The "way too early" predictions for 2026 - LS Team Collection Series
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Yes, yes, yes. Way too early. But I'm bored.
So... which team out of the gate in 2026 will be the cheapest to acquire? I know, I know... us "no money spent" people typically wait until prices settle down. But... on day one... which team will be the cheapest?
Now that rosters are filling out, with the exception of a few "high profile" guys left (Tucker, Bellinger, etc.), I think we can make a few guesses. And, unlike in many, many previous years, the Pirates aren't even at the top of the list due to Skenes.
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Cardinals - could it be? Could they really be the cheapest? I'm guessing they unload Donovan for more prospects. I'm sure @dolenz_mlbts will weigh in here.
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Rockies - I mean... it's the Rockies.
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White Sox - I'm curious to see where Murakami starts out, but no higher than a Silver, right @savefarris_mlbts ?
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Marlins - I was disappointed they traded Cabrera, so their price will be pretty low.
The A's used to be on this list, but they have some decent young players to start the year. Thoughts?
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Good list. I might add the Twins and maybe the Red Sox as 2 of the cheaper as they only have one or two high golds or low and always pulled diamonds. The market was weird last year so I’m hoping they can control the ridiculously high price of the top 3 guys. I usually can complete the LS Collection a month or two in, last year it took me until December to make enough stubs because I had to buy Ohtani, Judge, and Witt.
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I hope the market goes back to usual this year. The sub-90 diamonds were nutso in 2025. I think the 88 ketel Marte was over 100K even late in the summer. I don’t think the market has ever been quite so overpriced in all the years I’ve been playing (since MLBTS19).
The white Sox should be interesting in terms of investments this year. Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Edgar Quero should all be pretty cheap out of the gate, but if they continue taking steps forward they could get some decent upgrades. I think Teel is the best of the bunch. Maybe he even reaches diamond this year! And if Montgomery continues his power surge then he’s going to shoot up in the ratings too. Murakami will probably be high bronze or low silver to start the year. He might have some investment potential too.
I’m getting excited for 26!! Put Corbin Carroll on the cover and I’ll officially be stoked.
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Teams most likely to start without Diamonds (7). (I know some teams have returning Diamonds from 2025, but they typically take everyone a step down and let the Live Series "power creep" as well):
Rays
White Sox - Ohtani & Vlad Jr started as 81s, so I'd guess Murakami starts around 80?
Marlins
Nationals
Cardinals
Rockies
Giants2025 started with 8, so this appears about right.
As for who will be least expensive, that almost entirely depends on the Collection reward. If (hypothetically) they bring back Pujols as a Legend and make his rookie card the Cardinal collection, that would shoot St. Louis to the front of the pack. Likewise, if the Collect reward for the Nationals is a Breakout Soto, they would be more expensive.
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Even without the Salary Dumps the Cardinals were going to be cheap. Arenado and Gray were both Silvers and Contreras was an 80 gold. When you realize that the player ratings get reverted (knocked down) at the beginning of the year then there is a good chance the cardinals start without even a gold player depending on how much they revert them. I'd say that only Masyn Winn has an outside chance to still be a gold as he is an 83 and most of that is due to his defense.
As for the cheapest? It obviously may depend on which divisions or teams have the most desirable collection rewards out of the box. A bad team in a division with a desirable collection reward may be more expensive than a better team in a division with a less desirable reward
I had my program add a new report for just live series cards. While I have not been keeping up with all the transactions below is the list of the tier breakdown and OVR avg in the game right now.
- The Nationals at the ended the season had 0 diamonds, and only 1 gold. James Woods was an 80 but he may slide back to begin the season as a silver.
- The Rockies ended with 0 Diamonds 4 Golds (There is a chance Doyle and Goodman stay golds)
- The Cardinals had 0 diamonds and 5 Golds but they traded one of those golds and 2 of their silvers.
- The Marlins 0 Diamonds, 3 Golds but 11 silvers (Tied with KC for the most silvers)
- The Giants ended with 1 Diamond (that may revert to gold) and 4 Golds (with a possibility that they revert to silvers)
- The Rays ended with 2 diamonds and 7 golds, but even with reversion it should not be the cheapest, especially in a division with the Yankees and Blue Jays so that division collection reward may be higher value
Team Diamond Gold Silver Bronze Common Avg OVR Los Angeles Dodgers 8 6 7 16 3 75.9 Toronto Blue Jays 6 10 8 10 6 75.8 Chicago Cubs 4 8 11 14 3 75 New York Yankees 3 8 9 12 8 74.3 San Diego Padres 4 9 6 17 4 74.2 Philadelphia Phillies 5 6 7 19 3 74 Houston Astros 4 6 8 17 5 73 Texas Rangers 3 5 9 18 5 73 Milwaukee Brewers 2 9 7 14 8 72.9 Boston Red Sox 3 6 5 20 6 72.7 New York Mets 4 3 10 15 8 72.7 Kansas City Royals 1 4 11 19 5 72.5 Seattle Mariners 7 4 5 11 13 72.4 Atlanta Braves 2 7 7 16 8 72.2 Tampa Bay Rays 2 7 10 10 11 71.5 Detroit Tigers 1 4 10 14 11 71.3 Cincinnati Reds 2 4 10 14 10 71.3 Chicago White Sox 0 1 10 23 6 70.2 Cleveland Guardians 1 4 3 23 9 69.9 San Francisco Giants 1 4 4 19 12 69.7 Baltimore Orioles 2 3 5 18 12 69.6 Miami Marlins 0 3 11 12 14 69.4 Los Angeles Angels 1 4 3 23 9 69.3 Pittsburgh Pirates 1 2 4 22 11 69 St. Louis Cardinals 0 5 6 17 12 68.8 Arizona Diamondbacks 3 3 3 18 13 68.7 Oakland Athletics 3 0 6 15 16 68.6 Minnesota Twins 2 1 5 18 14 68.4 Washington Nationals 0 1 7 20 12 67 Colorado Rockies 0 4 2 18 16 66.7 -
I think the future strikeout king Murakami is going to be a low silver or maybe even a bronze. His defense most likely be common and very poor on his live series card.
