Newsday's 2026 MLB season preview: Mets, Yankees and more

Baseball and The Beatles? Huh, you say? What possible link can there be between our national pastime and the most iconic musical group in history? You will have to turn these 48 pages of our e-edition to find out. There are plenty of Beatles-themed Easter eggs in there for you to find.

In this digital space for Newsday's annual baseball preview, columnist David Lennon warns that the current state of the game needs so much help, especially with soaring payrolls and a labor war on the horizon. But despite those disturbing rumblings, Mets beat reporter Laura Albanese confesses that she has been hooked on the game since her childhood.

We also look at baseball's great stages and -- of course, how the Mets and Yankees shape up for the season as both teams seem poised for a playoff run. So scroll through for stories, videos, quizzes and more "Baseballmania."

To understand who Freddy Peralta, the Mets' new starting pitcher acquired in the offseason, is nowadays --  his success, his personality and the continued defiance of the expectations that once sought to define him -- it’s pretty important to know about how it began. Newsday's Mets beat writer Laura Albanese takes you on that journey.

Whenever I had a bad game, I would cry. I had the commitment with myself and with my family that I was here for a reason. Thank God I didn’t disappoint them.

- Freddy Peralta to Newsday's Laura Albanese

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New-look Mets

Most people will tell you that there’s little value in looking back in baseball, and that certainly was the general idea when Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns took a hydraulic hammer to his roster after the 2025 collapse. Stearns’ unorthodox approach was a direct response to the so-called worst team money could buy. And now we'll see if it works.

More Mets stories

• We take a look at the strengths, and weaknesses, of this year's team in this scouting report of positional and pitching groups.

• Manager Carlos Mendoza sat down with Newsday's Mets beat writer Laura Albanese for a Q&A on life in the hot seat, putting players in positions to succeed and how the manager role has evolved.

• Construction of a sports and entertainment district in the area surrounding Citi Field will impact how fans can get to games this spring. The Mets have a plan for that.

• Remember when you'd sit in the stands at Citi Field and listen to the radio broadcast and your ears were 30-90 seconds behind your eyes? Not anymore.

• Can the Mets, or any other NL team, stop the Dodgers from a World Series three-peat? David Lennon takes us through the options with his National League forecast.

• Here's the story about how a Long Islander has resurrected "Kiner's Korner," sort of.

• What's new to eat at Citi Field this season? Oh, just “the biggest menu in Citi Field history,” the team’s senior executive chef says.

Mets key dates and promotions

• Opening Day: Thursday, March 26 vs. Pittsburgh
• 1986 World Series Championship Replica Ring: Saturday, March 28
• 5-Borough Race Kids Puzzle: Saturday, March 29
• Juan Soto 40/30 Bobblehead: Saturday, April 11
• Mr. Met at the Unisphere light-up bobblehead: Saturday, April 25
• 1986 World Champions Retro T-Shirt: Tuesday, May 26
• Bobby Valentine Disguise: Friday, May 29
• Mets Hall of Fame ceremony for Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine: Saturday, May 30
• Mets Soccer Jersey: Thursday, June 11
• Hello Kitty bobblehead: Saturday, June 13
• Mets Purse: Monday June 22
• Mets Chain Necklace: Tuesday, June 23
• Marcus Semien Replica Jersey: Wednesday, June 24
• Juan Soto baseball card bobblehead: Thursday, June 25
• All-Star break: July 13-16
• 1986 Mets reunion: Saturday, Aug. 1
• MLB Trade Deadline: Aug. 3
• Last game of season: Sunday, Sept. 27 at Washington

Mets broadcasting details

Radio: ESPN NY (880 AM) -- Howie Rose, Keith Raad, Pat McCarthy

TV: SNY/PIX11 -- Play-by-play, Gary Cohen; analysts, Ron Darling, Keith Hernandez; reporter, Steve Gelbs

Spanish-language radio: Audacy app/website, 92.3 FM HD2 -- Max Perez Jimenez, Nestor Rosario, Johnny Trujillo

With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt sidelined to begin the season, Max Fried & Co. will shoulder the load for the Yankees' starting rotation. Despite those injuries, it has been a long time since the Yankees have felt as good about their pitching, especially their starting pitching, as they currently do, writes Erik Boland..

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Aaron Judge 'will not be satisfied' until he wins it all

Since making his major-league debut on Aug. 13, 2016, at Yankee Stadium — and homering off the Rays' Matt Andriese in his first at-bat — Aaron Judge has carved out a resume that someday will land him in the Hall of Fame. But amid the home run crowns and three AL MVPs, one thing still eludes him that all the Yankees' immortals have.

No matter the awards, the MVPs, All-Star [Games], all that stuff, it doesn’t matter. What matters is putting New York back up on top.

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More Yankees headlines

• The scouting report for the 2026 Yankees, broken down by positional and pitching groups.

• What's on the mind of Aaron Boone as he enter Year 9 as Yankees manager? Find out in his 1-on-1 interview with Newsday's Erik Boland.

• Being part of what many would argue was the greatest World Series is small consolation when you wind up on the losing end. Just ask Toronto. Newsday's David Lennon forecasts the American League and whether the Yankees can overtake the Blue Jays this season.

• The YES Network debuted 24 years ago this month. Behind the mic for Game 1 was Michael Kay. Behind the mic this season? Michael Kay. 

Yankees key dates and promotions

• Opening Day: Wednesday, May 25 at San Francisco
• Home Opener: Friday, April 3 vs. Miami
• Yankees hockey jersey night: Friday, April 17
• Star Wars Day - Max Fried Mandalorian Bobblehead: Saturday, May 2
• Giancarlo Stanton Basketball Jersey Night: Friday, May 22
• Yankees Soccer Jersey Night: Thursday, June 18
• Aaron Judge MVP Bobblehead Day: Saturday, June 20
• Fireworks Night: Friday, July 3
• All-Star break: July 13-16
• MLB Trade Deadline: Aug. 3
• Old-Timers' Day: Saturday, Aug. 8
• Cody Bellinger Bobblehead Night: Friday, Aug. 21
• Hello Kitty Yankees Bobblehead Day: Saturday, Aug. 22
• George Costanza Calzone Bobblehead Night: Thursday, Aug. 27
• Josh Hart Yankees Bobblehead Night: Friday, Sept. 25
• CC Sabathia Night: Saturday, Sept. 26
• Last game of season: Sunday, Sept. 27 vs. Baltimore

Yankees broadcast teams

Radio: WFAN (101.9 FM/660 AM) – Dave Sims, Suzyn Waldman

TV: YES/Prime Video - Play-by-play, Michael Kay, Ryan Ruocco; analysts, David Cone, Paul O’Neill, Joe Girardi; reporter, Meredith Marakovits

Spanish-language radio: WADO (1280 AM) - Rickie Ricardo, Francisco Rivera

Will there be baseball in 2027?

Opening Day is upon us, bringing its usual excitement for the start of the baseball season. But as teams prepare for Game 1 of 162, we can't help but wonder what will happen after all the games are played and the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1. Newsday's David Lennon sets the stage for what's the come this season and beyond regarding labor talks.

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A baseball lifer tells her tale

How did Laura Albanese, Newsday's Mets beat writer, become a baseball fan? As she writes in this essay about her love of the game, "Baseball sparked both joy and devastation and imbued me with a sort of fairy tale hope that sometimes an underdog can win (or at least fight like hell trying)."

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What's new in MLB this year?

KEY RULES CHANGES

• ABS Challenge System: Players protesting ball or strike calls this season can call upon the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System. This system uses 12 Hawk-Eye cameras to track pitch location, allowing players (batters, pitchers, catchers) to challenge home-plate umpire strike-zone calls. Teams get two challenges per game, with successful challenges retained. Challenges cannot be initiated if a position player is pitching. ABS has been tested in the minor leagues since 2022 and in MLB spring training again this year. The system was approved by the Joint Competition Committee last September. The replay system is seen as a happy compromise between proposed “robot umps” that could call every ball and strike and traditional human umps and their imperfect judgment calls. The ABS Challenge System debuts in the Yankees-Giants game Wednesday night.
• Base coach positioning: Coaches must remain within their designated boxes while the pitcher is on the rubber.
• Obstruction rule tweak: Runners are prohibited from initiating contact with fielders to deliberately draw an obstruction call.
• Stolen base impact: If a pitch is challenged, umpires still have discretion over base-running plays, though overturning a ball-four or strike-three call may affect the runners.

MANAGERS

• Angels: Kurt Suzuki replaces Ron Washington
• Atlanta: Walt Weiss replaces Brian Snitker
• Giants: Tony Vitello replaces Bob Melvin
• Nationals: Blake Butera replaces Dave Martinez
• Orioles: Craig Albernaz replaces Brandon Hyde
• Padres: Craig Stammen replaces Mike Shildt
• Rangers: Skip Schumaker replaces Bruce Bochy
• Rockies: Warren Schaeffer replaces Bud Black
• Twins: Derek Shelton replaces Rocco Baldelli

HALL OF FAMERS

Cooperstown welcomes three new members this summer: Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones (voted in by the BBWAA) and Jeff Kent (elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee). Beltran and Jones were two of the most productive centerfielders of their era, with Beltran recording 565 doubles, 435 home runs and 2,725 hits. Jones compiled at 24.4 defensive WAR, highest by any outfielder in MLB history. He won 10 gold gloves and hit 434 home runs. Kent is the all-time MLB leader in home runs by a second baseman (354 of his 377 total). The Hall of Fame ceremony is July 26 in Cooperstown.

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Homegrown heroes

Ward Melville is the first Long Island high school to have three players simultaneously in Major League Baseball in Steven Matz, Anthony Kay and Ben Brown. Here's their high school coach discussing them, plus a look at other Long Islanders in The Show this season.

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Baseball 101

In baseball, there are endings to games, series, seasons, careers, fads and eras. Thus, "endings" are the focus of this year’s chapter of Baseball 101 — Newsday’s annual look by Mark Herrmann at the game through one particular lens, using 101 examples. 

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Baseball's grand stages

Every player needs a stage to perform. In baseball, those stages are stadiums, where tens of thousands of people go to be entertained by the sights and sounds of the sport. From structural details to the building's history, here's everything you need to know about the 30 active ballparks in MLB.

Old or new, Yankee Stadium remains in a league of its own.

Citi Field opened in 2009 paying homage to the Brooklyn Dodgers and Ebbets Field, but it has become more of a Mets stadium over the years.

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The Beatles and baseball

Remembering when the band played Shea Stadium: When singles hitters Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Starr played their historic concert at Shea Stadium on Aug. 15, 1965, they already had achieved rock music immortality.

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David Lennon's 2026 MLB predictions

MVPS

AL: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

NL: Juan Soto, Mets

CY YOUNG AWARDS

AL: Garrett Crochet, Red Sox

NL: Paul Skenes, Pirates

HOME RUN LEADERS

AL: Pete Alonso, Orioles

NL: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies

BATTING LEADERS

AL: Aaron Judge, Yankees

NL: Bo Bichette, Mets

ERA LEADERS

AL: Tarik Skubal, Tigers

NL: Paul Skenes, Pirates

STRIKEOUT LEADERS

AL: Garrett Crochet, Red Sox

NL: Paul Skenes, Pirates

ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

AL: Kazuma Okamoto, Blue Jays

NL: Nolan McLean, Mets

COMEBACK PLAYERS

AL: Gerrit Cole, Yankees

NL: Zack Wheeler, Phillies

MANAGERS OF THE YEAR

AL: John Schneider, Blue Jays

NL: Carlos Mendoza, Mets

GAMES THEY’LL WIN

Yankees: 91

Mets: 90

All the best in baseball: David Lennon's picks 

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Five best players

1. Aaron Judge, Yankees: What else is there to say? Judge earned his third MVP trophy last season, and as long as he’s healthy, the Yankees’ captain is the perennial favorite for the award. Led the majors in batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457) and slugging (.688) with few others even in shouting distance of those numbers.
2. Jose Ramirez, Guardians
3. Cal Raleigh, Mariners
4. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
5. Julio Rodriguez, Mariners

Best manager: Stephen Vogt, Guardians

Best GM: Chris Antonetti, Guardians

Best hitter: Aaron Judge, Yankees

Best leadoff hitter: Roman Anthony, Red Sox

Best power: Aaron Judge, Yankees

Best in the clutch: Jacob Wilson, A’s

Best baserunner: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

Most exciting to watch: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners

Best double-play combination: Andres Gimenez/Ernie Clement, Blue Jays

Best outfielder: Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox

Best catcher: Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays

Best starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal, Tigers

Best setup: Garrett Whitlock, Red Sox

Best closer: Andres Munoz, Mariners

Rookie to watch: Tatsuya Imai, Astros

Best offseason signing: Pete Alonso, Orioles

Best offseason trade: Brendan Donovan, Mariners

Best comeback story: Gerrit Cole, Yankees

Best mascot: The Oriole Bird, Orioles

Best City Connect uniform: Red Sox (Green Monster version)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Five best players

1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: Ohtani remains in his own universe as the sport’s only two-way phenomenon, making him nearly impossible to dethrone in the MVP voting. Last season, he combined 55 homers and an NL-best 1.014 OPS with a 2.87 ERA over 14 starts. Oh, and don’t forget his three-homer, 10-K game that cemented his NLCS MVP honors.
2. Juan Soto, Mets
3. Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta
4. Mookie Betts, Dodgers
5. Francisco Lindor, Mets

Best manager: Pat Murphy, Brewers

Best GM: Matt Arnold, Brewers

Best hitter: Trea Turner, Phillies

Best leadoff hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

Best power: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies

Best in the clutch: Bo Bichette, Mets

Best baserunner: Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks

Most exciting to watch: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

Best double-play combination: Francisco Lindor/Marcus Semien, Mets

Best outfielder: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs

Best catcher: Will Smith, Dodgers

Best starting pitcher: Paul Skenes, Pirates

Best setup: Jason Adam, Padres

Best closer: Edwin Diaz, Dodgers

Rookie to watch: Konnor Griffin, Pirates

Best offseason signing: Bo Bichette, Mets

Best offseason trade: Freddy Peralta, Mets

Best comeback story: Zack Wheeler, Phillies

Best mascot: Phillie Phanatic, Phillies

Best City Connect uniform: Brewers