For the first few weeks of the 2026 MLB season, trying to make sense of the standings page every day felt like trying to square 2+2=5. Up was down. Left was right. The Rays, Reds and A’s led their respective divisions. The Red Sox, Phillies and Cubs were mired in the basement. The Dodgers … OK, so the Dodgers were awesome as usual. You get the point.
As we get towards the end of April, though, it feels like the shape of this season is starting, finally, to emerge. Teams that we thought would be contenders are beginning to surge. Surprisingly slow starts feel less like flukes and more like fatal flaws that we maybe should’ve seen coming. It was a week in which the cream began to rise to the top a little bit — which resulted in some major movement in the latest MLB power rankings.
30. Philadelphia Phillies
- 2026 record: 9-19
- Last week’s ranking: 22
What can go wrong will go wrong for the Philadelphia Phillies. If you thought the Mets’ losing streak was embarrassing, at least they had the excuse of Juan Soto’s injury. What’s Philly’s excuse? The Mets won two of three since Soto’s return (though they then fell back to Earth against the Rockies), while the Phillies lost in Zack Wheeler’s return. Not only do the Phils have sole possession of MLB’s worst record, but they have the worst run differential in the sport by far. It’s bad, and while it will get a bit better just by virtue of math, this team, as constructed, just isn’t good enough. At least Phillies fans don’t have to watch Taijuan Walker every fifth day anymore. –Zach Rotman
29. New York Mets
- 2026 record: 9-19
- Last week’s ranking: 28
The New York Mets finally won a game. In fact, they took two of three from the Minnesota Twins … before faltering immediately after against the lowly Rockies. It was good to see the Mets snap the winless streak, but right as Juan Soto came back, Francisco Lindor suffered an even more serious injury, and offensive inconsistency continues to haunt this team. With this being the easy part of their schedule, it’d behoove the New York to start stringing some wins together. –ZR
28. Chicago White Sox
- 2026 record: 11-17
- Last week’s ranking: 30
Here come the White Sox! Well, relatively speaking, but winning two series against the A’s and Diamondbacks is nothing to sneeze at. I’m skeptical that Munetaka Murakami’s current tear is anywhere near sustainable – his contact numbers are the sort of thing you just don’t see from successful MLB hitters – but he’s combining with Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas to give Chicago a lineup with some surprising bite. And between Davis Martin, Sean Burke and top prospect Noah Schultz, there’s at least a semi-viable pitching staff. Baby steps! –Chris Landers
27. Colorado Rockies
- 2026 record: 13-16
- Last week’s ranking: 29
Look, the Rockies aren’t going anywhere this season. But a split four-game series against the Dodgers was exemplary of their very real improvement. Colorado has some dudes: Mickey Moniak is blossoming into a legitimate star, while TJ Rumfield, Hunter Goodman and Troy Johnston are all producing — all on the right side of 30 and all under long-term club control. The Rockies continue to pitch Chase Dollander behind an opener, but their former top prospect looks every bit an ace when he checks into games. In Tuesday’s 1-0 home loss to San Diego, he threw 102 pitches and struck out nine across six innings of one-run ball, including a stretch of six straight Ks. The Rockies have some more bats coming up through the pipeline and a 24-year-old rotation anchor to build around. Things are finally looking up in the Mile High City. –Christopher Kline
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9. Detroit Tigers
- 2026 record: 15-14
- Last week’s ranking: 12
Would you believe me if I told you that Detroit has a top-10 offense by wRC+ right now? I swear it’s true, as Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson have finally joined the party. Combine that power potential with this pitching staff, and you should have a legitimate contender in a wide-open league. I don’t blame you if you feel like the Tigers haven’t earned the benefit of the doubt, but don’t forget about this team – they’re starting to warm up, and there’s a lot of talent here. –CL
8. Tampa Bay Rays
- 2026 record: 16-11
- Last week’s ranking: 11
Just when it seems like reality might be setting in for the plucky Rays – who lost consecutive series to the Pirates and Reds – they find a way to punch back, beating up on the Twins this weekend. The cracks are starting to show, though: The offense is cooling off considerably, as it was always going to, and there might not be enough pitching behind Drew Rasmussen to compensate. Tampa Bay deserves credit for always being more than the sum of its parts, but it just doesn’t feel like there’s enough high-end talent here to last over a long summer. –CL
7. Cincinnati Reds
- 2026 record: 18-10
- Last week’s ranking: 6
Dare I say the offense is actually waking up? After essentially being the Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz show for the first three weeks of the season offensively, the Reds started to mash this week, scoring six or more runs four times. Matt McLain and Nathaniel Lowe finally went deep for the first time this season, Spencer Steer got things going and even Ke’Bryan Hayes chipped in. The Reds have been getting mostly stout starting pitching without Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene, and their bullpen has been the best in the sport. Having a functional offense makes this team a sneaky sleeper. –ZR
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
- 2026 record: 16-12
- Last week’s ranking: 8
The Pirates are third in staff ERA and seventh in runs scored entering play on Sunday. Is that good? Vibes are ridiculously high in Pittsburgh. The pitching is ridiculously good, and doesn’t even feature Jared Jones yet. Konnor Griffin hit his first MLB home run on his 20th birthday and continues to make positive strides at the dish. It’s still early, but this has the makings of a playoff team — which I, admittedly, did not believe was going to be the case entering the year. I’m still skeptical that the lineup is this good, but it’s certainly good enough with the pitching the Pirates have, making them very scary. –ZR
5. San Diego Padres
- 2026 record: 18-9
- Last week’s ranking: 3
San Diego is surging right now, up there with Atlanta as one of the hottest teams in the National League. Oddly enough, many of the Padres’ best bats still haven’t warmed up: Fernando Tatis, Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado all have a sub-.700 OPS right now. Where the Padres are blitzing opponents is with their pitching. Michael King and Randy Vásquez look incredible, but San Diego’s bullpen is its real superpower. Mason Miller has 13.1 scoreless innings under his belt, while Bradgley Rodriguez, David Morgan and Wandy Peralta all deserve their flowers. San Diego protects leads. Sometimes it’s that simple. –CK
4. Chicago Cubs
- 2026 record: 17-11
- Last week’s ranking: 13
The Chicago Cubs finally lost a game, snapping their 10-game winning streak, but vibes are still at an all-time high on the North Side. The Cubs continue to flash the leather and crush the ball, and despite a myriad of pitching injuries, they find ways to piece wins together. Matthew Boyd is back, Phil Maton is on the doorstep of his return and offensively guys like Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong are showing some flashes. There’s a reason the Cubs were among the favorites to win the NL pennant entering the year, and they’re playing like a team capable of doing so. –ZR
3. New York Yankees
- 2026 record: 18-10
- Last week’s ranking: 4
This is more like the Yankees we saw in the season’s first week, a team that looked like it was finally ready to shake off its October underachiever label. The emergence of both Cam Schlittler and Will Warren has done wonders for this rotation, one that will be welcoming Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole back over the next few weeks. And even more importantly, the offense has started to look more like it did when it was the best in baseball last year. No matter how much their fans love to insist the sky is falling, this remains a deep, tough team, with an eight-game winning streak (snapped on Sunday) reasserting it as the class of the AL right now. –CL
2. Atlanta Braves
- 2026 record: 20-9
- Last week’s ranking: 2
The Braves feel like the team to beat right now. Despite a slew of pitching injuries and Jurickson Profar’s season-long PED suspension, they’ve yet to lose a single series — and every bit of it feels sustainable. Okay, Dom Smith might not have a near-1.000 OPS for much longer, and Bryce Elder might not have a sub-2.00 ERA, but this Braves team is hitting like it’s 2023 and pitching incredibly well despite the injuries. There’s every reason to believe they’re the biggest threats to the Dodgers in the NL right now. –ZR
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
- 2026 record: 19-9
- Last week’s ranking: 1
Are the Dodgers… vulnerable? A split series in Colorado, two of three lost in San Francisco and now a rocky homestand against the Cubs — Not exactly what we’ve come to expect from the two-time reigning champs. Of course, the Dodgers still lap the field in terms of run differential, and this is most easily described as a momentary bump in the road. Los Angeles has once again run into bullpen problems with Edwin Diaz on the IL, but the sheer volume of offensive production from the Dodgers’ lineup — not to mention a rotation comprised of multiple Cy Young and All-Star candidates — should keep L.A. well above water. –CK
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