Scott Pianowski breaks down major MLB predictions ahead of Opening Day 2026

The following is Scott Pianowski’s take on a recent series of predictions made by the Yahoo Sports MLB team for the 2026 MLB season — and of course, some fantasy baseball takes along the way. You can check out that story here ; think of this as a natural companion piece to that set of predictions. Which teams will make the playoffs in 2026?

Who will win the World Series? — AL Playoff Teams: The AL East was the only division to get three different nominees for the title. The AL Central was a 4-2 verdict for the Tigers over the Royals; no one even had the Guardians (who stole the division last year) making the playoffs.

The Mariners were a clean sweep in the AL West, after coming one game from their first World Series. Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season Two other pundits had Kansas City with a Wild Card spot, which means 4-of-6 writers put them in the playoffs. It’s a fun time to be Royals-invested for fantasy, with the fences coming in (and down) and staff ace Cole Ragans presumably healthy.

I tried to draft Vinnie Pasquantino everywhere I could (though I've been mostly left with FOMO). Half the poll put the Mariners in the World Series, while the other half picked an AL East team. Seattle remains the safest place to grab fantasy pitchers , with a roomy park and a plus defense.