BY JORDAN GREENSTEIN ’28 & MAXWELL GERSHWIND ’27
On Wednesday, March 25, the MLB season will kick off with Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees traveling to San Francisco to face Rafael Devers and his San Francisco Giants. This game is exceptional, as for the first time in history, an MLB game will be streamed on Netflix.
New Yorkers have great reason to be excited about the upcoming baseball season, as both the Mets and Yankees have very solid rosters. Despite losing Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, and Brandon Nimmo, The Mets picked up star shortstop and third baseman Bo Bichette from the Blue Jays, and he signed a three-year, $126 million deal, including an opt-out after the first year. Bichette is an amazing contact hitter who, in the 2025 season batted .311 with 18 home runs and 94 runs batted in. The Mets also picked up superstar pitcher Freddy Peralta, who is a dominant ace with a 2.70 earned run average last season. Other notable signings for the Mets include Jorge Polanco, who is flexible between second and first base, and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Both of these players have such a high ceiling to be good with a chance at 30+ home runs and around 100 runs batted in a season. Overall, the Mets have an excellent roster with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor leading the charge.
As for the Yankees, people talk about their culture of “running it back” with mixed reviews. Other than re-signing star outfielder Cody Bellinger to a 5-year, $162.5 million deal, the Yankees had a quiet off-season. The Yankees have Aaron Judge leading the charge, along with his star teammates Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Max Fried, and Gerrit Cole who will be returning between late May to early June.
Jericho students are abuzz for a New York-dominant MLB season. While many students have team loyalty, the strengths of both the Mets and the Yankees are clear as they enter into the 2026 season. Justin B. ’27 said, “The number one factor for the Mets this season is their pitching staff. If their rotation stays healthy and performs above average, they are in a very good spot to make the playoffs.” And while the Mets have favorable pitching, the Yankees have great talent. Justin said, “The Yankees have the talent to make a deep playoff run, but their defense is a main concern. If they limit mistakes defensively, and become a league-average defense, they become a very serious contender.”
Our predictions for this year for both teams are the Mets to be 88-74 and the Yankees to be 92-70, which will most likely get them both a spot in the playoffs. Cheers to a good season for both New York teams, and play ball!