Power ranking all six MLB divisions ahead of Opening Day

The run-up to Opening Day always brings out some feelings in me as a baseball fan. Growing up, there was that mixture of excitement, anxiety and optimism, especially when I knew in my gut that my favorite team (the New York Yankees) had a flawed, top-heavy roster. I wanted to believe, though.

Now, it’s mostly just excitement, if only because of where baseball is overall. Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are must-see TV every night, and the next generation of stars has arrived in full force. We know what Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. can do, and why would you forego watching Paul Skenes or Tarik Skubal?

But before we go any further in preparing for the 2026 season, let’s take a step back and examine how the league stacks up this year. Rather than do a complete 1–30 power ranking just yet, now feels like the perfect time to evaluate each division to figure out the best.

In determining this list, I decided to consider three key factors:

1. How good are the best teams in the division, and how bad are the worst ones? And do they cancel one another out? In other words: Should the NL West, which obviously features the Los Angeles Dodgers, be penalized for also featuring the Colorado Rockies?
2. How exciting is this division on a nightly basis? If I feel like turning on a random game, which one will likely grab my attention the most?
3. Which divisions have the best chances at a thrilling pennant race?

Let’s get to work.

6. NL Central (Chicago Cubs; Cincinnati Reds; Milwaukee Brewers; Pittsburgh Pirates; St. Louis Cardinals)

Sorry, NL Central fans, but not even Skenes can save you here. That’s not to say that the division lacks any excitement: The Cubs have Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has already established himself as a fyoung, fun player. And although I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of Elly De La Cruz, there’s no denying that the Reds shortstop is always capable of doing something special.

And, yet, I can’t find myself getting overly interested in what happens here. Milwaukee is seemingly always in the playoff hunt, though they’ve opted to embrace the small-market philosophy of parting ways with their best players. Cincinnati has a fun young core in place, but De La Cruz and center fielder TJ Friedl were the only everyday players to record at least 1.5 bWAR last year.

As for the Cardinals, I mostly see a roster of players who make you say, “Well, maybe they’ll be solid.” I don’t want a “maybe.” I want an attempt at guaranteed fun. The NL Central is background noise or something to watch while you’re working. Unless Skenes is pitching, of course.

5. AL West (Athletics; Houston Astros; Los Angeles Angels; Texas Rangers; Seattle Mariners)

The AL West could have three playoff teams, or it could only have one. I genuinely do not know, which both hurts and helps its case here. The Mariners still feel like the heavy favorites, even with the recent Cal Raleigh controversies. Don’t get me wrong: Seattle has an above-average lineup and a competent pitching staff. I just feel like so much of what made them fun last year was Raleigh’s pursuit of 60 home runs, and although he did reach that mark, I’m skeptical he even tops 40 for an encore.

How much do you trust the Astros, who lost Framber Valdez in free agency and might ask too much of Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve? It’s not 2017 anymore. At least on the pitching side, Hunter Brown has the makeup to compete for a Cy Young, and attention will understandably be on Japanese import Tatsuya Imai given the recent success of other Japanese players.

I’m higher on the Rangers than most, and I especially want to see center fielder Evan Carter take that next step. Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom could form one of the sport’s top 1–2 starting pitcher duos as well. The Athletics have seemingly built the young core they’ve spent years craving … but they play in a Minor League stadium, and people seem too optimistic about their chances. I’ve seen this before.

And then there are the Angels. Let’s just hope that Mike Trout can stay healthy and inch closer to 500 home runs; he’s at 404, and he doesn’t turn 35 until Aug. 7. I felt so, so old writing that.

4. AL Central (Chicago White Sox; Cleveland Guardians; Detroit Tigers; Kansas City Royals; Minnesota Twins)

I spent a lot of time debating about whether or not to put the AL Central at No. 5 or No. 4, because the White Sox and Twins will both likely be terrible. Chicago impressed me at points last year, and the Sox should be commended for a 19-win improvement after their historically awful 41–121 campaign a year earlier.

So, why does the AL Central get the nod? The top three teams — Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City — have the genuine star power and enough players that’ll make you want to tune in. I’m not just talking about Bobby Witt Jr., Skubal and José Ramírez, either: Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan is a pesky hitter from a bygone era, while I think Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene are in for massive years for the Tigers (who also added Valdez in free agency).

Oh, and Detroit brought Justin Verlander home for one last run. How can you root against that? Unless, of course, you root for one of the many teams that he’s continuously dominated over the last two decades.

3. NL East (Atlanta Braves; Miami Marlins; New York Mets; Philadelphia Phillies; Washington Nationals)

The best way I can explain the NL East is that it’s like a catchy song from the 2000s: You know it’s not great, but you also can’t stop listening to it. It’s entirely possible that the Braves, Mets and Phillies all disappoint us, and who knows if the Marlins are actually capable of competing for a playoff berth. (I personally think they’ll be among the league’s most underwhelming teams, and that people are way too optimistic after Miami finished a respectable 35–32 in the second half.)

Not only do I think that Washington loses 100 games, but I think they challenge for 110 losses. I think James Wood can definitely continue growing into a dangerous lefty bat, and I haven’t given up on Dylan Crews yet. Otherwise? Start preparing for a CJ Abrams trade.

In terms of the three legitimate contenders: I think the Phillies win the division, Atlanta finishes second and the Mets place third … but my gut tells me that Philadelphia more or less runs away with it. I don’t see this as an instance where these three teams finish within five games of one another. Sorry, Mets fans, it’s time to get ready for another year of heartbreak, anger, fear and so much more.

2. NL West (Arizona Diamondbacks; Colorado Rockies; Los Angeles Dodgers; San Diego Padres; San Francisco Giants)

By this point, the NL West should speak for itself. The Dodgers are a powerhouse that some claim have broken baseball, though I’ll continue to insist otherwise. Colorado is terrible, and there is absolutely zero reason to think that the Rockies will contend in the near future. As much as I’m anti-participation trophy, even I’ll admit that this team should earn a reward if they avoid 100 losses.

The Padres always intrigue me, and I’d love to see Manny Machado win a ring. And yet … I ultimately think San Francisco finishes above them in the standings. I’m buying low on Rafael Devers, who shouldn’t need to worry about trade rumors or position changes in his first full season by the Bay. Arizona is the real question mark, because I definitely see a path to the postseason if former Cy Young finalist Zac Gallen regains his pre-2025 form.

Anyway, the NL West was always destined to finish in the top two here because it has Ohtani. That only leaves …

1. AL East (Baltimore Orioles; Boston Red Sox; New York Yankees; Tampa Bay Rays; Toronto Blue Jays)

Look at some of these names: The Yankees have Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton. Rays third baseman Junior Caminero is going to have a 50-home run season at some point. Pete Alonso left the Mets to cash in with the Orioles, where he immediately becomes their most imposing power hitter since … well, I guess Chris Davis, but was he truly imposing?

Boston is my dark horse World Series winner, and I truly believe that Jarren Duran is going to earn MVP votes again. Whether or not he’ll do so with the Red Sox is another topic, but Boston’s three-headed rotation trio of Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez has the potential to terrify, and Aroldis Chapman is back at closer.

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