MLB Power Rankings 2026: My Tier List for All 30 Teams
I ranked all 30 MLB teams from World Series favorites to full rebuild mode heading into the 2026 postseason — see my S-to-D tier list and where your team lands.
Miles 7 min read
My Full MLB Tier List Overview
- S Tier: Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays
- A Tier: Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Guardians, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres
- B Tier: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners
- C Tier: Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals
- D Tier: Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Athletics, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers
S Tier — Teams I Actually Think Can Win It All
Milwaukee Brewers. This club will not go away. A fourth straight NL Central title, capped by a 20-0 shutout of the Reds and an earlier 22-0 demolition of the Mariners, tells me this roster isn't afraid of anyone. They've got the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye locked up, and I genuinely think this is the year the "small market that keeps winning" story ends with a parade.
Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers being in S tier feels obvious, but watching them pull off a pure rental trade for Tarik Skubal at the deadline — on top of a rotation that already led the majors in ERA — is the kind of move that makes the rest of the league sigh. They locked up the NL West comfortably, and starting-pitching depth like this is exactly what wins short series.
Tampa Bay Rays. My favorite story of the season, hands down. A team displaced from Tropicana Field by hurricane damage, forced to play a season on the road, came home and clinched the AL's best record with the earliest division-title clinch in franchise history — a near no-hitter from Drew Rasmussen sealing it at Yankee Stadium. That's not a team riding luck. I'm rooting hard for them in October.
A Tier — Legit Contenders
Braves, Guardians, White Sox, Cubs, Phillies, and Padres all belong in "don't sleep on them" territory. The Braves have already clinched the NL East and play the kind of steady, veteran baseball that shows up in October. Cleveland has quietly built one of the AL's better records again — I never fully trust them to miss the playoffs, and this year is no different. And honestly, the White Sox belong in this conversation too, which still feels strange to type: two years removed from a historically bad 121-loss 2024 season, they've been in a real dogfight with the Guardians for the AL Central all September. The Cubs/Phillies/Padres wild-card scramble has been one of the more entertaining subplots of the month, with the Cubs holding the tiebreaker edge over both thanks to their head-to-head record.
B Tier — Solid, but I'm Not Scared of Them
Yankees and Red Sox are locked into the playoffs and set up for a possible Wild Card rematch, but neither has fully convinced me they're built to go all the way. The Astros land here too — Yordan Alvarez is having a season that might end with an MVP trophy or even a Triple Crown, but as a team they've spent the stretch run scrapping with the Rangers over a division where both clubs are sitting below .500. That's a strange place for Houston to be. Mets, Cardinals, and Mariners round this tier out — capable of a hot streak, none of them a team I'd pencil in for a deep run.
C Tier — Middle of the Pack, A Little Underwhelming
Blue Jays, Twins, Diamondbacks, Giants, Reds, and Royals all had moments this year, but none put together the sustained run that separates a good team from a playoff team. The Diamondbacks in particular faded hard down the stretch after looking competitive earlier in the year — the kind of late-season collapse that stings for their fans.
D Tier — Rebuild Mode, See You Next Year
Orioles, Angels, Athletics, Marlins, Nationals, Pirates, and Rockies are all clubs I'd call "next year" teams at this point. The Tigers join them — after a rough first half, Detroit sold off ace Tarik Skubal and longtime starter Casey Mize at the deadline and posted their first losing record since 2023. It's not a knock on the roster talent; it's just clearly a step-back year, and I'd rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise.
What's Making Headlines Right Now
A few storylines worth flagging. First, the new Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system debuted this season, letting hitters, pitchers, and catchers challenge close calls by tapping their helmet — it's changed the rhythm of tight games and sparked plenty of debate about whether it's good for the sport. Second, the AL Central and AL West are both genuinely unresolved with just days left: Guardians, White Sox, Astros, and Rangers are fighting for three remaining spots, and it could realistically come down to tiebreakers. I can't remember the last time this many teams had this much on the line this late. And separately, there's real frustration brewing around Roberto Clemente Day and how MLB handles its relationship with Puerto Rico — a conversation that's picked back up this month and deserves more attention than it's getting.
How I Turned This Into a Tier List Graphic
Once my rankings were sorted in my head, I wanted something I could actually post instead of a wall of text, so I used TierMakerPro's MLB template to drag-and-drop all 30 teams into place. It's free, no account needed, and you can rename or recolor the tiers if you'd rather use your own labels than mine. I swapped in a couple of my own logo images for teams I follow closely and exported the whole thing as a PNG in about two minutes — way easier than screenshotting a spreadsheet. If you want to build your own version and disagree with me (fair, given how close the AL race still is), the MLB tier list template already has every team loaded.
That's where I landed — Brewers, Dodgers, and Rays in S tier, with a real fight still playing out for those last few AL spots. Where does your team land on your own list, especially if you're a Guardians or White Sox fan watching this race come down to the wire? Drop your tiers in the comments.
FAQ
Q1: How many teams are in MLB, and when does the 2026 postseason start? There are 30 MLB teams across the American and National Leagues. The 2026 regular season wraps up September 27, with the postseason beginning shortly after.
Q2: Who's more likely to win the AL Central right now, the Guardians or the White Sox? As of the final week of the season, the Guardians hold a slim edge, but the White Sox have won the season series between the two teams, which would decide a tie in Chicago's favor. It's genuinely one of the closest division races in baseball this year.
Q3: Is TierMakerPro actually free to use? Yes — no sign-up, no login, no paywall. Open a template, drag teams into whichever tiers you want, rename or recolor the rows, and export a PNG when you're happy with it.
Q4: Can I upload my own images instead of the default team logos? Yep. Templates come preloaded with images, but you can swap any of them for your own uploads — handy for action shots, alternate logos, or player photos.