Reasons for hope in 2026 for MLB’s worst teams: Light at the end of the tunnel for Nationals, White Sox, more

Each new year brings hope that things will get better, and it usually takes a while for those hopes to be left in a smoking husk and abandoned by the side of the road. In the current context, this means that MLB teams that suffered losing campaigns in 2025 could, come the new year, dream of a better 2026. In some cases this is entirely realistic. In other cases, we must squint, strain, and grunt to find the basis for such faith.

This brings us to what follows, and what follows is our helpful guide to hope for the hopeless. We’ll review, in ascending order of the 2025 standings, every losing team from a season ago – 13 in all – and provide one or more reasons why 2026 may initially be considered the province of better days. Remember, it’s not a lie if you believed it at the time.

Forward and propelled by hope until further notice…

Narrowly avoiding the record for most losses in a season has prompted sweeping changes in Denver, and finally the front office is being modernized under new senior decision-maker Paul DePodesta. It will be a while before DePodesta’s efforts to catch up and the Rockies count in the rankings again, but the fact that the process is underway is encouraging for an organization that has been far too insular for far too long.

The rebuilding process is in its final stages on Chicago’s South Side and the young talent brought in by general manager Chris Getz continues to arrive at the highest level. Ideally from the Sox’s perspective, the cornerstone of the rebuild will come in the summer of 2026, when the club makes the first overall selection in the MLB draft for the first time since 1977, when they wisely selected Harold Baines. This time around, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowksy is the first favorite to become n°1but whoever it is, it will give the Sox a young talent with All-Star potential.

It’s a new era in DC, as longtime general manager Mike Rizzo and longtime manager Dave Martinez are no more. In recent years, they won it all in 2019, but otherwise the rebuilding process has been mostly unsuccessful. But now they have new leadership — new young direction. New president of baseball operations Paul Toboni is 35 years old and new general manager Anirudh Kilambi is only 31 years old. Manager Blake Butera is 33 years old. It’s an infusion of energy and, once again, youth that the organization sorely needed.

After the selloff leading up to the 2025 trade deadline, Minny expected a complete teardown to follow this offseason. But so far this has not happened. Byron Buxton, the Twins’ veteran lifer, appears unwilling to waive his no-trade clause and the Twins have pushed back on the idea of ​​moving first-line starter Joe Ryan. As always, health – especially for Buxton and Royce Lewis – will play a major role, but strife in the AL Central is a low bar to clear. Manager Derek Shelton’s first season with the Twins could indeed prove to be relevant in the standings.

Bob Nutting remains one of the sloppiest team owners in MLB, but this winter he put at least a semblance of effort into building a passable roster around generational young ace Paul Skenes. The trade for Brandon Lowe adds pop to the midfield and free agent addition Ryan O’Hearn is new on the scene after his first All-Star campaign in 2025. It’s probably not enough to compete in the NL Central, but it’s activity by the Buccos’ recent standards.

The cornerstone of the Anthony Rendon organization? The end of his contract, one of the worst on record from a team perspective, is finally in sight. Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million free agent contract with the Angels before the 2020 season. Although he delivered that abbreviated first campaign for the Halos, it marked the end of his days as a productive player. He enters the final year of his contract after giving the Angels a 3.9 WAR in 257 games over five seasons. So far, the Angels have paid over $206 million for this 3.9 WAR, which, again, makes this perhaps the worst contract in the annals of such things from the club’s perspective. Rendon likely won’t play at all in 2026 and the club is reportedly trying to negotiate a buyout of the final year of his contract. Regardless of the outcome, the end of the dismal Rendon era in Anaheim is almost over.

The O’s were one of the most disappointing teams of all last season, but that didn’t inspire the decision-makers to rebuild or even make a smooth pivot. Instead, the Orioles made notable moves: trading for Taylor Ward and Shane Baz and signing Pete Alonso and Ryan Helsley, for example. There’s still work to be done in the rotation, but Mike Elias and company appear ready to do what’s necessary to position the club for a rebound in 2026. It will be tough in the demanding AL East, but Baltimore is operating with a sense of mission this winter.

Let’s put aside for the moment the illness of owner John Fisher and the deep uncertainty about the franchise’s eventual location and instead focus on the team on the field. While the rotation requires work and known quantities, the roster led by young contributors like Jacob Wilson, Nick Kurtz, Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom (who just accepted a seven-year contract extension) could bring this team to relevance and maybe even competition in 2026. And that’s not to mention older high-end producers like Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers.

The Braves almost can’t help but be healthier in the rotation, and that should help them bounce back significantly after their deeply disappointing 2025. The roster is stacked with productive veterans and superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., fully recovered from knee surgery, should be an MVP candidate in the Netherlands. Additionally, the bullpen will benefit from the addition of Robert Suarez as a lockdown setup option. The Braves will be heard in the NL East race.

In 2025, the Rays took a step back from their usual role as plucky contenders, but were they really that bad? Yes, they lost 85 games, but if you look at their plus-31 point differential, you’ll see that Tampa Bay “deserved” an 84-78 record. Look at a more advanced tool called Third Rankings, and you’ll see that the 2025 Rays, at a fundamental level, played like an 86-win team, or good enough to compete. This means the club’s starting base for 2026 is significantly higher than you might think. The return of ace Shane McClanahan, who missed all of last season after undergoing arm surgery to resolve a nerve issue, should also be a boon.

For the first time since 2006, a primary decision maker other than John Mozeliak takes the lead for St. Louis. Already, new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has moved the rebuilding process forward by getting rid of Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras. Brendan Donovan, JoJo Romero and Nolan Arenado are likely next out. So far, Bloom has focused on restocking young pitchers and adding speed and swing-and-miss to an organization that doesn’t have enough of them. The 2026 season likely won’t be divisive in St. Louis, but the much-needed overhaul could start to pay off in 2027. Thanks in part to pending trades, the 2026 season should mark the highly anticipated big league debut of JJ Wetherholt.

The Marlins improved last season by 17 games in the standings and will look to make further progress in 2026. The emergence of Kyle Stowers as the sorely needed heartthrob of the order also helps matters. It’s possible that lead guard Peter Bendix opts to lean on the Marlins’ rotation depth in order to further bolster the offense, but regardless, Miami is starting to emerge from the rebuilding process and looking to gain prominence in the NL East.

Like the Orioles and Braves, the D-backs have been a disappointing team in 2025, but the pieces are in place for a return to contention in 2026. Merrill Kelly is back in the rotation and Michael Soroka has also been added. There are, of course, lingering trade rumors regarding All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte, but if he is traded, the Snakes will get a nice return and they might then look elsewhere to replace Marte’s production. Regardless of the details, Arizona projects to be a bounce-back contender in the upcoming season.