We're down to the final days of the 2026 regular season with still quite a number of teams that have something to play for -- including a few who are fighting for their postseason lives.
Such is the case with the Astros and Rangers, who are tied atop the AL West (with Houston owning the tiebreaker); the team that loses the division will most likely miss the playoffs entirely. Elsewhere in the American League, the Guardians and White Sox are still battling for the division title, though the loser of that should slot into the third wild-card spot.
While all the divisions in the National League have been clinched already, the wild-card race, specifically in terms of seeding, is very much heating up, with the Phillies, Cubs and Padres entering play on Wednesday in a three-way tie.
Which clubs will get to keep playing into October? And which will watch their playoff aspirations come to an end?
Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we've seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Bradford Doolittle, Buster Olney and Jorge Castillo to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Week 25 | Second-half preview | Preseason rankings
1. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 99-59
Previous ranking: 1
With the season down to a handful of games, the Brewers have all but run out of time for Kyle Harrison to recover his first-half form. Harrison was 8-2 with a 3.01 ERA before the break; he's 2-3 with a 7.80 ERA since. His strikeout rate has remained steady, even as his velocity and movement measures have become more volatile. Meanwhile, his walk rate has more than doubled, and his homers-allowed rate has nearly tripled. Suffice to say, this is not a great combination of trends. Milwaukee has tried to get Harrison back in stride by using him out of the bullpen, but he's gotten hammered as a reliever. Brewers fans who dreamed of a big three rotation of Jacob Misiorowski, Harrison and Logan Henderson probably need to recalibrate their expectations at this point. -- Doolittle
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 97-61
Previous ranking: 2
We're nearing October baseball, and it's as if the Dodgers are knocking off items on a to-do list. Shohei Ohtani back in the lineup? Check. Edwin Diaz finding his stuff, finally? Check. Will Smith back in the lineup? Check -- and he has an OPS of close to 1.000 this month. Mookie Betts back to being Mookie Betts? Check. Kyle Tucker digging out of his seasonlong slump? Check. L.A. is putting the pieces back together just in time as it begins its effort to become the first NL team to go back-to-back-to-back. -- Olney
3. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 96-62
Previous ranking: 3
Tampa Bay began the season with the longest odds to win the AL East. On Tuesday, it clinched its first division title since 2021 with a win over the Yankees. The Rays will enter their first postseason since 2023 as the favorites to win the AL pennant behind a distinct home-field advantage at Tropicana Field, a strong pitching staff and a dynamic lineup centered around MVP candidate Junior Caminero, designated hitter Yandy Diaz and first baseman Jonathan Aranda. With a payroll that ranks 28th in the majors, the Rays seek to become the team with the lowest-ranked payroll to ever win the World Series. -- Castillo
4. Atlanta Braves
Record: 93-65
Previous ranking: 5
Atlanta would've preferred to get a first-round bye in the playoffs, of course, but the fact that the Brewers and Dodgers seemed to have locked down the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds allows the Braves to treat this last week of the regular season like the last week of spring training. They can plot out the best way to rest their key relievers, assess the progress of Robert Suarez and arrange at-bats for the position players to be primed for the postseason. Meanwhile, the teams the Braves are likely to face in the first round -- the Phillies, Cubs and Padres -- are all still pushing for berths and home-field advantage in the wild-card round. -- Olney
5. New York Yankees
Record: 91-67
Previous ranking: 4
Despite manager Aaron Boone saying on Tuesday that Aaron Judge isn't expected to return from his calf strain in time for the wild-card round, Judge told ESPN the following day that he does in fact intend to be ready for Game 1. He suffered the injury last Wednesday and was placed on the injured list two days later. The Yankees were initially cryptic about the setback, declining to disclose the severity and Judge's outlook.
Boone offered some clarity Tuesday when he called it a "moderate strain" and acknowledged that the club does not plan on having him to open the postseason. Judge received a PPP injection Monday. The Yankees hope that will spur recovery. Otherwise, New York faces an uphill challenge to survive in October without its three-time MVP at his best. -- Castillo
6. Chicago Cubs
Record: 87-71
Previous ranking: 6
No player has made more of a second-half leap than Alex Bregman, whose season has just gathered momentum almost daily since the last week of July. That momentum was stopped in its tracks when Bregman suffered facial fractures last weekend when struck by a foul ball. The good news is that the Cubs decided against placing Bregman on the IL, believing he might be ready for the playoffs after.
But even if that proves to be optimistic, Cubs fans can take solace in the presence of icy-cool rookie Pedro Ramirez. The Cubs didn't drop off much when Dansby Swanson was injured, as Ramirez provided a league-average bat and glove work at both second and third base that has kept an elite Cubs defense on track. You want Bregman in there, for sure -- but Ramirez provides a heck of a Plan B. -- Doolittle
7. San Diego Padres
Record: 88-70
Previous ranking: 8
San Diego's magic number for clinching a playoff spot is shrinking, allowing general manager A.J. Preller and skipper Craig Stammen the chance to line up their staff for the wild-card series, with options developing. Stammen indicated to reporters that unless Michael King is needed to clinch a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season, he will be held over to start Game 1 of the wild card, wherever that is -- so he wouldn't necessarily be used Sunday in order to win home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Additionally, the Padres are in a better position to rest their bullpen, the perceived strength of the team. Adrian Morejon ranks third among all relievers in innings. Rest might be overrated for Mason Miller: He has made 16 appearances on zero days' rest, and in those games, he has allowed two hits and one earned run in 16⅔ innings, with two walks and 27 strikeouts. -- Olney
8. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 87-71
Previous ranking: 7
The culture of Philadelphia's starting pitchers, from Zack Wheeler to Cristopher Sanchez to Aaron Nola, is to pitch deep into games. Unlike so many starters in this generation, Wheeler takes the mound expecting to work into the late innings -- and the Phillies will need this sort of production from the rotation, given the team's recent bullpen problems. Orion Kerkering, an important part of the relief corps, struggled so badly that he was sent to the minors last week. Jose Alvarado has pitched better down the stretch, and hard-throwing Alex MacFarlane has quickly ascended into an important role in his rookie season in the bullpen. But the Phillies' rotation will carry the team's October dreams. -- Olney
9. Boston Red Sox
Record: 85-73
Previous ranking: 9
The Red Sox rewarded Chad Tracy on Tuesday for leading the team's historic turnaround by removing his interim tag and giving him a three-year contract to continue as manager. Now he'll look to accomplish what his predecessor Alex Cora couldn't last year: beating the Yankees on the road in the AL Wild Card Series.
Boston has cooled off since going 32-5 to put itself in playoff position and faces some injury uncertainty going into October. Ceddanne Rafaela returned Tuesday after missing 16 games with a quad injury, and Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch on his right hand last Thursday and is dealing with soreness. On the mound, the Red Sox could receive two significant reinforcements for the bullpen in Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck. Crochet, last season's AL Cy Young runner-up, has been out with a shoulder injury since late April, while Houck hasn't appeared in a game in 2026. -- Castillo
10. Cleveland Guardians
Record: 82-76
Previous ranking: 12
Cleveland is, once again, showing its knack for a strong finishing kick. Over the past decade, only the Dodgers have won more September games. For Guardians fans aching for their team's first title since the Truman administration, October is a higher priority at this point.
Like the White Sox, the first order of business is to secure the AL Central title and the first-round bye likely to go with it. Given the neck-and-neck nature of Cleveland's battle with Chicago, there likely isn't going to be much time for manager Stephen Vogt to ease up on the pedal to finish the season. That would be nice to do when it comes to rookie ace Parker Messick, who will finish the season with at least 50 more innings than he has ever thrown in a season. Messick has shown no signs of fatigue, so it may not matter. -- Doolittle
11. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 84-74
Previous ranking: 10
Manager Torey Lovullo's comments in a radio interview last week in which he acknowledged that the Diamondbacks "probably" -- his word -- need to reach the postseason to earn him a contract extension surprised many in the industry, as Lovullo has a strong and long-standing relationship with his boss, Mike Hazen. The Ketel Marte situation has been challenging for the organization, with the team's highest-paid position player failing to show up to the park, and owner Ken Kendrick has a reputation for being mercurial and demanding. Lovullo's contract runs out at season's end, and he and the Diamondbacks agreed they would discuss his status then. -- Olney
12. Chicago White Sox
Record: 81-77
Previous ranking: 11
The White Sox have wobbled down the stretch, but they have not fallen down. It looks like they will join the playoff party, completing an incredible two-year turnaround that saw them go from setting the modern single-season loss record to playing in October.
Barring a face-plant over the last few days of the season, the question of whether the Sox can overtake Cleveland for the AL Central title is the biggest remaining question. It's impactful, with a first-round bye likely on the line. A bye is a boon for any team, but among likely postseason entrants, it might loom largest for the White Sox. That's just because of how manager Will Venable has had to stretch his pitching resources to the maximum just to get to this point. A wild-card skip would give his staff at least a little time to regroup before the ALDS begins. -- Doolittle
13. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 80-78
Previous ranking: 14
Why did Paul Skenes lapse into baseball's pitching middle class rather than continue his march toward Cooperstown? There is no bigger task for the Pirates and Skenes this offseason than figuring this out. With one more start to go, he has already allowed more runs this season than he did in his first two seasons combined. To be sure, it's not all on Skenes, whose expected ERA, 3.27 per Statcast, is unusually divergent from his actual ERA (3.91). Still, even a 3.27 ERA is a far cry from the level of effectiveness Skenes flashed before this season. Why? Finding the answer to that question could prove to be the biggest addition Pittsburgh makes this winter. -- Doolittle
14. Texas Rangers
Record: 78-80
Previous ranking: 16
With eyes on the disappointing Mariners and Yordan Alvarez's Triple Crown watch, the Rangers quietly remained in contention in the historically dreadful AL West all summer. Following three straight losses, they now find themselves tied atop the division with Houston. Texas will host the Mets in a series finale Thursday before finishing the season with three games in Minnesota. The Rangers will need to finish with a better record than the Astros, who own the tiebreaker, to reach the postseason for the first time since winning the 2023 World Series. -- Castillo
15. Houston Astros
Record: 78-80
Previous ranking: 13
The Astros fired general manager Dana Brown last month and are under .500 with four games remaining ... but they still have a real chance to win the division. That's the AL West in 2026. The Astros finish the regular season with a four-game series in West Sacramento against an A's team that has an MLB-worst run differential. The bad news: The Astros head there tied atop the division. The good news: They hold the tiebreaker over Texas. In the background over the last few days of the season: Alvarez's push to become the first player to win a Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera in 2013. -- Castillo
16. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 77-82
Previous ranking: 15
The Blue Jays did not replicate their 2025 magic in 2026, largely due to injuries and their offense falling off a cliff. They finished last season fourth in the majors with a 112 wRC+; this season, they're tied for 24th with a 95 wRC+. The dropoff starts with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer. Guerrero has nine home runs -- and, inexplicably, just one at home -- with a .695 OPS in the first year of a 14-year, $500 million contract extension. Springer, who reversed a precipitous decline to hit 32 home runs with a .959 OPS last season, has 15 home runs with a .730 OPS in 124 games this year -- and he's a free agent after this season. Whether Springer re-signs or not, a rebound in 2027 starts with Guerrero sparking an offense that is tied for last in home runs in 2026. -- Castillo
17. Miami Marlins
Record: 78-80
Previous ranking: 18
Here's the good news about the Marlins' 2026 season: They hung around all year, battling among the contenders and having some individual successes. Here's what's not-so-great about where they stand right now: It's hard to identify the players who could lead a Miami breakout into full-scale contention with the best NL teams.
Otto Lopez had an excellent season, but he'll turn 28 years old next week and his OPS is under .800. Griffin Conine is the one player on the team with an OPS over .800, and he's 29. Sandy Alcantara reestablished himself as a rotation leader, but he's 31. Eury Perez has flashes of dominance and is just 23, but he's got an injury history and will finish this season with an ERA over 4.00. More depth and more talent is needed for the Marlins to take the next step. -- Olney
18. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 78-81
Previous ranking: 19
Another disappointing season in Baltimore has already prompted some changes in the front office, but not at the top. President of baseball operations Mike Elias is expected to return in 2027. One move his front office got right was signing Pete Alonso last winter. The first baseman, who has played in every game this season, hit his 40th home run of the season in Monday's win over the Blue Jays. He clearly isn't why the Orioles aren't going to the postseason for the second straight year.
Baltimore's young position player core has not lived up to the hype, while the pitching staff wasn't good enough to shoulder the load. Elias & Co. already decided to move on from former No. 1 pick Adley Rutschman, an All-Star catcher previously considered a foundational player, at the trade deadline. More significant moves could come this offseason. -- Castillo
19. St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 77-81
Previous ranking: 17
This rebuilding season has been an unqualified success for the Cardinals. If not for a leaky bullpen, their soft wild-card contention might have been a lot more solid. While bullpens are sometimes the final piece of the contention puzzle for a building team, that's not always the case. Some clubs develop a bullpen-building process that takes effect even as the rest of the roster remains a work in progress. The Pirates of recent vintage are a good example.
Thus, the project of putting together a contention-worthy bullpen is a crucial one for the Chaim Bloom-led front office. Bloom was part of a Rays front office that annually churned out elite, no-name bullpens. However, during the four years that Bloom led the Red Sox front office, Boston ranked 24th in bullpen ERA (4.48) and middle-of-the-pack in save percentage. Good first year, but there is more to prove in St. Louis. -- Doolittle
20. Detroit Tigers
Record: 74-85
Previous ranking: 20
The Tigers will probably finish fourth in the AL in run differential, perhaps third if they pass the Red Sox, and will easily pace the Central by that measure. When you consider that, along with Detroit's freakishly bad record in one- and two-run games (now 21-51) and the relatively short list of players on expiring deals (Jack Flaherty and Gleyber Torres, along with the retiring Justin Verlander), the Tigers are an obvious and very strong bounce-back candidate for the 2027 season. That doesn't mean that president of baseball operations Scott Harris and his staff don't have their work cut out for them when it comes to evaluating this lackluster season. Still, for the Tigers' disappointed fans, it's important to keep in mind that their team will be proceeding from a relative position of strength. -- Doolittle
21. Washington Nationals
Record: 75-84
Previous ranking: 23
In so many ways, the 2026 season was a success for the Nationals, who exceeded expectations this year, flirting with contention in the first half and seeing the development of players like CJ Abrams and James Wood into offensive stars. But the team's pitching collapsed in the second half -- Washington's second-half ERA of 4.49 ranks 25th. The Nationals locked down Cade Cavalli to a multiyear deal last week at the end of what has been a breakout season, but it's clear that president of baseball operations Paul Toboni's greatest challenge is to develop the sort of pipeline of pitching that will allow them to compete with the big-market teams in the division. -- Olney
22. Seattle Mariners
Record: 74-84
Previous ranking: 24
A year after falling one win short of the franchise's first World Series appearance, the Mariners' season will end Sunday with a whimper. The 2026 campaign will be remembered as the most disappointing one in franchise history.
Cal Raleigh's drop-off from 60 home runs and an MVP runner-up finish was baffling. Julio Rodriguez regressed and still hasn't made the superstar jump widely expected of him. Josh Naylor was a below-average hitter in the first year of his five-year contract. The starting rotation was not as good as advertised. Changes are inevitable, likely starting with manager Dan Wilson. But the Mariners can't fire all of their players. They'll need their core to bounce back from down seasons in order to rebound in 2027. -- Castillo
23. New York Mets
Record: 73-85
Previous ranking: 21
No one will go into the 2027 season under more pressure than David Stearns, the Mets' head of baseball operations, following their collapse down the stretch in 2025 and the poor 2026 season. So it makes sense that he worked to keep someone he has a working relationship with in the managerial role, Andy Green, who had his interim tag removed and was hired to a three-year deal Tuesday. Steve Cohen's comments on an SNY broadcast about needing new voices within the organization got the attention of a lot of rival executives, who wondered if the impact of Pete Alonso's encore performance at Citi Field and the "Fire Stearns" chants last week made an impression on the owner. Under the circumstances, hiring Green seems like the right move for Stearns, the smart move. -- Olney
24. Minnesota Twins
Record: 75-84
Previous ranking: 22
The arrival of prospects Kaelen Culpepper, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez has the Twins' prospective 2027 position group in good shape even if veteran Josh Bell declines his mutual option and departs. The murkiest position is catcher, where Ryan Jeffers is likely headed for free agency, presumably after the Twins issue him a qualifying offer. The QO could limit Jeffers' market, but probably not that much, as Jeffers looks like the best free agent catcher option out there. If he leaves, the Twins will need someone to pair with Caratini.
Long term, after drafting Vahn Lackey third in the most recent draft, the Twins seem in good shape with him, Eduardo Tait, Khadim Diaw and Carson Tinney all showing well in prospect rankings. Alas, none of that quartet is likely to be a 2027 solution. -- Doolittle
25. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 73-85
Previous ranking: 25
The ongoing maturation of Elly De La Cruz, as he edges toward his career prime, has provided ample reason to keep an eye on the Reds, even amid a last-place showing. Still, there have been enough trade rumors regarding the supremely talented shortstop to make you wonder just how long De La Cruz will be around.
Recent comments made by his agent, Scott Boras, don't help. Boras suggested to reporters that a future foray into the open market made more sense for De La Cruz than a below-market extension. What does that mean for the Reds in the near term? For now, he has three more years of team control, so there's no reason to be rash. Still, with this cloud starting to form over Great American Park, some sort of clarity about how the Reds plan to deal with their best player would be nice. -- Doolittle
26. Kansas City Royals
Record: 68-90
Previous ranking: 26
The Royals' biggest offseason project will be to figure out their 2027 bullpen formula. That process begins with evaluating the relievers already on hand. Presumed closer Carlos Estevez had shoulder surgery -- bafflingly not until the second week of September -- and the Royals almost certainly won't pick up their 2027 club option on him. Lucas Erceg looked lost before being shipped off to Omaha, but he performed well in Triple-A and his velocity upon his return to the majors has been at its highest level all year. Which Erceg is the real one? Is journeyman righty Nate Pearson a leverage option? Does Craig Kimbrel have anything left? The Royals will need relief help from outside the organization, but how much of it will depend on the outcome of these evaluations and others. -- Doolittle
27. San Francisco Giants
Record: 65-94
Previous ranking: 27
The general perception of San Francisco's farm system is that it improved in 2026, and Bryce Eldridge established himself as a player the organization could build around. Beyond that, however, the Giants really haven't progressed. They have a top-heavy payroll situation, with hundreds of millions owed to Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman. The questions about manager Tony Vitello making the jump from college to professional baseball weren't quelled by his first season with the Giants -- and neither were the questions about the man who hired him, Buster Posey, who is still relatively new to his front office role. -- Olney
28. Athletics
Record: 63-95
Previous ranking: 28
The A's are stumbling to the finish line having lost 95 games. All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers recently returned from knee surgery, but several other prominent players remain on the IL, including Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker, Luis Severino and Gage Jump. They'll enter their season-ending series against the Astros with a negative-217 run differential -- the worst in the majors by 33 runs. With one season remaining before the A's move to Las Vegas in 2028, they enter the winter in search of a general manager after David Forst's departure in early August. Their offseason priorities are straightforward: Get healthy and improve a pitching staff that has a 5.43 ERA (29th) despite pitching half its games at the launchpad known as Sutter Health Park. -- Castillo
29. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 60-98
Previous ranking: 29
The Angels, despite 11 straight losing seasons, are the only franchise in the majors that has yet to post a 100-loss season. That could change this weekend in Seattle, where the Angels will need to win three of four games to avoid reaching the century mark. It'd be a fitting conclusion to Arte Moreno's tenure as owner. Last month, Moreno agreed to sell controlling interest in the team to Stan Kroenke for a record valuation of $4 billion. Kroenke will take over a franchise that has not appeared in the postseason since 2014 and has not won a postseason game since 2009.
The first order of business this offseason will be hiring fired general manager Perry Minasian's replacement. The team could also be in search of a manager to replace Kurt Suzuki, who is on a one-year contract. It is a transformative time in Anaheim. -- Castillo
30. Colorado Rockies
Record: 57-101
Previous ranking: 30
Colorado has compiled 100 losses for the fourth consecutive season; the last team to suffer 100-plus losses in five consecutive seasons were the Phillies, from 1938 to 1942. In Paul DePodesta's first year of running Colorado's baseball operations, there were some under-the-hood improvements: the biggest run differential improvement of all 30 teams in 2026, an improved farm system and some nice finds for the every-day lineup, like Jake McCarthy, TJ Rumfield and Connor Norby. There's still a long way to go to competitive relevance for the Rockies, especially given the high bar required in the Dodgers' NL West. -- Olney