ESPN’s 2026 bold predictions will have Brewers fans rolling their eyes

The beginning of a new year not only brings resolutions that fans want their respective sports teams to follow in the coming months, but it's also the time when "bold predictions" are most frequently published around the industry. Bold predictions are supposed to be just that: bold, but they're also supposed to be rooted in fact or risk losing the credibility that allows them to fall loosely under the category of "predictions" rather than the less evidence-based world of "hunches."

It's a fine line, there's no doubt about it; bold predictions need to be reasonable enough for readers not to dismiss them immediately, but outlandish enough for them to stick out in the minds of their audience. A prediction like the one MLB.com's Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy made earlier in the week, when he wrote that Brice Turang could post a 30-30 season next year, is perfect because it is bold enough to make fans stop and think about its actual likelihood of occurring, but it's still rooted in fact. McCalvy references Turang's impressive development as a hitter over the last two seasons, alluding to the fact that a continuation of that progress in 2026 could realistically lead the Brewers' second baseman to 30 homers next season.

But for every reasonably bold prediction like the one the long-time Brewers' insider put together, there's a bold prediction that fails to acknowledge the reality of the world it is expected to exist in. Such is the case with the latest set of bold predictions for the 2026 MLB season published over on ESPN.com.

ESPN's bold predictions include a Pirates 2026 NL Central title that feels like a slap in the face for Brewers fans

The article over at ESPN, which involves a compilation of predictions from the sites' MLB teams, is well worth the read and includes several hypotheses that are both thought-provoking and reasonable. The article is free to read and linked below for your convenience.

Bold 2026 MLB predictions: World Series picks, trades, more

However, one section titled "The year of the Pirates" sticks out as a slap in the face to a Brewers team that has controlled the NL Central for the last three years. The section takes note of the Pittsburgh Pirates' active offseason, during which they had a clear goal of adding offense to a lineup that was one of, if not the worst in baseball in 2025. To some extent, the Pirates have accomplished that goal, adding Ryan O'Hearn, Brandon Lowe, and Jhostynxon García, all of whom are expected to have starting roles in 2026, to their lineup this offseason. Paired with a rotation that is headed by 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, there's absolutely a reason to believe that the Pirates will be a more competitive team in 2026 than they have been over the last decade.

That said, to predict that they will dethrone the Brewers with their current roster is too bold even for a "bold predictions" article. The prediction assumes that the NL Central is up for the taking in 2026, ignoring the fact that the Brewers are returning essentially the same roster that won 97 games in 2025. Not only that, but the offensive additions that the Pirates have made so far this winter are not quite the needle-moving deals that landing Kyle Schwarber, as Pittsburgh reportedly attempted to do, would have been. O'Hearn and Lowe are both essentially 2.0 WAR players, and García has a full five games of MLB experience. Will they improve a Pirates lineup that scored 223 fewer runs than the Brewers in 2025? Absolutely. Enough to win the division? No chance.

Things can change quickly in baseball, and bold predictions are intended to reflect that. But for the Brewers, who are routinely discredited every time the offseason rolls around, not even the act of winning three-straight division titles and returning essentially their entire roster for the 2026 season can protect them from being picked to lose to the Pirates, who have finished in 4th or 5th place in the five-team division for the last nine seasons, in the NL Central next year.

The Pirates should absolutely be celebrated for finally spending money after a decade of fielding uncompetitive teams. But it's the lack of acknowledgement of the perennial contender that Milwaukee has created in the smallest market in baseball that should have Brewers fans rolling their eyes. Perhaps a fourth straight division title will finally give Milwaukee the respect they deserve.