Bear Sports News

Finally, after what felt like yet another long offseason, it’s the best day of the year: Opening Day is officially here, and it’s prediction time. Today, we will be going over our choices for division winners, pennant, World Series and end-of-the-year awards.

Once the end of the season approaches, we will go over my picks and see if I was right. As always, make sure you drop your predictions in the comments below on who you think will win their respective divisions and awards.

Division Winners

AL East:

One can argue that the AL East was definitely the hardest division to be a part of last season. The Blue Jays and Yankees both tied for the best record in the division at 94-68, with the Red Sox finishing five games behind. All three teams clinched a spot in the playoffs and had a chance at a World Series trophy. Now there are tons of questions for each of these three teams. Can the Blue Jays manage without Bo Bichette? Can the Yankees survive long enough while they await the full strength of the starting rotation to return from injury? Will the Red Sox’s young offense and pitching rotation, led by Garrett Crochet, provide the same results as in 2025? Then you can’t forget about the Orioles, who made a huge offseason pickup by adding Pete Alonso to the mix.

One thing that we will all be able to agree on is that the AL East will definitely be one of the most fun divisions to watch this season. The Rays are still in the middle of a slight rebuild, you could call it. Personally, I don’t expect them to make this a five-way battle for the division. As cool as that would be, give them another season or two and we may get what we are wishing for.

Which leaves the battle for the AL East down to four.

The margin for error will be smaller than ever for these teams, where one game could mean your chances at the playoffs going down the drain. Every game will be critical, even before we get to crunch time. The Yankees are projected to lead the AL East in runs scored this season, with Aaron Judge being responsible for 111 of those.

Time and time again, Judge has proven that he’s superhero-like, but it’s time for someone to step up and help. I’d really like to see Jazz Chisholm Jr. be able to step up to the plate the way fans want him to, as well as Grisham and Stanton. The Orioles have everything on paper as well that makes this team look great. I’m expecting a huge breakout season for the Orioles, and for them to put themselves back on the map after their disappointing 2025 season.

The Red Sox roster looks incredibly good on paper, but will the rotation be able to hold up its end of the deal? The Red Sox have decided to go with Johan Oviedo over Connolly Early, but will this be a long-term solution? This team is definitely postseason-ready but has some kinks to iron out.

Blue Jays fans would agree that, despite making a trip to the World Series last season, the chances of that happening again might not be the best. They lost Bo Bichette, which, as I mentioned earlier, is a massive blow. Will the Blue Jays be the same team without him? Can George Springer be the same player he was in 2025? Those are just a few of the questions I have about this team, but I don’t think they are AL East–bound this season.

BSN’s prediction: New York Yankees clinch their 14th AL East title since 2000, with a slight edge over Baltimore heading into the final weekend of play.

AL Central:

I do see the Royals making the Tigers’ lives stressful at times, but the Tigers also have the best rotation in baseball. You can’t really lose too many games when Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez and Jack Flaherty are your 1-2-3. These guys are all aces on other teams, which makes them scary.

The Guardians had a rough season last year, finishing with the third-worst offense in the American League. They didn’t really do much this offseason, so I’m not gonna pretend and act like they will magically be able to compete. But one thing I’ve learned is that you can’t really count out teams like this. If the rookies are able to have good seasons, they could definitely clinch a wild-card spot.

The White Sox are 100% going to finish fourth or better in the AL Central. Yes, I am buying stock in the White Sox, and you should too. The White Sox will also finish with 70+ wins, mark my words. The offseason moves, for some, may not excite them. Just don’t count them out yet. I know they are rebuilding, but they 100% have the pieces to improve on their 2025 season and be a playoff team in 2027.

The Twins have been heavily dependent on Byron Buxton. That has proven to be the beginning of a coming rebuild in Minnesota. Teams need a season like this to be able to reset and figure out where the team would like to be after the rebuild is “complete.” Unfortunately, the Twins will not be battling for the AL Central this season.

BSN’s prediction: Tigers clinch AL Central with 1–2 weeks remaining in the regular season.

AL West:

The Seattle Mariners missed out ever so slightly on their chance at a trip to the World Series last season. Re-signing Josh Naylor was 100% the first step in reassuring fans and players that they’d be running it back. I’m heavily predicting that the Mariners will run away with the AL West.

The Rangers and Astros tried to make some offseason moves but still have some holes to fill. The Athletics’ lineup looks super fun until you get to their rotation, which is projected to struggle this season, but their offense is expected to be top-10.

The Angels have Mike Trout, and that’s about all to look forward to this season if you’re an Angels fan.

BSN’s prediction: Mariners clinch AL West with a 10–15 game lead.

NL East:

After adding Freddy Peralta and Bo Bichette, is there really any other choice? The Mets are expected to win the NL East by a comfortable margin, but that doesn’t mean the Phillies won’t come and creep around for the top spot either. Will the Braves be able to overcome some hurdles and shock the MLB?

The Phillies had a quiet offseason, quietly adding Adolis García with hopes he can provide some 2023 World Series moments. Other than that, though, they are pretty much running the same team back from last season (obviously without Nick Castellanos). Fans probably don’t want to hear it, but the timeline for a World Series trophy is starting to shrink. The Phillies are heavily relying on Zack Wheeler to have a huge year once he returns from injury. The Phillies will need to be treating every game like it’s September if they want to compete with the Mets.

The Braves would’ve 100% given the Mets a run for their money if their rotation was at full strength. Now four out of their five pitchers are dealing with injury and three of them are confirmed to be having surgery. It’s a huge blow before the first game of the season is even played. I do expect Acuña to have a huge year, but more on that later. Unfortunately, I’m gonna be writing off the Braves this season from NL East contention, as well as the Marlins and Nationals, who will have decent seasons but not anywhere near the mark that I expect the Mets to hit.

BSN’s prediction: It’s the Mets’ division to lose; I expect them to comfortably win the division over the Phillies.

NL Central:

Will the Chicago Cubs’ pickup of Alex Bregman be enough to win the NL Central over the Brewers? Well, I’ll give you one better: keep an eye out for the NL Central becoming one of the more competitive divisions this season. The Brewers and Cubs are always duking it out, fighting for division supremacy and keeping the rivalry alive.

Is 2026 the year that we consider the Pirates playoff favorites? I personally think so. With this pitching staff, which led the league with a 3.60 ERA last year, there’s a lot to like. They hit 117 homers last year, 31 fewer than any other National League team, so they traded for Brandon Lowe and signed Marcell Ozuna and Ryan O’Hearn. Those three players combined for 68 homers, or more than half of what all Pirates players hit combined.

The Brewers are expected to struggle at times this season after losing starting pitchers Freddy Peralta and José Quintana, left fielder Isaac Collins and third baseman Caleb Durbin. They will need a couple of their guys, including Christian Yelich, to step it up this season.

Having Bregman in the Cubs clubhouse will be good for the younger guys on that roster, which will be huge down the line, but should we expect much out of this team in 2026? Well, they did also add Edward Cabrera and moved some of their pieces around. The Cubs can quietly have a decent season; now, will it be enough for the division? That’s gonna be up to everyone else on the Cubbies’ roster. I may have extreme optimism for my prediction within the NL Central, but I think the Pirates will surprise a lot of people, including the Brewers and Cubs.

BSN’s prediction: Pirates clinch their first NL Central title since 1992, ending a 34-year drought.

NL West:

Colorado Rockies! That’s it! That’s the NL West section! Thanks for reading!

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I’m kidding, but there really isn’t much to say. It would take a whole lot of mistakes for this Dodgers team to NOT win the NL West. The sportsbooks have them at -700. That’s like if the Bills were playing the Jets or if the 2017 Browns played prime Tom Brady. I think you get the point: it’s the Dodgers’ division to lose.

Instead, let’s try to decipher who will finish in second place and give the Dodgers a slight run for their money.

The Rockies are also one of those teams trying to figure things out. There unfortunately isn’t much to say about them; they will break 100, but not in the win column.

It’s definitely gonna come down to the Giants, D-backs and Padres. Now the Giants will be without Hayden Birdsong for the year. They did sign Arraez at 2B, but his previous stats at second base are definitely not pretty. Rafael Devers is still around and is projected to belt 29 home runs with a .250 batting average, with Jung Hoo Lee continuing to be a below-strikeout batter. This team is definitely a few moves away from competing with the Dodgers, but it’s not this year.

The D-backs have essentially everything that makes a playoff-caliber team. They have the defense and the offense, but will their pitching hold up? Can Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodríguez have some much-needed bounce-back years? When this rotation is at 100%, it’s arguably one of the best in the league, especially once you add back in Corbin Burnes. Will the bullpen be able to cut down on its 54 blown games last season? There are a lot of questions surrounding the D-backs, but if pitching is anywhere close to 100%, this team is Wild Card–ready.

The Padres are the odd man out for me in this bunch. The trade for Mason Miller and JP Sears somewhat worked out. Sears didn’t make the Opening Day starting rotation, and now the Padres are without their top prospect, Leo De Vries. If they are in a position to buy at the deadline, they don’t have much to deal, which leaves their margin for error extremely low. If you’re a Padres fan, every loss is gonna feel pretty rough. Padres fans and MLB fans know that this Padres organization is doing everything they can for one final playoff push. Unfortunately, without more pieces on the chess board, you’re a bit outnumbered.

BSN’s prediction: Giants and D-backs battle it out, potentially to the final game of the season. The Padres will be making runs here and there, but I don’t think second place is where the Padres will be. D-backs quietly slither into second place in the NL West.

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Cy Young Winners

American League Cy Young:

After posting another huge 2025 season and winning the Cy Young on top of it, there’s really no other choice here. Projections show Tarik Skubal having an insane season: a 2.55 ERA, 247 K’s with 47 walks allowed and 57 earned runs. I do know that every start will be huge for the Cy Young race when you have Garrett Crochet breathing down your neck. Crochet’s and Skubal’s stats are pretty damn near identical, not counting a 0.35-point difference in ERA—which is just an overlooked stat. Hell, most scouting departments don’t even look at ERA anymore. I do think it’s gonna be a two-way battle for the Cy Young, but if I had to choose a horse in this race, it would 100% be Tarik Skubal to run it back in his contract year and become the highest-paid pitcher of all time.

National League Cy Young:

Just like Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes had a tremendous 2025 season. Projections show him leading the NL in strikeouts and having the lowest ERA across all qualified SPs. There really isn’t much to say about this one; if Skenes is anywhere near the same pitcher he was last season, we will 100% be getting another repeat Cy Young winner.

Most Valuable Player Winners

American League MVP:

Who is gonna dethrone Aaron Judge from the top spot? When Judge is projected to lead the AL in HRs, batting average and RBIs, it’s hard to bet against him. While Bobby Witt Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also have identical stats to Aaron Judge, they don’t have 50+ projected homers, and in this day and age, power = awards.

Aaron Judge will be your American League MVP.

National League MVP:

The American League MVP conversation is the same as the National League. Who will dethrone Shohei Ohtani? Honestly, I don’t see anyone else hitting 50 HRs unless Schwarber has another huge season with a .280+ batting average. After that, there really isn’t anyone out there who stands out to me as beating out Ohtani.

Shohei Ohtani will be your National League MVP.