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With the 2026 MLB season set to begin next week, Baseball America has been busy previewing the upcoming campaign with a series of crystal ball predictions on the sport’s biggest storylines, breakout players, award races and more.

Below, you’ll find our World Series picks, as well as American and National League standings projections and a rundown of more 2026 predictions.

World Series Predictions

We’ll begin by asking each of our participating staffers who will win it all this season. Here are their choices:

Ben Badler: Dodgers over Tigers in 6

Jesús Cano: Dodgers over Mariners in 7

Mark Chiarelli: Mariners over Dodgers in 6

Carlos Collazo: Blue Jays over Mets in 7

J.J. Cooper: Dodgers over Mariners in 6

Ian Cundall: Dodgers over Mariners in 6

Matt Eddy: Mariners over Dodgers

Josh Norris: Mariners over Mets in 7

Geoff Pontes: Blue Jays over Braves in 5

Jacob Rudner: Dodgers over Blue Jays in 7

AL & NL Standings Previews

And here’s how our staff projects AL and NL standings to shake out for 2026:

AL EastNL East1. Blue Jays1. Mets2. Yankees*2. Phillies*3. Red Sox*3. Braves*4. Orioles4. Marlins5. Rays5. NationalsAL CentralNL Central1. Tigers1. Brewers2. Royals*2. Cubs*3. Guardians3. Reds4. Twins4. Pirates5. White Sox5. CardinalsAL WestNL West1. Mariners1. Dodgers2. Athletics2. Padres3. Astros3. Giants4. Rangers4. Diamondbacks5. Angels5. Rockies* denotes Wild Card winner

AL Champion: Mariners (6), Blue Jays (3), Tigers (1)
NL Champion: Dodgers (7), Mets (2), Braves (1)

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