The MLB is nearly a month away from the first pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, unofficially kicking off the 2026 season.
As of Jan. 9, the first of many power rankings appeared online, showing who might have the upper edge at the start of the season. While there are still several free agents left on the table, it’s a good time to start taking stock of what teams have and what they still need. Before fans know it, opening day will dawn.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ offseason is about as good as any fan in Canada could ask for. Their one-run game seven loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed to have really upset the front office, leading to some of the most aggressive spending anywhere. Ace Dylan Cease, Korean league MVP Cody Ponce, and reliever Tyler Rodgers will bolster their arms as their rotation is aging. Topping it off by getting a serious contact-plus-power bat in Kazuma Okamoto gives them another big-time option in the lineup. They deserve the top spot in the power rankings.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are still the same old team, stealing closer Edwin Diaz from the New York Mets to their staff. They’re also still in the hunt for Bo Bichette and have a litany of prospects coming up the pipeline. Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, and Eduardo Quintero, if they pan out, could carry on the offensive legacies left by Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts when they retire.
The Seattle Mariners’ offseason has been quiet outside of re-signing Josh Naylor and letting Harry Ford go in a trade with the Washington Nationals. The Mariners still have a high-upside lineup with Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh manning the ship, not to mention Colt Emerson’s performance in the minor leagues.
As for the Milwaukee Brewers, their ranking is tentative depending on the outcome of Freddy Peralta’s fate. Even with a trade, they still have Logan Henderson to fill that void and, arguably, one of the best bullpens to lock down games in closer Trevor Megill and Aaron Ashby. There is no more Isaac Collins, plus their lineup needs more pop, but it is strangely consistent throughout.
The New York Yankees should be lucky they have Aaron Judge. Without him, they’d be out of tier two power rankings completely. They’ll start the season with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and others recovering from injuries, and the fate of Cody Bellinger is still not yet known. They do have Cam Schlittler and Spencer Jones to look forward to, but they must perform.
The Boston Red Sox are a fun team to watch with Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Cedanne Rafaela in the lineup. Garrett Crochet will spearhead this rotation, but the Red Sox have some questions on whether Connelly Early and Payton Tolle will perform out of the gate. Also, what about Alex Bregman?
Tatsuya Imai was the prize for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Houston Astros, but he ended up signing with the latter on a three-year, $63 million deal. Welcome back to the playoffs, Houston, but an aging right infield and weak farm system might offset their pitching.
The Cubs have talent, young and veterans, throughout their lineup with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cade Horton leading the youth movement. Philadelphia does too. The Phillies, though, also have serious concerns about their outfield and pitching, especially with Max Kepler suspended, Zack Wheeler coming off an injury, and the uncertain fate of Ranger Suarez.
The last three teams will fight for the wild-card spots. The Cleveland Guardians are still apprehensive about inking a major deal, while the New York Mets keep losing power players left and right. If it weren’t for the Mets’ young prospects in Nolan McLean and Jett Williams, they’d have no shot at the postseason and be near the bottom of the power rankings. As for the San Diego Padres, the loss of Cease is critical to their ambitions despite re-signing Michael King.
Don’t look now, but the Pittsburgh Pirates and Athletics have made serious offseason moves. Pittsburgh paid serious attention to its lack of offense led to the addition of Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, and prospect Jhostynxon Garcia. That’s not even counting Konnor Griffin and Bubba Chandler.
The Athletics locked down Tyler Soderstrom and got veteran presence in Jeff McNeil alongside rookie superstars Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson.
The Baltimore Orioles made the biggest move of the bunch by signing Pete Alonso to a five-year deal and replacing a fading Ryan Mountcastle with a for Taylor Ward. Signing Ryan Helsley and getting Shane Baz in a trade is pivotal for this team’s pitching staff, along with the return of Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish.
The Detroit Tigers still have Tarik Skubal and a young offensive corps, but their 2025 meltdown out of the AL Central title makes it hard to trust them. The Kansas City Royals still have Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia, but lack star power outside of them. As for the Atlanta Braves, the entire team needs to bounce back, including Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr.
All of these teams have serious prospects, such as Munetaka Murakami for the Chicago White Sox, and Chandler Simpson and Braden Taylor for the Tampa Bay Rays. The Nationals might be the best of the group, with emerging players in James Wood, CJ Abrams, and Mackenzie Gore. Let’s be clear, however: Their teams need serious work.
The Miami Marlins got Owen Caissie and signed Pete Fairbanks, but that’s only a small band-aid. Losing Edward Cabrera will sting if Robby Snelling or Thomas White fail. Again, a promising future, but still really unproven.
As for the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, the former’s offense was terrible last year. The latter’s offense was good, but their pitching fell apart, and might do so even more if Zac Gallen leaves.
Most of these teams are a disaster. The San Francisco Giants might escape that moniker with their two aces and strong play by Matt Chapman and Willy Adames, but they still have serious holes. The Cincinnati Reds also have a good rotation and a star in Sal Stewart, but missed out on Kyle Schwarber.
The St. Louis Cardinals have JJ Weatherholt and Liam Doyle, but their roster isn’t constructed well. The Minnesota Twins must hold on to Joe Ryan and hope both Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton are healthy throughout 2026. At least Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper are coming soon.
As for the Los Angeles Angels and Colorado Rockies, they are at the bottom of the power rankings. The only thing the Angels have is Mike Trout; that’s about it.
Again, most of these power rankings can, and will, change as free agency drags on. Who knows? Maybe the Rockies will sign Kyle Tucker and jump in the rankings. Still, there’s a lot of time left before the first pitch is thrown, so there will be surprises out of spring training, both good and bad.
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