Opening Day Power Rankings: Who can unseat the Dodgers?

The long winter is over. You have made it. Opening Week is here.

The Yankees and Giants take the spotlight Wednesday night (Netflix, 8 p.m. ET), and then there are 11 more season openers on Thursday, with the final three set for Friday. There is so much to be excited about -- for everybody.

In our first Power Rankings of the new season, we will take a look at something every team, and their fanbase, can be excited about. Because this is the time to be excited.

These rankings, as always, are compiled from MLB.com contributors whose names you can find at the bottom of this (and every) piece, but the words are mine. If you dislike the rankings, yell at all of us. But if you dislike the words, feel free to yell at me.

Each team is listed with its ranking from our previous poll, conducted in early January, in parentheses.

1. Dodgers (1)
If Dodgers fans aren’t excited at this point, I’m not sure what to tell you.

2. Blue Jays (2)
The only way to make you forget how close they came to winning it all last year is to come back and win it all this year.

3. Mariners (3)
This is probably the best Mariners team since the 2001 edition that won 116 games. They’ve got Big Dumper back … and he might not even be the top MVP candidate on his own team. (This might finally be Julio Rodríguez’s year.)

4. Yankees (7)
Aaron Judge, as long as he stays healthy, is a contending team all by himself. But he has more help in the lineup this year than in the past. And Gerrit Cole will return, too.

5. Mets (8)
The Mets, not so quietly, are potentially setting themselves to be what they clearly want to be: Dodgers East. Put aside the late-season-collapse memories -- this team is building something special.

6. Phillies (4)
It’s time for another run for the Phillies, who will, admirably, keep trying to capture that elusive World Series until this roster ages out of contention. This is what fans should always want: a team that’s always trying to win.

7. Red Sox (5)
Did you see all those Red Sox hitters crushing the ball in the World Baseball Classic? Boston fans get to watch them all, every game, all season.

8. Cubs (10)
They still haven’t won the division in a full season since 2017, but with Alex Bregman and all that young talent, they are clearly primed to do so this year.

9. Tigers (13)
They’ve got Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander atop the rotation. Who wouldn’t get excited about that?

10. Orioles (9)
My 2026 bandwagon team may not have gotten the ace its fans wanted, but it did bring in a lot of talent, including a grizzled, reliable vet in Pete Alonso. There is, at last, urgency here.

11. Brewers (6)
Well, they won the NL Central again last year, and had the best record in baseball, and still no one seems to believe in them. So it’ll be quite exciting when they prove everybody wrong one more time.

12. Padres (12)
It has been a period of transition for this whole organization, but this lineup still has Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Jackson Merrill. That’s a fantastic foundation.

13. Braves (11)
The Braves, once again, seem snakebit, but let’s not lose the plot here: Ronald Acuña Jr. remains a superstar -- one who is set for his first full, healthy season since 2023. There are still many, many excellent players on this roster. And they are very much due some good fortune.

14. Royals (16)
You’ve sensed a lot of positivity about the Royals lately. I’d argue that’s at least partly because everyone got to see the core of their lineup show out in the World Baseball Classic, from Bobby Witt Jr. for Team USA to Vinnie Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone for tournament darling Italy to Salvador Perez and Classic MVP Maikel Garcia for tournament champion Venezuela. Those guys might just get them back to the playoffs this year.

15. Diamondbacks (15)
After a long offseason of speculation, Ketel Marte is still here. And now Nolan Arenado, an old NL West tormentor, is here as well. It’ll be nice to see him causing damage for the D-backs for once.

16. Rangers (20)
Some of those young players are going to have to pop at some point, but don’t forget about the vets. Corey Seager, Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom are cornerstones for any team. And remember: This remains the last team to win a World Series that’s not the Dodgers.

17. Astros (14)
There is a sense that the Astros’ prime era is over, but this is still a team with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Hunter Brown. It will be nice to have Carlos Correa back home for a full season, and fascinating to see how Tatsuya Imai transitions to MLB.

18. Giants (19)
Well, the new manager is exciting and fascinating all on his own. But remember: Now they get a full season of Rafael Devers, the big centerpiece bat they were seeking for many years.

19. Guardians (21)
Fans might not necessarily be feeling it right now, but this is the defending AL Central champion. And it’s exciting to know José Ramírez will be a part of everything here for years to come.

20. Reds (17)
One of these seasons, Elly De La Cruz is going to have the season where it all clicks and he absolutely wrecks the whole league. That season could be this year -- and it might have to be, with ace Hunter Greene already on the shelf for at least the first few months.

21. Pirates (23)
Paul Skenes is the attraction every fifth day, but there’s an opportunity here for the Pirates, who have a strong pitching staff and improvements all around the lineup.

22. Athletics (18)
The pitching is, well, not so hot just yet, but there legitimately may be no more exciting batch of young hitters on any team in the Majors. Nick Kurtz leads a gaggle of bats that will become your favorite late-night MLB.TV tune-in.

23. Rays (22)
They’re back at The Trop, which everyone’s happy to see back up and running again. It will be very fun to see how many homers Junior Caminero can hit at this place.

24. Marlins (24)
The Marlins have shown a willingness to experiment this offseason, and you can expect more of that to come. And who doesn’t want to watch what this exciting outfield of Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee and new acquisition Owen Caissie can do all season?

25. Cardinals (27)
The longer-term window the Cardinals are operating under this year is a little disorienting (and definitely new) to Cardinals fans, but president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has already injected a ton of talent into this roster. There is more coming: This is the first year we get to watch it cook.

26. White Sox (26)
There were signs of life last year, and there’s every reason to think the White Sox will be better in 2026, too. Plus, Munetaka Murakami will be fascinating to watch. They’re not losing 100-plus games again this year: baby steps.

27. Angels (28)
Mike Trout looks as lively as he’s looked in a while, which will be a gift every day he’s on the field. (Even more so if he’s got another great season in him.) This is also an intriguingly eccentric rotation.

28. Twins (25)
Byron Buxton looks healthy again. Even with all the injuries elsewhere and the relatively quiet offseason, generally speaking, when Buxton is healthy, the Twins are good.

29. Nationals (29)
The Nats have lost 91 or more games every full season since their World Series title in 2019, so the youth movement happening here (on the field, in the dugout and even in the front office) is long overdue. But watching the progression of James Wood is going to be pleasant to watch no matter what.

30. Rockies (30)
There’s a new leadership group in Denver, and while it might be a while until the new approach starts to reap rewards, it’s just refreshing to see, at last, some different thinking at Coors Field.

Voters: Jason Catania, Scott Chiusano, Dan Cichalski, Theo DeRosa, Mark Feinsand, Daniel Feldman, Jason Foster, Rick Gold, Jared Greenspan, Thomas Harrigan, Will Leitch, Brent Maguire, Travis Miller, Brian Murphy, Arturo Pardavila, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Andrew Simon, Ismail Soyugenc, David Venn, Zac Vierra, Andy Werle