2026 MLB MVP candidates: Ranking the top stars in the AL and NL

Everyone loves watching MLB’s biggest stars take over a game, and no individual honor captures that better than the MVP Award. From jaw-dropping power to all-around brilliance, the MVP race is where baseball’s biggest stars separate themselves over a full season. As the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, SeatGeek is where fans go to lock in seats for those can’t-miss performances all season long.

The 2025 MLB season featured two familiar faces taking home MVP honors, as Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani added to their already loaded trophy cases. The game’s two perennial MVP candidates figure to be among the top contenders for the award again in 2026, but there are several strong challengers in each league that should be in the conversation all season long. 

Here are the five top MVP candidates in both the American League and National League heading into the 2026 regular season.

Top contenders to win the 2026 AL MVP

The AL MVP race is loaded with superstar sluggers, dynamic infielders and one catcher coming off a season unlike anything the sport has ever seen.

Here are my preseason AL MVP favorites:

1. Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)

Judge has been a superhero for the Yankees for years, and his last two seasons have been otherworldly by even his lofty standards. In 2025, Judge slashed .331/.457/.688 with his fourth campaign with at least 50 homers and 100 RBIs, while guiding the Yankees back to the postseason. 

Judge seems to only be getting better, which is great news for the Yankees and an awful thing for opposing pitchers to hear, as few in MLB history have showcased the ability to hit for average and plus-plus power like the New York captain. Judge is one of only 13 players to win three or more MVPs, and another monster season could have him as just the third four-time winner in league history, joining Barry Bonds and another big name we’ll get to later. 

2. Cal Raleigh (Seattle Mariners)

From one historic player to another, Raleigh guided the Mariners to their first AL West title and ALCS appearance since 2001 with a season we’ve never seen from a catcher before. “The Big Dumper” smashed 60 home runs, setting MLB records for home runs by a catcher in a single season and the most home runs a switch-hitter has ever swatted in a single campaign. That resulted in Raleigh finishing just behind Judge in MVP voting. Raleigh has been one of the most prolific sluggers at the catching position we’ve ever seen, and if he wasn’t on your radar before 2025, he sure is now. 

3. Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals)

Witt is arguably baseball’s most well-rounded player. The star Royals shortstop does everything well, hitting for average and power, stealing bases and showcasing an elite glove at a premium defensive position. Witt is just 25 years old yet already has two Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers along with three top-10 MVP finishes. A strong year from the Royals in an open AL Central could have him as the favorite to knock off Judge. 

4. Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Guardians)

Ramirez is one of baseball’s most consistently great superstars even if he doesn’t always get superstar attention. The switch-hitting third baseman inked an extension with Cleveland this offseason and has back-to-back 30/30 seasons. He’s a seven-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger who regularly produces at an MVP-caliber level. Another surprising season from the Guardians could finally get Ramirez some hardware.

5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays) 

After a monster postseason run, a lot of eyes will be on Guerrero and the Jays in 2026. The first baseman has made five straight All-Star Games and took his game to another level in the playoffs. Guerrero enters 2026 after OPSing nearly 1.300 in the playoffs, taking over games against the Yankees and Mariners in the process. The Jays figure to be among the best teams in baseball, and if Guerrero puts up numbers comparable to his 2021 campaign when he finished second in MVP voting, he could be Toronto’s first MVP since Josh Donaldson in 2015.

Top contenders to win the 2026 NL MVP

The NL race features a familiar unicorn at the top, but there’s also no shortage of star power behind him.

Here are my preseason NL MVP favorites:

1. Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Ohtani is a video game create-a-player come to life. I mean, who throws 100 mph with devastating secondaries while also swatting 50 homers and stealing 20+ bases every year? He hit a career-high 55 homers last year for the Dodgers and also returned to the mound with a 2.87 ERA across 47 innings. Ohtani is one of just two players (Barry Bonds) with four or more MVP awards, and he is going for his fourth in a row and fifth in six years. Based on recent history, it’s Ohtani’s world and we’re all just living in it. 

2. Juan Soto (New York Mets)

Soto hit 43 home runs with a .921 OPS in his first season with the Mets, and at times, some considered him to be having a “down” year. The young outfielder has done nothing but rake since entering the MLB ranks as a teenager, and he regularly puts himself in the MVP conversation. The Mets were as aggressive as anyone this offseason when it came to adding to their MLB roster, and Soto should be among the top MVP contenders if he does what he always does.

3. Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves)

Acuña is one of the most electrifying players in baseball, and 2026 should be a fun one to watch as the former MVP should be fully healthy after playing a total of 134 games across 2024 and 2025. Even in just 95 games in 2025, Acuña made his mark, hitting 21 home runs with a .935 OPS. Acuña is one of the most dynamic players the game has to offer with his power at the plate and speed on the bases, and with the Braves looking primed for a bounce-back year, Acuña should remain in the spotlight and reemerge as one of the top players in MLB.

4. Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies)

The Phillies have a pair of MVP boppers in Schwarber and two-time MVP Bryce Harper, but we’ll focus on Schwarber, who is coming off the best year of his career. The star slugger inked a new deal to return to Philly after hitting 56 home runs to lead the National League. That wasn’t enough to overtake Ohtani in MVP voting, but Schwarber did finish second in that race. Harper may have taken this award home twice, but it looks like Schwarber is the top Phillies player to contend here. 

5. Alex Bregman (Chicago Cubs)

The Cubs lost maybe the best player on the open market when Kyle Tucker left the Windy City for the Dodgers, but the Cubs got one heck of a “replacement” in Bregman. The ever-steady third baseman has regularly been one of the game’s top right-handed bats, and he will add some stability and elite ceiling to a Cubs lineup that enters 2026 with high expectations after making the playoffs last year. Bregman finished second in AL MVP voting before, and he is certainly a name to watch here in the National League.