Projections for Every MLB Team's 2026 Opening Day Lineup, Rotation and More
As 2026 MLB spring training winds to a close, teams are making the toughest cuts as they put the finishing touches on their Opening Day rosters.
In the grand scheme of things, the initial 26-man roster is largely inconsequential. Teams will cycle through dozens of other players over the course of the season, and the first round of roster shuffling will come just days after the season starts when teams are looking for fresh arms in the bullpen or navigating early injuries.
For now, we've taken one final crack at predicting each team's Opening Day lineup and starting rotation. This will put the finishing touches on a series of predictions that have been updated throughout the offseason.
Also included is a prediction for each team's MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and breakout player to provide a quick snapshot of a few names to know for each team heading into the new season.
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD)
2B Ketel Marte
RF Corbin Carroll
SS Geraldo Perdomo
3B Nolan Arenado
DH Pavin Smith
C Gabriel Moreno
1B Carlos Santana
CF Jordan Lawlar
LF Alek Thomas
Starting Rotation
RHP Zac Gallen
RHP Ryne Nelson
LHP Eduardo Rodríguez
RHP Michael Soroka
RHP Brandon Pfaadt
MVP: Ketel Marte
Cy Young: Ryne Nelson
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Waldschmidt
Breakout Player: Jordan Lawlar
One-Sentence Outlook: The D-backs did little to improve during the offseason, instead re-upping with Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly while adding veterans Carlos Santana and Nolan Arenado to plug holes at the corner infield spots.
Athletics
2 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Kevin Gausman, TOR)
1B Nick Kurtz
C Shea Langeliers
LF Tyler Soderstrom
DH Brent Rooker
2B Jeff McNeil
SS Jacob Wilson
RF Lawrence Butler
3B Max Muncy
CF Denzel Clarke
Starting Rotation
RHP Luis Severino
LHP Jeffrey Springs
RHP Aaron Civale
LHP Jacob Lopez
RHP Luis Morales
MVP: Nick Kurtz
Cy Young: Luis Morales
Rookie of the Year: Leo De Vries
Breakout Player: Denzel Clarke
One-Sentence Outlook: With one of baseball's most exciting young offensive cores and a rising superstar in Nick Kurtz, the Athletics will go as far as their pitching staff allows.
Atlanta Braves
3 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Cole Ragans, KC)
RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
C Drake Baldwin
1B Matt Olson
3B Austin Riley
LF Mike Yastrzemski
2B Ozzie Albies
CF Michael Harris II
DH Eli White
SS Mauricio Dubón
Starting Rotation
LHP Chris Sale
RHP Reynaldo López
RHP Grant Holmes
RHP Bryce Elder
LHP Martin Pérez
MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr.
Cy Young: Chris Sale
Rookie of the Year: Didier Fuentes
Breakout Player: Michael Harris II
One-Sentence Outlook: The Braves' starting pitching depth is already being pushed to the brink with multiple starters on the injured list, and while they should score plenty of runs, they might regret not making the rotation more of a priority this winter.
Baltimore Orioles
4 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Joe Ryan, MIN)
SS Gunnar Henderson
LF Taylor Ward
1B Pete Alonso
C Adley Rutschman
RF Tyler O'Neill
DH Samuel Basallo
3B Coby Mayo
CF Colton Cowser
2B Jeremiah Jackson
Starting Rotation
LHP Trevor Rogers
RHP Kyle Bradish
RHP Shane Baz
RHP Chris Bassitt
RHP Zach Eflin
MVP: Gunnar Henderson
Cy Young: Kyle Bradish
Rookie of the Year: Samuel Basallo
Breakout Player: Shane Baz
One-Sentence Outlook: The Orioles didn't reel in the frontline starter many were expecting them to target, but they did add some serious thump to the lineup, and a healthy tandem of Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish could end up being that top-of-the-rotation answer.
Boston Red Sox
5 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Andrew Abbott, CIN)
LF Roman Anthony
SS Trevor Story
DH Jarren Duran
1B Willson Contreras
RF Wilyer Abreu
3B Caleb Durbin
CF Ceddanne Rafaela
2B Marcelo Mayer
C Carlos Narváez
Starting Rotation
LHP Garrett Crochet
RHP Sonny Gray
RHP Johan Oviedo
LHP Ranger Suárez
RHP Brayan Bello
MVP: Roman Anthony
Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
Rookie of the Year: Connelly Early
Breakout Player: Johan Oviedo
One-Sentence Outlook: The Red Sox did a great job bolstering the starting rotation in support of a solid lineup, and with Connelly Early and Payton Tolle waiting in the wings, they have some exciting depth behind their projected five-man staff.
Chicago Cubs
6 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Cade Cavalli, WAS)
1B Michael Busch
3B Alex Bregman
LF Ian Happ
C Carson Kelly
CF Pete Crow-Armstrong
2B Nico Hoerner
RF Michael Conforto
DH Moisés Ballesteros
SS Dansby Swanson
Starting Rotation
LHP Matthew Boyd
RHP Cade Horton
LHP Shota Imanaga
RHP Edward Cabrera
RHP Jameson Taillon
MVP: Alex Bregman
Cy Young: Cade Horton
Rookie of the Year: Moisés Ballesteros
Breakout Player: Daniel Palencia
One-Sentence Outlook: The Cubs look like one of the most complete teams in baseball on paper, and they'll get a huge in-house boost once Justin Steele returns to the rotation and Seiya Suzuki is recovered from a knee sprain he suffered in the WBC.
Chicago White Sox
7 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Jacob Misiorowski, MIL)
2B Chase Meidroth
SS Colson Montgomery
3B Miguel Vargas
1B Munetaka Murakami
RF Austin Hays
LF Andrew Benintendi
DH Lenyn Sosa
C Edgar Quero
CF Luisangel Acuña
Starting Rotation
RHP Shane Smith
LHP Anthony Kay
RHP Davis Martin
RHP Sean Burke
RHP Erick Fedde
MVP: Colson Montgomery
Cy Young: Shane Smith
Rookie of the Year: Munetaka Murakami
Breakout Player: Grant Taylor
One-Sentence Outlook: The White Sox youth movement is in full swing, and this group has the potential to surprise some people if guys like Kyle Teel, Colson Montgomery and others take another step forward alongside new slugger Munetaka Murakami.
Cincinnati Reds
8 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Garrett Crochet, BOS)
CF TJ Friedl
2B Matt McLain
SS Elly De La Cruz
DH Eugenio Suárez
C Tyler Stephenson
1B Sal Stewart
RF Noelvi Marte
LF Dane Myers
3B Ke'Bryan Hayes
Starting Rotation
LHP Andrew Abbott
LHP Nick Lodolo
RHP Brady Singer
RHP Rhett Lowder
RHP Chase Burns
MVP: Matt McLain
Cy Young: Nick Lodolo
Rookie of the Year: Sal Stewart
Breakout Player: Chase Burns
One-Sentence Outlook: The Reds are counting on homegrown players like Sal Stewart, Matt McLain, Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder to help them take the next step following last year's wild-card berth, and those two young pitchers will be especially important in the aftermath of Hunter Greene's injury.
Cleveland Guardians
9 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Logan Gilbert, SEA)
CF Steven Kwan
LF Angel Martínez
3B José Ramírez
1B Kyle Manzardo
DH Rhys Hoskins
RF Chase DeLauter
SS Gabriel Arias
C Bo Naylor
2B Brayan Rocchio
Starting Rotation
RHP Tanner Bibee
RHP Gavin Williams
RHP Slade Cecconi
LHP Joey Cantillo
LHP Parker Messick
MVP: José Ramírez
Cy Young: Gavin Williams
Rookie of the Year: Chase DeLauter
Breakout Player: Joey Cantillo
One-Sentence Outlook: The Guardians sat on their hands once again this offseason, and unless they can string together another 20-7 month like they did last September, they might have a tough time keeping pace in the AL Central race.
Colorado Rockies
10 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Sandy Alcantara, MIA)
LF Jake McCarthy
SS Ezequiel Tovar
C Hunter Goodman
DH Mickey Moniak
RF Jordan Beck
2B Willi Castro
CF Brenton Doyle
3B Kyle Karros
1B Edouard Julien
Starting Rotation
LHP Kyle Freeland
RHP Michael Lorenzen
LHP Jose Quintana
RHP Tomoyuki Sugano
RHP Ryan Feltner
MVP: Ezequiel Tovar
Cy Young: Michael Lorenzen
Rookie of the Year: Charlie Condon
Breakout Player: Kyle Karros
One-Sentence Outlook: The Rockies spent some money to fortify the starting rotation and rolled the dice on a few bounce-back candidates in the starting lineup, showing something resembling a plan and direction for the first time in years.
Detroit Tigers
11 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Nick Pivetta, SD)
SS Kevin McGonigle
2B Gleyber Torres
DH Kerry Carpenter
LF Riley Greene
1B Spencer Torkelson
3B Colt Keith
RF Matt Vierling
C Dillon Dingler
CF Parker Meadows
Starting Rotation
LHP Tarik Skubal
LHP Framber Valdez
RHP Jack Flaherty
RHP Justin Verlander
RHP Casey Mize
MVP: Kerry Carpenter
Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle
Breakout Player: Colt Keith
One-Sentence Outlook: Adding Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander and Kenley Jansen to the Tigers pitching staff and potential AL Rookie of the Year Kevin McGonigle to the lineup makes them the team to beat in the AL Central after back-to-back playoff berths in 2024 and 2025.
Houston Astros
12 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP José Soriano, LAA)
2B Jose Altuve
3B Isaac Paredes
DH Yordan Alvarez
SS Carlos Correa
1B Christian Walker
LF Joey Loperfido
RF Cam Smith
C Yainer Diaz
CF Jake Meyers
Starting Rotation
RHP Hunter Brown
RHP Mike Burrows
RHP Cristian Javier
RHP Tatsuya Imai
RHP Lance McCullers Jr.
MVP: Yordan Alvarez
Cy Young: Hunter Brown
Rookie of the Year: Tatsuya Imai
Breakout Player: Joey Loperfido
One-Sentence Outlook: The Astros still have an infield logjam to sort through once Jeremy Peña returns from the injured list, a fluid outfield situation and a starting rotation full of question marks, giving them a wide range of potential outcomes for the 2026 season.
Kansas City Royals
13 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Chris Sale, ATL)
3B Maikel Garcia
SS Bobby Witt Jr.
1B Vinnie Pasquantino
C Salvador Perez
RF Jac Caglianone
2B Jonathan India
DH Carter Jensen
LF Isaac Collins
CF Kyle Isbel
Starting Rotation
LHP Cole Ragans
RHP Michael Wacha
RHP Seth Lugo
LHP Kris Bubic
LHP Noah Cameron
MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
Cy Young: Cole Ragans
Rookie of the Year: Carter Jensen
Breakout Player: Jac Caglianone
One-Sentence Outlook: If Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen both provide above-average offensive production, the Royals' outlook takes a significant step forward since they already have a quality starting rotation and some legitimate star power in the 1-4 spots in the lineup.
Los Angeles Angels
14 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Hunter Brown, HOU)
SS Zach Neto
CF Mike Trout
1B Nolan Schanuel
RF Jo Adell
3B Yoán Moncada
DH Jorge Soler
LF Josh Lowe
C Logan O'Hoppe
2B Adam Frazier
Starting Rotation
RHP José Soriano
LHP Yusei Kikuchi
LHP Reid Detmers
RHP Jack Kochanowicz
RHP Ryan Johnson
MVP: Zach Neto
Cy Young: Reid Detmers
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Johnson
Breakout Player: Reid Detmers
One-Sentence Outlook: The Angels are working on a streak of 10 straight losing seasons, and they didn't do nearly enough this offseason to believe that run of futility will be snapped in 2026.
Los Angeles Dodgers
15 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Zac Gallen, ARI)
DH Shohei Ohtani
RF Kyle Tucker
SS Mookie Betts
1B Freddie Freeman
C Will Smith
3B Max Muncy
LF Teoscar Hernández
CF Andy Pages
2B Santiago Espinal
Starting Rotation
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
RHP Tyler Glasnow
RHP Roki Sasaki
RHP Emmet Sheehan
RHP Shohei Ohtani
MVP: Shohei Ohtani
Cy Young: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Rookie of the Year: Alex Freeland
Breakout Player: Roki Sasaki
One-Sentence Outlook: The fact that an already loaded Dodgers roster addressed the need for a left-handed hitting outfielder and a back-of-the-bullpen reliever by signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz is borderline unfair, and this will be the team to beat again in 2026.
Miami Marlins
16 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Kyle Freeland, COL)
CF Jakob Marsee
2B Xavier Edwards
DH Agustín Ramírez
C Liam Hicks
SS Otto Lopez
RF Griffin Conine
LF Heriberto Hernández
1B Christopher Morel
3B Connor Norby
Starting Rotation
RHP Sandy Alcantara
RHP Eury Pérez
RHP Max Meyer
RHP Chris Paddack
RHP Janson Junk
MVP: Jakob Marsee
Cy Young: Eury Pérez
Rookie of the Year: Owen Caissie
Breakout Player: Max Meyer
One-Sentence Outlook: The Marlins are trending in the right direction after going 35-32 after the All-Star break, and now young hitters like Jakob Marsee, Connor Norby, Owen Caissie and others need to solidify their status as impact offensive players to help them take the next step forward.
Milwaukee Brewers
17 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Shane Smith, CWS)
LF Jackson Chourio
2B Brice Turang
C William Contreras
DH Christian Yelich
RF Sal Frelick
1B Andrew Vaughn
3B Luis Rengifo
CF Garrett Mitchell
SS Joey Ortiz
Starting Rotation
RHP Jacob Misiorowski
RHP Chad Patrick
RHP Brandon Woodruff
LHP Kyle Harrison
RHP Brandon Sproat
MVP: Jackson Chourio
Cy Young: Jacob Misiorowski
Rookie of the Year: Brandon Sproat
Breakout Player: Kyle Harrison
One-Sentence Outlook: The Brewers are leaning heavily on several young, unproven arms in the aftermath of trading Freddy Peralta, but time and again they have found ways to contend after losing key players, so betting against them would be unwise.
Minnesota Twins
18 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Trevor Rogers, BAL)
CF Byron Buxton
1B Josh Bell
2B Luke Keaschall
RF Matt Wallner
3B Royce Lewis
DH Trevor Larnach
C Ryan Jeffers
SS Brooks Lee
LF Austin Martin
Starting Rotation
RHP Joe Ryan
RHP Bailey Ober
RHP Simeon Woods Richardson
RHP Taj Bradley
RHP Mick Abel
MVP: Byron Buxton
Cy Young: Joe Ryan
Rookie of the Year: Walker Jenkins
Breakout Player: Brooks Lee
One-Sentence Outlook: After last summer's fire sale and then an inactive offseason, the Twins are caught somewhere between selling and rebuilding, though with more overall talent than most teams in that position.
New York Mets
19 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Paul Skenes, PIT)
SS Francisco Lindor
LF Juan Soto
3B Bo Bichette
1B Jorge Polanco
CF Luis Robert Jr.
DH Brett Baty
2B Marcus Semien
RF Carson Benge
C Francisco Alvarez
Starting Rotation
RHP Freddy Peralta
LHP David Peterson
RHP Nolan McLean
RHP Clay Holmes
RHP Kodai Senga
MVP: Juan Soto
Cy Young: Nolan McLean
Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
Breakout Player: Francisco Alvarez
One-Sentence Outlook: The Mets responded to last year's September collapse by completely retooling the roster, and while there is little doubt they have assembled a formidable collection of talent, time will tell how a dozen new faces on the Opening Day roster end up fitting together.
New York Yankees
20 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Logan Webb, SF)
CF Trent Grisham
RF Aaron Judge
LF Cody Bellinger
1B Ben Rice
DH Giancarlo Stanton
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
SS José Caballero
3B Ryan McMahon
C Austin Wells
Starting Rotation
LHP Max Fried
RHP Cam Schlittler
RHP Will Warren
LHP Ryan Weathers
RHP Luis Gil
MVP: Aaron Judge
Cy Young: Max Fried
Rookie of the Year: Elmer Rodriguez
Breakout Player: Cam Schlittler
One-Sentence Outlook: The Yankees' only major offseason moves were re-signing Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham, and trading for Ryan Weathers, raising questions about whether a good team did enough to improve or simply stood pat.
Philadelphia Phillies
21 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi, TEX)
SS Trea Turner
DH Kyle Schwarber
1B Bryce Harper
3B Alec Bohm
2B Bryson Stott
RF Adolis García
LF Brandon Marsh
C J.T. Realmuto
CF Justin Crawford
Starting Rotation
LHP Cristopher Sánchez
RHP Aaron Nola
LHP Jesús Luzardo
RHP Taijuan Walker
RHP Andrew Painter
MVP: Bryce Harper
Cy Young: Cristopher Sánchez
Rookie of the Year: Justin Crawford
Breakout Player: Bryson Stott
One-Sentence Outlook: The Phillies successfully kept the band together offensively by re-signing Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, but they did nothing to address the loss of Ranger Suárez in the rotation, and a lot will hinge on whether Andrew Painter is ready for the majors.
Pittsburgh Pirates
22 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Freddy Peralta, NYM)
CF Oneil Cruz
2B Brandon Lowe
LF Bryan Reynolds
DH Marcell Ozuna
RF Ryan O'Hearn
SS Jared Triolo
1B Spencer Horwitz
3B Nick Gonzales
C Henry Davis
Starting Rotation
RHP Paul Skenes
RHP Mitch Keller
RHP Carmen Mlodzinski
RHP Braxton Ashcraft
RHP Bubba Chandler
MVP: Oneil Cruz
Cy Young: Paul Skenes
Rookie of the Year: Konnor Griffin
Breakout Player: Braxton Ashcraft
One-Sentence Outlook: The Pirates made a legitimate effort to upgrade what was baseball's worst offense in 2025, and with a dynamic young starting rotation capable of quickly emerging as a major strength, they are a dark horse contender to watch.
San Diego Padres
23 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Tarik Skubal, DET)
RF Fernando Tatis Jr.
SS Xander Bogaerts
CF Jackson Merrill
3B Manny Machado
LF Ramón Laureano
2B Jake Cronenworth
DH Miguel Andujar
1B Nick Castellanos
C Freddy Fermin
Starting Rotation
RHP Nick Pivetta
RHP Michael King
RHP Randy Vásquez
RHP Germán Márquez
RHP Walker Buehler
MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Cy Young: Michael King
Rookie of the Year: Bradgley Rodriguez
Breakout Player: Freddy Fermin
One-Sentence Outlook: The Padres lost more than they added this offseason, and while there is still a lot of talent on the roster, the back end of the starting rotation is a question mark that could turn into a huge problem.
San Francisco Giants
24 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Max Fried, NYY)
RF Jung Hoo Lee
3B Matt Chapman
1B Rafael Devers
LF Heliot Ramos
2B Luis Arraez
SS Willy Adames
CF Harrison Bader
DH Jerar Encarnacion
C Patrick Bailey
Starting Rotation
RHP Logan Webb
LHP Robbie Ray
RHP Tyler Mahle
RHP Adrian Houser
RHP Landen Roupp
MVP: Matt Chapman
Cy Young: Logan Webb
Rookie of the Year: Bryce Eldridge
Breakout Player: Jung Hoo Lee
One-Sentence Outlook: The Giants replaced Justin Verlander and Mike Yastrzemski with Tyler Mahle, Adrian Houser and Harrison Bader, and that might be enough for them to climb into the No. 2 spot in the NL West standings while chasing a wild-card berth.
Seattle Mariners
25 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Tanner Bibee, CLE)
3B Brendan Donovan
C Cal Raleigh
CF Julio Rodríguez
1B Josh Naylor
LF Randy Arozarena
DH Dominic Canzone
RF Luke Raley
SS Leo Rivas
2B Cole Young
Starting Rotation
RHP Logan Gilbert
RHP Bryan Woo
RHP Luis Castillo
RHP George Kirby
RHP Emerson Hancock
MVP: Julio Rodríguez
Cy Young: Logan Gilbert
Rookie of the Year: Colt Emerson
Breakout Player: Cole Young
One-Sentence Outlook: After coming six outs away from reaching the 2025 World Series, the Mariners will now have a full season of Josh Naylor and All-Star Brendan Donovan to bolster the offense in support of one of baseball's elite pitching staffs.
St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Drew Rasmussen, TB)
2B JJ Wetherholt
SS Masyn Winn
1B Alec Burleson
DH Iván Herrera
3B Nolan Gorman
LF Nelson Velázquez
RF Nathan Church
C Pedro Pagés
CF Victor Scott II
Starting Rotation
LHP Matthew Liberatore
RHP Michael McGreevy
RHP Dustin May
RHP Kyle Leahy
RHP Andre Pallante
MVP: Masyn Winn
Cy Young: Matthew Liberatore
Rookie of the Year: JJ Wetherholt
Breakout Player: Michael McGreevy
One-Sentence Outlook: The Cardinals are in the early stages of a full-scale rebuild, and the focus in 2026 will be on assessing their in-house talent and welcoming some of their top prospects to the big leagues, including infielder JJ Wetherholt who has won a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Tampa Bay Rays
27 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Matthew Liberatore, STL)
DH Yandy Díaz
CF Cedric Mullins
3B Junior Caminero
1B Jonathan Aranda
RF Jake Fraley
SS Carson Williams
2B Ben Williamson
C Nick Fortes
LF Chandler Simpson
Starting Rotation
RHP Drew Rasmussen
RHP Ryan Pepiot
LHP Shane McClanahan
RHP Nick Martinez
LHP Steven Matz
MVP: Junior Caminero
Cy Young: Shane McClanahan
Rookie of the Year: Carson Williams
Breakout Player: Ian Seymour
One-Sentence Outlook: With infielders Taylor Walls and Gavin Lux set to start the season on the injured list, a Rays organization that values defensive versatility will have to put it to use to plug the middle infield spots in a lineup that might need to be carried by the pitching staff.
Texas Rangers
28 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Cristopher Sánchez, PHI)
RF Brandon Nimmo
LF Wyatt Langford
SS Corey Seager
1B Jake Burger
3B Josh Jung
DH Andrew McCutchen
CF Evan Carter
2B Josh Smith
C Danny Jansen
Starting Rotation
RHP Nathan Eovaldi
RHP Jacob deGrom
LHP MacKenzie Gore
RHP Jack Leiter
RHP Kumar Rocker
MVP: Wyatt Langford
Cy Young: MacKenzie Gore
Rookie of the Year: Carter Baumler
Breakout Player: Evan Carter
One-Sentence Outlook: The Rangers flipped Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo and swung a blockbuster deal to acquire MacKenzie Gore, and with good health from their starting rotation and some positive regression offensively they have playoff upside.
Toronto Blue Jays
29 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. RHP Luis Severino, ATH)
DH George Springer
2B Ernie Clement
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
RF Addison Barger
C Alejandro Kirk
CF Daulton Varsho
3B Kazuma Okamoto
LF Jesús Sánchez
SS Andrés Giménez
Starting Rotation
RHP Kevin Gausman
RHP Dylan Cease
LHP Eric Lauer
RHP Cody Ponce
RHP Max Scherzer
MVP: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Cy Young: Dylan Cease
Rookie of the Year: Trey Yesavage
Breakout Player: Addison Barger
One-Sentence Outlook: If the Blue Jays can weather the early storm of injuries to their pitching that will sideline Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and José Berríos to start the year, they have the pieces to be right back in the Fall Classic even after Bo Bichette's departure.
Washington Nationals
30 of 30
Projected Opening Day Lineup (vs. LHP Matthew Boyd, CHC)
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
3B Brady House
1B Luis García Jr.
RF Daylen Lile
C Keibert Ruiz
DH Andrés Chaparro
2B Nasim Nuñez
CF Jacob Young
Starting Rotation
RHP Cade Cavalli
RHP Miles Mikolas
LHP Foster Griffin
RHP Jake Irvin
RHP Zack Littell
MVP: James Wood
Cy Young: Cade Cavalli
Rookie of the Year: Foster Griffin
Breakout Player: Brady House
One-Sentence Outlook: Outside of James Wood and CJ Abrams, the Nationals roster is lacking in proven impact talent, though that could change if guys like Cade Cavalli, Brady House and Daylen Lile build off the flashes they showed during the 2025 season.
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