These are the last MLB.com Power Rankings of the 2026 regular season. In exactly one week, 18 of these teams will go home, and 12 will be left. We have made it all the way through. Since these will be the final rankings, let’s take a look at each team, even the ones who did not make the playoffs, and find something positive its fanbase can feel about the 2026 season … now that it’s almost in the rearview mirror.
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.
Also, as we close the season, we note for each team the highest they were ranked in our Power Rankings all season -- when they hit the peak.
1. Brewers (previously: 1)
Season High Water Mark: 1, this week
It’s the best season in Brewers history. It sure looks like they’re going to win 100 games for the first time ever. They’ve got a Cy Young frontrunner in Jacob Misiorowski, they’ve got all the momentum, and they’ve got a team that wins by doing all the little things right. Last year was a huge postseason bummer. Now is the time to right that wrong.
2. Dodgers (previously: 2)
Season High Water Mark: 1, Aug. 17
The Dodgers have had a lot of drama this year, much of it revolving around a hugely disappointing first season at Chavez Ravine for Kyle Tucker and injury concerns for Shohei Ohtani. And yet here they are, one of the best teams in baseball, as always, and the team everyone knows is looming in October.
3. Rays (previously: 4)
Season High Water Mark: 2, May 25
Don’t forget, almost no one picked the Rays to win the tough AL East this year. But it looks like it’s going to be theirs, with a deep, versatile roster led by Junior Caminero, who looks like he’s going to be a signature star in this league for the next decade-plus.
4. Braves (previously: 3)
Season High Water Mark: 1, June 15
Every year since their World Series title in 2021 has felt a little bit like a disappointment in its own way, even the 104-win season in '23. But this one sure hasn’t, with the Braves overcoming a '25 losing season by winning the division again. And check out Ronald Acuña Jr., who looks like a superstar again.
5. Yankees (previously: 5)
Season High Water Mark: 2, May 4
For a long time, it was assumed that if Aaron Judge was hurt for an extended period of time, the Yankees were cooked. But thanks to a fantastic pitching staff -- including Cy Young frontrunner Cam Schlittler -- the Yankees look as strong as ever. But it still may all ride on Judge regardless.
6. Cubs (previously: 6)
Season High Water Mark: 1, May 11
What more can you say about Pete Crow-Armstrong at this point? He’s about to end the Shohei Ohtani MVP reign, and he’s doing so while becoming one of the most popular players in the sport and having one of the best seasons in Cubs history. And it sure feels like October is going to fit him like a glove.
7. Red Sox (previously: 8)
Season High Water Mark: 6, Aug. 5
This season looked absolutely lost in June, and Red Sox fans were tearing their hair out. Then, suddenly, the Sox were playing the best of any team in baseball, and they rode that run all the way to a playoff spot. And it's sure looking like we'll get another installment of The Rivalry in the Wild Card.
8. Padres (previously: 9)
Season High Water Mark: 3, April 20
The Padres have justified all the investments A.J. Preller and company have made in the offseason with this late-season run, but they still have won just one game past the Division Series round this century. The top of the NL is tough this year, but no one’s hotter than the Padres.
9. Phillies (previously: 7)
Season High Water Mark: 5, July 16
It has been a rocky road, with Don Mattingly taking over early in the season, the team righting itself, and then struggling down the stretch. But in this ear, all that matters for the Phillies is the postseason. All of their questions are about to be answered, one way or the other.
10. Guardians (previously: 12)
Season High Water Mark: 5, June 8
The Guardians’ fight back to the top of the AL Central wasn’t as dramatic as last year’s, but if they can end up atop the division when it’s all said and done, it won’t matter. And if they do … they might just get a first-round bye out of it.
11. White Sox (previously: 11)
Season High Water Mark: 6, June 15
If the White Sox aren’t able to get into the playoffs after the fun season they’ve had, it will feel like a heartbreaker, but it probably shouldn’t be. This is a team that has lost 100-plus games for three consecutive seasons! Look at where they are now! The playoffs would be wonderful. But what a major step forward they’ve made. With more to come.
12. Rangers (previously: 16)
Season High Water Mark: 8, April 3
The Rangers have never gotten higher than three games over .500 this year … but that has not kept them out of the middle of the AL West, and even atop the division. They’ve only made the playoffs once in the last decade -- the year they won the World Series. That may well change this season.
13. Diamondbacks (previously: 10)
Season High Water Mark: 9, Aug. 17
The Padres’ torrid run down the stretch may end up keeping Arizona out of the playoffs, though the season’s final series between the two teams could have something to say about that. But a year of uncertainty ended up being a positive one, despite some off-field drama … and there’s still time left in this one.
14. Astros (previously: 13)
Season High Water Mark: 7, April 6
Yordan Alvarez had a fully healthy season and responded with an all-timer of an offensive performance. The only question now is whether they can catch the intrastate-rival Rangers for the AL West crown -- and it looks like they're going to have to, if they want to make the playoffs at all.
15. Blue Jays (previously: 14)
Season High Water Mark: 2, March 23
It looked for a while like the Jays, after the brutal way they lost the World Series last year, would make up for a disappointing season by sneaking into the final Wild Card spot. How fans feel about this season may depend on whether or not they can crawl their way back in. It’s going to be an uphill climb.
16. Pirates (previously: 15)
Season High Water Mark: 5, April 20
Pirates fans had big hopes for this year, and while they weren’t the playoff team that some had expected, they nevertheless have won 79 games and could notch their first winning season since 2018. It’s progress.
17. Orioles (previously: 19)
Season High Water Mark: 10, March 23
It may have hurt to do it, but the O’s did maximize their return for Adley Rutschman with even more young players to add to the ones they already have. It’s understandable if O’s fans are skeptical, but you can’t argue that Pete Alonso was a great investment, and really a North Star for the whole franchise at this point.
18. Marlins (previously: 18)
Season High Water Mark: 8, July 16
Take away that 12-game losing streak, and the Marlins are a playoff team this year. You obviously can’t do that, but the different way the Marlins have been doing things started to pay off this year. And they may well have a star in Otto Lopez.
19. Tigers (previously: 21)
Season High Water Mark: 8, April 27
This turned out to be their first losing season since 2023, which is frustrating because hopes were so high heading into the year, but there is still a ton of young talent here, led by Riley Greene, who is quietly putting together a stellar start to his career. And with the Tarik Skubal trade, there’s even more young talent on the way.
20. Cardinals (previously: 17)
Season High Water Mark: 8, May 18
The bullpen fell apart down the stretch, making the record look worse than the season felt, but the Cardinals made many steps forward this year, particularly with the lineup: Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt, Joshua Báez, Alec Burleson and Leo Bernal all look like lineup mainstays … with even more talent coming down the pipe.
21. Nationals (previously: 24)
Season High Water Mark: 12, June 22
James Wood is a star, but he was hardly the only National to emerge in 2026, with CJ Abrams and the recently extended Cade Cavalli setting themselves up as players the Nationals can build around. The offense was terrific this year: That’s the first time you’ve been able to say that in a long time.
22. Mariners (previously: 20)
Season High Water Mark: 3, March 23
So, yeah, it was a bit of a disaster season for the Mariners, in just about every possible way. But this was not a now-or-never season for the M’s: They have a very exciting rotation for 2027, and note that Cal Raleigh started to warm up as the season came to a close as well.
23. Mets (previously: 23)
Season High Water Mark: 5, March 23
That most of the offseason moves blew up in their faces is the reason they’re not in the playoffs, but they certainly played well enough in the second half to look like a playoff team, thanks largely to rookies Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing and Nolan McLean. The Mets will look different next year, but that’s a good thing.
24. Twins (previously: 22)
Season High Water Mark: 15, Aug. 5
The next generation of Twins stars has arrived: Kaelen Culpepper, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez all made their debut this year (and still have Rookie of the Year eligibility for next season). This was a transition year for the Twins. There’s plenty of reason to think they can turn the corner in 2027.
25. Reds (previously: 25)
Season High Water Mark: 6, April 27
This was the superstar step forward the Reds have been waiting for from Elly De La Cruz. They no longer have to wonder if he’s ever going to make the leap: He now has. And remember, he is still only 24 years old.
26. Royals (previously: 26)
Season High Water Mark: 14, May 11
Not much went the way it was supposed to this year, but there’s still a lot of young talent here. And there is Bobby Witt Jr., who, even in a down power year (for him), leads the American League in WAR, per FanGraphs.
27. Giants (previously: 27)
Season High Water Mark: 18, March 23
The terrible start, and the occasional discord and chaos, made this season feel like it was over with before it even began. But don’t overlook the fact that Rafael Devers, for most of this season, looked like the superstar the Giants traded for.
28. Angels (previously: 29)
Season High Water Mark: 19, April 20
A potential sale of the team is something that fans have wondered could change the trajectory of this franchise, and they’re going to get the opportunity to find out. There’s some young talent starting to percolate here, perhaps most notably Walbert Ureña, a 22-year-old who looks like he might already be an ace.
29. A’s (previously: 28)
Season High Water Mark: 10, May 11
The onslaught of injuries to their position players made people forget how good this lineup was at some point, and how late in the year they were in contention. As they move closer to their move to Las Vegas, there’s still plenty to build on here … and plenty of reason to have optimism for the future.
30. Rockies (previously: 30)
Season High Water Mark: 27, May 4
It does not look like the Rockies are going to avoid 100 losses this year, alas, marking four straight years with 100-plus losses. But they’ll still be double-digit games better than they were last year, and they’ll do so with a front office that seems, at last, to have a clear plan moving forward.
Voters: Jason Catania, Dan Cichalski, Theo DeRosa, Rick Gold Jr., Jared Greenspan, Will Leitch, Brent Maguire, Travis Miller, Brian Murphy, Arturo Pardavila, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Andy Werle.