The results are in, and, to no one’s surprise, Los Angeles Dodgers fans are feeling rather hopeful about the 2026 MLB regular season.
As the Dodgers embark upon their three-peat campaign, their fans top The Athletic’s MLB Hope-O-Meter for the second consecutive year; 99.8 percent of Dodgers fans who participated in our mid-March survey described themselves as optimistic for the upcoming season.
More than 11,000 fans participated in our fifth annual Hope-O-Meter. Overall, 72 percent reported they are optimistic about their favorite team this season, compared to 66 percent in 2025, 64 percent in 2024, 75 percent in 2023 and 66 percent in 2022. Not all fans are hopeful about winning the World Series. Some are just juiced that their rebuild is on track. (That’s why the team with the optimism score closest to the New York Yankees’ is … the Chicago White Sox.)
Below, we sorted all 30 teams by optimism percentage and included four reader comments per team.
Previous Hope-O-Meters: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022
Some reader comments have been edited for clarity and brevity.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers: 99.8 percent optimism
2025: 99.7 percent (rank: 1)
2024: 96.7 percent (6)
2023: 75.6 percent (16)
2022: 98.1 percent (3)
Optimist Craig: The eternal golden age is upon us.
Optimist Andy: They’ve won back-to-back championships and signed Edwin Díaz and Kyle Tucker. If you are pessimistic about this team, you need to find professional help for your anger issues.
Optimist Dom: More money than God, more resources than Jupiter, and a never-ending motivation to lengthen the window through free agency and player development.
Optimist M: I don’t have hope. I have a guarantee. We added Tucker and Díaz to an All-Star team. The rest of the league is out here stressing over rebuilds while we’re basically printing rings. 🎺🎺🎺
Optimist Joseph: Breaking the sport for the sake of my enjoyment is one of the best things a sports team has ever done for me.
Per tradition, the Dodgers get an extra comment for winning the World Series. Congrats!
2. Toronto Blue Jays: 96.2 percent optimism
2025: 18.3 percent (25)
2024: 31 percent (25)
2023: 97.3 percent (5)
2022: 99.1 percent (2)
Optimist Alexander: My optimism is Game-7-top-of-the-ninth-with-one-out high.
Optimist Josh: They were an inch away from winning the World Series, and only got better in the offseason.
Optimist Ryan: I can’t expect as much offensive power as in their magical 2025 season, but I can expect better run prevention with the additions of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce in the rotation and Tyler Rogers in the ‘pen, as well as better infield defense with Bo Bichette’s absence.
Optimist Patrick: Having our hearts ripped out in front of the world wasn’t great. But after some time, you realize an unexpected playoff run is one of the best experiences you can have as a fan. We’ll slay the giant this year.
3. Seattle Mariners: 95.7 percent optimism
2025: 32.4 percent (23)
2024: 63.3 percent (16)
2023: 96 percent (7)
2022: 88.5 percent (10)
Optimist Stephen: Fifty years. They owe us.
Optimist Jamin: Losing in Game 7 of the ALCS felt … right. The essence of the Mariners is intact, and we felt some joy.
Optimist Ben: It always felt like the baseball gods would require Mariners fans to have our hearts broken in the most devastating way before we could reach the World Series. It doesn’t get much worse than a former Astro homering to take the lead in the seventh inning of Game 7. World Series, here we come!
Optimist Brian: We have Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and the best rotation in baseball, or at least the AL. Vibes are good in Seattle with the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl and the Sonics (finally) right around the corner.
4. Detroit Tigers: 95 percent optimism
2025: 86.9 percent (7)
2024: 80.6 percent (12)
2023: 16.2 percent (26)
2022: 92 percent (7)
Optimist Alexandra: I’m afraid I’m setting my hopes way too high, but I can’t seem to help it.
Optimist Jay: Pitching: big plus. Fielding: adequate. Kevin McGonigle? To the moon. This could be the year.
Optimist Cam: The Tigs made back-to-back playoffs, have the best pitcher playing right now, signed a filthy No. 2 starter, have elite prospects in waiting, and made the ultimate nostalgia signing in Justin Verlander, who’s still pretty good. I trust Scott Harris loads.
Optimist Brice: I’m still not convinced they will hit well enough, but if they stay healthy, they may have the best 1-2 punch in the playoffs if Framber Valdez can return to form.
5. Kansas City Royals: 94.5 percent optimism
2025: 93.5 percent (5)
2024: 74.4 percent (14)
2023: 44.2 percent (22)
2022: 73.5 percent (15)
Optimist Drew: How could you not be optimistic about the Royals after watching their stars show out in the World Baseball Classic?
Optimist Ed: Strong rotation. Good back end of the bullpen. Top-five player in baseball. WBC MVP. The Salvy smile. Let’s get Vinnie Pasquantino beaned up and hope Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone can bolster the lineup.
Optimist Dawson: I’m telling everyone to be ready for Jensen to take the league by storm.
Optimist Jonathan: The best American-born player in baseball? Paired with the WBC MVP as his lead-off man? Not to mention the other pieces that have steadily improved. Barring another abnormally cold year from the bats, I’m as optimistic as can be … while still knowing these are the Royals.
6. Chicago Cubs: 92.4 percent optimism
2025: 79.5 percent (12)
2024: 90.3 percent (9)
2023: 52.3 percent (21)
2022: 17.6 percent (22)
Optimist Zach: My hope is tenuous, grasping; scar tissue from 108 years of futility is never fully salved. However, this team looks good. Maybe even very good!
Optimist Ryan: Almost the exact same core from last season, swapping Kyle Tucker for Alex Bregman, but pitching upgrades have me feeling confident in a division win.
Optimist Jonathan: The front office finally delivering on a high-priced free agent has made this roster feel more complete than any team since the 2016 core.
Pessimist Connor: Make what you will of the Bregman signing, but the offense isn’t likely to be any better than last year and the second half showed a lot of cracks in the armor.
7. Boston Red Sox: 90 percent optimism
2025: 91.8 percent (6)
2024: 12.2 percent (27)
2023: 38.5 percent (23)
2022: 88 percent (11)
Optimist Dan: The last Roman empire spanned five to 15 centuries, depending on who you ask.
Optimist Peter: They look like a team that will be fun to watch — aggressive on the basepaths, sparkling in the field.
Optimist Julian: Roman Anthony is the first legitimate star we’ve had since Mookie Betts. Garrett Crochet is an ace entering his prime, and he’s locked up for the foreseeable future. The roster is filled with high-upside youth and veterans who won’t hamstring our payroll in the future. I don’t know if 2026 is our year, but Boston’s five-year outlook is better than any other AL franchise, by a pretty wide margin.
Optimist Mike: Putting all my hope eggs in the starting pitching basket, which has never once blown up in anyone’s face.
8. Milwaukee Brewers: 87.8 percent optimism
2025: 75.8 percent (13)
2024: 67.2 percent (15)
2023: 73.3 percent (17)
2022: 92.2 percent (6)
Optimist Joe: The rotation will be better than expected. Brice Turang will be MVP. Jacob Misiorowski will win the Cy Young. And they’ll get swept again in the NLCS.
Optimist Andrew: After getting my (extremely negative) response highlighted in last year’s Hope-O-Meter and being proven decisively wrong, I now worship at the altar of Matt Arnold. I write this as I am getting “Brew Crew World Series Champs 2026” tattooed on my calf.
Pessimist Joseph: I just can’t see how we can keep adding by subtracting.
Optimist Steve: Murph (Pat Murphy) doesn’t miss. He finds a way to wring out every drop of talent out of his teams. It will be a fun ride.
9. Baltimore Orioles: 87 percent optimism
2025: 79.7 percent (11)
2024: 98.7 percent (1)
2023: 85.3 percent (14)
2022: 6.8 percent (26)
Optimist Jake: This lineup finally has true middle-of-the-order power threats in Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, who complement the rest of what may be the most complete lineup in baseball. Gunnar Henderson is fully healthy. This year feels like where we should have been post-2023.
Optimist Mitch: I’ve dyed my mustache blond and sleep in my polar bear pajamas.
Optimist Brandon: My head tells me the rotation isn’t talented enough and the bullpen is a question mark the size of the collectible Riddler figurines from the Batman video games. But I tell it to shush.
Optimist Clark: Mike Elias seems congenitally disinclined to move trade capital for top-tier talent, but he’s got access to the data. All I can do is sit and watch. After last year, this clearly talented team can only go up as long as they’re not hamstrung by injuries (again). It would be nice to be a bride and not a bridesmaid.
10. New York Mets: 83.8 percent optimism
2025: 95.5 percent (4)
2024: 38.4 percent (23)
2023: 95.6 percent (8)
2022: 94.6 percent (5)
Optimist Nick: After last season’s embarrassment, I was more than happy to see the Mets clean house and reshape the roster.
Optimist Nando: While I miss the old core, like a good dish of comfort food, I can see the moves made in the offseason ended up lateral at worst, with huge upside potential. As mad as I was in November, I can’t stay mad at the Mets for long.
Optimist Norton: It wasn’t working with the old core. While I’ll miss the Polar Bear, I’d rather have Bo Bichette’s bat-to-ball skills with a runner on second late in the game.
Pessimist Brian: The front office gutted a productive offense (and the emotional core of the team) without sufficiently addressing the weakness that doomed the team last year: the pitching. They paid lip service to upgrading the defense, but have ended up with multiple players at positions where they have little or no major-league experience.
11. Cincinnati Reds: 79.8 percent optimism
2025: 86.7 percent (8)
2024: 95.9 percent (8)
2023: 4.4 percent (28)
2022: 5.9 percent (27)
Optimist Tyler: I’ve been burned before, and I’m ready to get burned again.
Optimist Mike: Losing Hunter Greene didn’t help my optimism, but a young and experienced core, an improving and electric young superstar in Elly De La Cruz, and the fact that they signed the WBC hero Eugenio Suárez to hit in the middle of the lineup gives Reds fans hope.
Pessimist Kris: I want to be optimistic. I love Elly and some of the young guys. I don’t trust ownership to spend money or care about fans. We are still waiting for a real apology for “Where you gonna go?” We haven’t forgotten!
Optimist Dustin: Usually, the season informally is over by about the third pitch of the second inning on Opening Day. I know there are holes in the roster, but the fact that we are annoyed the Reds didn’t do more to fortify a solid core is more than I can say for 90 percent of seasons in my life.
12. Athletics: 79.3 percent optimism
2025: 49 percent (22)
2024: 8.4 percent (28)
2023: 3.9 percent (29)
2022: 1.9 percent (30)
Optimist Matt: The only thing that dampens my optimism is the fact that these extensions are happening during the team’s disgraceful exit to Las Vegas. I fear they’ll peak in Nevada, when I will no longer be rooting for the team.
Optimist Louis: I am divorcing my fandom from ownership after essentially taking last year off for the first time in 35 years. The core is so young and fun, they remind me of the early 2000s teams — but if we had somehow signed them to (even team-friendly, pre-arb) deals.
Optimist Garrett: Best offense in the AL. Print that. Spending is increasing, securing the future. If the pitching staff can be average, they’ll compete for a wild-card spot. If the pitching is below average, they’ll still compete for a .500 record. The Swingin’ A’s are ascending!
Pessimist Kristina: It is getting harder to root for a team that abandoned their city. I wish I could go watch Nick Kurtz crush baseballs out of the Coliseum. I grew up only caring about the A’s, but since they do not actually care about me, I am slowly adopting a new team … the Cubs.
13. Pittsburgh Pirates: 78.8 percent optimism
2025: 18.7 percent (24)
2024: 40.1 percent (22)
2023: 31.9 percent (24)
2022: 4.1 percent (29)
Optimist Jennifer: Optimistic enough to fill out this survey!
Optimist Christian: The Pirates stumbled into possession of Konnor Griffin and Paul Skenes, who are each enough to make any fan base hopeful. Now we’ll see if they can stumble into the playoffs as well.
Pessimist James: (unfurls comically long manuscript that rolls off the table, out the front door, across the plains and into the Grand Canyon);
Optimist Adam: I choose optimism as a form of self-preservation. Sure, I could devolve into an angry Yinzer and howl at the sky about Bob Nutting until I’m blue in the face. But we have the most exciting pitcher in baseball for at least two more years, and the most exciting prospect is knocking at the door. We even added some bats. The bar is tremendously low, but it’s all reason enough to be optimistic.
14. Texas Rangers: 77.5 percent optimism
2025: 97.5 percent (3)
2024: 97 percent (4)
2023: 87.7 percent (13)
2022: 59.5 percent (20)
Optimist Jarrod: They can’t all forget how to hit three years in a row!
Optimist Bruno: A healthy Evan Carter and improving Wyatt Langford will go a long way. If Corey Seager can play 140 games and Joc Pederson and Jake Burger get to even 75 percent of what they were, the elite pitching staff can carry the team.
Optimist Simon: Three front-line starters and bounce-back seasons from Carter, Burger and Josh Jung should have the Rangers in contention, which (hopefully) will lead to a trade for an actual closer.
Pessimist Sharon: Two years past the World Series win, I’ve seen enough to know just how difficult it is to repeat. We might have A+ pitching, but if we can’t hit, it’ll be another losing season.
15. San Francisco Giants: 72.8 percent optimism
2025: 58.6 percent (20)
2024: 31.1 percent (24)
2023: 59.4 percent (19)
2022: 84.7 percent (13)
Optimist Dante: Tony V., if you can hear me, please save my .500 team.
Pessimist Tuvya: I’m not pessimistic. I’m not optimistic. I know what I’m probably getting — a roughly average team — and accept it with roughly average emotion.
Pessimist Duke: They are likely the same .500 team they have been, but with some different parts — like a car with 200,000 miles that just got a new head gasket. And they are in the same division as the Dodgers, who have bright, shiny wheels every year.
Optimist NB: My hopes live and die on the seas of our prospect development. I haven’t drowned yet.
16. Atlanta Braves: 72.3 percent optimism
2025: 84.4 percent (9)
2024: 98.5 percent (2)
2023: 98.3 percent (4)
2022: 99.7 percent (1)
Optimist Tom: It has to work eventually.
Optimist Phillip: It can only be described as extremely cautious optimism. The Braves couldn’t have worse luck than they have had the past 12 months, and last year’s regression can’t be sustainable. Right?
Pessimist Bubba: Injuries have decimated a rotation that was decent at best. Aging stars and a closing window. A GM who rode a hot moment into multiple years of mediocrity. Ownership is more concerned about shareholders than spending what it takes to field a team that can compete with the Dodgers.
Optimist JR: Every position has a Rookie of the Year, All-Star, or potential MVP candidate. Depth has killed us the last few years, and losing our left fielder again makes things even more precarious. If the roster stays healthy and we find a surprising bat and a super-solid arm, we can make noise. But this is Atlanta, home of fan torture. I doubt it will work out.
17. San Diego Padres: 72 percent optimism
2025: 70.2 percent (16)
2024: 56.3 percent (17)
2023: 98.8 percent (2)
2022: 61.8 percent (19)
Optimist Trip: Optimism is a state of mind, and I’d rather be flying A.J. Preller’s X-wing straight at the weakness of the Death Star than be waiting inside to see if the rebels were wrong about their hopes and dreams.
Pessimist Todd: Sure, we’ll win some games and maybe end up with a wild card. But we’re shackled with a barren farm, an aging, expensive, top-heavy lineup, and a GM willing to deal any potential reinforcements to continue kicking the can. We’re in neutral, heading towards a cliff.
Optimist Jake: At some point, all their well-compensated position players are going to have a hot season at the same time, right?
Optimist Lewis: Once the sale of the team is finalized, we’ll have a better idea of which direction this franchise is headed. There is a lot of talent, but also bloated contracts bound to age like milk. The bullpen looks deep. The starting pitching does not. This season could go either way: a playoff contender or a cellar dweller. But at least we ain’t the Pirates or Rockies.
18. Philadelphia Phillies: 71.3 percent optimism
2025: 84.1 percent (10)
2024: 96.9 percent (5)
2023: 98.7 percent (3)
2022: 84.9 percent (12)
Optimist Joe: Optimistic about a fun summer? No doubt. Optimistic about October? You’d have to be deranged to be at this point.
Pessimist Matt: They can’t get past their postseason struggles, and without addressing that, the 90-plus-win seasons don’t seem like much of an accomplishment.
Optimist Scott: With all the talk of the Phillies running it back, which isn’t completely untrue, there will be an influx of youth with Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter, not to mention Aidan Miller likely this summer. I’m excited to see these young guys contribute and add to an already potent lineup.
Optimist Dave: I’m trying not to take this team for granted. After a decade of horrendous baseball, I get to watch a great team with a lot of fun personalities with my young son all summer. Of course, I want them to break through in October. I think they can. But this is a fun era of Phillies baseball either way.
19. Arizona Diamondbacks: 71.3 percent optimism
2025: 99.4 percent (2)
2024: 97.3 percent (3)
2023: 87.8 percent (12)
2022: 7.5 percent (25)
Optimist Nick: A fair bit less optimistic than last year, but I can still imagine a world where the Diamondbacks are a competitive team pushing for the postseason. Third time’s the charm for the “good on paper” rotation?
Optimist Josh: The core of the offense is good — Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, Gabriel Moreno — but it’s hard to be super excited when lots of top arms are starting the year hurt.
Pessimist Spencer: The team filled holes with ancient names, not baseball players. It’s an expensive rebuilding year. So be it.
Optimist Jessica: Maybe I am a nostalgic fool, but I am so hyped about bringing back Merrill Kelly. I am also a Carroll believer and a Torey Lovullo apologist. Last year’s horrifying, injury-plagued season is in the rearview mirror [knocks on wood], and I’m excited for a fresh chance.
20. Cleveland Guardians: 68.7 percent optimism
2025: 73.4 percent (15)
2024: 44.2 percent (19)
2023: 97.1 percent (6)
2022: 14 percent (24)
Optimist Brendon: Lather, rinse, repeat. Team exceeds expectations, front office makes minimal additions, much to fans’ chagrin, but they keep on keepin’ on. All payroll frustrations aside, thank God for José Ramírez.
Pessimist Ken: Cleveland continues its trend of doing nothing to surround its superstar with any support. Unless the league changes its scheduling rules and Cleveland plays the White Sox 150 times, it’s hard to imagine them catching lightning in a bottle again.
Pessimist Eric: Relying on injury-prone rookies to buoy your offense is not a World Series strategy I have ever seen work.
Optimist Phil: We have José and a trenchcoat full of raccoons. Hoping the raccoons are up to the task.
21. Miami Marlins: 68.3 percent optimism
2025: 15.6 percent (26)
2024: 40.4 percent (21)
2023: 25 percent (25)
2022: 62.5 percent (18)
Optimist Sofia: Marlins fandom runs on optimism, often unfounded. Without it, what have we got? That said, there are a few rookies that might just pan out this year.
Optimist Matthew: Pitching is good and deep. The front office seems to have a plan. But, as usual with the Marlins, I’m cautiously awaiting the fire sale.
Pessimist Connor: The Marlins will never have any ability to compete unless there is a cap and floor. They can’t even contend for the division, given the financial juggernaut Mets and Phillies, let alone compete for the NL pennant in light of the Dodgers, whose resources are clearly in a different stratosphere.
Optimist Ivan: I hope the energy from the WBC keeps great crowds coming to the park in Miami and pushes the Marlins to a better season than expected.
22. New York Yankees: 67.6 percent optimism
2025: 68.1 percent (17)
2024: 80.7 percent (11)
2023: 71.1 percent (18)
2022: 48 percent (21)
Pessimist Jordan: When has running it back ever worked after it didn’t even work the first time?
Optimist Jack: I have no problem running it back with Gerrit Cole returning, a beefier rotation with Cam Schlittler and Ryan Weathers, hopefully more maturation from Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells and Ben Rice. A full season of Ryan McMahon and more Giancarlo Stanton will be nice, too — we have to offset Trent Grisham’s inevitable return to earth.
Optimist Justin: They’ll be good, but not good enough. A perfectly cromulent team.
Pessimist Kirsten: I don’t think the Yankees will crater to the bottom of the standings. I think, like many people, I just foresee another excellent regular season and an early playoff exit.
23. Chicago White Sox: 67.2 percent optimism
2025: 8.7 percent (30)
2024: 4.7 percent (29)
2023: 56.5 percent (20)
2022: 88.6 percent (9)
Optimist Pat: Do they have a shot at the playoffs? Absolutely not. Being over .500? Not a shot. But I expect them to be fun and improve from the abyss that was the last two seasons. Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth and Munetaka Murakami should all be fun.
Optimist Reid: I’m excited to see the young core grow, and I’m excited about the prospect of drafting Roch Cholowsky. This is all with the caveat that being a White Sox fan brings an inherent pessimism. I, and many others, believe nothing good can happen with this team until Jerry Reinsdorf sells.
Pessimist Peter: I understand there is a progression going on, but I’m worried they might just be collecting a team of shortstops.
Optimist Larkin: The Sox had a historically bad season just a couple years ago, but Chris Getz seems to be making the right moves in terms of rebuilding the team. Things can only go up from rock bottom, right?
24. Houston Astros: 59.5 percent optimism
2025: 59 percent (19)
2024: 96 percent (7)
2023: 100 percent (1)
2022: 97.4 percent (4)
Optimist Jason: I’m less optimistic than I have been in some time, as the Astros are not the clear dynasty they were. But at the end of the day, we have a potential Cy Young candidate (Hunter Brown) and Yordan Alvarez. I expect we’ll be contending for the division again. Not too bad.
Pessimist Kyle: I remember the dark. I don’t want to go back. But it’s hurtling towards us each time someone says, “All we have to do is move Isaac Paredes to second base, put Jose Altuve in left, and have Alvarez DH, and we’re back in the World Series.”
Pessimist Mickey: I think there is a 90th percentile outcome for this team, particularly with regard to health, in which they are competitive and re-take the division. But a second-to-last-place finish in the West feels just as likely.
Pessimist Collin: The run is over. I wish we would have ripped the bandage off after trading Kyle Tucker — trade other pieces, start a rebuild. I know Jim Crane has said the window is always open, but I think we’re kidding ourselves.
25. St. Louis Cardinals: 32.3 percent optimism
2025: 11.9 percent (27)
2024: 44.1 percent (20)
2023: 90.8 percent (11)
2022: 76.5 percent (14)
Pessimist Darren: This franchise is like Wile E. Coyote when he realizes he’s run off the cliff: too late. But they’ve seen it now, and I am hopeful they are on the right track again.
Pessimist Sean: Finally, we got rid of the old guard and stopped spinning our wheels on an outdated player-development model. The problem is, this is Year 1 of at least a three-year rebuild that should have started two years ago.
Optimist Ben: We’ll be bad, but at least we’ll get off the treadmill of mediocrity. Plus, we’ll get to see JJ Wetherholt at-bats and hopefully a lot of high-scoring games with our pitching staff. And tickets have never been more available.
Pessimist Hayden: How are you going to win without a pitching staff?
26. Tampa Bay Rays: 31.6 percent optimism
2025: 73.8 percent (14)
2024: 76.6 percent (13)
2023: 91.4 percent (9)
2022: 91.8 percent (8)
Pessimist Tyler: Unfortunately, this feels like a very Rays season. Flashes of potential, a young star, and a looming fourth-place finish.
Optimist Scott: I think we have a chance to compete for a playoff spot. It will primarily depend on the health of the starters — Shane McClanahan, especially — and whether Junior Caminero completes his progression to being a star.
Pessimist Stuart: Junior, McLanahan (maybe), the ever-underappreciated Yandy Díaz … and who?
Optimist Tyler: Optimistic in the sense that a new stadium deal gets finalized, Junior Caminero gets a 10-plus-year deal, Carson Williams and/or Jacob Melton take huge leaps and our farm bounces back. Those four are more important than the Rays’ record this season.
27. Colorado Rockies: 25.3 percent optimism
2025: 8.8 percent (29)
2024: 4.6 percent (30)
2023: 1.8 percent (30)
2022: 17.2 percent (23)
Optimist Travis: I’m not expecting miracles. But I see something other than complacency from the new front office. Which is kind of a miracle!
Optimist Trenten: The Rockies are finally trying something! (I know, the bar is painfully low.) Paul DePodesta seems to have a vision, or at least direction. They rebuilt the rotation with (gasp) free agents, which should give more space for the young offensive core to rebound. Hell, even if they don’t, this regime will actually sell at the trade deadline and build around Ethan Holliday in a few years.
Pessimist Andrew: We have one of the worst farms, one of the worst teams, and one of the worst owners (who is likely going to be the driving force of the lockout next season). If we lose 100 games, it will still be an improvement, but it will still create no hope to get out of it.
Optimist Blake: The path forward is unclear, but for the first time in a decade, it feels like we’re on a path somewhere. Putting aside $10 per month from March 2026 forward as my “Rockies playoff tickets and travel fund.” See you in the 2030s.
28. Washington Nationals: 24.2 percent optimism
2025: 62.7 percent (18)
2024: 50.6 percent (18)
2023: 12 percent (27)
2022: 5.6 percent (28)
Pessimist Kellen: Has a recent World Series winner in a top-10 market ever fallen into obscurity so quickly after?
Pessimist Kevin: Apparently, our rebuilding permit was rescinded, and so we’re starting over. Perhaps a new foundation will help?
Pessimist Chris: The trade of MacKenzie Gore felt like a team punting on its previous rebuild. I would not be surprised if CJ Abrams soon follows him out the door. Unless Blake Butera and the new regime can suddenly get massive improvement across the board, it looks like another long, 63-win season.
Optimist Will: Paul Toboni and crew are turning everything upside down. It’s desperately needed. This team has been stagnant and frankly primitive for a long time. Doubt we’ll make the playoffs or even get close, but I love the direction we’re heading.
29. Los Angeles Angels: 5.7 percent optimism
2025: 11.5 percent (28)
2024: 15.6 percent (26)
2023: 81.1 percent (15)
2022: 71.4 percent (16)
Pessimist Jake: This has to be the longest, meanest practical joke in history.
Pessimist Victor: They have hardly any prospects worth anything in the system. They hoard reclamation projects like infinity stones. The owner literally said he thinks fans don’t care about winning.
Pessimist Jan: This team is just doomed. Utterly doomed. And frankly, as long as Arte Moreno is in charge, it deserves to be.
Pessimist Brian: The team has been adrift for a decade. The current roster is the worst yet. One-year deals in the face of the impending lockout, an octogenarian labor-hawk owner, uncertain stadium situation, cheapskate operations for staff and facilities, Trout’s denouement. Where to begin? Where does it end?
30. Minnesota Twins: 4.3 percent optimism
2025: 52 percent (21)
2024: 86.3 percent (10)
2023: 91.3 percent (10)
2022: 70.1 percent (17)
Pessimist Ryan: I mean, (holds hands out and looks around at what they have done since July).
Pessimist Matt: The Pohlads dismantled the only team that won a playoff series in I don’t know how long. They dangled a sale in front of us, but it turned out that they saddled the team with too much of their own debt to make it attractive to potential buyers. Then we traded beloved players for middling prospects. And now Pablo López is hurt.
Pessimist JT: I was sitting at the rehearsal dinner of my mother’s wedding when the Twins’ fire sale began. I sat in disbelief watching players be shipped out like Amazon packages. If her marriage fails, it’s the Pohlads’ fault.
Pessimist Ryan: This could prove to be the worst Twins team of all time. I’ve never been less optimistic. It feels like doom and gloom at every turn, from ownership on down. At least there’ll be $2 beers and Luke Keaschall!