In March, the majority of our MLB staff did not have Shohei Ohtani as a legitimate NL Cy Young Award contender. Nor did they have the Cleveland Guardians winning a third straight AL Central division title.They did, however, predict that Mason Miller would be baseball’s best reliever and that Kevin McGonigle would be in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation, so some credit is due.Welcome to Version 2.0 of our season predictions. We’ll be revisiting these predictions at multiple intervals, and while the questions will stay the same, the answers will undoubtedly evolve once again.Here’s our expectations for how the remainder of the 2026 MLB season will shake out, with expert analysis and critique from MLB senior writers Tim Britton and Zack Meisel, along with senior editor Johnny Flores Jr.Note: Tables display the percentage of votes received each month. You can find our season predictions from March here. All stats are through the end of play on Tuesday unless otherwise noted.Tim Britton: It wasn’t that hard to imagine a world where Atlanta won the NL East. But I could not foresee it taking command of the division this quickly, given the injuries it endured in spring training. The Phillies have recovered from their April, but there’s just such a wide gap already.Zack Meisel: Even though only two teams received votes, can we take a moment to appreciate the collective competency of the NL Central? Hey, AL Central and AL West: Take notes. All five teams boast a winning record. Hopefully, this remains a crowded, confusing, captivating race throughout the summer.Johnny Flores Jr.: The Brewers are eternal. It just took another 41 percent of our voters from Version 1.0 to 2.0 to realize that. Much like the Mets making us all look like fools, the Padres have a really funny opportunity before the All-Star break. San Diego will play the Dodgers seven times before the Midsummer Classic and that 3 1/2 game deficit in the NL West could be vanquished, making us all look like fools for predicting otherwise.Britton: A full 90 percent behind the Padres is a little surprising, given some of their underlying metrics and pretty clear concerns on offense. A really good bullpen allows you to outperform your run differential all season long, but I’d feel more confident in San Diego if any of its best hitters had an OPS higher than .700.Meisel: Our voters seem to think this is all but set, with the only mystery being whether the Pirates or Phillies will capture the final Wild Card spot. A lot can change in a few months, though. Just ask the 88 percent of our voting body that originally picked the Mets, but quickly (and understandably) abandoned them.Flores Jr.: Though the panel believes the NL field is mostly a matter of formality, that third Wild Card spot offers some of the most intrigue. As it stands, five clubs are 2 games back or fewer for that final spot. There’s a very real scenario where the Nationals (1 1/2 games back, 0 percent of the vote) take that final spot over the Phillies (2 games back, 79 percent of the vote).Britton: OK, so look, this poll ran for a week. When I picked the Tigers to still win the AL Central, they were only 7 1/2 games back in the midst of being swept by Cleveland. Now? I think I’d change my mind. (And pick the White Sox, of course!)Meisel: In March, none of our voters thought the Astros would win the AL West. Two months have elapsed, and no one in that division has a winning record. And, still, none of our voters think the Astros will win the AL West. The Mariners have ample time to figure it out and make our voters look wise.Flores Jr.: This poll is perhaps the most emblematic aspect of the Cleveland baseball experience. Before the season started, no one had them winning the AL Central. Two months later, they are the overwhelming favorites. Given how putrid the AL West is, the Guardians might waltz into the AL’s No. 2 seed with the 20th-best offense in baseball by OPS.Britton: I was one of the 17 percent on the Athletics’ bandwagon before the season, but even I’m surprised they’re as popular a postseason pick as they are right now. The run differential is underwater and the third-order winning percentage is worse. But it’s the AL, so sure, I still went with them.Meisel: I’m fairly confident the Angels will not seize a playoff berth. Beyond that, uh… who knows? The Tigers are tied for the second-worst record in MLB, yet received the seventh-highest vote total. The White Sox and Twins, two teams our voters initially thought would flirt with 100 losses, would be Wild Card teams if the playoffs started today. Good news for the Tigers and Royals and Red Sox and Blue Jays and Mariners and Astros and — hoo boy, there are a lot of underachievers in the AL… the playoffs do not, in fact, start today.