Here's how the 2026 postseason teams were built
There’s more than one way to build a winning baseball club.
You can rely almost exclusively on homegrown talent, like the Guardians are doing this year with 16 players on their projected postseason roster coming from the Draft or international signing processes. You can be active traders like the Rays (17 players), Brewers (15) or Red Sox (14). Or you can head to free agency like the Dodgers, for whom 24.5 of their roster’s 52.0 WAR this season came from signings brought in from outside the organization.
To prove that point, below is a detailed breakdown on how the 12 rosters that make up the 2026 postseason were built. (If a player re-signed with his organization, he is counted toward his initial mode of acquisition. All others are counted by their most recent mode of transaction.)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
ASTROS (31.7 WAR, 12th among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 9 (9.8 WAR)
• Draft: 4 (7.6 WAR)
• NDFA 2 (0.8 WAR)
• International: 3 (1.4 WAR)
Free agents: 7 (8.4 WAR)
Trades: 7 (15.2 WAR)
Waivers: 3 (-1.7 WAR)
Holding off the Rangers to win the AL West on the final day of the regular season, the Astros became the first club ever to reach the playoffs with a non-winning record in a year with a complete schedule. Not surprisingly, that meant that they accrued fewer WAR than the other clubs in the 2026 postseason. Houston landed its two best players via trades, robbing the Dodgers of Yordan Alvarez a decade ago and picking up Isaac Paredes in 2024. It grabbed Jeremy Peña (third round, 2018) and Hunter Brown (fifth, 2019) with mid-round Draft picks and signed Peter Lambert, Josh Hader and Christian Walker as free agents. The Astros' top starter this year, Lambert inked a Minor League deal last October before getting released in March and signing a big league contract worth $1.5 million three days later.
GUARDIANS (46.1 WAR, sixth among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 16 (36.4 WAR)
• Draft: 11 (26.7 WAR)
• NDFA 1 (2.9 WAR)
• International: 4 (6.8 WAR)
Free agents: 2 (1.1 WAR)
Trades: 7 (7.3 WAR)
Waivers: 1 (1.3 WAR)
For the second straight year, the Guardians are the most homegrown playoff team by a wide margin. They've mined the Draft better than any postseason club as well, hitting on first-rounders Gavin Williams (2021), Chase DeLauter (2022) and Travis Bazzana (2024) as well as later picks such as Parker Messick (second round, 2022) and Steven Kwan (fifth, 2018). Cleveland also has done well internationally with Brayan Rocchio, José Ramírez (a $50,000 steal from the Dominican Republic in 2009) and Angel Genao and boasts the best nondrafted free agent in the playoffs in closer Cade Smith. Its best imports are trade acquisitions Foster Griffin and Joey Cantillo.
RAYS (48.2 WAR, third among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 4 (8.9 WAR)
• Draft: 3 (6.7 WAR)
• International: 1 (2.2 WAR)
Free agents: 4 (5.8 WAR)
Trades: 17 (31.6 WAR)
Rule 5: 1 (1.9 WAR)
The Rays are the masters of the trade market when it comes to this year’s postseason with 17 of their 26 players coming over in deals; no one else has more than 14. MVP candidate Junior Caminero was the big get in that process when he joined from the Cleveland system in November 2021, but Drew Rasmussen -- a 2021 pickup from the Brewers -- has blossomed into the rotation’s top arm and Liam Hicks was a big get behind the plate from the Marlins at this year’s Trade Deadline. Moving prospects for established Major Leaguers -- or acquiring prospects and turning them into established Major Leaguers -- are just two ways Tampa Bay uses its impressive development system. Shortstop Taylor Walls (2017, third round) and left fielder Chandler Simpson (2022, second round) lead the limited homegrown corps.
RED SOX (46.5 WAR, fifth among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 6 (10.9 WAR)
• Draft: 4 (4.9 WAR)
• International: 2 (6.0 WAR)
Free agents: 5 (7.2 WAR)
Trades: 14 (26.4 WAR)
Rule 5: 1 (2.0 WAR)
The Red Sox have relied on trades more than any playoff team except for the Rays, and Willson Contreras, Caleb Durbin, Sonny Gray and Adley Rutschman all have arrived since the end of last season. Wilyer Abreu wasn't highly regarded when acquired in the 2022 Christian Vázquez deal with the Astros but has blossomed into Boston's best all-around player. Ranger Suarez and Aroldis Chapman were key free-agent signings and Garrett Whitlock is the best former Rule 5 Draft pick in the postseason. Ceddanne Rafaela (a $10,000 bargain out of Curacao in 2017) and Payton Tolle (second round, 2024) are the homegrown highlights, and Roman Anthony (second, 2022) could become a star if he can stay healthy.
WHITE SOX (42.0 WAR, eighth among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 7 (14.6 WAR)
• Draft: 7 (14.6 WAR)
Free agents: 6 (9.1 WAR)
Trades: 11 (17.2 WAR)
Waivers: 2 (1.1 WAR)
The White Sox went from a MLB-record 121 losses in 2024 to a wild-card berth just two years later thanks to trades and the Draft. Their three most productive hitters this season came via deals: Miguel Vargas (from the Dodgers in a three-team deal that involved Michael Kopech and Erick Fedde in 2024), Chase Meidroth (part of the Garrett Crochet blockbuster with the Red Sox at the 2024 Winter Meetings) and Tristan Peters (for cash from the Rays last December). The Crochet deal also included two more starters, Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel. The Draft provided Chicago's three most valuable pitchers -- Sean Burke (third round, 2021), Grant Taylor (second, 2023) and Davis Martin (14th, 2018) -- as well as sparkplug Sam Antonacci (fifth, 2024) and Colson Montgomery (first, 2021). While the Sox are one of two teams (along with the Yankees) to lack a single international amateur signing on their roster, they did score with Japanese free agent Munetaka Murakami. He, Fedde and Sean Newcomb all joined Chicago as free agents last offseason.
YANKEES (38.8 WAR, 11th among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 7 (7.9 WAR)
• Draft: 7 (7.9 WAR)
Free agents: 8 (13.3 WAR)
Trades: 9 (14.2 WAR)
Waivers: 2 (3.4 WAR)
With Aaron Judge missing much of the season and the Wild Card Round, the Yankees don't have as much homegrown flavor as they've had in recent years, though Cam Schlittler (seventh round, 2022) was the best pitcher in the AL this season and Ben Rice (12th, 2021) swatted 41 homers. They found the rest of their formidable rotation (Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón) and their most effective reliever (Paul Blackburn) via free agency. Cody Bellinger, Luis Garcia, José Caballero, David Bednar and Jazz Chisholm were imported via trades, while Brent Headrick had the best year among any waiver claim who made it to the playoffs.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
BRAVES (39.7 WAR, ninth among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 8 (16.5 WAR)
• Draft: 5 (10.9 WAR)
• International: 3 (5.6 WAR)
Free agents: 10 (5.9 WAR)
Trades: 8 (17.3 WAR)
With injuries to several pitchers, the Braves will be relying on Chris Sale more than ever, and he’ll get the start in Game 1 of their Wild Card series with the Phillies. He led the team in WAR this year and is a big chunk of that trade total, having come from the Red Sox in December 2023. Sale and Matt Olson are the big trade acquisitions while Michael Harris II holds down the homegrown front, with the 2019 draftee accounting for nearly half of the Draft pick WAR for this roster. Typically, international signees Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies contribute more, but Albies had a down year for him, and while Acuña still managed a 20-20 season, he missed more than 50 games with hamstring issues.
BREWERS (53.7 WAR, first among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 10 (31.4 WAR)
• Draft: 7 (23.0 WAR)
• International: 3 (8.4 WAR)
Free agents: 1 (0.6 WAR)
Trades: 15 (21.7 WAR)
How does a team that ranks 19th in payroll finish with the Majors’ best record at 103-59? Develop exceptionally well. The Brewers join the Guardians as one of only two teams with a homegrown WAR above 17, and theirs is almost double that at 31.4. It helps to draft and develop this year’s presumed NL Cy Young winner in Jacob Misiorowski, but even second baseman Brice Turang finished with a higher WAR than the fireballing right-hander at 7.3 vs. 6.5. Jackson Chourio (4.9 WAR) remains the shining example of Milwaukee’s sterling international efforts, followed by Abner Uribe (2.3) and Luis Lara (1.2). The one free agent addition here is backup catcher Gary Sánchez, who joined the organization in February. (Breakout bat Jake Bauers counts toward the trade group since he was initially acquired in a November 2023 deal with the Yankees before re-signing as a Minor League free agent in January 2025.)
CUBS (47.0 WAR, fourth among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 5 (8.7 WAR)
• Draft: 3 (5.7 WAR)
• International: 2 (3.0 WAR)
Free agents: 9 (19.9 WAR)
Trades: 10 (17.0 WAR)
Waivers: 2 (1.4 WAR)
Injuries have decimated the Cubs' pitching, so 10 of their top 12 players in terms of WAR are hitters. Pete Crow-Armstrong, who just posted the seventh 40-40 season in big league history, arrived from the Mets in a 2021 trade for Javier Báez and Trevor Williams. Chicago also swung deals for Clay Holmes, Tyrone Taylor and Michael Busch. It ranks second among postseason teams in free-agent WAR after investing in Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, Shota Imanaga and Carson Kelly. While the Cubs have the second-fewest homegrown players, ahead of only the Rays, they did hit on first-round picks Ian Happ (2015) and Nico Hoerner (2018).
DODGERS (52.0 WAR, second among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 6 (10.8 WAR)
• Draft: 2 (2.6 WAR)
• International: 4 (8.2 WAR)
Free agents: 9 (24.5 WAR)
Trades: 10 (16.3 WAR)
Waivers: 1 (0.4 WAR)
The Dodgers have a formidable roster capable of making them the first three-peat champion since the 1998-2000 Yankees, though they actually have only the second-most WAR among playoff teams, slightly trailing the Brewers. Los Angeles not surprisingly has the most free-agent WAR of any postseason club. That's thanks largely to Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Freddie Freeman, Tanner Scott and Blake Snell, whose pacts (including deferred money) total more than $1.4 billion -- but also Max Muncy, who originally arrived via a Minor League contract. Trades also have played a big part in shaping the Dodgers, including blockbusters for Mookie Betts and Tarik Skubal and a less-headline-making deal for Tyler Glasnow. While less homegrown than other teams, they did find a couple of stars via the Draft (2016 first-rounder Will Smith) and the international market (Andy Pages).
PADRES (39.0 WAR, 10th among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 6 (9.1 WAR)
• Draft: 2 (5.1 WAR)
• NDFA: 1 (0.3 WAR)
• International: 3 (3.7 WAR)
Free agents: 12 (12.5 WAR)
Trades: 8 (17.4 WAR)
A.J. Preller and the Padres front office have a reputation for being active on the trade market, and it won’t come as a huge shock that four of the top six WARs on the current roster have come from players picked up in such deals (Fernando Tatis Jr., Michael King, Mason Miller, Robbie Ray). But actually, San Diego leads the postseason pack in free-agent additions with 12; the Braves are the only organization also in double digits. There are the big-ticket names here like Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts, of course, but the best production came from a much smaller deal in Ty France, who signed a one-year, $1.35 million contract last offseason and proceeded to hit .295/.363/.502 with 21 homers over 500 plate appearances in a stellar age-31 season. Many of the other free-agent adds were needed to fill out a roster in need of reinforcements, but it’s very possible the 20-year-old Ethan Salas could help build out that homegrown WAR total in future editions of this piece.
PHILLIES (41.3 WAR, eighth among 12 teams)
Homegrown: 7 (5.6 WAR)
• Draft: 7 (5.6 WAR)
Free agents: 5 (11.5 WAR)
Trades: 13 (22.7 WAR)
Waivers: 1 (1.5 WAR)
Dave Dombrowski has never been afraid of making trades to build a playoff team and that’s been the case here, with half of the roster coming via a deal. Getting Jesús Luzardo back off the IL could provide a huge lift and he and Cristopher Sánchez form a trade acquisition 1-2 rotation punch, accounting for 14.6 of that trade WAR (Sánchez led all MLB pitchers in WAR with 8.1). Zach Wheeler, who started Sunday to get the Phillies into the postseason, provides more than half of the free-agent WAR with his 6.0 season. Add in closer Jhoan Duran and the trade market has clearly been the key to building this pitching staff. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber still provide plenty of thump from the free-agent market while another member of the rotation, Aaron Nola, leads the way from the homegrown-drafted population.