The 2026 MLB Postseason has arrived. For 18 teams, and soon to be 22, the march towards 2027 is on. But for the clubs who made it this far, a chance at greatness is on the line. So, let’s do a re-ranking of all 30 teams, starting with the non-playoff clubs from 2026.
The non-playoff teams
- Angels
- Rockies
- Athletics
- Giants
- Nationals
- Reds
- Twins
- Royals
- Marlins
- Rangers
- Cardinals
- Pirates
- Orioles
- Tigers
- Diamondbacks
- Mets
- Mariners
- Blue Jays
For the purposes of these rankings, we’re going to (largely) ignore what happened in the 2026 campaign. Although, some observations are worth considering.
Starting with the Blue Jays, there’s simply too much talent on this team to be bad. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a year to forget, one where it was obvious that he wasn’t playing fully healthy. One would think that with Guerrero Jr., Kazuma Okamoto, and a talented new leadoff hitter in Brett Bateman, the Jays have a solid start to work with as far as the 2027 lineup is concerned.
However, the Jays need more.
You’d also expect the Mariners, a club that will have a new manager in 2027, to be better. Seattle may lose some significant talent, as Randy Arozarena is a free agent. However, there’s still plenty of talent in that rotation, and Julio Rodriguez isn’t going anywhere.
The Mets have a nice young nucleus, led by Nolan McLean & Carson Benge, to pair with Juan Soto & Francisco Lindor. But can the Mets’ 2027 team be better? If the second half was any indication, sure.
Arizona narrowly missed out on the 2026 season. One would like to think that a healthy Corbin Burnes would be a difference maker in 2027, after the club didn’t have him for the vast majority of 2026. However, the club could use some reinforcements in the rotation.
Both the Tigers & Orioles in similar situations. Two teams with a lot of talent but didn’t meet expectations in 2026. For the Tigers, the bullpen was somewhat of a sore spot. As for the Orioles, the club needs to hope that Gunnar Henderson & Samuel Basallo can take those steps to support Pete Alonso more.
St. Louis is just behind the Pirates in power rankings — but it’s close. The Pirates will see Brandon Lowe go to market after a strong 2026 campaign. And Paul Skenes is due a significant pay raise in his first year of arbitration eligiblity, which may very well affect how the Pirates do business this winter.
Then, there are teams like the Marlins, Twins, and Rangers, all teams with talent that missed out on the playoffs. But all three have business to deal with.
The playoff teams
- Astros
- White Sox
- Phillies
- Red Sox
- Cubs
- Padres
- Braves
- Yankees
- Guardians
- Rays
- Brewers
- Dodgers
Look, the Dodgers are going to enter this postseason as the favorite. Los Angeles won each of the last two World Series titles, have Shohei Ohtani back, and have perhaps the best team on paper heading into the 2026 MLB Postseason.
It’s going to be tough to take them down.
Milwaukee is right behind them, looking for a rematch in 2026.
The American League is up for grabs. Tampa Bay, Cleveland, and the Yankees all have a good shot, as do the Red Sox should Boston make it past the AL Wild Card round. All of these teams have well-balanced groups. The problem is that one of the Red Sox, Rays, and Yankees will make it to the ALCS.
As for the rest of the pack, can the likes of the Padres, Cubs, and Phillies out-perform their problems? San Diego has a dynamic bullpen but the Padres have to get it to it. The Padres will need some degree of length from the likes of Michael King, Nick Pivetta, etc.
The Cubs’ bullpen was shaky in September, while the Phillies need to get something going from players not named Kyle Schwarber & Bryce Harper.
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