MLB spring training opens: One reason to be excited for the 2026 season for all 30 fan bases
Pitchers and catchers report to camp this week. Baseball is back
By
Matt Snyder
•
8 min read
If there's anyone out there who truly believes sports are dumb and can't be therapeutic, that person is someone who has never given sports fandom a shot. In the past year, I've seen my favorite NBA team reach Game 7 of the finals, my favorite NFL team win its division for the first time since 2018 and win a playoff game for the first time since 2010. Oh, and my alma mater won the national championship in football.
Humor me for a quick second here as I apply this to baseball. If last year at this time, someone told you the Pacers would win the East, the Bears would win the NFC North and the Hoosiers would win the title in football, what would you have said? Individually, there are longshot bets in there, but all three?
Is that combination of occurrences any less likely than something like the Pirates winning the NL Central or, say, the White Sox or Rockies making the playoffs?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Here's what is great about the first week of spring training, hearing those words, "pitchers and catchers report" to camp: You get to dream. Ignore all the noise from anywhere else. There's a clean slate right now and you should feel free to smile while picturing the best-case scenario for the 2026 season for your favorite team.
That, generally, on its own is reason to be excited here as spring training kicks off. Let's break down one reason for excitement for each of the 30 teams.
Reasons for excitement for each of the 30 teams
Reasons for Excitement
| 1 |  |
| Not only do they have the makings of one of the most exciting offenses in baseball -- behind emerging superstar Nick Kurtz -- but the A's were 53-46 after June 4 last season. If the season only played from June 5 on, the A's would've been the third AL wild card. The roster is largely the same with plenty of players capable of being better in 2026. | |
| 2 |  |
| How many teams have three players capable of finishing in the top five of MVP voting? The Diamondbacks have Ketel Marte, who has finished in the top five twice, Corbin Carroll, who has finished fifth before and is only getting better, and Geraldo Perdomo, who finished fourth last season. All are still in their primes and Carroll is only 25. That's one hell of a foundation. | |
| 3 |  |
| You know the old phrase, "one cannot truly enjoy the ecstasy of victory until having experienced the agony of defeat?" Yeah, last season sucked, but that was last season and will only make the return to the playoffs this time around that much sweeter. There are so many reasons for a bounce-back season here. One specific reason? Remember the last time Ronald Acuña Jr. was a full season removed from ACL surgery recovery he had an MVP year for the ages. He's still only 28 years old. | |
| 4 |  |
| The Orioles' offense badly needed right-handed power after last season and added Taylor Ward and -- the big needle-mover -- Pete Alonso in free agency during the offseason. That's going to be a fun offense and the bounce-back potential for the team as a whole is nice. | |
| 5 |  |
| We can't skip over Roman Anthony and his off-the-charts potential, but how about this rotation? Garrett Crochet is a top-shelf ace while Ranger Suárez and Sonny Gray have been added in support. There's depth too. The Red Sox potentially have one of the best rotations in baseball. | |
| 6 |  |
| It's a well-rounded team with lots of exciting players with a shot to win the NL Central for the first time in a real season since 2017. I loved the Alex Bregman and Edward Cabrera additions, but if I had to pick one thing, I'll go with the up-the-middle defense provided by Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong. | |
| 7 |  |
| There's a road to respectability here, starting with the potentially very fun offense with Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Munetaka Murakami leading the way. | |
| 8 |  |
| Can an injury in 2025 be the cause for excitement in 2026? Sure! Elly De La Cruz was playing with a partially torn quad last season. He still played in 162 games, showing his toughness. Back to full health in 2026, Elly could well return as an MVP-caliber player. Plus, the Reds were a playoff team with him compromised last year. | |
| 9 |  |
| Most projections and playoff odds for the 2026 season so far don't like the Guardians. You know what this means, Cleveland fans! It's another summer of getting to mock everyone who foolishly doubted your always-seemingly-overachieving squad. Oh, and there's always Mr. José Ramíez. | |
| 10 |  |
| The franchise record for the Rockies' increase in wins year-over-year (only including 162-game seasons) is 18. They jumped from 74 wins in 2008 to 92 in 2009. They have a shot this season to break that record by winning 62 games, which would be a 19-game improvement. | |
| 11 |  |
| They kept Tarik Skubal and added Framber Valdez, so that rotation could be formidable. We know this group has the capability of looking like one of the best teams in baseball for stretches because they were the best team through the first half last year. Sequence the hot streak better this time around and they could well win the World Series. | |
| 12 |  |
| The Astros missed the playoffs last season by a tiebreaker. They only got 48 games from Yordan Alvarez, 102 from Isaac Parades, 125 from Jeremy Peña and the pitching staff was absolutely ravaged by injuries. The loss of Framber Valdez to free agency is mitigated by better health overall, not to mention the addition of Tatsuya Imai. | |
| 13 |  |
| Better health in the rotation -- namely Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic -- means the Royals have a real shot at their first AL Central title since 2015. I like the power potential of the offense, too, especially with the fences in Kauffman Stadium being moved in. | |
| 14 |  |
| In Zach Neto, the Angels have an up-and-coming star who is fun to watch. In Jorge Soler and Jo Adell, they have some of the best raw power in the majors. And there's still Mike Trout, of course. | |
| 15 |  |
| C'mon. Easy one here. No team has pulled off a three-peat since the 1998-2000 Yankees. The Dodgers never have done it. | |
| 16 |  |
| Marlins fans know that their team only missed the playoffs by four games last year and there's plenty of reason to believe this squad is better. Jakob Marsee's late-season emergence in front of the thunder that is Kyle Stowers and Agustín Ramírez along with the new addition of Owen Caissie means an exciting offense. | |
| 17 |  |
| This is the Golden Era of Brewers baseball. Prior to 2018, the Brewers had only been to the postseason four times in franchise history. Now, they've been October staples seven of the last eight years, including two NLCS trips. After leading the majors in wins and run differential last regular season, the next step is the World Series. | |
| 18 |  |
| The Twins have a great 1-2 punch in the rotation, but what about Luke Keaschall? The 2023 second rounder out of Arizona State saw 49 games worth of action last season and did not disappoint, hitting .302/.382/.445 with 14 doubles and 14 steals. | |
| 19 |  |
| The roster has been reshaped. There's a bunch of talent, from superstars on down to young up-and-comers. A World Series title is possible. | |
| 20 |  |
| The Yankees are capable of winning the World Series and that's always reason for excitement, but it's also the basic expectation for this fan base every year. How about we just mention the joy of getting to cheer for Aaron Judge? In the past four seasons, he's hit .311/.439/.677 (209 OPS+) with 162-game averages of 59 homers, 131 RBI and 10.1 WAR. Good lord, man. | |
| 21 |  |
| Only twice in Phillies history have they made the playoffs five times in a six-year (or less) span. The other two times (1976-81 and 2007-11), they won a World Series. Right now, the Phillies have made the playoffs four straight years but haven't yet secured that elusive title. This is the year, right? | |
| 22 |  |
| Paul Skenes is reason enough, but now there's more. There's a full rotation that looks pretty good while Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn added some much-needed power to the lineup. In fact, per FanGraphs, the Pirates have a 37.3% chance to make the playoffs. | |
| 23 |  |
| The window of contention remains wide open and there's plenty of starpower with Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Mason Miller. There's reason to believe in internal improvement in a few spots, too, notably with Jackson Merrill. | |
| 24 |  |
| The foundation is in place for a Giants playoff run. Rafael Devers and Willy Adames have been acclimated and accompany Matt Chapman as the power threats behind Luis Arraez. Logan Webb and Robbie Ray front a talented rotation. There are lots of good pieces! | |
| 25 |  |
| I know it was a gut punch to get so close to the World Series and miss out, but let's hope Mariners fans are ready to rally around another shot at a deep playoff run. Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez plus a great closer and good rotation is a nice place to start. And, really, do we need to say anything more than this is an encore to the season in which the Mariners got closer to the World Series than ever? | |
| 26 |  |
| It's J.J. Wetherholt time, baby! | |
| 27 |  |
| Remember, the Rays had a schedule in which the league tried to avoid giving them too many home games in the hottest part of the summer. As a result, they mostly had road trips from mid-June through mid-August. They went 15-32 from June 27-Aug. 21. They'll be back home in the Trop this season. That alone makes them better. | |
| 28 |  |
| That rotation? Yes please. Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi are joined by MacKenzie Gore while Jack Leiter seems primed for a breakout. Cody Bradford will return at some point too. | |
| 29 |  |
| The Jays are coming off their best season since 1993 and look loaded again. Their fans shouldn't need my help to get excited. | |
| 30 |  |
| James Wood, CJ Abrams, Daylin Lile and Dylan Crews are all 25 years old or younger heading into the season. That's a strong foundation around which to build. | |
