We are not afraid of your conventional wisdom. It is easy for people to make simple predictions that adhere to the safe, to the secure, to say “_____ will make the playoffs” and feel good and pat ourselves on the back. Yet we here at The Good Phight are the bold ones, the ones unafraid to buck conventional thought and put something in writing that makes one go “Ooooh, that’s spicy.”

We’re going down the trails that lead to Hot Take-ville.

The Pirates win the NL Central

Hear me out: the Pirates might be pretty good. We know about Paul Skenes and his awesomeness. We have heard about the young pitching coming, led by Bubba Chandler and a returning Jared Jones. Honestly, if I hear anymore about Konnor Griffin and the impact he’s about to have on the franchise, my eyes might roll all the way back into my head. But something about this team has a very “Kansas City Royals make the playoffs?!?!” vibe to it.

As of this writing, Fangraphs has them at a 27.6% chance at winning the division, second behind the Cubs’ ~43% chance. That might change in another day or two, but the relative idea remains the same: this is their best chance at winning the division in quite a long time. It’s all based on the strength of their rotation as well as the additions they made during a surprising piggy bank cracking this offseason. It will require a lot of ifs happening (Skenes somehow improving, Chandler, et al. taking a step forward on the mound, Griffin coming and leading a lineup that looks a bit pesky), but if they do, this might be a gasp scary team? – Ethan Witte

The Nationals will win more games than the Braves

The Braves are banking any possibly turnaround on health, and that is already looking like a problem. Whatever demonic pact Atlanta signed to keep Chris Sale healthy has continued to wreak havoc on the rest of the roster, as almost their entire starting rotation outside of Sale is either on the IL or not fully healthy to start the season. Couple that with the lineup already being without Jurickson Profar for the entire season due to another suspension, and the margin for error may be smaller than it was last season when the Braves disappointed. The Nationals meanwhile may not have much to speak of in the way of talent like the Braves do, but they are healthy and do have some interesting prospects that could raise their ceiling in 2026 a bit. Their floor is lower than the Braves, but Atlanta looks like a better bet to be around said floor while Washington has a chance for a little more upside. – Joe Edinger

Justin Crawford: Stolen Base King

Justin Crawford will lead the Phillies in stolen bases, and will in fact finish top three in the National League in stolen bases. – Allie F.

The Dodgers get eliminated in the NL Wild Card

The Dodgers’ rotation gets hit hard with injuries this year, followed by a combination of bad luck and lack of pitching that gets them sent home early. – Jared Frank