| Why You Care: If you haven't been paying much attention to the MLB offseason, don't worry. Not much has changed for the Yanks, who are basically running back their 2025 roster. Re-signing Cody Bellinger was the team's major move. Lefty starter Ryan Weathers was acquired via trade from the Miami Marlins, and the team will get ace Gerrit Cole back from Tommy John surgery by the end of April/early May. Gone are the days when winter meant a shiny new superstar in pinstripes.Instead, manager Aaron Boone must lean on internal improvements if this team hopes to advance beyond the ALDS, something it couldn't pull off last season.
As for the home team, ol' reliable Logan Webb will throw the first pitch of the season, and plenty more. Webb, fresh off an impressive start for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, has led MLB in innings pitched in each of the last three seasons. The biggest change in San Francisco is the hiring of Tony Vitello to manage this squad. Vitello has worked in college baseball since 2003, so his transition to the sound of wooden bats only will determine how this Giants season goes.
Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projections tab the Yankees for 88.6 wins and the Giants for 82.4. Both clubs have work to do to overtake last season's World Series representatives — San Francisco is stuck in the NL West with the Dodgers, while the Yanks and Blue Jays had the same regular season record in 2025 and met in the postseason — but that'll be easier said than done. LA did its thing as usual (acquiring several more star players), although it was Canada's team that splashed the most cash in the offseason, hoping to numb the pain of a Game 7 loss in the World Series.
Did the Yankees and Giants do enough to close the gap? Put me down for a skeptical in New York's case, and a stronger doubtful for the Gigantes. But hey, it's Opening Day and every team has the same record. Embrace the optimistic view and will into existence a 162-0 season for your team, starting today. | 
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