Every team has checked off just about every box on its offseason shopping list, and now the real fun begins. As full squads report to Spring Training this week, camps chock-full of veterans, rookies, non-roster invites and everyone in between will try to earn a coveted roster spot for Opening Day on April 1.
So who holds the inside track for each of those 26-man roster spots? It’s likely too early to tell, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take our best shot. Below are Opening Day roster predictions made by MLB.com’s beat writers for each of the 30 clubs.
Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be on the roster, of course, but will he be at first base or back at third? More >
Orioles: Do veteran arms Félix Hernández and Matt Harvey have enough left in the tank to crack the O's starting rotation? More >
Rays: "Wander Watch" is underway as the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball, 19-year-old shortstop Wander Franco, reports to Rays Spring Training. More >
Red Sox: Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi are gone. Will Jackie Bradley Jr. return and join Alex Verdugo, Hunter Renfroe and Franchy Cordero in Boston's outfield mix? More >
Yankees: It will be interesting to see how the Yankees' rotation shakes out behind Gerrit Cole, as new additions Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon mix in with Deivi García, Jordan Montgomery and the returning Domingo Germán. More >
Indians: Cleveland got two young shortstops back from the Mets in the Francisco Lindor trade, Andrés Giménez and Amed Rosario, and they'll need to decide who's going to play where come Opening Day. More >
Royals: The Royals have a slew of young arms who could prove themselves with an impressive spring. Even besides Brady Singer, there's No. 9 prospect Carlos Hernández, No. 3 prospect Daniel Lynch and No. 4 prospect Jackson Kowar. More >
Tigers: All eyes will be on top pitching prospects Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal in Tigers camp. Both are talented enough to be in the rotation now, but Detroit might also want to manage their workload. More >
Twins: The Twins have two strong options at catcher, 2019 Silver Slugger Award winner Mitch Garver and top catching prospect Ryan Jeffers. Spring Training could help determine their mix of playing time. More >
White Sox: The White Sox have some big prospects everybody will be watching in camp: 22-year-old slugger Andrew Vaughn (MLB's No. 14 prospect), fireballing reliever Garrett Crochet (No. 56) and the returning Michael Kopech (No. 39). More >
Angels: Will Shohei Ohtani return to full two-way player status for the Angels? And will touted young outfielder Jo Adell make the team after his struggles as a rookie in 2020? More >
Astros: Yordan Alvarez's knee is the thing to keep an eye on -- if the 23-year-old slugger is healthy and back to normal, his bat returning to the Astros lineup could be the biggest X-factor in baseball this year. More >
Athletics: The key players in A's camp include star pitching prospect A.J. Puk, returning from shoulder surgery, and second baseman Jed Lowrie, returning to Oakland in an attempt to recover his old All-Star form after missing almost all of the last two seasons due to injury. More >
Mariners: Left field in Seattle will be Jarred Kelenic's as soon as the top prospect is ready. Can he seize the job in Spring Training? More >
Rangers: Newcomers Khris Davis, Nate Lowe and David Dahl could play big roles in the Rangers lineup, and the same goes for Kyle Gibson, Dane Dunning, Mike Foltynewicz and Kohei Arihara in the rotation. More >
Braves: The main battle for the Braves will be in center field, where MLB's No. 12 prospect Cristian Pache will challenge three-time Gold Glove Award winner Ender Inciarte for the starting job. More >
Marlins: Three different players have a good chance to earn the majority of second-base playing time in Miami. More >
Mets: A laundry list of outfielders are competing for three starting spots, though obviously there could be constant rotation out there in Queens this year. The same could be said of the last spot in New York’s rotation. More >
Nationals: Can Carter Kieboom take hold of the starting third-base job in D.C., or will he see playing time threatened by another veteran utility player? More >
Phillies: Center field is the biggest question mark in Philadelphia, with a mix of youngsters and veterans looking to break through. More >
Brewers: Milwaukee’s projected Opening Day roster looks much the same as it did at the end of the 2020 season -- with two very notable exceptions on the right side of the infield. More >
Cardinals: St. Louis didn’t strike a big league deal until the end of January, but it made the most of its limited shopping. Both the Cardinals’ infield and outfield will have a different look as compared to four months ago. More >
Cubs: An offseason of marked change for the North Siders is finally at an end. Plenty of familiar faces are still on the Cubs roster, despite months of trade rumors, with a handful of newcomers looking to vault Chicago back to the top of the Senior Circuit. More >
Pirates: Pittsburgh could have a lot of moving pieces during what figures to be a transition year, but right now the best battles appear to be at shortstop, center field and the back of the rotation. More >
Reds: Can the powerful Tyler Stephenson challenge Gold Glover Tucker Barnhart behind the plate? And who begins the season at shortstop? More >
D-backs: The 2021 D-backs look pretty similar to last year’s club, with Arizona banking on some bounceback seasons. As many as three to four bullpen spots appear to be wide open in the desert. More >
Dodgers: Los Angeles lost a ton of familiar faces to free agency, and yet it still appears to have one of the Majors’ best 40-man rosters. Perhaps the most turnover came in the bullpen, which led the Majors in relief ERA a year ago. More >
Giants: Manager Gabe Kapler believes his position-player group is largely set, though center field -- where Mauricio Dubón is the projected starter -- remains a bit of a question mark. More >
Padres: Yes, the Padres own one of MLB’s most complete rosters after a tremendous offseason. The biggest question marks probably lie in the rotation with Dinelson Lamet’s health -- and which youngster (MacKenzie Gore, Ryan Weathers or Adrian Morejon) is up next should Lamet go down with an injury. More >
Rockies: Will Trevor Story complete his final year under contract while still wearing a Rockies uniform? Who will fill Nolan Arenado’s shoes at third base? More >
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