Baseball and The Beatles? Huh, you say? What possible link can there be between our national pastime and the most iconic musical group in history? You will have to turn these 48 pages of our e-edition to find out. There are plenty of Beatles-themed Easter eggs in there for you to find.

In this digital space for Newsday's annual baseball preview, columnist David Lennon warns that the current state of the game needs so much help, especially with soaring payrolls and a labor war on the horizon. But despite those disturbing rumblings, Mets beat reporter Laura Albanese confesses that she has been hooked on the game since her childhood.

We also look at baseball's great stages and -- of course, how the Mets and Yankees shape up for the season as both teams seem poised for a playoff run. So scroll through for stories, videos, quizzes and more "Baseballmania."

Freddie Peralta

To understand who Freddy Peralta, the Mets' new starting pitcher acquired in the offseason, is nowadays -- his success, his personality and the continued defiance of the expectations that once sought to define him -- it’s pretty important to know about how it began. Newsday's Mets beat writer Laura Albanese takes you on that journey.

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New-look Mets

Most people will tell you that there’s little value in looking back in baseball, and that certainly was the general idea when Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns took a hydraulic hammer to his roster after the 2025 collapse. Stearns’ unorthodox approach was a direct response to the so-called worst team money could buy. And now we'll see if it works.

Beat writer's prediction

Record: 89-73

Finish: Second place in NL East

Atlanta has a bounce-back year and barely inches out the Mets for the divisional crown. The Mets are keyed by a strong rotation, headlined by Freddy Peralta, a gutsy Nolan McLean and a revived Kodai Senga. The offense is inconsistent, but Juan Soto has another monster season. The bottom of the rotation struggles, and the bullpen can be a little leaky. The up-the-middle defense will be strong, but having out-of-position players at first and third will be costly.

Laura Albanese has covered baseball for Newsday since 2014. This is her second season as Mets beat writer.

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Mets key dates and promotions

The Mr. Met at the Unisphere Light-Up Bobblehead.

Opening Day: Thursday, March 26 vs. Pittsburgh
1986 World Series Championship Replica Ring: Saturday, March 28
5-Borough Race Kids Puzzle: Saturday, March 29
Juan Soto 40/30 Bobblehead: Saturday, April 11
Mr. Met at the Unisphere light-up bobblehead: Saturday, April 25
1986 World Champions Retro T-Shirt: Tuesday, May 26
Bobby Valentine Disguise: Friday, May 29
Mets Hall of Fame ceremony for Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine: Saturday, May 30
Mets Soccer Jersey: Thursday, June 11
Hello Kitty bobblehead: Saturday, June 13
Mets Purse: Monday June 22
Mets Chain Necklace: Tuesday, June 23
Marcus Semien Replica Jersey: Wednesday, June 24
Juan Soto baseball card bobblehead: Thursday, June 25
All-Star break: July 13-16
1986 Mets reunion: Saturday, Aug. 1
MLB Trade Deadline: Aug. 3
Last game of season: Sunday, Sept. 27 at Washington

Mets broadcasting details

Radio: ESPN NY (880 AM) -- Howie Rose, Keith Raad, Pat McCarthy

TV: SNY/PIX11 -- Play-by-play, Gary Cohen; analysts, Ron Darling, Keith Hernandez; reporter, Steve Gelbs

Spanish-language radio: Audacy app/website, 92.3 FM HD2 -- Max Perez Jimenez, Nestor Rosario, Johnny Trujillo

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With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt sidelined to begin the season, Max Fried & Co. will shoulder the load for the Yankees' starting rotation. Despite those injuries, it has been a long time since the Yankees have felt as good about their pitching, especially their starting pitching, as they currently do, writes Erik Boland..

Aaron Judge 'will not be satisfied' until he wins it all

Since making his major-league debut on Aug. 13, 2016, at Yankee Stadium — and homering off the Rays' Matt Andriese in his first at-bat — Aaron Judge has carved out a resume that someday will land him in the Hall of Fame. But amid the home run crowns and three AL MVPs, one thing still eludes him that all the Yankees' immortals have.

No matter the awards, the MVPs, All-Star [Games], all that stuff, it doesn’t matter. What matters is putting New York back up on top.

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More Yankees headlines

The scouting report for the 2026 Yankees, broken down by positional and pitching groups.
What's on the mind of Aaron Boone as he enter Year 9 as Yankees manager? Find out in his 1-on-1 interview with Newsday's Erik Boland.
Being part of what many would argue was the greatest World Series is small consolation when you wind up on the losing end. Just ask Toronto. Newsday's David Lennon forecasts the American League and whether the Yankees can overtake the Blue Jays this season.
The YES Network debuted 24 years ago this month. Behind the mic for Game 1 was Michael Kay. Behind the mic this season? Michael Kay.

Beat writer's prediction

Record: 93-69

Finish: First place in AL East

Because of a beefed-up AL East, the Yankees’ record won’t be quite as good as a year ago, when they went 94-68 and lost a tiebreaker to the Blue Jays for the division title. But the club overall should be better as, on paper, top-to-bottom this is the deepest the Yankees have looked in well over a decade.

Erik Boland has covered the Yankees for Newsday since 2009.

Yankees key dates and promotions

Yankees Hockey Jersey to be given to fans at Yankee Stadium on April 17, 2026.

Opening Day: Wednesday, May 25 at San Francisco
Home Opener: Friday, April 3 vs. Miami
Yankees hockey jersey night: Friday, April 17
Star Wars Day - Max Fried Mandalorian Bobblehead: Saturday, May 2
Giancarlo Stanton Basketball Jersey Night: Friday, May 22
Yankees Soccer Jersey Night: Thursday, June 18
Aaron Judge MVP Bobblehead Day: Saturday, June 20
Fireworks Night: Friday, July 3
All-Star break: July 13-16
MLB Trade Deadline: Aug. 3
Old-Timers' Day: Saturday, Aug. 8
Cody Bellinger Bobblehead Night: Friday, Aug. 21
Hello Kitty Yankees Bobblehead Day: Saturday, Aug. 22
George Costanza Calzone Bobblehead Night: Thursday, Aug. 27
Josh Hart Yankees Bobblehead Night: Friday, Sept. 25
CC Sabathia Night: Saturday, Sept. 26
Last game of season: Sunday, Sept. 27 vs. Baltimore

Yankees broadcast teams

Radio: WFAN (101.9 FM/660 AM) – Dave Sims, Suzyn Waldman

TV: YES/Prime Video - Play-by-play, Michael Kay, Ryan Ruocco; analysts, David Cone, Paul O’Neill, Joe Girardi; reporter, Meredith Marakovits

Spanish-language radio: WADO (1280 AM) - Rickie Ricardo, Francisco Rivera

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Will there be baseball in 2027?

Opening Day is upon us, bringing its usual excitement for the start of the baseball season. But as teams prepare for Game 1 of 162, we can't help but wonder what will happen after all the games are played and the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1. Newsday's David Lennon sets the stage for what's the come this season and beyond regarding labor talks.

A baseball lifer tells her tale

How did Laura Albanese, Newsday's Mets beat writer, become a baseball fan? As she writes in this essay about her love of the game, "Baseball sparked both joy and devastation and imbued me with a sort of fairy tale hope that sometimes an underdog can win (or at least fight like hell trying)."

What's new in MLB this year?

KEY RULES CHANGES

ABS Challenge System: Players protesting ball or strike calls this season can call upon the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System. This system uses 12 Hawk-Eye cameras to track pitch location, allowing players (batters, pitchers, catchers) to challenge home-plate umpire strike-zone calls. Teams get two challenges per game, with successful challenges retained. Challenges cannot be initiated if a position player is pitching. ABS has been tested in the minor leagues since 2022 and in MLB spring training again this year. The system was approved by the Joint Competition Committee last September. The replay system is seen as a happy compromise between proposed “robot umps” that could call every ball and strike and traditional human umps and their imperfect judgment calls. The ABS Challenge System debuts in the Yankees-Giants game Wednesday night.
Base coach positioning: Coaches must remain within their designated boxes while the pitcher is on the rubber.
Obstruction rule tweak: Runners are prohibited from initiating contact with fielders to deliberately draw an obstruction call.
Stolen base impact: If a pitch is challenged, umpires still have discretion over base-running plays, though overturning a ball-four or strike-three call may affect the runners.

MANAGERS

Angels: Kurt Suzuki replaces Ron Washington
Atlanta: Walt Weiss replaces Brian Snitker
Giants: Tony Vitello replaces Bob Melvin
Nationals: Blake Butera replaces Dave Martinez
Orioles: Craig Albernaz replaces Brandon Hyde
Padres: Craig Stammen replaces Mike Shildt
Rangers: Skip Schumaker replaces Bruce Bochy
Rockies: Warren Schaeffer replaces Bud Black
Twins: Derek Shelton replaces Rocco Baldelli

HALL OF FAMERS

Cooperstown welcomes three new members this summer: Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones (voted in by the BBWAA) and Jeff Kent (elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee). Beltran and Jones were two of the most productive centerfielders of their era, with Beltran recording 565 doubles, 435 home runs and 2,725 hits. Jones compiled at 24.4 defensive WAR, highest by any outfielder in MLB history. He won 10 gold gloves and hit 434 home runs. Kent is the all-time MLB leader in home runs by a second baseman (354 of his 377 total). The Hall of Fame ceremony is July 26 in Cooperstown.

Homegrown heroes

Ward Melville is the first Long Island high school to have three players simultaneously in Major League Baseball in Steven Matz, Anthony Kay and Ben Brown. Here's their high school coach discussing them, plus a look at other Long Islanders in The Show this season.

Baseball 101

In baseball, there are endings to games, series, seasons, careers, fads and eras. Thus, "endings" are the focus of this year’s chapter of Baseball 101 — Newsday’s annual look by Mark Herrmann at the game through one particular lens, using 101 examples.

Baseball's grand stages

Yankee Stadium before Game 3 of the 2024 World Series.

Every player needs a stage to perform. In baseball, those stages are stadiums, where tens of thousands of people go to be entertained by the sights and sounds of the sport. From structural details to the building's history, here's everything you need to know about the 30 active ballparks in MLB.

Old or new, Yankee Stadium remains in a league of its own.

Citi Field opened in 2009 paying homage to the Brooklyn Dodgers and Ebbets Field, but it has become more of a Mets stadium over the years.

The Beatles and baseball

Close up of the original ticket stub belonging to Ellen Druda, of Deer Park, who was at Shea Stadium to see the Beatles 40 years ago. August 10, 2005 (Newsday/ Ken Spencer )

Remembering when the band played Shea Stadium: When singles hitters Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Starr played their historic concert at Shea Stadium on Aug. 15, 1965, they already had achieved rock music immortality.

David Lennon's 2026 MLB predictions

Baltimore's Pete Alonso

MVPS

AL: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

NL: Juan Soto, Mets

CY YOUNG AWARDS

AL: Garrett Crochet, Red Sox

NL: Paul Skenes, Pirates

HOME RUN LEADERS

AL: Pete Alonso, Orioles

NL: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies

BATTING LEADERS

AL: Aaron Judge, Yankees

NL: Bo Bichette, Mets

ERA LEADERS

AL: Tarik Skubal, Tigers

NL: Paul Skenes, Pirates

STRIKEOUT LEADERS

AL: Garrett Crochet, Red Sox

NL: Paul Skenes, Pirates

ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

AL: Kazuma Okamoto, Blue Jays

NL: Nolan McLean, Mets

COMEBACK PLAYERS

AL: Gerrit Cole, Yankees

NL: Zack Wheeler, Phillies

MANAGERS OF THE YEAR

AL: John Schneider, Blue Jays

NL: Carlos Mendoza, Mets

GAMES THEY’LL WIN

Yankees: 91

Mets: 90

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All the best in baseball: David Lennon's picks

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Five best players

Aaron Judge, Yankees: What else is there to say? Judge earned his third MVP trophy last season, and as long as he’s healthy, the Yankees’ captain is the perennial favorite for the award. Led the majors in batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457) and slugging (.688) with few others even in shouting distance of those numbers.
Jose Ramirez, Guardians
Cal Raleigh, Mariners
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
Julio Rodriguez, Mariners

Best manager: Stephen Vogt, Guardians

Best GM: Chris Antonetti, Guardians

Best hitter: Aaron Judge, Yankees

Best leadoff hitter: Roman Anthony, Red Sox

Best power: Aaron Judge, Yankees

Best in the clutch: Jacob Wilson, A’s

Best baserunner: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

Most exciting to watch: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners

Best double-play combination: Andres Gimenez/Ernie Clement, Blue Jays

Best outfielder: Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox

Best catcher: Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays

Best starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal, Tigers

Best setup: Garrett Whitlock, Red Sox

Best closer: Andres Munoz, Mariners

Rookie to watch: Tatsuya Imai, Astros

Best offseason signing: Pete Alonso, Orioles

Best offseason trade: Brendan Donovan, Mariners

Best comeback story: Gerrit Cole, Yankees

Best mascot: The Oriole Bird, Orioles

Best City Connect uniform: Red Sox (Green Monster version)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Five best players

Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: Ohtani remains in his own universe as the sport’s only two-way phenomenon, making him nearly impossible to dethrone in the MVP voting. Last season, he combined 55 homers and an NL-best 1.014 OPS with a 2.87 ERA over 14 starts. Oh, and don’t forget his three-homer, 10-K game that cemented his NLCS MVP honors.
Juan Soto, Mets
Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta
Mookie Betts, Dodgers
Francisco Lindor, Mets

Best manager: Pat Murphy, Brewers

Best GM: Matt Arnold, Brewers

Best hitter: Trea Turner, Phillies

Best leadoff hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

Best power: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies

Best in the clutch: Bo Bichette, Mets

Best baserunner: Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks

Most exciting to watch: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

Best double-play combination: Francisco Lindor/Marcus Semien, Mets

Best outfielder: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs

Best catcher: Will Smith, Dodgers

Best starting pitcher: Paul Skenes, Pirates

Best setup: Jason Adam, Padres

Best closer: Edwin Diaz, Dodgers

Rookie to watch: Konnor Griffin, Pirates

Best offseason signing: Bo Bichette, Mets

Best offseason trade: Freddy Peralta, Mets

Best comeback story: Zack Wheeler, Phillies

Best mascot: Phillie Phanatic, Phillies

Best City Connect uniform: Brewers

New-look Mets

More Mets stories

Mets key dates and promotions

Mets broadcasting details

Aaron Judge 'will not be satisfied' until he wins it all

More Yankees headlines

Yankees key dates and promotions

Yankees broadcast teams

Will there be baseball in 2027?

A baseball lifer tells her tale

What's new in MLB this year?

Homegrown heroes

Baseball 101

Baseball's grand stages

The Beatles and baseball

David Lennon's 2026 MLB predictions

All the best in baseball: David Lennon's picks

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