Baseball is back! Pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training Feb. 10, and exhibition games begin in Florida and Arizona this weekend. The regular season begins on March 27. To all three of you on this campus anxiously awaiting the first pitch of the 2026 MLB season, I have come to provide you with “Sof’s Way Too Early and Extremely Uncalled For Rankings.” You only get my top five because we don’t need to concern ourselves with things like unsatisfying baseball (cough, cough, the Colorado Rockies).
- The Los Angeles Dodgers: The hard-hitting questions on everyone’s minds include things like: can the Dodgers win a third championship? Is there anything they can’t do? What if we just cloned Ohtani and he played every position? Either way, with the highest payroll in the MLB ($401 million!!!), the best player in the world back in full force after Tommy John surgery, and elite offseason pickups in Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker, they’re the ones to beat.
- Seattle Mariners: Now I find the Mariners a bit boring, so I tend to forget they play pretty good baseball or even exist (sue me). But, they have one of the best players in the game: coming off a record-breaking year, punctuated by losing the AL MVP and ALCS, Cal “The Big Dumper” Raleigh is looking to improve upon last season and help the Mariners go all the way. Will they take home their first franchise championship in November? We shall see.
- Philadelphia Phillies: The Phils had a tough offseason: we fumbled Bo Bichette, didn’t get any new (read: younger) players, and traded my favorite center fielder, Harrison Bader. This is my team, so I’ve got to keep telling myself that we have a path to the World Series. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper must perform, and prospects like Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter have to play like seasoned veterans. At least we have the pitching on lock, with Zack Wheeler, Christopher Sanchez, and Jhoan Duran returning. But if the Fightins’ don’t win it all this year… there’s no telling what I’ll do!
- New York Yankees: Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Yankees. They need to be up here because of AL MVP Aaron Judge, but if last year is any indication of what’s ahead (and it should be because their roster barely changed), the defense leaves a lot to be desired. But hey! Maybe they’ll have a solid spring, pick up some free agents before the trade deadline, and make a deep run. Either way, the return of pitching ace Gerrit Cole from Tommy John surgery in June should alleviate some of their bullpen woes.
- New York Mets: Ok I hate the Mets. Sorry. However, the Lindor, Soto, and Bichette group at the top of the order has the potential to be lethal, especially if they can all hit this year. If the pitchers and this trio can stay healthy and perform, the Mets should glide right into the playoffs. That’s a big if, though.
Overall, this offseason was a doozy! Only time will tell how much better or worse each team got. While Boston fell short of my list, they should be a bit better this year; make sure to sign up for Student 9s in a few weeks to go see the Red Sox in Fenway!
Contact the editors responsible for this story: Finley Tipton and Katie McCabe
