TOP NEWS

10 players who will define the 2026 season

The 2025 season is going to be a tough act to follow, but fortunately baseball has a deep cast of stars and compelling figures. Here are 10 who could be the main characters of 2026.

PLAY A SPORCLE BASEBALL QUIZ!

MORE FREE GAMES AT MLB PLAY

STAFF PICKS

Things didn't go these clubs' way this past season for a variety of reasons, but there are signs of optimism heading into the new year.

It might not surprise you to learn that the World Series is well-represented on MLB Network's list of the season's 20 best finishes.

Many of these prospects were afterthoughts heading into the year, but now their organizations have high hopes after standout 2025 seasons.

As the calendar is set to turn from 2025 to 2026, it is unclear if some of these home runs have even landed yet.

Mark Buehrle was not your prototypical ace during his 16-year MLB career, but dig deeper and he has a compelling argument for a place in Cooperstown.

MORE STORIES

© 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (peterhovis@icloud.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com.

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe  or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.