7 MLB Teams That Will Have a Better Record in 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays will enter 2026 as one of the top alternatives to the overwhelming World Series favorites, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Toronto, the defending American League Champions, added Dylan Cease, Kazuma Okamoto, Tyler Rogers, and Cody Ponce this winter after losing last year's Fall Classic in seven games to the Dodgers.
At this time a year ago, though, the Blue Jays were trying to dig themselves out of the cellar of the AL East, as they finished last in what's usually baseball's best division in 2024, going 74-88. As it turned out, John Schneider's club went worst-to-first, winning the AL East with 94 wins in 2025.
Will there be a team that goes from worst in their division in 2025 to nearly winning the World Series in 2026? Perhaps not, but here's a look at seven clubs we feel pretty confident will improve on their record from a season ago.
New York Mets
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The Mets added Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta, Devin Williams, Luis Robert Jr., and Marcus Semien this offseason, while subtracting Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Starling Marte, among others.
Where teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees have been accused of "running it back," David Stearns and the Mets certainly weren't content with a disastrous finish to 2025. Are they a more talented team than a year ago? That's fair to debate, but they're definitely different.
The reason the Mets are on this list is we're going to bet that they won't have a second-half collapse as they did a year ago, when Carlos Mendoza's squad followed up a 55-42 first half by going 28-37 after the All-Star Break. A year after an improbable run to the NLCS, the Mets missed the playoffs altogether, finishing at 83-79.
Whether the Mets can unseat the two-time defending NL East Champion Phillies and hold off both the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins is unclear. But a club that's still headlined by Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor—and will have a full year from NL Rookie of the Year candidate Nolan McLean—should clear 83 wins with relative ease.
Atlanta Braves
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Speaking of the Braves, they're trying to rebound from a disastrous 2025 season that saw them go from a trendy World Series pick before the season to a 76-86 campaign where they were never really in playoff contention.
Brian Snitker retired following the 2025 season, with his long-time bench coach—and former Braves shortstop—Walt Weiss getting promoted to manager. For as much success as Snitker had, sometimes a new voice can be a good thing for a talented team that's largely been together for a number of years now.
Weiss' first Spring Training hasn't gotten off to an encouraging start, with both Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep already undergoing procedures on their pitching elbows that will knock them out for a significant chunk of the 2026 season. The scary part is that those two were probably the two arms in Atlanta's rotation that you would have bet on staying healthy entering camp. Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, and Reynaldo López all have lengthy injury histories.
Still, there's just too much talent on this team to think they won't at least improve from 76 games. There are injury concerns in the lineup as well, but when healthy, a group that includes Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies, Jurickson Profar, and Michael Harris II should lead the Braves back to playoff contention in 2026.
Pittsburgh Pirates
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Have the Pirates done enough to take advantage of a likely shrinking window with the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner? It's still fair to be skeptical. But general manager Ben Cherington did enough this offseason that the Buccos should be better than the 71-91 record they posted a year ago.
Skenes—who is off to one of the greatest starts to a career we've ever seen from a pitcher—headlines a capable starting rotation that also includes Mitch Keller and Braxton Ashcraft. Getting Jared Jones back from an internal brace procedure he had last May at some point this season would further bolster manager Don Kelly's rotation.
There's been some bellyaching about not re-signing franchise icon Andrew McCutchen, but the reality is the Pirates needed to overhaul their lineup after finishing dead last in runs scored a season ago. Pittsburgh still might not be a particularly good offense, but the additions of Brandon Lowe, Marcell Ozuna, and Ryan O'Hearn should improve a group that still includes Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds. Additionally, baseball's No. 1 overall prospect, Konnor Griffin, is going to give the Pirates a jolt at some point in 2026, probably sooner rather than later.
Pittsburgh still probably isn't going to be a playoff team in 2026, but it's not unreasonable to think they'll finish closer to 80 wins than 70 this season, particularly if they're able to beat up on the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals, who look like they have one of the worst rosters in baseball.
Athletics
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Nick Kurtz is the reigning AL Rookie of the Year after posting a 1.002 OPS in 117 games. Jacob Wilson finished runner-up with a .311 batting average. With those two, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, and Shea Langeliers, the Athletics have a lineup that's ready to compete for a postseason spot in 2026.
The problem is that their temporary home of Sutter Health Park in Sacramento proved to be a nightmarish place for pitchers. The best evidence is Luis Severino, who posted a 6.01 ERA in 15 home starts, as compared to a 3.02 ERA in 14 road outings. There's not enough pitching talent on the A's roster to begin with, and while it certainly benefits and exciting lineup, having to pitch in a hellscape only makes matters worse for the pitching staff.
With all that acknowledged, the Athletics went 76-86 a year ago. The question here isn't whether they'll win 90 games. They aren't. But might they win 80? Sure, this lineup—particularly if Jeff McNeil and/or Lawrence Butler bounce back—is good enough for Mark Kotsay's club to continue moving in the right direction.
Chicago White Sox
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The White Sox went 60-102 a year ago, which was actually a massive improvement from their historically bad 41-121 campaign in 2024. In 2026, it seems feasible that they could lose fewer than 100 games, particularly since the Minnesota Twins might be even worse in their own division.
General manager Chris Getz was active in the offseason, striking on Munetaka Murakami when his market cratered. There are some concerns about his ability to hit velocity, but he has immense raw power. The 26-year-old will join a lineup that has some other exciting young pieces in shortstop Colson Montgomery, second baseman Chase Merideth, and catcher Kyle Teel.
Additionally, Getz signed a pair of stabilizing veterans in the offseason in outfielder Austin Hays and reliever Seranthony Domínguez.
Make no mistake, this is still going to be a bad team from a wins/losses perspective, but they do seem to be moving in the right direction. It might not be many more, but the Pale Hose should be able to top 60 wins in 2026.
Detroit Tigers
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It's disappointing that the top move the Tigers made to address their lineup this offseason was bringing back second baseman Gleyber Torres after he accepted the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer. They've put quite a bit of faith in him bouncing back after a sports hernia affected his second-half results. Colt Keith is another piece they need to take a step forward to be a World Series contender.
President of baseball operations Scott Harris was very active on the pitching market this winter, though.
Most importantly, he retained two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, who is baseball's best pitcher. It's unclear if Detroit ownership will pony up to keep the lefty beyond 2026, but they are certainly a better team with him this year than if they had moved him for prospects ahead of his contract year.
Additionally, the Tigers signed Framber Valdez—who is fifth among all starters in WAR since the start of the 2022 season—to a three-year, $115 million free-agent deal. They also brought back franchise legend Justin Verlander, who is 43 years old but posted a 2.99 ERA after the All-Star Break for the San Francisco Giants last season. The Tigers have given themselves strong rotation depth, making them less reliant on Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize in 2026.
Kenley Jansen is 38 years old, but he's fourth in MLB history in saves and will open the year as A.J. Hinch's closer. If Father Time finally catches up to Jansen, the Tigers have two other options with closing experience in Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest.
Somehow, the Cleveland Guardians will probably end up pushing them. But with a strong offseason in terms of adding pitching, the Tigers should improve on their 87-75 record from a season ago.
Baltimore Orioles
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The Orioles were the most obvious team to put on this list, because after consecutive playoff appearances, they had a disastrous 75-87 campaign a year ago. General manager Mike Elias responded with a very active offseason.
Even if catcher Adley Rutschman doesn't regain the superstar form he showed early in his career, the lineup around shortstop Gunnar Henderson should be significantly improved. The O's added a major right-handed thump by signing Pete Alonso (38 homers, 126 RBIs in 2025) and trading for Taylor Ward (36 homers, 103 RBIs in 2025).
The Orioles perhaps didn't add an ace this offseason, but Elias signed veterans Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin and traded for Shane Baz. Health will be a major key for this rotation, but a rotation headlined by Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish has a high ceiling.
Meanwhile, signing Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $28 million deal—which includes a player opt out after the 2026 season—was one of the more shrewd pickups of the offseason. Yes, he had a disastrous 2025, particularly after the Mets acquired him from the Cardinals. But Helsley is just two seasons removed from winning the Trevor Hoffman Award as the National League's best reliever, as he posted a 2.04 ERA and an MLB-high 49 saves in 2024.
The AL East is baseball's most competitive division, but in Craig Albernaz's first season as manager, the Orioles have a chance to do what the Blue Jays did last year—go from worst to first.
