Today, we look out at our lawns and rejoice. That evil snow is gone; any smatterings that fell the last couple of nights disappeared right away.

There was still a chill in the air, though. And even though we always think it’s too early, that must mean it’s time for one thing: Major League Baseball to begin its regular season.

It all starts tonight with the Yankees taking on the Giants in San Francisco (geez, maybe we should have stayed another six weeks, huh?). Then your Boston Red Sox will start with the full Opening Day this Thursday at the place that used to be the traditional opener on its own for baseball, Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark.

But starting tonight, there’s a baseball game every day of the week, be in Major League, minor league, FCBL, high school, etc. until late October. Amazing.Think about that. It comes up quick.

And that means it’s time for yours truly to map out the MLB season for you with our predictions by division. Hey, last season we did pick the winner (Dodgers, yeah out on a limb) and almost had the A.L. Champ (Detroit fell to Jays in ALCS). But we didn’t have much else right, picking just three of the six AL playoff teams and just two of the six in the NL. And of the six division champs? One, the easy one – Dodgers. Sad.

But we keep swinging, so here goes for 2026:

AL EAST – We picked them last year, and we knew they’d be good, and they were – but this year we really mean it.

Your Boston Red Sox will win the American League East. Why? Roman Anthony. He is a difference maker, and now they have a legitimate one-two atop the rotation in Garrett Crochet and Ranger Suarez (despite Suarez getting lit up yesterday). Sonny Gray is an OK No.3. Lack of power? Sure, they don’t have a 40-home run type, but Wilyer Abreu has looked pretty good, right? And they’ll probably get more at the deadline. The Yankees will have to settle for a Wild Card with their homer or bust lineup and awful defense (other than Aaron Judge in right field). Their pitching has question marks of the injury kind. Can Gerrit Cole come back well from Tommy John surgery? Will the bullpen hold up? We don’t trust the Blue Jays, They added Dylan Cease to their rotation but is he really that good? And they lost Bo Bichette.The Orioles will outslug some now that they added a player the Red Sox should have gotten, Pete Alonzo, but how well will they pitch? When you least expect Tampa to really stink they become good, but we’ll see. Sox rule.

AL CENTRAL – We never get this one right but we’ll stick with the Tigers. They’ve got the AL’s best pitcher in Tarik Skubal, and they may as well keep him for one more year with the lockout looming. They also added lefty Framber Valdez. They barely survived a late season collapase and then lost a deciding 15-inning Game 5 of the ALDS vs. the Seattle Mariners. This time they’ll win the division. The Royals, 82-80 a year ago, will bounce back after overhauling their bullpen. We always make the mistake of counting the Guardians out, and we’ll make that one again. White Sox and Twins, nah.

AL WEST – Tough call. We want to say the Astros bounce back and take it, but they just don’t seem like they’ve got as much star power except for Jose Altuve, and reliever Josh Hader is starting the season on the injured list. So we’ll say the Mariners, who got a taste of what it’s like, ending a long, long postseason drought (hello, Jets) and were one win away from a World Series. The Rangers will start to sink – they sent manager Bruce Bochy back into retirement, and the Angels are just a bad organization, period.

NL EAST – Sorry Mets, we keep picking you to win this division, and it never works out. But they did make some key additons as GM David Stearns revamped the roster just when Mets fans were mourning the loss of the core that left them with just 83 wins last year after a fast start. The Phillies have that dynamic duo at the plate of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. That has carried them. The Mets added Bo Bichette and an ace in Freddy Peralta, but they lost one of the game’s best closers in Edwin Diaz. Can Devin Williams and Luke Weaver (Yankees should have kept both) make up for it? Just a nagging feeling they’ll be good, as in Wild Card good.

The rest of the division? Forget it. The Braves will try to work their way back, but their pitching already laden with injured arms, and the Marlins and Nationals aren’t ready for prime time.

NL CENTRAL – We’re picking the Cubs until we’re blue in the face. The Alex Bregman Factor. The Brewers look like they’ve taken a step back, giving Peralta to the Mets. The Reds, in fact, could finish ahead of Milwaukee, as they added slugger Eugenio Suarez and didn’t really lose anyone of consequence from a team that beat out the Mets for the last playoff spot,although their ace Hunter Greene may be out until July. The Cardinals are starting to dip below mediocrity – in fact we say Paul Skenes and the Pirates will finish ahead of them.

NL WEST – Let’s not be a moron and just pick the Dodgers now. It would take a natural disaster to prevent them from holding the Padres at bay and winning the division. San Diego did add Nick Catellanos for power – they were 28th in homers in the Majors last year. And they have Mason Miller closing, he of WCB fame. They lost Cease, but was he really that good? The Diamondbacks worked on getting younger, and the Giants are gambling with a college coach as their new manager, former Tennessee mentor Tony Vitello. The Rockies are just lost and fans there should hoping for a lockout to get a floor in the salary system.

Here you go:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Division Winners are Red Sox, Tigers, Mariners; Wild Cards are Yankees, Royals and Astros.

Pennant: Red Sox. Yes, if Aroldis Chapman can do it two years in a row. It’s a weak league.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Division winners are Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers; Wild Cards will be Reds, Mets and Padres.

Pennant: Really? Dodgers.

World Series: Dodgers over Red Sox in five. Revenge for 2018, then we all go into Lockout Mode.

Like we always say, cut and save, and when it’s November 1, laugh.

Happy Baseball.

Tom King may be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on X at @Telegraph _TomK.