While talk of a pending lockout may take up conversation space in October & November 2026, there will still be baseball played after the Major League season ends. Every year, the league runs the Arizona Fall League, a six-week abbreviated showcase campaign that’ll start up in October.
Schedule
Here is the 2026 Arizona Fall League schedule:
The season will begin on October 5, 2026, with all six teams playing on that date. For 2026, the season will run for six weeks, with the final regular-season game scheduled for November 11, 2026.
Playoffs start on November 12, 2026. The Championship Game will take place on November 14, 2026.
Teams & assignments
Since there are only six teams in the AFL, five Major League teams are assigned one affiliate for the league. Here are the assignments for 2025:
| Arizona Fall League team | MLB affiliates |
|---|---|
| Glendale Desert Dogs | Atlanta, Chicago (AL), Los Angeles (NL), Miami, Pittsburgh |
| Mesa Solar Sox | Athletics, Chicago (NL), Los Angeles (AL), Boston, Toronto |
| Peoria Javelinas | Baltimore, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, Cincinnati |
| Salt River Rafters | Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Minnesota, New York (AL) |
| Scottsdale Scorpions | Detroit, Houston, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, Milwaukee |
| Surprise Saguaros | Cleveland, Kansas City, New York (NL), Philadelphia, Texas |
Some Major League teams will have new affiliates next season. For example, the Mets, Yankees, Angels, and Red Sox have all switched clubs.
However, other teams have not, and that’s not a shock given that some teams are housed within the spring training complex of assigned clubs. For example, the Padres and Mariners are linked with Peoria, the home of both clubs’ Spring Training complexes.
Who goes to the Arizona Fall League?
The vast majority of players who go to the Arizona Fall League are prospects, many of whom missed time over the past year & need to make up for lost time.
However, there are some occasions in which Major Leaguers will be assigned to the AFL. Nacho Alvarez Jr., Rhett Lowder, and Drey Jameson all went through the Arizona Fall League in 2025. Jeff McNeil, rehabbing while the Mets were in the postseason in 2024, also played in the circuit that year.
Each team will send at least seven players to the Arizona Fall League. And yes, some teams will be sending individuals with MLB experience. Tentative rosters were released in September, in conjunction with the end of the Minor League season.
Check out more of our Minor League coverage.