Much of the game of baseball is spent reflecting on the past. While the game is happening in the present, many speculative conversations are had about the future. Thus, a future conversation in that of the National League’s Most Valuable Player discussion is being examined far too early here in this article. That said, we will break down the potential cases for the five most likely winners in 2026 of the NL MVP award.

NUMBER FIVE: ELLY DE LA CRUZ (CINCINNATI REDS)

When it comes to the potential MVP candidacy for a young upstart like Elly De La Cruz, it is predicated on everything going right. For Cincinnati, the taste of the postseason in 2025 should serve well enough to whet the appetite for the budding superstar. Believing that De La Cruz can start putting the pieces together in 2026 to truly start etching his name into the current greats and future legends would be accomplished with an MVP-caliber season. So while some may see it as too early to boast this claim. Or while others may believe that Elly is still too green and unpolished a talent to compete with the likes of the heir-apparents of the National League, they would be surely mistaken. Look for a plus season and encounter with the MVP award sooner rather than later out of EDLC.

NUMBER FOUR: BRYCE HARPER (PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES)

Comments this offseason have all but placed Bryce Harper in the proverbial “superstar morgue.” That said, the reports of Harper’s demise will have been proven greatly exaggerated in the upcoming 2026. Bryce has always been a player who plays better with a chip on his shoulder. And the comments from the Phillies’ President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, could have been said to serve as the spark to light the fire under Harper. There’s little question about the heart and passion for the sport of professional baseball in Bryce Harper. So, to have his “eliteness” being called into question seems almost entirely like a joke. What was a down season for Harper can look like a career year for other players. Watch out for the first baseman this season, as he’s playing not only to try and win a championship, but also to silence the critics in the loudest way possible. And what could be louder (individually speaking) than winning the NL MVP award?

NUMBER THREE: JUAN SOTO (NEW YORK METS)

When it comes to the combination of words “Juan Soto, MVP,” it seems like a forgone conclusion. The modern-day “Ted Williams” has an almost perfect sense and grasp of the strike zone. If Juan Soto doesn’t swing, that usually means the pitch was a ball. Over the course of his career, Juan’s been praised for that eye at the plate. However, in recent seasons, Soto’s approach at the plate has been called into question. Some will argue that Soto is too passive at the plate. That even if the pitch is a strike, if it’s not the one pitch in the one zone, Juan will take the pitch. And the follow-up statement to that is that Soto is only looking to walk. And while something could be said to fit that narrative. The opposite is also true, in that when Soto has his pitch, he does damage with it. Being selective at the plate isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As long as it doesn’t hinder your approach to getting hits and driving in runs. Which, in Soto’s case, can sometimes turn out to be true. And while Juan had the most steals of his professional career a season ago, no one would accuse Juan Soto of being a speedster. Plus, even less so would Soto be confused with a good defender. That said, what Juan is capable of providing offensively tends to more than make up the difference. Adding an MVP trophy to his mantle this offseason could go a long way in silencing some of the doubters and the naysayers.

NUMBER TWO: RONALD ACU˜NA JR (ATLANTA BRAVES)

By all reports, Ronald Acuña Jr is healthy, and a healthy Acuña Jr is an MVP-caliber Acuña Jr. When examining what Ronald is capable of doing when healthy, we see otherworldly things like a 40/70 season. To combine the power of forty home runs with the speed of seventy stolen bases is incredible. Simply thinking about those numbers being solidified as viable, provable facts is mind-boggling. Yet, to consider the underlying data in order to steal seventy bases, one must be on base. In 2023, when Acuña accomplished this feat, he was on base at a clip of essentially 42%. And let’s not even discuss the power necessary to belt forty homers in today’s game. This is an incredible accomplishment and opportunity for a bounce back to MVP form for Ronald Acuña Jr.

NUMBER ONE: SHOHEI OHTANI (LOS ANGELES DODGERS)

It’s simply too hard to argue against the player who literally does it all. Shohei Ohtani is a solid pitcher and an outstanding hitter. For the Dodgers, Ohtani does everything, and it’s in that full-scale attack that his candidacy for the National League Most Valuable Player crown seems almost a yearly lock. The NL MVP award feels like it’s Ohtani’s to lose, where for everyone else it’s theirs to earn. There isn’t much more that can be said about Ohtani that hasn’t been stated and rehashed at naseua over the course of his career. So projecting ahead to the 2026 season, Shohei Ohtani is the odds-on favorite for the NL MVP.