The final weekend of the 2026 regular season is here, and there is still much to be determined.
While 10 teams have clinched playoff spots, two playoff berths are still up for grabs. And from an individual perspective, there are awards that could be determined in the coming days.
Here’s what is at stake in the final weekend of the season.
Who will win the AL West and Central?
There’s no telling who will win these two divisions in the American League. The Rays have wrapped up the AL East, but the White Sox and Guardians are still battling for the AL Central, while the Astros and Rangers are fighting for the West.
This is where things stand. The Astros and Rangers are tied atop the AL West, but Houston won the pivotal tiebreaker against Texas. That means if the two clubs end the season with the same record, the division would go to the Astros.
In the AL Central, the Guardians hold a one-game lead over the White Sox, but Chicago holds the tiebreaker advantage. Any tie between the two clubs means the White Sox would win the division.
Who gets the last AL and NL Wild Card spots?
The Yankees and Red Sox have clinched AL Wild Card spots and appear likely to face each other in the Wild Card Series, although Boston could still end up as the AL’s No. 6 seed. The remaining AL Wild Card berth will belong to the loser of the AL Central, with the White Sox and Guardians both clinching playoff spots on Thursday. The AL West loser, meanwhile, will be headed home for the offseason.
Meanwhile, in the NL, the Cubs and Padres both have clinched Wild Card spots, but the third berth remains up in the air. While the D-backs' chances seemed remote earlier this week, five straight wins (plus a few Phillies losses) kept Arizona very much alive heading into the weekend. The Phillies still hold a two-game lead in that race, but the D-backs hold the tiebreaker, meaning that if they win out, they would force the Phillies to take at least two out of three from the Rays.
Could Yordan still win the Triple Crown?
For a while, Yordan Alvarez looked like he might win the MLB Triple Crown, leading the Majors in average, home runs and RBIs. Now, the lefty slugger and presumptive AL MVP winner might merely finish first or second in the AL in average, home runs and RBIs. Heading into the final weekend, Alvarez has the edge in average (.315) over Chandler Simpson (.308) and is tied for first in home runs with 41 but is second in RBIs (102) behind Pete Alonso (110). Alvarez could still snag the AL Triple Crown, but it’ll take a monstrous final few games.
Simpson’s unique season and quest for an unusual batting title
Back to Simpson for a second, though. The Rays outfielder is having an excellent season, hitting for average, swiping bases and playing solid outfield defense. What he hasn’t done, though, is hit a single home run. The last hitter to win a batting title without hitting a home run was Rod Carew in 1972. Even if he doesn’t win, he could be the first qualified hitter to bat .300 without a home run since Luis Castillo in 1999.
Can Arraez claim another batting crown?
In 2024, Luis Arraez became the first player in the Modern Era to win a batting title with three different teams: the Twins in 2022, the Marlins in ’23 and the Padres (after a trade) in ’24. This weekend, Arraez can make it four batting crowns for four different teams. Now with the Phillies, Arraez leads the NL with a .310 average, a hair ahead of D-backs catcher Gabriel Moreno (.308), with Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (.304) an outside contender. Arraez might have to watch from the sidelines to see if he can capture the batting title: He suffered a left ankle sprain in Thursday’s game against the Brewers, and there’s a chance he doesn’t return this weekend. Will his efforts be enough?
Will Misiorowski win the ERA title?
It's been a remarkable season for Jacob Misiorowski, who has a 1.86 ERA and 247 strikeouts after last Sunday's outing against the Orioles. Even if it's abbreviated like his three-inning outing in Baltimore, Misiorowski's final start -- scheduled for Sunday against the Cardinals -- puts him in line to join some impressive company. If he can hold his ERA edge over Cam Schlittler's 1.95 mark, he'd join 2021 Corbin Burnes (2.43 ERA in 2021) as the only Brewers to win an ERA title.
If Misiorowski keeps his ERA under 2 and gets to 250 strikeouts, there's some other fun company he'll join. He'd be just the 13th pitcher (15th instance) since earned runs became official in 1913 to finish a season with a sub-2 ERA and 250-plus strikeouts. The last to do so was Jacob deGrom in 2018.
Will Schwarber or PCA lead the Majors in home runs?
Kyle Schwarber led the National League with 56 home runs last year. As hard as it is to believe, though, Schwarber has never led the Majors in home runs. That could change this year, as the Phillies slugger is tied for the MLB lead with 45 homers. The last Phillie to pull that off was Ryan Howard in 2008, when he hit 48 homers and helped lead Philly to a World Series title.
Schwarber, though, has Pete Crow-Armstrong tied with him at the top. The surefire NL MVP has completely taken off this season with 45 homers, 40 stolen bases (more on this shortly), a .949 OPS and his usual excellent center-field defense, which has led to an MLB-best 10.5 WAR, per FanGraphs. If PCA surpasses Schwarber, he’d be the first Cub to lead the NL in homers since Sammy Sosa’s 49 homers in 2002 and the first to lead the Majors in long balls since Sosa hit 50 in 2000.
After 40-40, where will PCA wind up?
Crow-Armstrong is making all sorts of history this season. Reaching 10 WAR puts PCA in rarefied territory, and it seems very likely that the Cubs superstar center fielder will be a unanimous MVP winner, something no Cub has ever achieved. Crow-Armstrong, who became the seventh player (and first Cub) with a 40-40 campaign, has three more games to rack up additional homers and stolen bases and pad his season totals. At 10.6 FanGraphs WAR, he could become just the 28th player to reach 11 fWAR, a total last reached by Aaron Judge in 2024.
Burleson vying to join impressive Cardinals history
Alec Burleson leads the Majors with 113 RBIs, putting him in line for some impressive Cardinals history. He’s looking to become the first Cardinal to lead the National League since Albert Pujols in 2010 and the first to lead the Majors in the category since Joe Torre drove in 137 runs in 1971. His stiffest competition is Cincinnati’s Sal Stewart, who sits at 110 RBIs entering the final weekend.
How does Verlander's final start go?
Justin Verlander returned to the Tigers for the 2026 season, which will be his final before retiring. Unfortunately, he only made one start in April and hasn't pitched since that point. The good news is he's lined up to pitch on Saturday at Detroit's Comerica Park, which will surely be a feel-good moment and sendoff for the likely future Hall of Famer. Verlander can also add a few more strikeouts to his career total of 3,554.