David SchoenfieldNov 2, 2025, 12:30 AM ETCloseCovers MLB for ESPN.com Former deputy editor of Page 2 Been with ESPN.com since 1995
In a dramatic finish to the 2025 postseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in an extra-innings, winner-take-all Game 7 to become the first repeat World Series champions since the 2000 New York Yankees.
We kick it off with our annual Way-Too-Early Power Rankings — focusing on how teams look right now, minus their free agents, while factoring in rookies and young players who will make an impact next season and considering second-half performances, age of the roster and holes to fix. The top team? Probably not a surprise.
If the Jays can fill out that rotation, maybe they will be back in the Fall Classic again next year — with a different outcome.
The 2025 Mariners made it closer to the World Series than any Mariners team ever has before — and fans will spend the offseason wondering what might have happened if manager Dan Wilson had brought in Andres Munoz in the seventh inning of Game 7.
There is an argument to rank the Yankees first overall. They’ll be adding Cam Schlittler (2.95 ERA in 14 starts) and 2024 Rookie of the Year Luis Gil (3.32 ERA in 11 starts) to the rotation full time and getting Gerrit Cole back at some point in 2026. Along with Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Will Warren, that might give the Yankees the best rotation in baseball.
Back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021, the Red Sox will look to pursue their first AL East title since 2018. The team is built around Cy Young contender Garrett Crochet and budding superstar Roman Anthony, who produced 3.1 WAR in just 71 games and was starting to hit for power until missing September with an oblique strain.
We’ll see if Alex Bregman opts out (he gets $40 million if he doesn’t) and whether Lucas Giolito takes his $19 million option after a solid comeback season. Even without Giolito, rookie lefties Connolly Early and Payton Tolle look ready to contribute, and don’t forget Kyle Harrison, who came over in the Rafael Devers trade. The offseason intrigue: Will the Red Sox trade one of their four outfielders (Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu)?
The big offseason decision concerns Freddy Peralta entering the final year of his contract (a bargain at $8 million). Will the Brewers keep him or trade him like they did with Corbin Burnes? It does seem the Brewers emphasize “keeping it going” — and they’ve done that exceptionally well — rather than going all-in. That could mean a Peralta trade is coming.
The Reds made the postseason for the first time in a full season since 2013, so that’s to be applauded, but it was with just 83 wins, so they can thank the expanded playoffs. Elly De La Cruz led the regulars with just a 109 OPS+, so the offseason goal is to improve the offense.
Rookie starters Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong will provide rotation depth. Close-to-the-majors prospects such as outfielder Carson Benge, infielder/outfielder Jett Williams and first baseman Ryan Clifford give the Mets options — like pursuing a No. 1 starter if, say, a certain Detroit left-hander is made available.
Ha-Seong Kim, if he takes his $16 million player option, will help the offense at shortstop, but Michael Harris II (.268 OBP) and Ozzie Albies (.304 OBP) struggled to get on base. Atlanta also has two holes to address in the offseason with closer Raisel Iglesias and DH Marcell Ozuna free agents.
When the fall comes for the Padres, it’s going to hit hard, given all the long-term contracts they’ve committed to. The immediate problem is that Dylan Cease, Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn are free agents while Michael King will likely use his player option to opt out.
New manager Skip Schumacher will once again have to rely heavily on Nathan Eovaldi (11-3, 1.73 ERA), who had a season-ending rotator cuff strain and will turn 35 before Opening Day, and the middle infield combo of Marcus Semien (entering his age-35 season) and Corey Seager (turning 32). There’s risk with that trio, given their ages.
The A’s have shown remarkable on-field improvement in two years, despite the off-the-field chaos, going from 50-112 in 2023 to 76-86 in 2025, and they had an impressive post All-Star break run, going 35-29 with a plus-50 run differential as the pitching allowed 4.2 runs per game compared to 5.6 prior to the break — even after trading closer Mason Miller to the Padres.
Expect more of the same from slugging standout Nick Kurtz, who had one of the best rookie seasons ever with a 1.002 OPS, and everyone of importance is back. They still lack front-line pitching, and the defense — other than when Denzel Clarke is in center field — is a problem, but the A’s appear to be on the rise.
Whoa? Twenty-third? Well, start with the Astros’ declining run differentials since 2022: plus-219, plus-129, plus-91, plus-21. The payroll includes $160 million for just seven players in 2026, which makes it unlikely they can afford to re-sign Framber Valdez. Several key players are getting old: Jose Altuve (36), Christian Walker (35) and Carlos Correa (31).
Correa is now a third baseman, the same position as Isaac Paredes, so maybe they move Correa to second base and Altuve to DH, except you don’t really want to play Yordan Alvarez in left field. Yes, a healthy Alvarez and a healthier rotation (Valdez and Hunter Brown were the only pitchers to reach 100 innings) could help keep the Astros in contention, but that downhill slope is starting to get steep.
It will be interesting to see if the club picks up its $20 million option on Luis Robert Jr. He certainly hasn’t been worth that salary in the past two seasons, but maybe the White Sox will take the gamble and hope once more he can find his 2023 level (5.3 WAR).
Now Chaim Bloom takes over as head of baseball operations and the Cardinals will apparently be willing to include cash in deals for Sonny Gray (one year left at $35 million) and Nolan Arenado (two years left at $42 million total).
The Cardinals’ young players simply haven’t taken off and the team lacks any semblance of a star player. If 2025 was a “hold steady” season, 2026 looks more like a rebuilding year.
The most dysfunctional franchise in the majors, perhaps best symbolized by pitcher Yusei Kikuchi telling Japanese reporters that the team’s weight room lacked air conditioning. Hey, at least the Angels appear to be finally fixing the issue: The team’s job board recently listed an opening for a part-time HVAC technician ($39.38 per hour!).
Unfortunately, a lack of AC was only a small part of the problem for a team that has now suffered 10 consecutive losing seasons, including the worst two-year stretch in franchise history, and will be paying Anthony Rendon and Mike Trout a combined $75 million in 2026.
The Rockies set a dubious record with the worst run differential since 1901 at minus-424, 79 runs worse than the 1932 Red Sox (who previously had the worst mark in the modern era). That gives the Rockies a strong case as the worst team of all time, or at least the worst since the 1890s if early baseball is your thing.
While the Rockies could no doubt dominate 1890s baseball, the going will be difficult in 2026. What do they even do in the offseason? They don’t have a Garrett Crochet to trade like the White Sox did last offseason, so it’s probably more scrounging around for players who are blocked elsewhere and maybe finding some free talent.
There is no doubt that a rotation featuring Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow can get the Dodgers back on top and maybe even back to 100 wins. They weren’t completely healthy in 2025 until late in the season, so they should produce more volume and more value in 2026. The bullpen will be better, especially if that’s where Roki Sasaki ends up, but there are age-related concerns with the lineup. Freddie Freeman turns 36; Mookie Betts, coming off his worst offensive season, will be 33; Max Muncy turns 35; and Teoscar Hernandez turns 33. That was the oldest lineup in the majors in 2025 — though it scored the most runs in the National League — and one becoming heavily dependent on Ohtani. But now the Dodgers have a new motivation: A three-peat is on the line.
The good news: Most of the team returns, although you always want to see weaknesses addressed. Josh Naylor is the top free agent, and the Mariners will undoubtedly make a strong bid to bring him back. They’ll probably let Eugenio Suarez leave as a free agent, with top prospect Colt Emerson likely taking over at third base. Jorge Polanco (player option) is another potential free agent who was a key hitter in the middle of the lineup, although they do have Cole Young ready at second base. The Mariners have never won back-to-back division titles. With the rotation projecting to have a better performance, they’ll be favored to repeat in 2026.
While the Cubs will likely part ways with free agent Kyle Tucker, this will still be a team built around an excellent offense and superb defense. Of course, whether they get first-half Pete Crow-Armstrong or second-half PCA will be a huge key there, but outfielder Owen Caissie (.937 OPS in Triple-A) and DH/C/1B Moises Ballesteros (.316 average, .858 OPS in Triple-A) are ready to contribute, and third baseman Matt Shaw is a strong “take a big leap” candidate after posting an .839 OPS in the second half. As the playoffs showed when Cade Horton was hurt, the Cubs will need to address rotation depth — getting Justin Steele back at some point will help — and several key relievers, including Brad Keller, are free agents, so some bullpen moves will be in order.
This ranking isn’t meant as an insult to a team coming off an MLB-best 97 wins and plus-172 run differential. Indeed, all the Brewers’ key players are back, although they’ll have to make some decisions on Brandon Woodruff ($20 million mutual option) and Jose Quintana ($15 million mutual option). They’ll also be adding Jacob Misiorowski and his triple-digit fastball to the rotation after he showed promise — and inconsistency — in his 14 starts as a rookie. But a lot also went right for the Brewers in 2025, including Quinn Priester and Quintana going a combined 24-10 despite below-average strikeout rates.