Baseball Insiders Season Preview as Opening Day Arrives: Who’s Making the Playoffs?

March 23, 2026·22 min·2 clips

Adam picks the Dodgers to win the World Series, while Robert teases a cliffhanger pick.

1. The Baseball Insiders season-preview episode, hosted by Adam Weiner and FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, covers division winner and wild-card predictions across all six MLB divisions. 2. Adam Weiner is the host and Robert Murray is the FanSided MLB insider; both contribute picks and debate predictions throughout. 3. The episode answers which teams are likely to reach the postseason, with a stated theme that picking a World Series winner other than the Dodgers requires predicting 'something catastrophic.' 4. In the AL East, Adam picks the Yankees, citing a rotation he describes as unlike any he has seen, naming six arms: Garrett Cole, Carlos Rodon, Max Freed, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Carlos LeGranje. 5. Robert takes the Orioles as his AL East surprise pick, pointing to Pete Alonso additions, Taylor Ward, Kobe Mayo's spring breakout, and the franchise's 2023-24 pedigree. 6. Both hosts pick the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central, with Murray calling Tarik Skubal the best pitcher in baseball and noting the addition of Framber Valdez and Jack Flaherty. 7. Adam selects the Seattle Mariners in the AL West but expresses skepticism about the franchise's playoff ceiling, noting Josh Naylor joins but Jorge Polanco and Carlos Suarez are gone. 8. Murray agrees on Seattle but echoes Adam's doubt, saying he does not believe the front office will replicate its midseason moves and Cal Raleigh is unlikely to match his 60-home-run season. 9. Adam takes the New York Mets to win the NL East, citing a deep rotation, a full year of Sean McLain, and the absence of Juan Soto–Francisco Lindor drama. 10. Murray counters with the Philadelphia Phillies, crediting Kyle Schwarber's return, JT Realmuto's re-signing, and extensions for Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez as indicators of sustained organizational intent. 11. Both hosts pick the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, with Murray highlighting Craig Counsel's new role, the Brad Keller precedent in pitching development, and Hunter Harvey as a high-upside bullpen piece. 12. Murray says losing Craig Counsel to a division rival was a 'gut punch' for Milwaukee but credits Pat Murphy for sustaining the Brewers' organizational culture. 13. Murray defends Kyle Tucker's four-year, $240 million Dodgers deal, arguing the $60M annual value exceeded competing Mets and Blue Jays offers and that career shelf-life realities make it the obvious choice. 14. Murray notes Edwin Diaz entering to the Dodgers stadium version of 'Narco' could overtake 'California Love' by Tupac as his favorite walk-up music. 15. Adam's NL wild-card selections include the Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Francisco Giants over the Phillies, calling out the Braves rotation as 'in shambles.' 16. Murray's NL wild-card picks include the Brewers, Pirates, and Mets, praising Ben Charrington's front office work in Pittsburgh for signing Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn, and Marcelo Ozuna on a one-year deal. 17. The episode features a fast-paced, banter-inflected format punctuated by ad reads and a moment where Murray checks his phone mid-segment. 18. Both hosts engage genuinely with underdogs — the Pirates, Giants, and Orioles — rather than defaulting entirely to consensus picks. 19. Best for fans who enjoy season-opener prediction debates covering all six divisions with specific roster reasoning. 20. Fans looking for deep statistical modeling or postseason bracket analysis beyond division predictions may find the coverage too surface-level.

As heard by us

A brisk Opening Day preview built around sharp division picks and lively back-and-forth.

Baseball Insiders' pre Opening Day segment has enough tension to feel useful. Adam Weinberg and Robert Murray move from final roster questions into a Mariners-Astros debate, then land on a Mets pick that sounds considered rather than automatic.

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Want one last Opening Day division debate?

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