Lincoln Zdunich
This week saw the long-awaited return of baseball to all of our lives. The regular season is in full swing with each team wrapping up their first series of the year.
With that in mind, it’s time for an (incredibly-too-early-to-tell) ranking of every MLB team as they go into 2026. Let’s get started.
The Heavyweights
- Toronto Blue Jays, 2025 lost World Series to Dodgers
The Jays got off to an incredibly hot start, scoring a solid 16 runs and sweeping the Athletics, 3-0, this weekend. Their pitching was even better, striking out 50 batters.
With one of the most complete rosters in MLB, the Jays are seeking a return to the Fall Classic after being left with a bitter taste in their mouth by the winning Dodgers. If they keep looking like this, they’ll coast their way there.
- Los Angeles Dodgers, 2025 World Series winners
After winning back-to-back Fall Classics, the Dodgers show no signs of slowing down. This offseason they signed top hitter Kyle Tucker and top closer Edwin Díaz to fix their issues in the outfield and bullpen.
They swept the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-0, and showed grit. They have plenty of injured players, but their philosophy of “ready by October” has worked before and seems to again.
- New York Yankees, 2025 lost ALDS to Blue Jays
This year’s Yanks club got off to a hot start, putting up seven runs against San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb on Opening Night. After that they only scored six runs but their pitching locked it down enough to keep them in the games.
For a club largely running it back, New York looks healthy as ever (even without Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodón). Their offense has been healthy even without major contributions from Aaron Judge. They’ll need Judge to pick up the pace but, for now, the Yanks are looking good.
Promising Displays (Thus Far)
- Detroit Tigers, 2025 lost ALDS to Seattle Mariners
Detroit had a solid series against the San Diego Padres this weekend, with rookie Kevin McGonigle racking up five hits (including an historic four-hit performance on Opening Day).
It’s a now-or-never season for Detroit as Tarik Skubal enters his walk year without a contract extension in sight. If their pitching holds steady, they’ll easily reach the postseason.
- Cleveland Guardians, 2025 lost AL Wild Card to Tigers
With rookie Chase DeLauter going off for the Guards (four home runs in first three games), Cleveland is feeling good. That insane performance likely won’t continue but it’s encouraging to see.
But the real question for the Guardians is that offense. If the lineup can produce then Cleveland will manage just fine, but this week’s series versus the Dodgers may prove to be a prophetic one for the season ahead.
- Milwaukee Brewers, 2025 lost NLCS to Dodgers
This is a Brewers club that keeps getting undervalued (so I’m going to attempt to not do that here). They’re up 3-0 after a sweep of the Chicago White Sox–though that’s not all that impressive.
With a MLB-leading 29 runs scored, the Brew Crew is off to a great start to the year. They’ll probably end up winning the NL Central crown once again, with all the odds against them.
- New York Mets, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 2nd in NL East, 83-79)
After having an incredibly disappointing 2025 that saw a stacked Mets group miss the playoffs (mostly due to pitching), they spent the offseason stacking the team even more.
With offseason additions of Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta and Luis Robert Jr., New York is back with a vengeance. After beating Pittsburgh, 2-1, they’ll face the Cardinals this week.
Both are easy opponents for the Mets so they won’t have a real test until they face the Dodgers in a few weeks.
- Baltimore Orioles, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 5th in AL East, 75-87)
O’s fans were rewarded by the front office this offseason with a swath of impactful roster moves. They signed slugger Pete Alonso to man first base, and traded for outfielder Taylor Ward and pitcher Shane Baz (who was recently extended).
Baltimore is off to a decent–though not particularly auspicious–start, going 2-1 against Minnesota. Their offense has yet to really come alive, scoring only 11 runs. If the lineup can rake the way it looks like it will on paper, the O’s will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2024.
- Cincinnati Reds, 2025 lost NL Wild Card to Dodgers
The Reds have been off to an auspicious start to the season that seems unlikely to last over the full season. Cincinnati has one of the easiest schedules to start this year, and will make up plenty of ground in the division race.
But after that it could get shaky. So far, the pitching has been the difference maker, but it remains to be seen if this offense can mash after only scoring 11 runs.
Probably Won’t Keep This Up…Probably
- Washington Nationals, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 5th in NL East, 66-96)
Washington has a MLB-leading 31 runs scored through the first four games, including a 13-run outburst against Philly today. Joey Wiemer has been off to a phenomenal start, batting 1.000 through his first eight at-bats before ending his historic streak Monday.
But the roster has major question marks and will probably fall short again. For now, though, enjoy it while it lasts, Washington.
- Miami Marlins, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 3rd in NL East, 79-83)
The Marlins got off to a hot 3-0 start to the season, sweeping the Rockies. There’s a lot to suggest that that won’t stay the same, but, for now, Miami fans rejoice.
The pitching is nasty, and top rookie Owen Caissie is indeed as good as advertised. But the offense behind him has some major holes. They ended tonight with a tough loss to the White Sox, 4-9, and will seek to regroup tomorrow.
- St. Louis Cardinals, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 4th in NL Central, 78-84)
The Cardinals have a lot to be excited about. Top prospect JJ Wetherholt is raking, following up his Opening Day home run with a walk-off single. But the season ahead looks grim.
The rotation is pieced together and the lineup is full of young guys (who were probably called up too early after trading away most of its starters). It has all the makings of the historically bad 2025 Rockies, but the ceiling is much higher than that.
- Texas Rangers, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 3rd in AL West, 81-81)
I’m sorry to say that, though McCutchen seems to have turned back the clock thus far, that will not keep up over a full season.
It’s good to see him still playing, but his age is too much of a factor to consider and the Texas offense is far too weak behind him.
Definitely Won’t Keep This Up
- Seattle Mariners, 2025 lost ALCS to Blue Jays
Seattle went 2-2 in their four game set against Cleveland. There was a lot to like from the pitching, but the offense left something to be desired.
With a lineup anchored by slugger Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez, the offense seems poised to be more consistent soon.
- San Diego Padres, 2025 lost NL Wild Card to Chicago Cubs
It’s a similar problem for San Diego, who have struggled to score with RISP. The Friars only scored seven runs Opening Weekend against the Detroit pitching staff.
They’ll seek to better that against the Giants this week but failed to do so Monday night, only scoring two runs.
- Philadelphia Phillies, 2025 lost NLDS to Dodgers
Philly didn’t do all that much this offseason except re-sign their free agents and extend their starting pitchers. It’s a group that faces aging concerns as it seeks its first return to the Fall Classic since 2022.
Can they do it? Maybe. It’s tough to say. But if they want to do that, the pitching needs to ramp it up after allowing 29 runs so far.
- Chicago Cubs, 2025 lost NLDS to Brewers
After being stunned by Washington on Opening Day, the Cubs regrouped to win on Saturday. They now have a 2-2 record and offseason trade acquisition Edward Cabrera dominated for them on Monday.
The pitching is mostly solid and the offense has an abundance of potential. But it all needs to come together or else they’ll keep floundering.
- Boston Red Sox, 2025 lost AL Wild Card to Yankees
Sox fans were given a tantalizing Opening Day followed by a disappointing weekend. Since ace Garrett Crochet pitched the first win of the year, they’ve dropped three straight.
Boston boasts one of the best rotations in baseball, alongside a lineup that can mash. Things should get better for the club soon, despite the losing record.
- San Francisco Giants, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 3rd in NL West, 81-81)
A potent Giants lineup combined to score only one run against the Yankees. They got their first win on Monday in the series opener versus San Diego, scoring three runs.
This is a lineup that can (and will) rake. There were promising signs of life against the Padres, hopefully manager Tony Vitello’s squad can continue to build on that.
It’ll Get Worse Before It Gets Better
- Atlanta Braves, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 4th in NL East, 76-86)
Atlanta’s off to a good start after winning their Opening Series against Kansas City. That being said, it’s unlikely they’ll keep it up.
Sure, the lineup is potent. But the rotation is rough with injuries plaguing the current starting group. If they can stay afloat until then, they could keep up their pace, but it doesn’t look great for the Braves.
- Arizona Diamondbacks, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 4th in NL West, 80-82)
The Dbacks have shown promise, despite being swept by the ‘25 World Series champs. They beat Detroit, 9-6, tonight.
But it’s a sparse crew. Arizona lost most of their offensive spark from 2025. They definitely still have a shot at success this year, but it feels unlikely.
- Houston Astros, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 2nd in AL West, 87-75)
The Astros missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016 and are seeking a return. But after their only real move this offseason being for an unproven starter (Tatsuya Imai), this club will probably disappoint again.
Maybe not, the club is 3-2 but has only faced the Angels and a rough Red Sox group so far. They have an easy schedule until they face the division-rival Mariners in a few weeks.
The Promise is There (Hopefully)
- Kansas City Royals, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 3rd in AL Central, 82-80)
The Royals are playing .500 ball but seemed destined for so much more. They have stars Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. alongside a starting rotation that has insane potential.
This could finally be their year after not getting past the Wild Card round since their 2015 World Series run.
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 5th in NL Central, 71-91)
Pittsburgh is my sneaky pick to win the NL Central. They could seriously win it all on the backs of an elite starting group and an offense headlined by Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe, and Ryan O’Hearn as its anchors.
On the other hand, the Pirates have seriously underwhelmed thus far. If they can turn it up a notch in the next few weeks, they could keep rolling into the playoffs.
- Tampa Bay Rays, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 4th in AL East, 77-85)
The only real thing Tampa Bay has going for them is star slugger Junior Caminero. Apart from that their offense is lacking but has managed to produce.
They were extremely unlucky in their Opening Series against St. Louis, but opened this week with a win over Milwaukee. In spite of that, their pitching remains a real question mark for the season.
- Athletics, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 4th in AL West, 76-86)
Another sneaky pick to win a division, the A’s have a fascinating young offensive core alongside an incredibly worrisome pitching staff. The pitching is seriously bad at times, but it’s serviceable.
But with an offense headlined by Lawrence Butler, Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson, it’s hard to not like this group.
They’re Losing Games…But At Least It’s Fun to Watch
- Chicago White Sox, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 5th in AL Central, 60-102)
The Sox have international star slugger Munetaka Murakami hitting bomb after bomb each night. Unfortunately that has yet to translate over to wins with Chicago having a 1-3 record.
- Minnesota Twins, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 4th in AL Central, 70-92)
Minnesota had ace Joe Ryan tearing up batters on Opening Day but have struggled to limit runs since. They don’t have a winning roster by any means, but star outfielder Byron Buxton continues to entertain.
- Los Angeles Angels, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 5th in AL West, 72-90)
The Angels have been off to a decent, 2-3, start to the year. But the rotation is rough. They’ve been helped by vintage performances from Mike Trout, but he probably won’t keep that up for much longer.
- Colorado Rockies, 2025 missed playoffs (finished 5th in NL West, 43-119)
The Rox were so close to not getting swept by Miami before Owen Caissie launched a walk-off home run against the club. They’ve started the season with a much better outlook than they did last year, but will certainly still struggle despite some offseason moves to add reliable veterans.
