 135+ games in three of four seasons since returning from his 2020 knee surgery, but a fractured hand and a sprained ankle limited him to just 48 games in 2025. He should be able to bounce back into the 135-game range and produce his usual numbers. Joe Espada will likely help keep him healthy by limiting his time in the outfield, and the team can be smart with his off days, using the DH spot to cycle in other veterans for a half off day.
Breakout: The Astros’ track record of identifying pitchers they can take to another level is well known, which is why it’s easy to be bullish on Mike Burrows after they gave up a significant return to acquire him from the Pirates over the winter. Burrows pitched well last season, but Houston identified a few pitch selection tweaks—most notably adding a two-seam fastball against righties—and the early results this spring have been impressive. With Framber Valdez now in Detroit and Tatsuya Imai able to opt out after the season, the Astros need Burrows, who is under team control for five more years, to emerge. They haven’t drafted a pitcher in the first round since 2018, and right now, there isn’t an arm in their system that projects as an above-average starter.
Rough season: Dusty Baker used to say it takes older players longer to get going, and the Astros better hope that applies to Christian Walker. Coming off a disappointing first season in Houston, Walker had a dreadful spring, slashing .139/.205/.333 with a 26% strikeout rate and a 7.7% walk rate. It came in just 39 plate appearances, but you’d still like to see a little more life after he finished last season with 0.2 bWAR and a 97 OPS+. The Jose Abreu comparisons will never apply to Walker because he plays a Gold Glove caliber first base, but you don’t pay a third baseman $20 million/season for his glove.
Joel Blank: 86-76, 2nd AL West, Wild Card
Big Season: Yordan Alvarez
Breakout Season: Brice Matthews
Most Concerned About:Jeremy Pena, Jake Meyers
Three players most interested in: Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, Yordan Alvarez
Possible trade candidates:Yainer Diaz, Christian Walker, Jake Meyers
Craig Larson Jr.: 88-74, 2nd AL West, Wild Card
Big Season: For all of the off-season banter about being dealt, I actually think Isaac Paredes will have a big year. I personally enjoy watching him work counts.
Most Concerned About: I think Cam Smith continues to struggle and he’s the number one concern for me. Unfortunately, I think when we look back, he’ll join a list of highly touted prospects that didn’t pan out. Think of the first rodeo for Jon Singleton or back in the day, Cameron Drew who never panned out in the late 80’s.
Player Most Interested In: I think Bryan Abreu gets on a roll with total appearances, elevates his total strikeouts once again exceeding 100 for the season. In short, he gets even better in 26′ making it harder to avoid arbitration next time around given his dominance. He has a big year.
Jimmy Price: 91-71, AL West Champs
Big season: Cam Smith.. saw flashes last year but after a full off-season, I expect him to have a big year.
Rough season:Yainer Diaz... I’m afraid the pitch selection issues will continue to hurt him offensively.
Breakout: I’ll go the prospect route and say Cole Hertzler.
Scott Barzilla: 85-77, 2nd AL West, miss playoffs.
Big Season: I think Yordan is finally healthy enough to play 140 games and will produce a .900 OPS
Rough Season: I think Yainer Diaz falls off a cliff. He is just not selective enough and pitchers will figure out how to pitch around him.
Breakout Season:Cam Smith takes a significant step forward and becomes a four win player. He has the look of a young Jason Heyward.
Brett Chancey: 88-74, 2nd AL West, Wild Card
Big Season:Yordan Alvarez. If Yordan stays healthy, we could see something special. FanGraphs projects him to hit .294 with a 156 wRC+, and if he plays around 140 games (+/- 5 games)I believe he finally eclipses the 40 HR mark for the first time in his career. When Alvarez is on the field consistently, he’s still one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball.
Most Concerned About:Lance McCullers Jr.. FanGraphs projects McCullers for around 113 innings, but that feels like an overreach to me. At this stage, if McCullers gives Houston more than 70 innings, that would already be clearing a major hurdle. The bigger questions isn’t just health, it’s effectiveness after so much time away. McCullers hasn’t been able to stay healthy consistently for a while now, and until he proves otherwise it’s hard to project a full workload in 2026. That said, if he comes back healthy and dominates, I’ll be the first one to congratulate him. Houston would gladly take that boost in the rotation.
Breakout Player: Cam Smith. Cam is the guy I’m watching for a breakout season in 2026. His ability to play both left field and center field gives the Astros flexibility defensively, and that versatility could put him squarely in the conversation for a Gold Glove if things click. The athleticism, range, and defensive instincts are there. if the bat continues to develop alongside the glove, Smith could turn into one of the Astros’ biggest impact players this season.
Rookie to Watch: Brice Matthews. Another player to keep an eye on is Matthews. The tools are loud, and if he gets an opportunity this season, I think he has a real chance to work his way into the top 10-15 range of the AL Rookie of the Year conversation. The combination of power, speed and positional versatility makes him an intriguing piece for Houston moving forward.
Pitcher to Watch: Mike Burrows. If Houston can unlock another level with his arsenal, he could become a really important piece of the rotation depth and possibly more. The Astros’ pitching development track record speaks for itself, and Burrows could be the next arm that takes a leap forward.
Final Thoughts: The Astros might now be the overwhelming favorite they once were, but this is still a dangerous club. Houston still has championship experience, emerging young talent like Cam Smith and Brice Matthews, and a pitching staff that could surprise people if arms like Mike Burrows take the next step. Don’t count this team out. The window isn’t closed yet.
Patrick Creighton: 93-69, AL West Champs.
This is a team that won 87 games as one of the greatest MASH units in MLB history. Simply being healthier should win this team 6 games easily. A healthy Yordan Alvarez alone can make that kind of difference.
Big Season: Yordan Alvarez. When Yordan is playing and not injured, he’s a certifiable wrecking machine. Don’t discount his pride and desire to win. Yordan was clearly frustrated by his injury and the “less than stellar treatment” received from the team to overcome his hand injury. When he returned, he blistered the baseball to the tune of .369/.462/.569 (that’s a 1.031 OPS) in 19 games before suffering a freak ankle injury stepping on home plate. I expect an inspired Yordan Alvarez this season, that is good news for Houston and bad news for opposing pitchers.
Breakout Season: Cam Smith. Cam has been locked in this spring, stinging the baseball to all fields, pulling the ball more with authority, and continuing to show the athleticism that has made him make the transition to outfield easily. Batting lower in the lineup to start the year will help, but his new approach and mechanics at the plate have already shown dividends, and his presence lower in the lineup really extends the lineup and makes this a more dangerous offense. Wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually leapfrogs a couple of people in the lineup, especially this guy…
Rough Season: Yainer Diaz. For three seasons, we have been waiting for Yainer Diaz to learn some plate discipline, stop swinging at pitches out of the zone that turn to weak ground ball contact, and draw some walks. After three seasons, he has not learned any of it. Yainer doesn’t post big strikeout totals because he has very strong bat-to-ball skills, the problem is all the soft contact he makes leads to a disgracefully high GIDP total (including a league worst 22 GIDP in 2024). Yainer needs to learn to take pitches and not swing at everything. He could be a legitimate impact bat if he would just show some discipline at the plate. Now entering his age 27 season, it’s likely not going to happen. At this point, he is simply the placeholder for Walker Janek.
Trade Candidate: Jake Meyers. Jake’s fluky offensive season (.292 AVG, .354 OBP, .727 OPS) is highly unlikely to be repeated. Expect hard regression to his career norms (.243 AVG, .307 OBP, .678 OPS). Jake is nothing more than a bottom of the order bat who doesn’t utilize his speed enough on the basepaths. He is a terrific defensive player despite his weak throwing arm, as he mostly runs down anything. However, the Astros now have younger players in Brice Matthews, Zach Cole, Joey Loperfido and Cam Smith who can also run down baseballs well, have excellent speed, have strong arms, and a lot more offensive upside. The time to trade Meyers was this offseason and the Astros basically blew that. They should find a taker for Jake as soon as possible to any team desperate for a defensive CF and get themselves some bullpen help.
Player To Watch: Tatsuya Imai. I am projecting Imai to be the runaway AL ROY. His stuff is absolutely filthy. His tweak to his mechanics has increased the velocity on his fastball to 98+ MPH, and his breaking stuff is electric. The only core weakness in his game is command, as he has historically been a high walk pitcher in his career prior to last season. He gets immense swing-and-miss, and his added velocity is going to make the breaking pitches even harder to hit. Imai may be fourth in the rotation to start the season, but he will pitch like a strong number two. Brown, Imai and Burrows will wind up forming one of the best “Big Three” starting tandems in all of baseball.
Final Thoughts: While the offense won’t be incredible, it will be better than many people expect. The starting pitching has the chance to be elite, especially the top 3 guys. My concern for this team is the bullpen.
Josh Hader will be considered an injury risk for the rest of his time in Houston, and with him still not able to max out his velocity should not be expected back once his mandatory 15 days are up.
Bennett Sousa established himself as a leverage reliever last season, and had taken over 8th inning duties when he got injured and was shut down for the season. Sousa now starts the year on the 15-day IL with an oblique strain and could be out two months.
This will put significant strain on the pen. Bryan Abreu must step up in the closer’s role, especially early. Bryan King is likely to get high leverage innings, and I can see A.J. Blubaugh getting high leverage innings as well from the right side. Blubaugh’s power stuff plays well in short bursts, and he could wind up being an extremely important guy in the pen. With Ryan Weiss and Kai-Wei Teng also in the bullpen as relievers who can give multiple innings, Houston can afford to make Blubaugh a key set-up man in the pen.
Clearly, I am asking for some unknown/untested players to perform in the pen. However, it’s certainly not unreasonable to think those players can fill those roles, and if they do, this team will be much better than people think.
Last year, as good as the national media made Seattle out to be, they only won 90 games. They beat one of the most injury ravaged teams in baseball history by only 3 games. That screams to me Seattle is being overrated and the Astros are being slept on.
Usually the Astros are in the frontrunner seat, with high expectations and everyone gunning for them. This year, the expectations for the team are the lowest they have been in a decade, and I expect them to outperform those expectations, be an exciting team, and give Astros fans a lot to enjoy in 2026. LFGA!
As Sam Elliott was preparing for his first Sheffield Shield final beginning today in Melbourne, the Victorian fast bowler with big aspirations was balancing the old with the new.
ST. LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 21: A pair of Cardinals fans protect themselves from the late summer sun during a MLB game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 21, 2025, at Busch Stadium, in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Iconsportswire) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
There has been much discussion about the upcoming 2026 season being one that will reveal much about who the St. Louis Cardinals will be as this rebuild process continues. I also believe that we’re about to learn a lot about the fanbase of our beloved team. Who are the real St. Louis Cardinals fans and will they show up?
It’s an amazing fact that many of the younger St. Louis Cardinals fans have not been alive long enough to remember when the team was not competitive. That’s a tribute to the DeWitt family that the St. Louis Cardinals have been perennial contender for the National League Central for more than two decades. If you just look at the St. Louis Cardinals since Albert Pujols rookie season of 2001, the team has been to the playoffs 15 times. That era includes 4 World Series appearances and 2 championships. If you’re 25 or younger, you’re not accustomed to seeing the St. Louis Cardinals lose much. That’s likely why attendance has been on a rather sharp decline since 2022:
2022: 3.3 million+ total
2023: 3,241,091 total
2024: 2,878,115 total
2025: 2,250,007 total
I’m going to make a bold prediction that the decline in attendance will end with the 2026 season. I am not saying that the St. Louis Cardinals will suddenly return to the 3 million+ home game numbers from a few years ago, but I believe that the real St. Louis Cardinals fans now understand that the settling for mediocre “we just hope we can stumble our way into the playoffs and hope for a miracle” mentality is gone. Yes, a winning record might not be in the cards for 2026, but the trajectory toward constant winning has resumed I think. I don’t agree with everything that new President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has done, but I am convinced that he’s chosen a path that will lead the Cardinals back to greatness sooner rather than later. Yes, that sooner will likely not be the 2026 season barring a real miracle, but I think contending for NL Central titles at least will be within reach in the next 2 or 3 seasons.
Who are the real St. Louis Cardinals fans?
I’m not saying that if you disagree with the current rebuild or whatever you want to call it, you’re not a real fan. Not at all. Many of the complaints about the St. Louis Cardinals front office now are not that different from gripes that many of us had with Gussie Busch before the DeWitt family bought the team in 1996. But, I remember the eras when the St. Louis Cardinals were not expected to be playing in October yet we still went to games and supported the team. We kept showing up. The games I went to as a kid in the early 1970’s were not to see a playoff-caliber team. Other than 1971 and 1979, most seasons during that decade the St. Louis Cardinals were fortunate to have anything above a .500 record. Same can be said of the early 1990’s. Until Tony La Russa took over the team in 1996, we went to St. Louis Cardinals games for the atmosphere and because cheering on this team was what we did. Winning was just a bonus back then.
I think most of the bandwagon jumpers are gone now. Those who said they were fans of the team only because they were winning will gladly show up at the park once the new St. Louis Cardinals return to their winning ways, but the real fans will show up this year because they know something is different. Will players like JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson be the core of the next great Cardinals teams? We also can’t wait to see what Joshua Baez will do to major league pitching once he completes his development in the minors. Look at the stands at Busch Stadium this year and you’ll see the real Cardinals nation. Real Cardinals fans don’t always agree with the manager, ownership or what the team is doing, but we never leave either. I’ll be watching every single game I can in 2026 no matter what the record is. Will you?
A fortune teller, wearing a turban, his hands on a crystal ball before him, within the ball is an image of a woman smoking a cigarette, United States, circa 1935. (Photo by FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Diamondbacks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
As is traditional, on the eve of the Diamondbacks’ first game, I have polled the writers to make their prediction as to how many wins the team will get this year. These were all submitted through a Google form to avoid any risk of cross-contamination, but it’s always interesting to see everyone’s takes, and how they reached the final figure. But before we get to that, and their logic (or lack thereof!) influences your thinking (or lack thereof!), here’s a poll to give your opinion on the topic. I’ll post the results on Sunday’s unusual off-day. But I encourage you to pick a specific number and, in the comments, post it and your own explanation. Then we can revisit it at the end of the season and see how close or far away everybody was!
James Attwood – 81
The team is starting the season on the back foot because of injuries. With Burnes, Kelly, Puk, Moreno, Martinez, Saalfrank, and Carroll all in various stages of missing time, the team will be doing well just to tread water early in the season. I could fairly easily see them dropping to 7-10 games below .500 if just few things go against them. But then, assuming they do not have themselves another rash of injuries to deal with, they should get most of those players back for the second half. I expect them to be a much better squad then, the sort of squad that can make a hard charge to erase that below .500 deficit and to get them back to right around Mt. 500 by the end of the year.
1AZfan1 – 81
I don’t think the offense will be as good as last couple years, but will still be in the top half of the league. I think the rotation will be better than last year, with Ryne delivering similar performance to last year and the rest of the group all slightly improving their performances. The big problem, as always, will be the bullpen. There are glimmers of hope from ST, especially Morillo and Hoffman and Jonny Lasagna, but there are far more discouraging performers and it has my expectations very low for the bullpen overall.
DBacksEurope – 79
Hey! How are you all doing? I’ll be honest, I haven’t paid much attention to Spring Training, so I will stick to my sentiments after a low-ball off-season. We repeat last season’s starting rotation, but haven’t addressed our traditionally weak bullpen, like we are used to by now with Mike Hazen. On top of that, there is a good chance that our batting won’t be as good as last season. It seems Hazen is banking on players to repeat last season’s performance, to improve on it or to return from an injury and deliver immediately. That is a bold and naive strategy; last time we did that was in 2021 and the results were as expected. Obviously, this team is much better but there are too many flaws on the roster. I think we will hover around mount .500 for most of the season but will fail to climb over it. It’ll be Lovullo’s last season, and Mike Hazen will know he will have to deliver, somehow, in 2027 after yet another year of the rudderless Diamondbacks.
Dano_in_Tucson – 86
I dunno, really, beyond having a feeling based on little empirical evidence that year’s Diamondbacks will wind up performing better than it seems like the widespread conventional wisdom seems to be expecting. Here’s hoping I’m right, and that I have in fact underestimated the brilliance the team will unleash upon us starting Thursday.
Steak85 – 81
While injury luck almost certainly will not be as poor as it was in 2025, the Diamondbacks are starting from a worse position. While it is possible to squint and see this roster contending, it’s a long shot (unless the Diamondbacks were suddenly moved to the AL Central, where they might be the favorites.)
Contending will rely on bounce back years from Gallen, E-Rod, Soroka, and Arenado, plus sustained performance and health by Perdomo, Marte, Carroll, and Moreno. That’s a lot to ask for, and even if that does happen, the bullpen can still ruin everything. But there’s enough talent here to get to .500 even if some things go wrong, as will certainly happen.
Imstillhungry95 – 92
I’m backing off from my typical response of 100, but not by much.
I’m expecting to see a decent improvement over last year, at least in part due to just natural bounce backs. They’ll have a full season of Merrill Kelly, instead of losing him for the last month and a half. That alone is easily four wins. Gallen almost literally can’t be worse, at least if you go by his ranking among qualified pitchers.. If they can change the team record in his starts from 13-15 to even just 16-12, that plus more Kelly is more than half of my predicted improvement. Add in even the slightest bit of better luck in the bullpen and maybe the WBC reminding Eduardo Rodriguez what it’s like to pitch well, and I think this is actually fairly achievable.
Watch this be the year they finally hit 100.
Jim McLennan – 82
The team did very little to improve this winter in terms of moves. Arenado and Santana are likely not to be as good as Suarez and Naylor, and compared to Opening Day last year, the signing of Soroka doesn’t move the needle much. We’ve rearranged the pieces of the bullpen, but after almost a decade of failure in that department, it’s hard to be optimistic there. The return of Burnes, Puk and Martinez might help a bit, but expecting all three to be at pre-TJ form immediately is likely optimistic. In a tough division, the D-backs will likely be fighting for third/fourth place with either the Padres or Giants.
Makakilo – 85.1
13 January. My too early prediction was 84.4 wins (774 runs scored and 739.5 runs allowed). See
10 February. My updated prediction was 81.8 wins. Rational Follows: Andrew Saalfrank needs season-ending left shoulder surgery: 1.6 wins reduction Carroll suffered hamate fracture: 3.9 wins reduction
23 March. My updated prediction was 85.1 wins. Rationale follows: Perdomo breakout: 2.4 wins increase. Carroll recovery better than expected: 0.9 wins increase Comment from 23 March Round Table: “This season is unusual because of the wide range of possible wins. My view is that the Diamondbacks will win between 81 and 89 games, depending on the health and performances of nearly all Diamondbacks players. Therefore, my confidence that they will reach the playoffs is [about 4 out of 10].” — Makakilo
Justin27 – 84
I just clicked through month by month of the Dbacks schedule for this season and also looked at head to head records from last year. I just did variations on series’ and pretty much assumed every 4 game series was 2-2. Nothing too scientific. Yeah, I ended up with more wins than last year… I remember one season I simmed the season 10 times on Baseball Mogul and took the average. It isn’t being released until the 27th this year. I am not sure if we did a late win predictions article or it was released early. That was fun.
Jeffern11 – 85
I am buying into the improved defense and ‘run prevention’ mantra that we have heard all spring. That and I am bullish on Jordan Lawlar, Alek Thomas, and Gabriel Moreno contributing to one of the top offensive cores in baseball. It doesnt take much for you to see room for optimism with this team.
It is all going to come down to the pitching. This teams depth is so paper thin that it is impossible to predict where we will actually end up this season giving the infinite number of injuries that can occur to the pitching. Its also complicated by the fact that we have no way of predicting how the rest of the injured guys’ recoveries are going to go. But with as much bad luck as they had last season in this regard, I am betting on some good luck. All eyes will be on Brian Kaplan and the training staff to be able to demonstrate that they can turn a corner with some of these guys and develop them as well as keep guys healthy and help them return from injury.
If they can get one of Pfaadt, ERod, or Gallen to really turn a corner and be someone this year or 2 or 3 of Garcia, Hoffmann, Ginkel, Loasiga, Jameson, Diaz, Burgos, Carrillo, etc al we should be fine. If this team plays anywhere even close to .500 ball and gets the reinforcements back they certainly should be within striking distance of the wild card. If the pitching continues to produce nothing, this could be a disaster of a season. Ill bet on the former.
mcbenseigs – 84
I have immense faith and confidence in the team’s offense. I think there are exciting players throughout the lineup that will make for some fun watching with speed, contact, and power. But the pitching is likely going to be an immense drag on the team – especially the bullpen which could be a real nightmare for most of the season until Martinez and Puk return.
I’m not sold on any of the other non-Dodgers teams in the division and if the D-Backs can improve on their head-to-head records with some of them – especially against the Rockies – then they’ll keep themselves in the hunt and be competitive heading into the Trade Deadline where Hazen will be highly motivated to push in his chips.
Spencer O’Gara – 79
I don’t have much faith in the team’s decision to rely on the likes of Arenado and Santana. But when you’re in a division with the Rockies and a league with the Cardinals, Braves, and Nationals, you’re going to win more games than you should. So I’ll go ahead and let some realistic positivity enter my prediction and say we almost break .500 again this year. Hopefully the season ends strong in the vein of 2022. That seems very likely to me.
C. Wesley Baier – 95
Although it’s a flawed roster, I think this team is a lot stronger than people think. I think the team is going to go on a tear down the stretch after Corbin Burnes and others return from the injury list. The first half will be the real test, and if they can enter the trade deadline with a winning record, I can see them challenging the Dodgers for the division title. Alternatively, if they have a losing record at that point, I wouldn’t be surprised if they finish with a worse record than in 2025.
That comes out as an mean of 84.2 wins and a median of 84 wins predicted by the SnakePit writers, with a range of 79 on the low side (by DbacksEurope and Spencer O’Gara) to 95 at the high end (C. Wesley Baier).
DENVER, CO - APRIL 5: Fans gather outside the stadium ahead of the 2024 Opening Day game between the Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays at Coors Field on April 5, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Rachel O'Driscoll/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Opening Day! Baseball is back!
Earlier today, we shared our Purple Row staff predictions, and for the third-straight year, we asked the community to offer their same predictions! We received 18 responses, down from 35 in 2025, and here’s what you all think will happen this year:
Let’s start with a win total
The community was a bit all over the place regarding their record predictions, which just goes to show how volatile and unpredictable this team is right now. 63-99 received the most votes (3); the most pessimistic answer is 55-107 while the most optimistic is 82-80.
National League winners
As to be expected, the community was a bit more split with their predictions.
However, 17 out of 18 voters predict the Los Angeles Dodgers will once again be Kings of the NL West. The San Diego Padres received the other vote.
As far as Wild Cards go, if the community had their way, the three teams to make the postseason would be the Red Sox (12), Yankees (9) and Cleveland Guardians (8).
Champions
The pennant races were quite interesting again. On the NL side, the Dodgers are the clear favorites, earning 10 of 18 votes. The Mets earned four, while the Brewers, Phillies, Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks each earned one.
On the AL side, the Mariners edged out as favorites, earning six votes. The Blue Jays and Yankees each earned four, the Tigers earned two, and the Red Sox and Athletics earned one each.
As far as the World Series goes, the Dodgers are the clear favorites, earning seven votes. However, the Mariners were right behind them, earning five votes. The Blue Jays earned two, while the remaining four votes were split between the Red Sox, Tigers, Mets, and Padres.
Hardware
Pivoting to individual awards, there was once again a clear favorite for NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani (LAD). The Japanese two-way superstar earned 12 of 18 votes. Fernando Tatís Jr. (SD) earned two votes, while the remaining were split between Juan Soto (NYM), Ketel Marte (AZ), and Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL).
On the AL side, Aaron Judge (NYY) was the clear favorite, earning eight votes. Cal Raleigh (SEA), Julio Rodríguez (SEA) and Vlad Guerrero Jr. (TOR) each earned two votes, while Bobby Witt Jr. (KC) earned the final one.
For the NL Cy Young, Paul Skenes (PIT) was the clear favorite to repeat — earning 10 of the 18 votes. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) earned three, while Shohei Ohtani (LAD), Nolan McLean (NYM), Matthew Boyd (CHC), Mason Miller (SD), and Justin Verlander (DET) also received votes. This also means that we might see a Verlander trade in the middle of the season (likely to the Dodgers, if I had to guess, because Dodgers).
The AL side is always more difficult to predict, but Tarik Skubal (DET) was the clear favorite as well, receiving 50% of the vote. Garrett Crochet (BOS) received three votes, while Max Fried (NYY), Cam Schlittler (NYY) and Drew Rasmussen (TB) each received one.
For the Rookies of the Year, things are a little all over the map (as to be expected.
On the NL side, TJ Rumfield (COL), Charlie Condon (COL) and Konnor Griffin (PIT) each received three votes. Also receiving multiple votes were Carson Benge (NYM), JJ Wetherholt (STL), and Justin Crawford (PHI). Andrew Painter (PHI) and Nolan McLean (NYM) also received a single vote apiece.
On the AL side, Kevin McGonigle (DET) received four votes. However, the following players also received one vote each:
Travis Bazzana (CLE)
Carter Jensen (KC)
Chase DeLauter (CLE)
Colt Emerson (SEA)
Tatsuya Imai (HOU)
Munetaka Murakami (CWS)
Trey Yesavage (TOR)
Bold predictions
Now is the fun part of the predictions! The staff made some fun predictions, what does the community think?
Here are some predictions for the Rockies:
Mickey Moniak will be an All-Star Team designee in 2026
Kyle Karros hits a walk-off home run to complete a cycle.
The Rockies will finish within 5 games of the Giants
A Rockies pitcher wins 15 games.
The Rockies finish 7th in MLB attendance in 2026.
Charlie Condon will be called up in June….and be a Rookie of the Year finalist
The Rockies will give up half the runs in the first inning than they did last year.
Dollander becomes main closer for Rockies.
Condon is up by May 1 and hits .290 with 35 HRs the rest of the way
Rockies will not be last in the division and will sweep one series against the Dodgers
Condon wins NL Rookie of Year
Ezequiel Tovar will put it all together. He’ll hit 30+ HR, finish with 6+ bWAR, win a Gold Glove, get some down ballot MVP votes, and be named 1st or 2nd team All-MLB SS at the end of the season.
And here are some for MLB as a whole:
Cal Raleigh breaks the single season HR record.
Ohtani wins a batting triple crown while also being a top 20 pitcher
Elly De La Cruz steals 90 bases
J-Rod has a 40-40 season to beat out an Aaron Judge 60-HR year for MVP
Athletics come in 2nd in the AL West
Athletics vs Mets in the World Series. Mets pull it out in 6 games.
Dodgers lose 81 games
Ohtani throws a team no hitter while hitting 2 HR in the same game
Some of these bold predictions will come true, and we’ll all wish we had come up with them ourselves. But either way, baseball is back everyone!
A year ago, many were skeptical that the Chicago Cubs could be a postseason contender, even after the acquisition of Kyle Tucker, a genuine star.
A year later, the Cubs did make the postseason and extended the Brewers to five games in a tightly-fought division series. The 92-win season was absolutely a good one, with Pete Crow-Armstrong breaking out into an All-Star, Gold Glove year, even though his performance declined in the second half. The Cubs also got big years from Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner, Matthew Boyd, Daniel Palencia and others, as they appeared to be putting together a solid core of players for the first time since the big selloff of 2021.
Now Tucker is gone, and another former Astros player, Alex Bregman, was signed to bring a similar big bat to the middle of the lineup. Bregman also brings Gold Glove defense to third base and a reputation as a first-class clubhouse guy.
I’m here to tell you that this year’s Cubs might be another one making that list. The Cubs could have as many as six Gold Glove winners — the entire infield plus PCA and Ian Happ. Five of those six players have already won Gold Gloves, and Michael Busch should be in the mix for this year.
That matters. The eye test in Spring Training told me that some balls that (for example) Nico Hoerner or Dansby Swanson could have made plays on, went through the infield when minor leaguers or non-roster guys were playing there. That had an impact on the results for certain pitchers — another reason you shouldn’t pay any attention to spring results or numbers when analyzing pitchers.
It’s certainly true that everyone wants Shōta Imanaga to cut down on the home runs allowed. But Imanaga appears 100 percent healthy, in great shape, and his velocity was up from last year, when he never seemed fully recovered from that hamstring injury. I expect Shōta to be more like the 2024 version of himself. That will make this year’s Cubs rotation formidable, and Justin Steele will re-join it at some point mid-season.
That’s something that makes this Cubs team better. They’ve got five good-to-excellent starters, a capable sixth guy in Colin Rea, Steele coming back, and Javier Assad waiting at Triple-A Iowa. That’s eight MLB-quality starters — and who knows, maybe we’ll see Jaxon Wiggins join the rotation at some point in 2026, as Cade Horton did in 2025.
Horton, in my view, has the chance to be a true ace. His K numbers weren’t impressive last year, but remember, he was still ramping up to a career high in innings, so he was reported to have held back some of his best stuff. He did not do that in Spring Training, hitting 98 miles per hour frequently and in one game, striking out 10 Guardians in five innings.
Beyond the improvement in the Cubs, the rest of the NL Central has taken a step back. The Brewers traded their best pitcher and a couple of the young players who were key parts of that ridiculous 29-4 run they had midseason. The Reds are good, but have recently lost two of their best starters to injury. The Pirates are better, but… they’re still the Pirates. And the Cardinals are in a full rebuild.
In addition to the team on the field, the Cubs will be celebrating two significant anniversaries in 2026: The 150th anniversary of the franchise itself, the only original National League franchise from 1876 still operating in its founding city. The team will have celebrations throughout the year and you can vote for the 150th anniversary all-time Cubs team that will be revealed later this year. They’ll also be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2016 World Series champions. That World Series trophy was brought to Mesa this spring and there were long lines at Sloan Park of folks wanting to have their photos taken next to the trophy.
Perhaps there will be another such trophy to add to the collection after the 2026 season. This team is certainly built to win; 100 wins is not out of the realm of possibility.
