We’re just about a month into the 2026 MLB season, and while the No. 1 team has stood strong atop our list, that hasn’t been the case for a number of playoff hopefuls.
The Mets are making headlines for a 12-game losing streak that finally ended Wednesday night, but has dropped them to the bottom of standings and all the way to No. 27 on our Week 4 list. But they aren’t alone in that downfall — the Phillies have the worst run differential in the majors, and the Astros and Red Sox are at the bottom of their divisions.
Meanwhile, the Athletics are atop the American League West, the Reds are tied for the fourth-best record in baseball and the Twins are one game behind the AL Central-leading Guardians. Who could’ve predicted this four weeks ago?!
What will the month of May bring for these clubs? Will they be able to carry — or change — their momentum?
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 Jesse Rogers, Jorge Castillo and Bradford Doolittle to weigh in with an observation for each team.
Record: 16-8
Preseason ranking: 1
While it’s tempting to drill down on how inconceivable it is that Max Muncy is hitting .293 with eight homers and yet has just nine RBIs, let’s give some of the Dodgers’ considerable spotlight to the resurgence of Andy Pages. We knew Pages was a lot better than his horrific struggles of last October, when he went 4-for-51 (.078) with zero walks for the champs. But this much better? Well, his .439 BABIP so far strongly suggests that his .353 average won’t hold up. But he has also added more than 3 mph to his average exit velocity, so there are some real improvements. For Dodgers’ opponents, this is just what they needed: one more explosive batting slot to contend with. — Doolittle
Record: 17-8
Preseason ranking: 3
The Braves are who we thought they were last season. They rank second in runs allowed and lead MLB in runs scored despite several key injuries and Ronald Acuna Jr. getting off to a relatively slow start. That’s a real recipe for success. With Spencer Strider, Sean Murphy and Ha-Seong Kim slated to come off the injured list soon, Atlanta appears to be the class of the National League East once again. — Castillo
Record: 15-9
Preseason ranking: 2
The run-it-back Yankees are one of the best, if not the best, teams in the AL. The starting rotation is elite — and that’s without Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole, who are expected to return by early June. Ben Rice leads the majors in OBP, slugging and OPS+. Cody Bellinger is warming up. They have a guy named Aaron Judge who has nine home runs. Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ryan McMahon and Austin Wells are all struggling and the bullpen is a weakness, but the Yankees have the foundation for a deep October run. — Castillo
Record: 16-8
Preseason ranking: 4
The Padres have Mason Miller, and other teams don’t. At the moment, this is by far their biggest competitive advantage. Miller has gone to another dimension, or at least his pitches seem to appear magically from one. You should not cite 162-game paces this early for any player, especially not a short reliever. But we’re going to do it anyway, because looking at Miller’s paces is like catching a glimpse of the sublime. He hasn’t been scored on (0.00 ERA, obviously) and, per Fangraphs, his paces are for 56 saves, 190 strikeouts — as a one-inning reliever! — and 14 hits allowed. His fWAR pace is 6.4, and he’s striking out 21.4 batters per nine innings. It is not unreasonable to consider whether Miller will get some serious Cy Young chatter. — Doolittle
Record: 15-9
Preseason ranking: 10
Pinch-hitting stats in April aren’t exactly the go-to page for fans, but they tell a story for the Cubs, who rank fifth in scoring in MLB. Through 24 games, Cubs pinch hitters already have a quarter of the at-bats they did all of last season — and it’s not because the team doesn’t have a group of good hitters. It’s the opposite, in fact. Manager Craig Counsell has so much faith in his bench that he can find favorable platoon matchups whenever he desires. It has led to some huge hits off the bench, including a three-run home run from catcher Carson Kelly to help beat the Mets on Saturday and then a pinch-hit RBI double by Michael Conforto to do the same Sunday. Chicago has a deep lineup. — Rogers
Record: 16-9
Preseason ranking: 16
Cincinnati’s bullpen has been nothing short of amazing, leading to one of the best stats of the first month: The Reds are 6-0 in one run games, including 3-0 in extra innings. They’re also 8-3 against plus .500 teams and 9-3 on the road. There’s likely to be some regression, but they’ve earned those wins thanks to the best clutch pitching in the game despite an OPS at the plate that ranks just above the Mets for worst in MLB. Pitching is the name of the game for Cincinnati, and players such as Connor Phillips, Brock Burke, Graham Ashcraft and Pierce Johnson are getting it done. — Rogers
Record: 13-10
Preseason ranking: 9
Not unlike last April, the story of the Brewers so far is their injuries. They are playing without Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, Quinn Priester and Andrew Vaughn, among others. It has put a strain on their depth, but almost no team is more equipped to play — and win — shorthanded than Milwaukee. Jake Bauers (five home runs) has stepped up. So have pitchers Chad Patrick and Grant Anderson. With Trevor Megill getting hit a lot and Abner Uribe a little, the Brewers will need other contributors — at least until the injured players return. Chourio isn’t far off. — Rogers
Record: 13-12
Preseason ranking: 7
At present, 21-year-old rookie Kevin McGonigle leads all AL position players in bWAR. Take that Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. McGonigle has been the full package so far, but what’s such a joy to watch is his veteran-like grind at the plate. He’s ultra-patient, but when he swings, he makes contact and has plus extra-base ability when that contact is made. That’s the full package. Over the last couple of offseasons, the narrative around the Tigers is that they might need an injection of star power into an otherwise deep and steady roster to take that next step. But if we had fully realized how good McGonigle was going to be, we might have better understood Detroit’s need to do this organically. — Doolittle
Record: 14-10
Preseason ranking: 8
So, are the Pirates for real? They think so — even claiming that past good starts have been “fluky” compared to this season. You can look at the glass as half full: Paul Skenes hasn’t been dominant and yet the team is over .500. Or, you can see regression coming at the plate: Are players such as Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn going to keep their OPS around .900 all season long? Probably not. Cruz might be the key, even if Lowe and O’Hearn show that regression. Cruz has the skill set to dominate at the plate and on the bases. As he goes, so could the Pirates. Where this team goes this year will be fun to watch. — Rogers
Record: 14-12
Preseason ranking: 13
Chase DeLauter has cooled after his blistering start, but the sky remains the limit for the kid from West Virginia. The 24-year-old has overcome an avalanche of injuries during his developmental years, and his presence on the Guardians, who are better than we thought (as always), has added some character to the makeup of a roster that can seem a bit faceless beyond no-brainer Hall of Famer Jose Ramirez.
DeLauter can hit, and even as his average has dipped, he still has walked more than he has struck out and has flashed plenty of power. Best of all, though, is the walk-up song — John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” It’s one of those songs that the crowd keeps singing well after the walk-up snippet of it stops playing. Soon, the national baseball audience is going to want to become acquainted with DeLauter. — Doolittle
Record: 12-12
Preseason ranking: 11
How much is New York regretting trading Brandon Nimmo to Texas? The Mets’ loss is the Rangers’ gain as Nimmo has needed little time to adjust to his new surroundings. Perhaps he’s the offensive spark the team has been looking for since winning the World Series in 2023. Maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but the needed boost isn’t, as the Rangers have been offensively challenged over the past couple of years — some of that due to the park they play in. It hasn’t stopped Nimmo, though, who has an OPS north of .900. Sending Marcus Semien to the Mets for him looks like a home run for Texas president of baseball operations Chris Young. — Rogers
Record: 14-10
Preseason ranking: 19
The Diamondbacks have avoided getting buried in the NL West despite an offense that has suffered too many injuries and underperformances. On the latter front, you can zero in on Arizona’s veteran-laden infield where Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Nolan Arenado all have OPS+ figures well below 100, which is the average. The Diamondbacks have subsisted by winning their fair share of an unusual number of close games. And not all the news has been bad for the offense. Corbin Carroll is in MVP form, and Ildemaro Vargas has been a revelation. But they need more from the players they were counting on or the dominators of the West will put some real distance between themselves and the Snakes. — Doolittle
Record: 11-15
Preseason ranking: 6
Quick, who leads the Mariners in home runs after four weeks? Not Cal Raleigh. Not Julio Rodriguez. No, it’s not Randy Arozarena or newcomer Brendan Donovan either. It’s right fielder Luke Raley, who has five in 72 at-bats so far after hitting four in 183 last year. His current pace is more in line with the 22 homers he hit in 2024. The Mariners have often been inconsistent at the plate while playing in a pitcher-friendly ballpark, so if Raley can keep up his pace, he could be an added bonus to a lineup that should show a lot more in the coming months. He and Donovan have been Seattle’s best hitters so far. — Rogers
Record: 13-11
Preseason ranking: 15
The Rays have overcome their payroll disadvantage to compete over the years by constructing top-tier pitching staffs. So far this year, though, the offense has lugged the pitching staff to .500 territory. Tampa Bay ranks as a bottom-five team in the majors in ERA and FIP. The offense, meanwhile, has five regulars with an OPS+ of 105 or higher, as Yandy Diaz leads the way and Chandler Simpson wreaks havoc from the leadoff spot. — Castillo
Record: 12-13
Preseason ranking: 12
Baltimore invested $155 million in Pete Alonso to supply power in the middle of its lineup behind Gunnar Henderson. That hasn’t happened yet. Alonso has three home runs and a .372 slugging percentage through 25 games. Those numbers are alarming for a slugger whose career lows over a full season are 34 home runs and a .459 slugging percentage. One metric to note: Alonso’s bat speed is down to an average of 73.7 mph from 75.3 mph last season. — Castillo
Record: 10-14
Preseason ranking: 17
Around this time a year ago, the Blue Jays were .500 and remained there until the end of May before going on an unexpected run that ended in Game 7 of the World Series. So it’s too early to count them out. But even the best teams can stomach only so many injuries, and Toronto is being tested. Here’s an incomplete list of players currently sidelined: George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Addison Barger, Anthony Santander, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, Cody Ponce and Bowden Francis. Ponce and Francis are out for the season. Santander won’t return until September at the earliest, if at all. The others will trickle back over the next weeks and months. For now, Toronto must stay afloat while shorthanded. — Castillo
Record: 14-10
Preseason ranking: 26
The Cardinals have defied expectations in the standings over the first four weeks, but is it sustainable? They rank in the bottom five in ERA, and that even includes a goose egg from closer Riley O’Brien. He’s one reason the Cardinals are above .500, as he has blown just one save in seven chances. And while the team ERA isn’t anything to write home about, the Cardinals have been very good in high-leverage moments, ranking in the top five in clutch pitching, according to FanGraphs. Those moments are what matter most, and whether it be at the plate or on the mound, the Cardinals have been a pleasant surprise to their fans so far. — Rogers
Record: 8-16
Preseason ranking: 5
One of the Phillies’ supposed strengths this season, even without Zack Wheeler to begin the year, was their starting rotation. Instead, Philadelphia ranks near the bottom of the majors in starter ERA. Cristopher Sanchez, the reigning NL Cy Young runner-up, is the only starter performing to expectations. Wheeler is scheduled to return Saturday against the Braves, but the Phillies need Jesus Luzardo (6.91 ERA), Aaron Nola (5.06 ERA) and Andrew Painter (4.42 ERA) to improve to reverse course. — Castillo
Record: 12-12
Preseason ranking: 14
The Twins are … hard to read. They’ve played solid, just-better-than-average baseball and certainly exceeded preseason expectations in the early going. But when you look at the source of the surprise, it gets a little murky. One thing we can say for sure is that the rotation has been very good, with Taj Bradley emerging as one of the breakout pitchers in baseball so far. Can the Twins keep it up? Maybe not, but in a league that has a low bar for contention, the real question might be whether Minnesota can hang close enough long enough that it discourages thoughts of subtracting at the trade deadline, especially when pondering a possible Joe Ryan trade. It’ll be on the Twins from here to validate their solid beginning. — Doolittle
Record: 13-12
Preseason ranking: 22
As it turns out, catcher Shez Langeliers might be the best hitter on the A’s. At least he has been in April. There has seemingly been a different best hitter every month going back over the past couple of years. Remember Lawrence Butler‘s coming out party? How about Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson? All are off to slower starts this season. And while 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz is taking his walks and getting on base, he has been a bit of a three-true-outcomes guy so far. The point is, if the A’s could ever get the whole group hitting for an extended period of time, they could be really dangerous. But we knew that already. — Rogers
Record: 9-15
Preseason ranking: 20
Boston’s lack of power is not a complete surprise — it was a concern going into the season. Garrett Crochet carrying a 7.88 ERA through five starts, however, is a different matter. The reigning AL Cy Young Award runner-up has allowed 21 earned runs in four outings since beginning his season with six scoreless frames on Opening Day. He allowed five runs over five innings against the Tigers on Sunday after surrendering 11 runs (10 earned) in 1⅔ innings against the Twins last week. With Sonny Gray on the IL, Brayan Bello also scuffling and an offense without much punch, the Red Sox need Crochet to find his footing. — Castillo
Record: 12-13
Preseason ranking: 21
Miami’s rebuild is seemingly taking the next step. The Marlins were one of baseball’s surprises last season, going 78-83 and playing spoiler. This season, playing themselves into the postseason is plausible. Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez and Liam Hicks have been three of the best hitters in baseball thus far. Kyle Stowers made his season debut Sunday. Sandy Alcantara has shown flashes of his Cy Young form. Eury Perez has the stuff to dominate. The players to compete for a wild-card spot are there. — Castillo
Record: 12-14
Preseason ranking: 25
Can there be any other takeaway from the Angels’ April than Mike Trout‘s start to the season? He’s among the game’s offensive leaders again, both in home runs and OPS after putting on a show at Yankee Stadium last weekend. His walk-to-strikeout ratio — better than 1-to-1 — is extra impressive considering it was about 2-to-1 in reverse last season. Trout looks like he has that proverbial extra bounce in his step, both at the plate and in center field. For at least the first four weeks, he looks to be his vintage self again. — Rogers
Record: 10-16
Preseason ranking: 24
Remember when the Astros could pitch better than most? Those days are slipping away as they have the highest ERA in baseball. Mike Burrows has an ERA that starts with 6. So does Lance McCullers. And so does Ryan Weiss. Starting to get the picture? There are more 6.00 ERAs than 3s or 4s. That’s a problem for a staff playing without Hunter Brown. At least Spencer Arrighetti is off to a nice start, but we haven’t even addressed the bullpen yet. It’s also bad. At least Houston is perfect in save opportunities, but that’s little consolation when the team is getting so beat up before the ninth inning. — Rogers
Record: 11-13
Preseason ranking: 27
The Giants’ lack of collective power is troubling. It’s not like anyone thought they’d lead the majors in homers, but we’re nearing the end of April and San Francisco’s team leader in homers is Willy Adames with three. The Giants have just 14 dingers overall. When you add the fact that this is an unathletic team with just five stolen bases, the end result is an offense that just doesn’t score enough to win consistently. There is a lot the Giants could be doing better, but it starts with that simple objective: Their top power hitters — Matt Chapman, Adames and, especially, Rafael Devers — need to start making the ball go far. — Doolittle
Record: 11-14
Preseason ranking: 28
The Nationals rank near the bottom of the majors in pitching staff ERA and FIP. Run prevention is an issue. Run production, however, is not. Washington is third in runs per game, seventh in OPS and tied for eighth in wRC+. James Wood, still just 23 years old, has reverted to his 2025 pre-All-Star-break form with an .893 OPS and seven home runs. CJ Abrams, still just 25, is fulfilling his potential with a 190 OPS+. Joey Wiemer, Jorbit Vivas, Daylen Lile and Jose Tena have been well-above-average hitters. The Nationals are an average pitching staff away from making some noise. — Castillo
Record: 8-16
Preseason ranking: 18
The Mets’ losing streak comes down to their offense becoming a disaster without Juan Soto. They ranked last in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS during their 12-game losing streak before Soto was activated Wednesday. Their 48 wRC+ over that span was a distant 30th behind the Royals’ 72. The production was worse with runners on base. Losing Soto would’ve wounded any offense, but the Mets went comatose. They’ll hope they can turn that around with Soto back in the lineup. — Castillo
Record: 8-17
Preseason ranking: 23
When a team is stringing together losses as Kansas City has been of late, it tends to be an all-systems failure — you can point at just about any facet of the team. For the Royals, though, there’s one thing that stands out: an almost pathological inability to hit with runners in scoring position. The Royals haven’t hit well as a group overall, but the failings with men on base have been staggering — a sub-.200 average that ranks last in baseball. Earlier this season, there was a stat going around about how Bobby Witt Jr. had reached based more than 20 times but scored just once. How does that happen? It happens because of a complete absence of clutch hitting. — Doolittle
Record: 9-15
Preseason ranking: 29
As the White Sox continue to slowly rise from the lowest of points, some things have worked and others haven’t. The overall trajectory remains good, even if some in Chicago grow impatient. But one decision the White Sox nailed was the signing of Munetaka Murakami, who has dispelled any questions about whether his power bat would transition well from Japan. If you’re still wondering, check out the nine homers already on his ledger and find the video of him hitting one over the batter’s eye in Sacramento. The White Sox will return to relevance with each good decision they make. Signing Murakami was a very good one. — Doolittle
Record: 10-15
Preseason ranking: 30
Suffice to say, the 2025 Rockies, losers of 119 games, were a club without any strengths. The 2026 Rockies still aren’t great, but they’ve been competitive and have one clear strength: the bullpen. The Rockies own a top-10 bullpen ERA, and that’s unadjusted, meaning there’s no adjustment for Coors Field in that ranking. The new regime’s experimental initiatives seem to have paid off with this unit in particular, with Chase Dollander and Antonio Senzatela excelling in multi-inning roles. It’ll take a long time to untangle the mess inherited by president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes, but at least there’s some growth emerging. — Doolittle
