MLB hot takes

Michael’s Takes

The Blue Jays will miss the playoffs

The Blue Jays were one inning away from winning the World Series last year, and their current situation going into the season shows signs of a World Series hangover.

It's very hard to repeat success, especially in a stacked division like the AL East. The Yankees and Red Sox have stacked rosters and are locks to make the playoffs; the Orioles had a great free-agency class, headlined by Pete Alonso; and the Rays are an above-average team that can steal some games late in the season.

The Blue Jays are stacked themselves, bringing in Dylan Cease to add to an already good pitching core, but they also lost Bo Bichette, and their lineup is due for regression, which could cause them to miss the playoffs.

Pete Crow Armstrong regresses

After an amazing 2025 campaign and a great WBC performance, PCA looks primed to back up his great production, but his second-half slump raises some concern.

His home run production went way down, hitting only four home runs in his last 60 games. His chase rate is also one of the worst in MLB, sitting at 41.7%. That, along with an equally bad walk right, means his second-half slump could be more permanent than first thought.

PCA is the best defensive center fielder in the MLB, so there will always be value there, but I see PCA instead of having 31 homers with a .247 batting average finishing with around 20 homers and a .225 batting average.

The Athletics will finish in the top three or higher in their division

The Athletics have a top-five lineup coming into the 2026 season. Nick Kurtz exploded on the scene last year, having a five-home-run game, which put him on the national stage.

They also have Jacob Wilson, who is a threat to win the batting title every year, Shea Langeliers, a top-three catcher in the MLB, and Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler.

Their division has also gotten a lot worse with the Astros losing some talent, and the Rangers and Angels looking like they are going to have mediocre seasons at best. I see the Athletics finishing second or first if everything goes their way.

Michael Fechter is a first-year journalism major. To contact him, please email maf6740@psu.edu

Jacob’s Takes
The Dodgers won’t win their third straight championship.

This shouldn’t be a hot take. It really shouldn’t be a hot take. Teams don’t win three straight championships! It’s only happened a handful of times in baseball history and not since the Core Four Yankees of the late ‘90s.

However, the two-time defending champion Dodgers only got stronger in the offseason with the additions of slugging outfielder Kyle Tucker and lockdown closer Edwin Diaz- filling two relatively weak spots in the Dodgers’ machine.

That being said, I think, like with the 2024 Chiefs in the NFL, the magic will run out with this Dodgers team. They were two outs away from losing last season before being saved by Miguel Rojas. It’s someone else’s year.

The Yankees won’t take either of the top two spots in the AL East.

The Yankees have a good team. A very good team. One of the best lineups in baseball. However, they have the misfortune of playing in baseball’s best division.

I think the Yankees will be reduced to third place behind the Blue Jays and Red Sox due to a few factors. Firstly, Toronto improved greatly over the offseason, and Boston did as well.

The second point is the fact that the Yankees will start the season beat up. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon will begin the year on the injured list and won’t return until May at the earliest.

In the meantime, the Yankees will have to make do with a severely diminished pitching rotation, which currently features the serviceable, but not special, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. It will cost them some early wins, which they might pay for down the stretch.

The Yankees will make the playoffs, but as the sixth seed in the American League.

The Pirates finish with a winning record

This is a bit of a stretch, but it’s again down to a few factors. In contrast to the Yankees, the Pirates play in a relatively weak NL Central division that’s always up for grabs. Not saying Pittsburgh will win the division or anything like that, but it helps.

The Pirates’ lineup was improved greatly over the offseason with the additions of Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna, and their pitching can only get better with young arms such as Paul Skenes and Jared Jones.

This is a team that can definitely squeak out 82 wins. And for the sake of Pirates fans, hopefully, a playoff spot is coming in the near future.

Jacob Petrarca is a fourth-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jap6840@psu.edu