MLB power rankings: 30 teams ranked worst to first on May 7th, 2026

#27: Colorado Rockies. They came back to earth after leaving Citi Field and have been slowly sinking back to where we expected them to be in the NL West. Chase Dollander gives us some hope that this team might have a future, but there isn’t much else going on in Denver right now.

#26: Boston Red Sox. The change in manager gave them a bit of the old “dead cat bounce,” but they went back to their losing ways after a three-game winning streak. They’ve lost consecutive series to Houston and Toronto, and now are dealing with an injury to Roman Anthony. With the Yankees and Rays both playing so well, this team is probably on the brink of packing it in.

Bad, But Not the Worst

#25: Philadelphia Phillies. Since Mattingly took over as manager, the bats have seemed to wake up a bit. The pitching staff is much better with Zack Wheeler in the mix, and it’s not too late for the Phils to get in the mix in the wild-card hunt. The arrow is pointing up with these guys right now.

#24: Minnesota Twins. The Twins took another tumble in my rankings as they’ve sunk all the way to the bottom of the Central division. Luckily for them, it’s the AL Central and not the NL, so if they can get back to .500, they can compete. Losing Joe Ryan for any length of time will really hurt their chances of getting going, so it’s a situation I’ll be watching.

#23: Baltimore Orioles. Down one spot from last week, the O’s still haven’t managed to get things going. Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday have both had setbacks during their rehab assignments, and the wheels have fallen off of the replacement players like Jeremiah Jackson and Coby Mayo. The bats of Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, and Adley Rutschman are going to have to carry the offense for a while.

#22: San Francisco Giants. They finally promoted Bryce Eldridge, so hopefully, he gives the lineup a much-needed shot in the arm. The bullpen has melted down, forcing Tony Vitello to make a change at closer. With the Dodgers and Padres pulling away, this team is going to need to right the ship ASAP if they have any hopes for competing for a wild-card spot.

#21: Miami Marlins. The team is limping a bit after recently dropping 3 of 4 games to division rival, Philadelphia. The lineup will get a bit of a shake-up as the team has demoted starting catcher Augustin Ramirez and has called up prospect Joe Mack to split time with the red-hot Liam Hicks. As they struggle, they are losing sight of the Braves, and if it continues for another few weeks, they will likely start selling pieces like Sandy Alcantara and Pete Fairbanks (when healthy).

#20: Washington Nationals.  Just like the rest of this division, they are fading well behind the Braves. The offense is still fun to watch, but they just don’t have a major league pitching staff right now. This is about as high as I can see them finishing in the rankings when all is said and done.

#19: Kansas City Royals.  They’ve actually heated up along with Bobby Witt’s bat and managed a recent 4-game win streak. This could be one of those lineups that will begin to click as the weather warms, and they can be right in the mix for this division if they can keep Cole Ragan and the rest of the pitching staff healthy.

Contending

#18: Chicago White Sox. You know a team has been struggling for quite some time when we are celebrating the fact that they managed to play .500 ball for a full month. They have clawed their way to within a game or so of the division lead, and with their young core of players leading the way, they may not realize it’s too early to compete. More help is on the way with phenom pitcher Hagen Smith and outfielder Braden Montgomery, both excelling in the minors.

#17: Detroit Tigers. The Tigers received some bad news this past week as Tarik Skubal is due to miss a couple of months after undergoing surgery to clean up his elbow. It could have been worse, but the team is also dealing with the recent loss of Casey Mize for a few weeks, and they are still waiting for Justin Verlander to make it back from the IL. This division is wide open, and without Skubal in the mix, it really can be any team’s to win.

#16: Toronto Blue Jays. Trey Yesavage has returned and has helped stabilize the rotation a bit, but overall, the team has been alternating wins and losses for the last week or so. Kaz Okamoto has been a pleasant surprise, leading the team in homers after over a month of play.

#15: Texas Rangers. This team still has a ton of holes in their lineup, and it has shown as they rank in the bottom 10 of baseball in batting average, runs scored, slug, and on base%. They’ve recently lost 3 consecutive series to the Athletics, Tigers, and Yankees. There’s still plenty of time to right the ship as the AL West is still tightly bunched together, without a dominant team running away.

#14: Seattle Mariners. Another AL West team that has underperformed, but it’s a team I expect to eventually compete for the AL West crown. The Mariners have way too talented a pitching staff to play under .500 ball. The problem is that Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo have been inconsistent, and Luis Castillo has been downright horrid. Top draft pick, lefty pitcher, Kade Anderson, is tearing through AA and should be promoted at some point if things don’t improve.

#13: Arizona Diamondbacks. They’ve dropped below .500 after dropping 7 games in a 9-game stretch, thanks to their pitching staff allowing almost 7 runs per game over that span. Eduardo Rodriguez has been their ace, and he was able to step up and stop the bleeding with a recent gem against Pittsburgh that got the team back on track.

12 to 6

#12: Cleveland Guardians. The AL Central is super tight, and the recent injury to Tarik Skubal likely makes the Guardians the favorites to win the division. Nothing will be handed to them, and they are going to need the bats to get going, as I don’t see a team with a negative run differential making much noise in the postseason.

#11: Milwaukee Brewers. The NL Central is also super tight, but in this case, it’s because all 5 teams are actually good. The Brewers will have their hands full as they are currently dancing with division rival Cardinals, but have the Yankees and Padres coming up on their dance card in the coming week.

#10: Pittsburgh Pirates. Things are still looking good in the Steel City, despite a recent 5-game losing streak within their division, which included a 4-game sweep against the Cardinals. The Bucs bounced back by sweeping the Reds and are holding strong with both a pitching staff and a lineup that rank in the top 10 in the league in most categories.

#9: The Athletics. The swinging A’s are still standing atop the AL West. It’s amazing that they are the only team in the division that has managed to play winning baseball through 35+ games. I think this is about what this team is, and they will probably finish the season right around .500. That may not win the division, but it could get them a wild card spot. It will be interesting to see if they actually make any moves to improve the rotation or bullpen.

#8: Cincinnati Reds. They have stumbled a bit lately, losing 7 games over a recent 10-game stretch. The bullpen was recently dealt a blow as their closer, Emilio Pagan, was carted off the field with a severe hamstring injury. Nick Lodolo is finally back in the rotation after missing the first month of the season with blister issues, and his return couldn’t come at a better time.

#7: San Diego Padres. The Padres are a bit of a mystery to me. They have a great record, but they have a questionable pitching staff, and their key offensive stars haven’t done much yet. Of their “core 4” batters, only Xander Bogaerts has an OPS that begins with a 7. What this team has that no other team does is a lockdown bullpen led by the best closer in baseball. I expect Tatis, Merrill, and Machado to heat up as the weather warms.

#6: St. Louis Cardinals. This is a young team that looks very similar to the Padres on paper at first glance. Both teams have played .600 baseball through 35 games with an identical +3 run differential. Neither of their starting rotations is much to write home about, either. The difference here is the Cardinals weren’t expected to be this good, and they are a ton of fun to watch as they have a young lineup and defense led by JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson, and Jordan Walker.

Top 5

#5: Los Angeles Dodgers. This team is playing a different game than the rest of the league, so having the best regular-season record isn’t a priority. Every day, they get their opponents’ best shot, and they’ve been losing as many games as they have won over the past week plus. There’s nothing to worry about in LA-La Land; this team is still the odds-on favorite to win their third straight championship. They just aren’t playing as well as the top 4 teams right now.

#4: Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are one of the hottest teams in baseball, riding a recent 7-game winning streak to the top of the best division in baseball. The pitching has been the driving force, led by Shoto Imanaga and Colin Rea. The bullpen gets a boost with the return of closer, Danny Palencia, who will rejoin a group that has been anchored by young flame thrower, Ben Brown.

#3: Tampa Bay Rays. They are still the second-best team in the AL, and that means they’re still in second place in the division.  They have been one of the hottest teams in the league in May, as they are undefeated so far this month. It’s all but certain that the top wild-card team is going to come from the East Division in the American League this year.

#2: New York Yankees. Things are clicking in the Bronx as the Yanks have been mowing through their opponents. The last time they lost a series was a month ago, when they were swept in Tampa by the Rays. Carlos Rodon is set to rejoin a pitching corps that already leads the league in ERA and ranks in the top 3 in strikeouts, batting average against, and WHIP. They are the best team in the AL right now.

#1: Atlanta Braves. The Braves have the best record in the league, and they’ve been dominating their competition to the tune of a league-leading +81 run differential. Raisel Iglesias and Spencer Strider have returned to bolster their already impressive pitching staff. As long as they stay healthy, they’re the only team in the National League that the Dodgers have to worry about.

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