MLB Teams to Stream Against in Fantasy Baseball: Picking Targets from Last Year's Numbers

Welcome to the first day of the MLB season! There's only one game today, as the Yankees and Giants kick things off on Netflix at 8 p.m. Eastern time, but it's an event nonetheless and puts us on the long, arduous path through the baseball season.

I like to find starting pitchers each day who are widely available in fantasy leagues and are facing poor offensive teams, giving owners a list of streamers who can help fill their pitching staff if they are in need; it's easier to stream at pitcher than any defensive position.

We don't have any streamers today, as the two starters (Max Fried and Logan Webb) are both owned in virtually every fantasy league, so instead, let's go through the teams that I will be looking to target through the first week or two of the season. This is based on last year's stats, but we will look at changes teams made and where we can expect improvement.

(One note: There will be no pitcher streaming article tomorrow for Opening Day for most teams because everyone is throwing their top pitcher, not leaving many guys who are available in most fantasy leagues. Friday is the first day we'll be able to start that task in earnest.)

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The Process

I used 10 offensive box stats for this exercise: runs scored, hits, doubles, home runs, walks, strikeouts (most), batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. I then went through and tallied every time each team showed up in the bottom 10 (or very close to it) in 2025.

It's not perfect, and it doesn't include a lot of advanced stats, but generally, teams that show up at the bottom of the box stats often aren't hiding too many underlying metrics that point toward sudden improvement. With an offseason of roster changes, some teams can be expected to perform better, and others will improve by simple luck even without a major overhaul.

Every time I do this exercise, I end up with around 10 quality target teams. Using last year's end-of-seasons numbers, I came up with eight very strong targets and three more teams that nearly made the cut. Let's run through those teams and see which ones might improve and which are likely to again finish among the worst offensive teams in the league.

Strong Targets

• Baltimore Orioles
• Chicago White Sox
• Cleveland Guardians
• Colorado Rockies
• Los Angeles Angels
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• Texas Rangers
• Washington Nationals

Each of these teams was in the bottom 10 or very close to it in at least seven of the 10 categories other than the Angels, who appeared six times. Chicago, Cleveland, Colorado, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Washington are likely to keep struggling.

Cleveland has a superstar in third baseman in Jose Ramirez, and he is surrounded by some talent, but the Guardians generally run a lower payroll and let productive veterans leave, and that can cause inconsistency from year to year. After a strong 2024, the offense tanked last year, and I'm treating them as a target until they prove otherwise.

The White Sox and Pirates added a few new names, but they are both starting from such a low spot by last year's numbers that it will likely take another year or more to get up to even average offensively. I generally avoid the Rockies at home, but they are one of the best targets around when on the road.

Baltimore and Texas are the two teams I could see quickly getting out of this range. They both were expected to perform better and fight for the playoffs last year, but both fell short, and the offenses were a big reason why.

The Rangers play in a pitcher's park, a possible reason for their struggles. That makes them a bit of a risky bet to bounce back, and they have much of the same lineup from last season, but improvement from a few young guys and better health would help. I will still target Texas early, though I'll be a bit cautious.

The Orioles were among the best offensive teams in both 2023 and 2024, but they fell off big time last season, struggling to do anything aside from hit for power. The additions of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward should help, but Baltimore is already dealing with injury issues, so they will be at least a secondary target for me until they prove they can hit.

Other Targets

• Minnesota Twins
• San Francisco Giants
• St. Louis Cardinals

Since last year's trade deadline, the Twins and Cardinals have shed big-league talent and likely made their 2026 teams worse. Looking at just the numbers from after the All-Star break last year, both Minnesota and St. Louis were worse than their season-long rates in many categories. I will be looking to target both teams early in the season as at least secondary targets (if not more) until they prove otherwise.

The Giants are another team that plays in a pitcher's park, making them vulnerable to stretches of offensive ineptitude. They brought in a few new starters, including Luis Arraez and Harrison Bader, and they will get a full season out of Rafael Devers, so this team could improve to the point that we don't consider them. They will be more of a final target until we get more information in 2026.

Conclusion

It's risky to trust last season's numbers in any sport, as players improve/decline, home parks change dimensions, and pure luck plays havoc with individual and team performance. This is simply a list of where I will be starting to look for weak offenses early in the season.

As evidenced by the presence of teams like Baltimore and Cleveland, we never know who will struggle most in a new season; it can even be a previous offensive juggernaut. Small samples will cause us to weigh plenty early in the season, and our target list will change along with the month (or even week) sometimes.

Keep these teams in mind when planning your pitchers, though, and be open to change. Those who are on top of things early, when March Madness and the NBA and NHL playoffs are stealing focus, will have the upper hand as we transition into the Dog Days of Summer.