Is your MLB team a legitimate contender or setting you up for a season of disappointment? On some teams everyone can agree – on others, not so much.
Heading into the 2026 season, we asked our MLB experts Rank each team from 1 to 30. Some choices were no-brainers, like unanimous No. 1 los angeles dodgers –and unanimous number 30 colorado rockies. But in between, a handful of clubs were ranked across the board.
With that in mind, we identified the five most polarizing teams of 2026 — and asked voters who had the highest and lowest on each to explain why we should (or shouldn’t) have confidence in the team meeting expectations for the upcoming season.
Overall Ranking: 9
High Ranking (3): I believe Boston will outperform that ranking for two reasons: the Red Sox may have the best starting rotation in baseball and the offense is powered by it. roman anthonyWill be better than most expect.
Remember, this is the team that won 89 games last season despite rafael devers defeat, alex bregman Anthony missed nearly two months, and was on the injured list in the final month, not joining the team until June. Garrett Crochet Arguably the best pitcher in the world who hasn’t been named tariq skubal Or Paul Skenes. Anthony, still just 21 years old, will establish himself as one of the premier hitters in the game if he stays healthy.
Yes, the Red Sox botched the Devers situation and their attempt to re-sign Bregman. And yet they must compete this season and in years to come. –Jorge Castillo
Low Ranking (13): FanGraphs projects the Red Sox to score 4.6 runs per game, and I’m taking the under. They only have two hitters I can promise will bat above average against both sides of the platoon – Roman Anthony and wilson contreras. And that’s because I see potential landmines.
what if trevor story Doesn’t he again outperform his underlying metrics (.741 OPS, .684 qualified OPS)? what if jerren duran And willier abreu Don’t improve against lefties (.618 combined OPS)? what if carlos narvaez Hit like he did after the All-Star break (.619 OPS)?
For Boston to score enough to keep up with the Yankees, Blue Jays and Orioles, it needs to cash in on several less-likely bets. — Paul Hembekides
Overall ranking: 11
High Ranking (5): Ignore the Brewers — who won 97 games last year, most of them in big games — at your own peril. The offense puts the ball in play. They play defense. They always get some wins on the bases. bullpen, with abner uribe And trevor megill Leading, projects as one of the best. The starting rotation will be key in determining whether Milwaukee can exceed expectations again.
Jakub Misiorowski, chad patrick And Brandon SproatEach are near the top of the rotation, with less than a year of MLB experience. kyle harrison, logan henderson And Robert Gasser add more youth Brandon Woodruff The lonely veteran.
Manager Pat Murphy said, “We’re inexperienced, but that doesn’t mean we’re not good.” Agreed. –David Scoenfield
Low Ranking (16): At some point, the brewers’ budget-conscious approach to roster construction will come back to haunt them. From July 2022, they have ceased trading josh haider, corbin burns, devin williams and now freddy peraltaLeaving himself as inexperienced in terms of pitching as he had been for years.
Ask yourself, how many current members of the Brewers rotation can you name? I look at their roster and don’t see anything more interesting than what you’ll find on the Reds or Pirates, which means this National League Central should be tighter than the last few years. And since I’m a Pirates supporter as far as playoff entrants go, the Brewers are the logical team to leave out. – Tristan Cockcroft
Overall ranking: 13
High Ranking (9): I don’t believe the Astros are going to make the playoffs in 2026, but in some respects they’re still the Astros.
They missed the postseason last year due to tiebreakers, and that’s with yordan alvarezOne of the game’s best hitters, he finished the season with only six home runs due to injuries. carlos correaacquired from the Twins last year, and Isaac Paredes Parts of the season were also marred by injuries. jose altuve Returns to another base, where he remains.
Starting pitching isn’t what it used to be, but hunter brown Emerged as a legitimate ace last year. mike burroughs And Tatsuya ImaiEvery interesting starter was added to the rotation. The Astros have a chance to be in the AL wild-card race again this year. –Tim Kurkjian
Low Ranking (19): It’s hard to believe that picking the Astros to finish third in the AL West is polarizing in any way. It’s hard to believe that picking the Astros to miss the playoffs is polarizing in any way, even though that’s exactly what happened last season and their thin roster is even thinner now.
with framber valdez In Detroit, this is a team with an established starting pitcher (Brown) and a lineup that is either old (35-year-old Altuve), unproven (23-year-old) cam smith) or recently renewed (Alvarez). The Astros went a good, long way, but it’s over. Don’t live in the past. –Tim Keown
Overall ranking: 18
High Ranking (13): Hunter greenThe elbow surgery is a major breakthrough for the Reds, who made the postseason last year. But there are many reasons to believe this lineup could be more consistent, more productive. slugger sal stewart is here, and it is here to stay. matt mcclean One year removed from surgery and feeling great this spring. eugenio suarez His age and defense may have had teams worried during free agency, but the guy hit 49 homers last year, and landing him on a one-year deal with the Reds was a gift that Terry Francona welcomed with open arms. and I think eli de la cruz This year, you will take a big step forward by taking advantage of the better depth around you. — Buster Olney
Low Ranking (24): De la Cruz is a star, Chase Burns Could be an ace this year, and I think Stewart will contend for National League Rookie of the Year. That said, I’m not that optimistic about the rest of this roster right now, especially after Green’s injury. The Reds have a nice collection of young players that I like, but I’m not sure this is a playoff team in 2026; It feels like 2027 to me. – Kelly McDaniel
Overall ranking: 22
High Ranking (13): I like Pittsburgh’s depth of impact-level starting pitching, as well as the heights the lineup can offer. oneil cruz (Only as a hitter, right now) and finally Connor Griffin. But the real novelty this year is that the Pirates’ roster is now much deeper.
Lineup features professional, accomplished big league hitters brandon lowe, marcel ozuna And Ryan O’HearnAnd there are a lot of youngsters who can join the mix in the second half. It’s the opposite here! –McDaniel
Low Ranking (24): All this talk that the Pirates have improved so much offensively heading into the postseason is redundant. Sure, Griffin could break through and win NL Rookie of the Year, but Ozuna could also look about his age (35). And the bottom of the order is still nothing to write home about.
There has been improvement in them. in some areas. Great. They still aren’t good enough to compete for the postseason and have already lost starter Paul Skenes. they can’t He Expect to make noise again and again in 2026. –Jesse Rogers
