The offseason is here! The Brewers and their fans are still celebrating, as well they should, but the rest of us are ready for the Hot Stove to get going.
Here, then, is a way-too-early look at where the Power Rankings stand heading into the offseason.
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.
1. Brewers
The Brewers may be building a dynasty. Or they may take a step back. Forgive the Brewers for not quite wiping the champagne out of their eyes to worry about that just yet.
2. Dodgers
This year’s team looked old and running out of gas by the time the NLCS came around, which will happen when you’re a veteran-driven group like the Dodgers. But there’s young talent coming -- the Dodgers have been able to build the plane while it’s in the air -- and those older players are still all legends and future Hall of Famers. Sorry: The Dodgers aren’t going anywhere.
3. Yankees
The postseason was disappointing, again, but it’s not easy to make a big postseason run when you’re missing the best hitter on the planet. Aaron Judge’s health is obviously always paramount, but the Yankees have a lot of young talent around him now. They’ll make another charge in 2027.
4. Rays
The World Series seemed to be over before it really got started, but that shouldn’t obscure what a wonderful year the Rays had, making the third Fall Classic in franchise history, and doing so in a season when many picked them to finish last in the AL East. They’ve got lots of decisions to make this offseason, but most of their decisions turn out to be smart ones.
5. Braves
The Braves shouldn’t have any dramatic turnover, but they could use another bat in the lineup, as well as some reinforcements for a rotation that was decimated by injuries this year. But in a division filled with teams dealing with all sorts of drama, the Braves are mostly steady as she goes.
6. Red Sox
There were moments when the 2026 Red Sox looked incredible and moments when they looked hapless, and it all ended in the same place: A first-round playoff exit against the Yankees. Better health -- especially from the likes of Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet -- could result in 2027 being a year they take the next step forward.
7. Cubs
Pete Crow-Armstrong had a true all-timer of a season, and this team had one of the best offenses and one of the best defenses in baseball. The problem was the pitching, and considering no one has any idea what the rotation is going to look like next year, they have much work to do this offseason.
8. Padres
This was one of the better teams down the stretch, and they gave the Brewers more trouble than anyone else did in the playoffs. A new ownership group has them set up to keep pressing in the NL West and make the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
9. Phillies
There is an ongoing sense that the Phillies are running out of time, that they are getting older and in more danger of missing out on the title they so desperately want to win. But then again, we’re all getting older, and most of us aren’t nearly as talented as all these older Phillies. They’ll make another run.
10. White Sox
The disappointment of losing the ALDS after taking a 2-0 lead on the Guardians shouldn’t be the lasting takeaway from the 2026 season: This is a team that had lost 100-plus games three straight years and was one game from the ALCS. And this is just the start. The White Sox have all the good vibes in the world right now … and the talent is just going to keep coming.
11. Guardians
The biggest question for the Guardians is how José Ramírez’s health and production can bounce back after his first below-average offensive season since 2015. This team came awfully close to the World Series without a fully operational J-Ram. The Guardians just might get even closer with him.
12. Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks were a positive story in 2026, but they still fell just short of a playoff spot for the third year in a row, since their surprise World Series trip in 2023. They have a lot of things to figure out this offseason, particularly when it comes to their plans with, or without, Ketel Marte.
13. Blue Jays
It’s going to take a little longer to recover from the 2025 World Series than fans might have hoped after a real bummer of a 2026 season. But there’s still a lot here, with a veteran team that knows what it takes to win. The biggest question remains Vladimir Guerrero Jr. How in the world could that guy only hit nine homers in a full season? The Blue Jays need the real Vlad Jr. back if they’re going to turn this thing back around.
14. Mariners
No team was more disappointing in 2026 than the Mariners, but they’ll have a new manager and, one would think, a renewed sense of urgency. They also have more starting pitchers than they know what to do with, which could end up leading to a particularly active offseason.
15. Pirates
Pirates fans were disappointed with this season, but it was still a team that had a winning record, with an offense that exceeded most expectations. If the lineup can thrive again, you should probably expect that rotation, most of all Paul Skenes, to be much better in 2027 -- and it wasn’t that bad in the first place.
16. Astros
The Astros snuck into the playoffs, but only because a .500 record was enough to win a historically weak AL West. They then got swept out of the Wild Card Series. They’ve got a new GM in charge in Randy Flores. He has his work cut out for him, but at least he still has Yordan Alvarez.
17. Mets
For all the disappointment that Mets fans (totally understandably and correctly) felt about their team in 2026, it should be said that they had a winning record in the second half and had three of the top rookies in the National League, in Carson Benge, Nolan McLean and A.J. Ewing. The Mets will look different in 2027 … but they should also look better.
18. Orioles
It was a disappointing year, one that featured Adley Rutschman being traded and some of the young players stalling out, but this is still a team with a lot of talent and a leader in Pete Alonso whom everyone in this franchise would be wise to follow.
19. Tigers
The Tarik Skubal trade talk dominated much of the season, but quietly, this team has a very exciting young offense, led by Riley Greene and AL Rookie of the Year finalist Kevin McGonigle. The Tigers are going to be more fun in the next few years than many think.
20. Rangers
It has felt like the Rangers have been spinning their wheels since winning their World Series in 2023, and now they’ve got some expensive older players who aren’t quite what they used to be. What they do with them -- and what those players look like if they stay -- is the biggest unknown this offseason.
21. Marlins
The Marlins made themselves very intriguing in 2026, with players such as Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards and Jakob Marsee combining with a rotation that is led by a resurgent Sandy Alcantara. The Marlins are doing things differently than they used to, and it’s starting to show on the field. It should continue to.
22. Cardinals
The Cardinals ended up with a slightly worse record in 2026 than they had 2025, but it was unquestionably a better year, thanks to so many young players establishing themselves. And there are more coming. The Cardinals are unlikely to expedite their long-term rebuild next year, but they will be opportunistic … and there is much, much more talent coming.
23. Nationals
The Nationals were one of the more fun teams in 2026, with career years from James Wood and CJ Abrams that led to them having one of the best offenses in baseball. There are reasons to be excited about the Nats, in a way there haven’t been this decade.
24. Twins
The Twins have a leadership group about to have its first offseason in charge. That should mean they may be more active than they were last offseason. There’s more young talent on the roster than there was then, too.
25. Reds
Elly De La Cruz took a step forward, and NL Rookie of the Year finalist Sal Stewart was a revelation. But otherwise the Reds took a big step backward this year, falling from 83 to 75 wins, following a brief postseason appearance in 2025. Cincinnati is still looking for its first playoff game victory since Game 2 of the 2012 NLDS.
26. Royals
The Royals got off to a miserable start, settled down after the All-Star break but then had an even more miserable September. Which is the real team? Bobby Witt Jr. will remain elite no matter what else happens around him, but he desperately needs more help.
27. Giants
The Giants have some big questions to answer this offseason after a year in which just about everything went wrong. One thing that didn’t? Rafael Devers hit like the player the Giants wanted him to be when they traded for him. Now about everything else ….
28. Athletics
There is, obviously, so much work to do on a pitching staff that had a 5.51 ERA in 2026, albeit at a tough park for pitchers. One wonders if new president of baseball operations Taylor Smith will focus much of that work on 2027, the team’s last year in West Sacramento before heading to its new stadium in Las Vegas. But there isn’t a team in the sport that wouldn’t love having Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers to build around.
29. Angels
The entire franchise is turning over a new leaf, and there are lot of questions still to be answered, most notably who will be leading the front office and the dugout. (One other burning question: Is Mike Trout staying here through the rest of his contract?) But, at last, it’s a new day in Anaheim. It remains to be seen how long it will take a brighter future to arrive.
30. Rockies
It’s going to be a long process for president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and company, but at the very least, his first year in charge got this franchise moving back in the right direction. The Rockies bottomed out, but now, slowly and surely, they’re crawling their way back up.
Voters: Jason Catania, Scott Chiusano, Dan Cichalski, Theo DeRosa, Daniel Feldman, Rick Gold Jr., Jared Greenspan, Will Leitch, Brent Maguire, Brian Murphy, Arturo Pardavila, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Andrew Simon, Zac Vierra.