Matt Johnson
Who is the best team in baseball right now? The arrival of Mother’s Day weekend means that we are nearly 40 games into the 2026 MLB season. That provides ample data to evaluate the worst and best MLB teams today.
Let’s dive right into our latest MLB power rankings. All MLB stats used are reflective of data entering Friday, May 8.
1. New York Yankees (Previously: 2)
The New York Yankees are the best team in MLB right now. It’s fun to highlight a Yankees lineup led by AL MVP front-runner Aaron Judge, with this batting order ranked second in OPS (.794) and RBIs (198) and owning the highest walk rate (11.9%) in baseball. What we notice most, though, is a Yankees rotation that is tied for the lowest ERA (2.97) in the majors and boasts the third-lowest WHIP (1.10) and the fourth-best K-BB rate (16.7%). It will be even better with Carlos Rodón replacing Elmer Rodriguez and eventually Gerrit Cole pushing Ryan Weathers into the bullpen.
2. Chicago Cubs (6)
Putting the Chicago Cubs this high in our MLB power rankings goes against our long-standing value of prioritizing clubs that have excellent pitching. Chicago had that at one point, but now Cade Horton is lost for the season, Matthew Boyd is out for a month-plus, and Justin Steele may not return in 2026. Yet Chicago is still double-digit games above the .500 mark, with the fourth-best run differential (+50) in MLB, and they’ve posted nine-game win streaks twice since April 12. All credit to this Cubs lineup, which gets on base (.353 OBP) better than anyone and only ranks a moderate 16th in batting average with runners in scoring position (.250).
3. Atlanta Braves (1)
It wouldn’t be another season of Atlanta Braves’ baseball if there weren’t more injuries to deal with. Sean Murphy, Spencer Strider and Raisel Iglesias all returned within the last week and Ronald Acuña Jr. promptly hits the injured list. Atlanta knew this upcoming nine-game stretch against three of the best MLB teams was going to be tough. After dropping the set in Seattle, this next week will be a litmus test for where Atlanta truly ranks in the hierarchy.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (3)
Mookie Betts just started a rehab assignment, and the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup could certainly use him. The Dodgers ranked 17th in runs scored (43) and 14th in OPS (.712) from April 26 to May 7, resulting in a modest 5-5 record. After this upcoming set at home against Atlanta, the Dodgers have a very winnable seven-game stretch against the Giants and Angels.
5. San Diego Padres (4)
Plenty of the focus right now with the San Diego Padres centers on Fernando Tatis Jr. still being homerless after 135 at-bats. Perhaps just as problematic for San Diego are the underperformances of Jackson Merrill (.670 OPS) and Manny Machado (.668 OPS), all the while the pitching staff is without Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta indefinitely. Still, San Diego has salvaged a 22-15 record. Barring a turnaround from the key hitters in the Padres’ batting order, we think there could be a harsh reality looming in this two-week stretch against the Cardinals, Brewers, Mariners and Dodgers.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (10)
The Milwaukee Brewers are a different team with Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio back in the lineup. Vaughn’s power in the top half of the order makes him an excellent source of run production and Chourio’s ability to get on base and make plays with his speed adds another dimension for Milwaukee. In these upcoming matchups against the Yankees and Padres, in Milwaukee, we expect the Brewers to prove why they are one of the best MLB teams in 2026.
7. Tampa Bay Rays (9)
The Tampa Bay Rays just keep on winning. Ryan Pepiot is lost for the year, Joe Boyle and Steven Matz are on the injured list and yet the Rays have the fourth-lowest ERA (3.56) in the majors. Let’s also highlight a lineup that is getting All-Star production from Yandy Diaz (.323 BA and .883 OPS) and Jonathan Aranda (29 RBI and .823 OPS), all with Junior Caminero heating up at the plate. We don’t know how it works, we just know that it does.
8. Seattle Mariners (7)
Julio Rodríguez is heating up. The Seattle Mariners superstar boasts a .902 OPS with a .317 batting average over the last 25 games, performing like the player we’re used to seeing in the second half of the season. The Mariners lineup is also getting Brendan Donovan back this weekend, and starting pitcher Bryce Miller isn’t far behind. Coming off a home series win over Atlanta, we expect the Mariners to win five of their next seven games against the White Sox and Astros.
9. Pittsburgh Pirates (13)
The Pittsburgh Pirates responded nicely to their five-game losing streak, pulling off a sweep at home against the Reds and then taking two of three on the road against Arizona. It gets them back above the .500 mark ahead of back-to-back sets against two of the worst MLB teams (Giants and Rockies) this season. Given the depth in the farm system, Pittsburgh really might be a buyer at the MLB trade deadline this summer.
10. Cincinnati Reds (5)
Nick Lodolo returns for his season debut on Friday with an opportunity to be the stopper for the Cincinnati Reds’ losing streak. This skid shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering the Reds’ lineup has largely been dependent on Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart to provide all the run support. Maybe more at-bats for JJ Bleday (.000 OPS in 33 ABs) will help, but the top-heavy nature of this batting order puts even more pressure on Lodolo and the Reds’ rotation to consistently deliver quality starts.
11. St. Louis Cardinals (15)
It’s impossible to ignore what the St. Louis Cardinals are doing at this point. One of the youngest MLB teams entered Friday seven games above the .500 line, coming off a sweep over Pittsburgh, a series victory at home over the Dodgers and a split with the Brewers. Pitching in St. Louis (4.45 ERA, 20th in MLB) remains a long-term concern with us. At this point in the season, however, the wins have to matter and St. Louis is approaching top-10 territory in our MLB power rankings.
12. Texas Rangers (11)
The frustrating inconsistency from the Texas Rangers continues. It certainly doesn’t help to have a nine-game stretch that featured six games against the best pitching staff in MLB (the Yankees), but the Rangers’ lineup collectively has still scored the third-fewest runs (130) this season, and it ranks in the bottom 10 in every triple-slash statistic. With MacKenzie Gore and Jack Leiter also taking slight steps backward, our confidence in the Rangers as a viable threat in the American League is fading.
13. Philadelphia Phillies (16)
Here come the Philadelphia Phillies. Since April 25, the Phillies’ pitching staff ranks 10th in ERA (3.67), and the lineup ranks a moderate 14th in OPS (.722) with the ninth-most runs scored (56). That’s how you post a 9-3 record, tied for third-best in MLB, over the last two weeks. If Philadelphia can carry over that momentum into these winnable sets against the Rockies and Red Sox, they’ll be a top-10 team in our MLB power rankings next week.
14. Detroit Tigers (8)
The Tarik Skubal injury is devastating for the Detroit Tigers. To make matters worse, his long-term absence comes at a time when the club is 4-8 since April 24. In that 12-game span, Detroit ranks 18th in ERA (4.39) and the Tigers’ lineup (.723 OPS) hasn’t been remotely good enough to make up for it. The balance this team had is gone without Skubal, and we fear a losing record in May is very much on the table.
15. Cleveland Guardians (12)
The Cleveland Guardians are really just treading water right now. From April 25 through May 7, they’ve had a pair of three-game losing streaks with a three-game win streak sandwiched in between them. There might be some optimism ahead of upcoming sets at home against the Twins and Angels, but inconsistent command and results from the back end of the Guardians rotation and pedestrian lineup production (18th in runs scored and 20th in OBP) suggest it’ll be more of the same ups and downs in the weeks to come.
16. Sacramento Athletics (18)
From a 1-5 record to start the season to a 19-18 mark entering play on Friday, the Sacramento Athletics have started to find some steady ground. It’s in large part thanks to the Athletics’ lineup, which sports the third-highest OPS (.807) and the third-best batting average (.275) since April 19. As always, we remain hesitant to buy in completely on this club because of Sacramento’s pitching staff and its home games being played in a minor-league ballpark. Still, the A’s are at least looking competitive right now.
17. Washington Nationals (21)
We remain intrigued by the Washington Nationals, who are increasingly becoming a regular watch on MLB.TV. This young club has jumped from being 11-16 to 18-20, all the wile playing a lot of competitive baseball. Starting pitching (5 quality starts, fewest in MLB) is obviously the thing holding this club back from being even better, but growth is what matters in 2026. Plus, what’s being taught at the lower levels is yielding massive improvements from prospects throughout the farm system.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks (17)
The Arizona Diamondbacks hit a skid this past week, first getting swept by the Cubbies and then dropping the home series to Pittsburgh. It’s reflective of a lineup that has gone ice cold, posting a .196 batting average (last in MLB) and .573 OPS (last) in the last seven games. A trip to Coors Field (May 15-17) might help, but for now the D-backs hitters will need to try and build some early momentum against New York and Texas.
19. Baltimore Orioles (14)
Pete Alonso finally starts heating up at the plate, posting a .975 OPS in his last 12 games, and the Baltimore Orioles go 4-8 during that span. We’ll acknowledge that it was the four-game sweep handed dwn by the Yankees that did most of the damage for Baltimore during this slump. They do have series victories over Houston and Miami in-between that, so maybe things go well this weekend versus the Athletics.
20. Kansas City Royals (27)
The Kansas City Royals have at least started to climb out of the hole they dug. After entering April 21 with a 7-16 record, the Royals have posted the fourth-best record in MLB (10-5) with a staff ERA of 4.04 (13th) and a lineup that boasts the third-best OPS (.809) in that span. If Kansas City keeps this up over the next week against the Tigers and White Sox, the AL Central could be in play again.
21. Toronto Blue Jays (19)
The Toronto Blue Jays got swept earlier this week by the Rays, a three-game series that saw Canada’s MLB club put up a miserable .218/.262/.277 triple-slash line with only four runs scored. We keep waiting to see Toronto recapture the magic that made it the reigning American League champion in 2025, but it’s increasingly starting to look like last season’s success was a fluke.
22. Chicago White Sox (26)
It’s already been an impressive season for the Chicago White Sox. Davis Martin (1.64 ERA and 1.02 WHIP) is performing like an ace, Sean Burke (2.72 ERA) is impressing and the flashes from Noah Schultz are great to see. It’s also worth recognizing what Miguel Vargas (.775 OPS) and Colson Montgomery (.823 OPS) are managing to do with their power numbers. The White Sox may not be a playoff contender, but they can be pesky to every opponent.
23. Boston Red Sox (24)
Maybe sweeping the Detroit Tigers will finally be the spark that the Boston Red Sox needed to turn things around? Then again, this same club somehow lost to the Astros in a three-game series at home with the Red Sox lineup producing just 4 total runs in the final two games against the worst pitching staff in MLB. We’re not optimistic regarding Boston’s chances in these next nine games against the Rays, Phillies and Braves.
24. Miami Marlin (20)
There’s a bright future for the Miami Marlins. Infielders Xavier Edwards (.870 OPS), Liam Hicks (.956 OPS) and Otto Lopez (.882 OPS) have been excellent this season. Miami also just upgraded defensively at catcher with the move from Agustin Ramirez to Joe Mack, and Robby Snelling replacing Chris Paddack at the back end of the Marlins rotation will also be a big improvement. All of this points to a ballclub that can at least hang around the .500 mark.
25. Minnesota Twins (22)
Mixed results on the injury front for the Minnesota Twins this week, with Joe Ryan (elbow) avoiding an IL stint while Mick Abel (elbow) experiences a setback in his return. Outside of Simeon Woods Richardson, though, we’re relatively high on Minnesota’s rotation and its chances of delivering series wins versus Cleveland or Miami.
26. Colorado Rockies (23)
The Colorado Rockies fell back to earth in the last week, at one point losing six consecutive games. It’s only going to get harder to find wins from here on, with the Rockies’ schedule delivering sets against the Phillies and Pirates on the road. The fall-off was expected, but we do like the steps toward improvement the organization has taken so far.
27. Los Angeles Angels (28)
Just a few weeks ago, the Los Angeles Angels were 11-10 and seemed to be trending toward finally being competent. It’s been downhill ever since. From April 18 to May 8, the Angels’ lineup has the fourth-worst OPS (.663) and the pitching staff has the seventh-worst ERA (4.95). It’s been downhill and there is seemingly no end in sight.
28. New York Mets (30)
The New York Mets faced two of the worst MLB teams over the last week and they went 4-2. Is it a sign of the Metropolitans getting back on track? It’s far too early to say, especially with matchups against the Diamondbacks and Yankees looming. We just haven’t seen enough from New York in 2026 to suggest this team will come anywhere close to the preseason expectations.
29. Houston Astros (28)
The Houston Astros’ pitching isn’t remotely good enough to be competitive. What Yordan Alvarez and Co. are doing in the batter’s box is a treat to watch, but it doesn’t really matter when you consistently give up five-plus runs a game. With upcoming games against the Reds, Mariners and Rangers, we only see Houston falling further below the .500 mark.
30. San Francisco Giants (25)
Expectations weren’t even particularly high for the San Francisco Giants entering 2026, and they’ve still managed to crash well short of them. Logan Webb’s rough season continued with another bad outing this past week, and All-Star hitters Rafael Devers (.593 OPS), Willy Adames (.565 OPS) and Matt Chapman (.623 OPS) aren’t bringing anything to the table. We’re counting down the days until San Francisco holds a firesale at the MLB trade deadline.
