Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Two surprise teams have emerged as legitimate playoff contenders this season, defying widespread expectations of early regression.
- Their recent performances have forced analysts to reconsider the entire playoff landscape in both leagues.
- The next few weeks will test whether these teams can sustain their momentum or if their rises mark a temporary flare-up.
The MLB season is an unforgiving beast. It's one thing to get off to a strong start over the course of a month or two. But 162 games has a way of exposing every crack in your foundation, of separating the feel-good stories from the true contenders.
But if the 2026 campaign has taught us anything, it's that we know far less than we think. I mean, seriously: Who expected the Braves to weather a rash of spring injuries to post the best record in baseball? Who expected the American League standings to look like something out of Mad Max? How many teams are you really convinced are actually good right now?
If ever there were a year in which Cinderella had staying power, it would be this one. That's great news for the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals, both of which just put up banner weeks — and currently sit in second place in their respective divisions. This success is nothing new, of course, but most expected that regression would come sooner or later. Given the fact that no one else seems to actually want to make the playoffs, though, who's to say both of these underdogs won't be there at the end? Both can really bang, and both have the pieces in place to get pitching help at the deadline. Don't count them out; our latest MLB power rankings sure aren't, with both climbing into the top 10.
30. Colorado Rockies
- Last week's ranking: 29
The 2026 Rockies got a glimpse of the future this week with Cole Carrigg, one of their top prospects, debuting and putting on a show, with two home runs and a triple in his first four games. Carrigg might not have star potential, but it’s easy to see a path for him etching out a role long-term for a Rockies team that continues to look better than they did in 2025 by leaps and bounds.
–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com
29. Kansas City Royals
- Last week's ranking: 28
All of the Bobby Witt talk understandably involves his decreased power, but his walk rate has skyrocketed from 7.1 percent to 10.3 percent. For all of our sakes, let’s hope Witt isn’t next to join the Mike Trout Misery Club.Â
–Jake Elman, FanSided.com
28. Los Angeles Angels
- Last week's ranking: 30
The Angels played spoiler for both the Astros and Rays this week, and you have to give Kurt Suzuki credit for keeping this team from letting go of the rope despite yet another year with no hope of meaningful summer baseball. Are we any closer to understanding what the long-term plan is? Of course not. Will this team win anything with Arte Moreno at the helm? Signs point to no. But hey, wins are wins amid a long season.
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com
27. San Francisco Giants
- Last week's ranking: 27
The Giants pulled off arguably the best win of the season for any team, rallying back from 9-1 down in the eighth inning to beat the Nationals in the finale of that series. Bryce Eldridge continued to show that he belongs by launching a walk-off grand slam. Unfortunately, the rest of the week against the Nats and Cubs wasn’t any good, pushing San Francisco closer to being confirmed deadline sellers.
–ZR
26. Boston Red Sox
- Last week's ranking: 24
Let the fire sale begin, and wake us up when it’s over. Considering what the Red Sox got for Rafael Devers, though, we don’t blame any Boston fans for having no faith in whoever they get for Aroldis Chapman or Isiah Kiner-Falefa. One thing's for sure, though: This offense isn't good enough, and Garrett Crochet isn't coming back to save the day any time soon.
–JE
25. Detroit Tigers
- Last week's ranking: 26
It’s likely too little, too late for a Tigers team that won seven of its first 10 June games. A 6-22 May went a long way in killing any good vibes. And, yet, a Tarik Skubal trade doesn’t feel like a guarantee. When do the Lions start training camp again?
–JE
24. Minnesota Twins
- Last week's ranking: 25
Despite his lowly -0.4 bWAR and .650 OPS, veteran first baseman Josh Bell figures to be on the move yet again. He’s already played for seven different franchises, but maybe there won’t need to be an eighth; the Marlins could certainly use first base help, and Bell spent time there last year. The bigger question revolves around Joe Ryan, who has one more year of team control remaining. Minnesota isn't in contention, but they're also not awful; where does that leave them ahead of the deadline?
–JE
23. New York Mets
- Last week's ranking: 23
This week brought more of the same for the Mets. They showed signs of life last weekend in San Diego, only to be humbled by losing two of three to the Cardinals at home. They looked better against the Braves, and Bo Bichette looks to be getting going, but while New York is much better now than they were in April, they need to be more consistent to fight their way into a Wild Card spot. Francisco Lindor’s expected return at the end of the month should help.
–ZR
22. Houston Astros
- Last week's ranking: 21
The Astros continue to hang around, although that might say more about the state of their division and the AL Wild Card race than their own quality. They’re still having to win slugfests most of the time, but the pitching staff has at least been a bit better lately, especially since Josh Hader returned to stabilize the back of the bullpen. Hunter Brown is back soon, Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows are showing at least some signs of improvement and Yordan Alvarez is an offense unto himself. Don’t count this team out just yet.
–CL
21. Baltimore Orioles
- Last week's ranking: 14
Perhaps the most frustrating part about this year’s Orioles squad is just how boring they are. Gunnar Henderson has been mediocre, and there aren’t many other highlights among the supposed bright young core beyond Adley Rutschman. Every time it seems like this team is ready for a run, they fall right back down to Earth, as the pitching staff isn't good enough and the homegrown guys continue to stagnate.
–JE
20. Cincinnati Reds
- Last week's ranking: 18
The odds are stacked against the Reds. Cincinnati is just three games under .500, and have a manager who is in win-now mode. Yet, there are four teams in front of them in the NL Central. Players like Eugenio Suarez could be valuable trade chips. By no means should the Reds trade all of their talent elsewhere, but their current iteration is not good enough to make the playoffs, let alone win a World Series. Surely they know that.
–Mark Powell, FanSided.com
19. Texas Rangers
- Last week's ranking: 16
You want to get on board with a team featuring the likes of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore, Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford, and then they fall flat at home against the last-place Red Sox. Seager is once again day-to-day, and there’s still just not enough depth behind the big names. Unless the stars are carrying the day, this feels an awful lot like a .500 team, which raises serious questions about the future ahead of the trade deadline.
–CL
18. Athletics
- Last week's ranking: 20
Maybe the A’s should make the move to Vegas a bit ahead of schedule? Sure, it’s a downright comical environment for a big-league team, but the Athletics endeared themselves to their once and future home by taking a pair of series against the Brewers and Rockies, with an offense that’s rounding into form behind MVP candidate Nick Kurtz. The pitching here still probably isn’t good enough to make any serious noise, but no one will want to play this team down the stretch – in this or any ballpark.
–CL
17. Toronto Blue Jays
- Last week's ranking: 19
There are still no easy answers for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s concerning power drought, though his on-base percentage is still in line with his career .365 average. At least he already secured his $500 million contract! Toronto is going to need his pop in the lineup if they want to recapture last year's magic, though, especially given the beleaguered state of this rotation.
–JE
16. Arizona Diamondbacks
- Last week's ranking: 10
An ugly start to the Diamondbacks’ week in Miami got a little better in Cincinnati. Jordan Lawlar returned from a long IL stint and provided a spark, while the bullpen had perhaps its best showing of the year in Friday’s victory. This team remains hard to get a handle on: The offense has underperformed, but especially with Lawlar back, has a ton of upside; but the pitching has overperformed to an extent, and with A.J. Puk joining Corbin Burnes among pitchers with setbacks, Arizona will need that to remain the case to hang around in the Wild Card hunt.
–ZR
15. Washington Nationals
- Last week's ranking: 17
On one hand, the Washington Nationals were able to win a series in San Francisco on the road. On the other hand, they should’ve swept that series, blowing a 9-1 lead after seven innings, and then they lost the next night 10-2. This offense continues to rake, but the pitching continues to hold them back. They’re fun, but it’s hard to believe in them being a playoff team with the pitching staff as constructed.
–ZR
14. Pittsburgh Pirates
- Last week's ranking: 9
The Pirates are flirting with trade deadline seller status. That is not where Pittsburgh expected to be just a week ago. The Pirates have been bit by the injury bug of late, which includes Ryan O’Hearn and Konnor Griffin. Pittsburgh’s bullpen is a mess and their starting pitching has been good, but not great, during a tough stretch against the Braves, Dodgers and red-hot Marlins. They head on the road to face the A’s and Rockies. Should the Buccos fall short there, it’s time to reevaluate.
–MP
13. Miami Marlins
- Last week's ranking: 22
The Marlins fought their way from 26-34 at the start of June back to .500. They swept the Diamondbacks at home and got a vintage Sandy Alcantara start in Pittsburgh. Kyle Stowers has even begun showing signs of life. If Alcantara and Stowers can get going, the Marlins might be the Wild Card contenders they were expected to be entering the year.
–ZR
12. San Diego Padres
- Last week's ranking: 15
This was arguably the most promising week the Padres have had from an offensive perspective in quite some time. Manny Machado was a doubles machine, Jackson Merrill hit a home run and even Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his second long ball of the year. One week doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but Padres fans had been waiting for these stars to show any signs of life for a while. This was a step in the right direction.Â
–ZR
11. Seattle Mariners
- Last week's ranking: 8
Just when it seemed like the Mariners were finally ready to turn on the after-burners … four losses in five games, including dropping a series in Washington to the Nationals over the weekend in which they gave up a combined 20 runs. The potential here remains the same, and the Nats are much better than you might think. But is the back end of this rotation as trustworthy as we think? And what about the bullpen after closer Andres Munoz left Sunday’s game due to injury?
–CL
10. Chicago Cubs
- Last week's ranking: 13
What are the Cubs? I don’t remotely know. Their payroll and talent level suggests Chicago ought to be a pennant contender. Unfortunately, they’ve been too inconsistent. Yes, the Cubs should buy at the deadline. This team needs starting pitching. But that only comes to fruition if they stay in the NL Wild Card race for the next few weeks. If not, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ could be on the move. The Cubs are on the line.
–MP
9. Chicago White Sox
- Last week's ranking: 12
There aren’t many better stories in baseball than this White Sox club. Assuming that they opt to go all-in and buy this summer, we suggest they pursue Red Sox utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa, whose versatility and playoff experience could prove immensely helpful.
–JE
8. Cleveland Guardians
- Last week's ranking: 5
Goodbye, José RamÃrez, and possibly goodbye to the Guardians’ AL Central hopes. The AL is mediocre enough not to kill Cleveland’s overall playoff chances as he recovers from a dreaded hamate fracture, but a Guardians team without J-Ram feels too much like the Yankees without Judge — and if that sounds extreme, go look at his stats and get back to us.
–JE
7. Philadelphia Phillies
- Last week's ranking: 7
The Phillies earned an impressive road series win in Toronto before getting Miz’d in Milwaukee. There’s no shame in that, but this offense continues to have more downs than ups, and Adolis Garcia’s injury won’t help them fix that. Their pitching staff is awesome, but there’s only so much they can do when their lineup is as inconsistent as this one seems to be.
–ZR
6. St. Louis Cardinals
- Last week's ranking: 11
The Cardinals are a good baseball team, and perhaps the best real challenger to the Brewers in the Central. Chaim Bloom started this season with the assumption he’d sell at the MLB trade deadline. Instead, the right answer is likely a bit of both. JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien could land valuable assets in return. The same can be said of outfielder Lars Nootbaar, who has a year left on his contract. Yet, St. Louis is too good to deconstruct. August will be a real test for Bloom, whose reputation as a rebuilding artist won’t help matters.
–MP
5. Tampa Bay Rays
- Last week's ranking: 4
No one will confuse the trio of Nick Martinez, Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan for Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz. It’s nonetheless difficult to imagine these Rays staying atop the AL East without the three veteran arms, which is cause for concern considering that two of them come with serious workload concerns moving forward. Tampa has been taking on water of late as its close-game luck has run dry, and one wonders whether there's enough depth here to sustain a run over the summer.
–JE
4. New York Yankees
- Last week's ranking: 6
The Paul Goldschmidt renaissance is out in full force, but the Yankees need more from Jazz Chisholm Jr. — and quickly. The pending free agent had a strong May, though he’s been inconsistent in June. Considering Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham’s absences, the Yankees are relying on their supporting cast to step up offensively, a group that includes likely AL All-Star Ben Rice.
–JE
3. Milwaukee Brewers
- Last week's ranking: 3
Did the Brewers open the door? I wouldn’t go that far, as Milwaukee is still favored to win the NL Central by a wide margin. Yet, the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs loom just in case the Brewers stumble. World-record pitches by Jacob Misiorowski are enough to distract the masses from the Brewers poor player of late. That’s all fine and good. Series against the Guardians and Braves loom next week, and will be a real test of their character.
–MP
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
- Last week's ranking: 2
This week began with a 10-run inning for the Dodgers, but progressively got worse from there. They blew a 6-1 lead after six to lose their second game in Pittsburgh, nearly blew the series finale and then lost Shohei Ohtani to a knee injury. Ohtani made his return on Saturday in Chicago and even homered in his first at-bat, so it’s good to see him healthy, but Will Smith wasn’t as lucky, landing on the IL. Los Angeles remains the team to beat, but their injuries and bullpen make them far from indestructible.
–ZR
1. Atlanta Braves
- Last week's ranking: 1
Dare I say this was the worst week of the season for the Braves? They lost both of their games in Chicago, lost the opener of their series against the Mets and lost Spencer Strider for who knows how long. The Braves are still one of, if not the best team in the sport — one week doesn’t change that — but Strider’s injury should lead to some action from Alex Anthopoulos at the deadline.
–ZR
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