We\u2019re now more than two months into the 2026 season — and past Memorial Day, when baseball fans traditionally say you can finally check the standings — which means the top of our rankings is starting to become more consistent.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers and Braves have been the only two teams to hold the No. 1 spot so far this season, with L.A. not falling beyond No. 2. The Yankees have been in the top five every week of the 2026 season, and have been joined by the division-rival Rays the past four weeks. Arizona has made its top-10 debut this week, and Cleveland lands at No. 6, its highest ranking of the season.<\/p>\n
What else changed from Week 8 to Week 9? And where does every club stand in our final May edition?<\/p>\n
Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we\u2019ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Jorge Castillo, Buster Olney and Alden Gonzalez to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.<\/p>\n
1. Atlanta Braves<\/p>\n
Record:\u00a037-19<\/p>\n
Previous ranking:\u00a01<\/p>\n
The Braves know all too well from their experience the past two years how injuries can derail a season, and some significant hits to their everyday lineup have slowed the pace of their production. Drake Baldwin<\/a> was off to a blistering start to this season, and since he went down because of an oblique injury — this after Sean Murphy<\/a> was sidelined by a hip problem — Atlanta\u2019s run production has waned. The Braves scored only six runs in the three-game series against Washington … before they pushed back with a 7-spot in Boston on Monday. — Olney<\/p>\n 2. Los Angeles Dodgers<\/p>\n Record:\u00a036-20<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a02<\/p>\n You can certainly make the case that the most valuable player on the Dodgers outside of Shohei Ohtani<\/a> has been Andy Pages<\/a>, the man who was benched amid a prodigious slump in last year\u2019s postseason but saved the Dodgers\u2019 championship hopes with a miraculous catch in Game 7 of the World Series. Before his offense went south last year, Pages flashed 30\/30 potential. He\u2019s showing that again, while also playing stellar defense in center field. The 25-year-old began the year batting eighth. On Tuesday, with Mookie Betts<\/a> slumping, Pages hit in the No. 2 spot of the lineup, between Ohtani and Freddie Freeman<\/a>. That\u2019s how good he has been. — Gonzalez<\/p>\n 3. Tampa Bay Rays<\/p>\n Record:\u00a034-19<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a03<\/p>\n The foundation for Tampa Bay\u2019s revival this season is some home cooking and quality starting pitching. The Rays, back at Tropicana Field after crashing at Steinbrenner Field last season, are an MLB-best 19-5 at home. On the mound, Nick Martinez<\/a> (1.51 ERA) has been a free agent steal, Drew Rasmussen<\/a> (2.78 ERA) is one of the sport\u2019s most overlooked starters and Shane McClanahan<\/a> (2.52 ERA) resembles the ace he was before injuries kept him off the mound the past two seasons. All three could make the AL All-Star team in July. At this point, the Rays\u2019 — and Tropicana Field\u2019s — return to October baseball after a two-year absence is looking likely. — Castillo<\/p>\n 4. Milwaukee Brewers<\/p>\n Record:\u00a033-20<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a05<\/p>\n While striking out 12 and twirling seven innings of one-run ball on Memorial Day, Jacob Misiorowski<\/a> threw 57 pitches of at least 100 mph, the most in a game since velocity was tracked in 2008. He has thrown 311 triple-digit fastballs this year, more than twice as many as anybody else. And as he navigates his first full season at age 24, The Miz has been flat-out dominant. He boasts a 1.83 ERA through his first 11 starts, putting him squarely in what\u2019s poised to be a heated NL Cy Young race. And he has reached 100 strikeouts in only 64 innings. — Gonzalez<\/p>\n 5. New York Yankees<\/p>\n Record:\u00a034-22<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a04<\/p>\n A year ago, Cam Schlittler<\/a> was in Double-A without any fanfare. He wasn\u2019t found on any top 100 prospect lists and fans weren\u2019t clamoring for his call-up. This year, he\u2019s the front-runner to win the AL Cy Young Award. The tall right-hander has a 1.50 ERA through 12 starts behind an overwhelming three-fastball mix. He has compiled 81 strikeouts to 13 walks and given up two or fewer runs in 10 outings. Schlittler has been nearly automatic every fifth day. And with Gerrit Cole<\/a> back and Max Fried<\/a> returning at some point this summer, the Yankees\u2019 rotation could end up being the best in the majors. — Castillo<\/p>\n 6. Cleveland Guardians<\/p>\n Record:\u00a033-25<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a09<\/p>\n Travis Bazzana<\/a> moved into the leadoff spot for the first time over the weekend, and it wouldn\u2019t surprise anyone if he establishes himself at the top of the Guardians\u2019 order when they face right-handed pitchers, given his unusual set of skills. His OBP is hovering just below .400, and his command of the strikeout zone is exceptional. Despite being called up in late April, he\u2019s also already among the team leaders in stolen bases. — Olney<\/p>\n 7. San Diego Padres<\/p>\n Record:\u00a031-24<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a06<\/p>\n The Padres have been keeping pace with the Dodgers in the NL West even though their rotation is shaky and their three best hitters — Manny Machado<\/a>, Jackson Merrill<\/a> and Fernando Tatis Jr.<\/a> — are off to slow starts. The biggest reason they\u2019ve kept up: Mason Miller<\/a>, who was already solidified as the game\u2019s best closer and has since graduated to historic levels. Miller has pitched 23\u2154 innings and been charged with two earned runs. He has faced 90 batters and struck 47 of them out. He was unhittable in April and has since been merely dominant — and it\u2019s probably not going to get much worse than that. His fastball-slider combination is as explosive as it is indistinguishable. — Gonzalez<\/p>\n 8. Arizona Diamondbacks<\/p>\n Record:\u00a031-24<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a013<\/p>\n Corbin Carroll<\/a> has been the D-backs\u2019 best performer, but the most important contribution has probably come courtesy of Eduardo Rodriguez<\/a>. The 33-year-old left-hander posted a 5.02 ERA in his first two years with the D-backs but has gone 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA in his first 11 starts this year, stabilizing a rotation that desperately needed a bounce-back from him. The D-backs will welcome Corbin Burnes<\/a> back to the top of their rotation at some point in the second half, not to mention A.J. Puk<\/a> and Justin Martinez<\/a> to the back end of their bullpen. But they\u2019ve remained in the hunt in the meantime, even with Merrill Kelly<\/a> and Zac Gallen<\/a> struggling. Rodriguez has been a big reason why. — Gonzalez<\/p>\n 9. Philadelphia Phillies<\/p>\n Record:\u00a029-27<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a08<\/p>\n Kyle Schwarber<\/a> has 13 homers in the past 31 days, with 361 in his career — and incredibly, he has put himself in a position in which he could approach 400 by the end of the season. Given that Schwarber is 33 years old, 500 — or even 600 — home runs might be within his grasp, because of what he has done since he joined the Phillies. At the end of the 2021 season, Schwarber had 159 homers in his career, and over the past four-plus seasons, he has mashed 202. — Olney<\/p>\n 10. Chicago Cubs<\/p>\n Record:\u00a030-26<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a07<\/p>\n The Cubs dropped their 10th consecutive game Tuesday night (before picking up a win Wednesday) and amazingly fell to last place in the NL Central, a division they led just eight days earlier. For much of this season, the Cubs seemed to possess one of the sport\u2019s most prolific offenses. But in those 10 games, they slashed just .185\/.288\/.293, a massive problem when considering their badly injured starting rotation. At this point, their best, most consistent performer has probably been Nico Hoerner<\/a>, whose solid defense and contact-heavy approach makes him one of the game\u2019s best second basemen. But others need to step up on offense. — Gonzalez<\/p>\n 11. Pittsburgh Pirates<\/p>\n Record:\u00a029-27<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a012<\/p>\n Nobody scored fewer runs than the Pirates last year. Nobody had a lower OPS, either. Their offense, in short, was atrocious. Now, suddenly, it\u2019s one of the game\u2019s best, ranking within the top eight in OPS, stolen bases and, yes, runs, even though Konnor Griffin<\/a> has yet to really take off and Marcell Ozuna<\/a> has struggled in his first year in Pittsburgh. Two other additions, Brandon Lowe<\/a> and Ryan O\u2019Hearn, have been crucial. But the Pirates have received above-average production from almost all of their regulars. We figured their rotation might be good enough to make a playoff push. But it seems their lineup might be, too. — Gonzalez<\/p>\n 12. Seattle Mariners<\/p>\n Record:\u00a028-29<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a011<\/p>\n Expecting a catcher to hit 60 home runs — let alone repeat that output — is absurd, but Cal Raleigh<\/a>\u2019s drop-off is mindboggling. The AL MVP runner-up in 2025 — after going 0-for-9 with five strikeouts and four walks for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic — was batting .161 with a .560 OPS in 41 games before he landed on the injured list because of an oblique strain in mid-May. At one point, he toiled through an 0-for-38 hitless skid. He snapped that rut with two hits. Two days later, he was on the IL. It has been that kind of year. — Castillo<\/p>\n 13. St. Louis Cardinals<\/p>\n Record:\u00a029-25<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a010<\/p>\n This was supposed to be a growth year for the Cardinals. Instead, they\u2019ve become one of baseball\u2019s most pleasant surprises, largely because their young players have taken major steps forward. Nobody, of course, represents that better than 24-year-old outfielder Jordan Walker<\/a>, who has already cranked 15 home runs — one shy of his career high — and is slashing .300\/.367\/.576. Walker has always possessed elite raw power, blazing speed and one of the game\u2019s best throwing arms, but he had an OPS of .680 and was worth negative-2.6 Baseball-Reference WAR from 2023 to 2025. It often seemed as if he\u2019d never put it together — until he did. — Gonzalez<\/p>\n 14. Cincinnati Reds<\/p>\n Record:\u00a029-26<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a015<\/p>\n Elly De La Cruz<\/a> fell off while playing through a partially torn quad in last year\u2019s second half. He played in every Reds game in spite of that, a development that manager Terry Francona acknowledges might have been a mistake. But none of that matters now. What does matter is that De La Cruz is healthy and looks like the best version of himself, with the same explosive tools but a much better approach on offense and defense. De La Cruz is slashing .279\/.346\/.509 and has been worth six outs above average in the field after putting up a minus-three at shortstop last year. — Gonzalez<\/p>\n 15. Toronto Blue Jays<\/p>\n Record:\u00a027-29<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a018<\/p>\n Louis Varland<\/a> just might be the best reliever in baseball this side of Mason Miller<\/a>. The right-hander, acquired from the Twins last summer, has been charged with two earned runs over 28\u2154 innings — good for a 0.31 ERA. He ranks in the 99th percentile in xERA and strikeout percentage, and hitters have yet to barrel a baseball against him this season. He replaced Jeff Hoffman<\/a> as the team\u2019s closer in late April and isn\u2019t yielding that job any time soon. — Castillo<\/p>\n 16. Athletics<\/p>\n Record:\u00a027-29<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a016<\/p>\n The Athletics<\/a>\u2019 supposed potent offense has come to rely on three players: Nick Kurtz<\/a>, Shea Langeliers<\/a> and Carlos Cortes<\/a>. They are the only batters on the roster with a wRC+ above 100 in at least 140 plate appearances. And those three happen to rank among the best in the majors in that category: Cortes, one of baseball\u2019s top breakouts, is fifth with Kurtz 15th and Langeliers 17th. Everyone else has been below average — or significantly worse. As a result, the A\u2019s rank 18th in runs scored and are under .500. That means first place in a weak AL West. — Castillo<\/p>\n 17. Washington Nationals<\/p>\n Record:\u00a029-28<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a021<\/p>\n If the baseball writers\u2019 bestowed a Most Improved Award for a player,\u00a0CJ Abrams<\/a>\u00a0would be the early-season runaway candidate. Entering play Wednesday, he was on pace to finish this season with 168 hits (33 doubles, 33 homers), 99 runs, 135 RBIs and 72 walks. The Nationals are the highest-scoring team in the majors so far this year, and Abrams is at the core of that improvement. He should be a front-runner to be the NL\u2019s starting shortstop in the All-Star Game. — Olney<\/p>\n 18. Chicago White Sox<\/p>\n Record:\u00a028-27<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a014<\/p>\n Munetaka Murakami<\/a> is getting a lot of headlines for his first-year power explosion in MLB, and former first-round pick Colson Montgomery<\/a> draws attention for his home runs and excellent defense. But Miguel Vargas<\/a>, acquired in 2024 as part of the three-team trade that sent Tommy Edman<\/a> to the Dodgers, is also thriving, posting a wRC+ of 137 and an on-base percentage of .366. General manager Chris Getz texted that Vargas had been one of his early trade targets when he stepped into his role. \u201cMiguel\u2019s makeup, aptitude and instincts for the game has unlocked All-Star ability,\u201d Getz said.\u00a0— Olney<\/p>\n 19. Minnesota Twins<\/p>\n Record:\u00a027-29<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a024<\/p>\n The struggling Royce Lewis<\/a> was sent to the minors for a pitstop, with a .163 average and an OPS of just .539, and the early returns have been great — he has six homers in his first six games at Triple-A St. Paul. The Twins might wait to see if the jump start holds before calling him back to the big leagues. It\u2019s a big year for Lewis: He\u2019ll finish this season with four-plus years of service time, and the Twins will make a decision on how he fits into their future — or whether they\u2019ll trade him for value. — Olney<\/p>\n 20. Miami Marlins<\/p>\n Record:\u00a026-31<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a022<\/p>\n In what will be a crowded field of NL Cy Young contenders, Max Meyer<\/a> is emerging as a sleeper. He has given up six earned runs in 35\u2154 innings over his past six starts, lowering his ERA from 3.96 to 2.52 — and he\u2019s doing it with power, with 40 strikeouts in that same span. Meyer has significantly improved his slider, which, in the early small sample size, has been one of the best pitches in the majors, with a run value of 8.2, per Fangraphs; only Chase Burns<\/a> of the Reds (8.4) has a slider with better production. — Olney<\/p>\n 21. Texas Rangers<\/p>\n Record:\u00a025-30<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a017<\/p>\n The Rangers won the 2023 World Series and have since seen their offense flounder. They ranked 18th in runs scored in 2024 and 22nd last season. This year, they\u2019re 25th — and were just no hit by an Astros team with the worst ERA in baseball. Texas is also 22nd in OBP and 23rd in OPS. Josh Jung<\/a> and Brandon Nimmo<\/a> have been bright spots, but the Rangers\u2019 two best hitters — Wyatt Langford<\/a> and Corey Seager<\/a> — are on the IL after slow starts. Despite that, they are in the thick of the AL wild-card race with an almost even run differential. There\u2019s time to rebound. — Castillo<\/p>\n 22. Boston Red Sox<\/p>\n Record:\u00a023-31<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a020<\/p>\n Boston\u2019s downgrade at third base has been a disaster. A year after employing two of the best third basemen in baseball in Rafael Devers<\/a> and Alex Bregman<\/a> and then ending up with neither by mid-January, president of baseball operations Craig Breslow acquired Caleb Durbin<\/a> to play third in a six-player trade with Milwaukee days before spring training. So far, Durbin is batting .163 with one home run, a .479 OPS and a 39 OPS+ in 48 games. His 34 wRC+ ranks 187th out of 196 qualified batters. Metrics suggest he\u2019s one of the best defenders in the majors, but that isn\u2019t good enough for a team desperate for offensive production. — Castillo<\/p>\n 23. Baltimore Orioles<\/p>\n Record:\u00a026-30<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a025<\/p>\n Starting pitching doomed the Orioles last season and it\u2019s happening again this season. Their starters rank in the bottom five across the majors in ERA, batting average against, FIP and strikeout rate. Kyle Bradish<\/a> has been solid in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery and that\u2019s about it. Trevor Rogers<\/a>, who had a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts last season, has an ERA approaching a touchdown plus the extra point. Yennier Cano<\/a> and Rico Garcia<\/a> have been dominant in the bullpen, but two relievers can do only so much. — Castillo<\/p>\n 24. Houston Astros<\/p>\n Record:\u00a025-32<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a027<\/p>\n Father Time has come for Jose Altuve<\/a>. The 2017 AL MVP\u2019s offensive production has steadily declined from his career-high 164 wRC+ output in 2022. Since then: 154, 127, 113 and, this year, 101. His defensive metrics illustrate a similar drop from a strong defender at his peak to a liability. On top of that, he has been on the IL since May 16 because of a strained oblique and without a clear timetable for return. Zoom out and Altuve\u2019s decline mirrors Houston\u2019s fall from perennial World Series contender. The Astros were a power when Altuve was one of baseball\u2019s best players. That\u2019s no longer the case. — Castillo<\/p>\n 25. New York Mets<\/p>\n Record:\u00a023-33<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a019<\/p>\n The last time the Mets were on the fringe of the playoff race come midsummer, in 2023, owner Steve Cohen was pretty clear-eyed in supporting a sell-off before the trade deadline. On June 30 of that year, the Mets were 36-46, with their chances for making the playoffs assessed at under 10% at the time. They are on an even worse trajectory this season — their winning percentage hovers around .420 in a highly competitive NL — which means that if Cohen makes a similar decision, then Freddy Peralta<\/a> and a few others could be on the move before the Aug. 3 deadline. — Olney<\/p>\n 26. Kansas City Royals<\/p>\n Record:\u00a022-34<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a026<\/p>\n The Royals knew that Jac Caglianone<\/a> would throw well from right field, given his background as a pitcher, but they feel as if he has improved this part of his game significantly. When he first began playing the outfield, the team\u2019s sense was that he was being careful to not air-mail throws to the infield. Now, with more experience, Caglianone has refined how he throws from the outfield and is more aggressive, and he is tied for second among all outfielders in Fangraphs\u2019 runs saved metric for throwing behind Boston\u2019s Wilyer Abreu<\/a>. — Olney<\/p>\n 27. Detroit Tigers<\/p>\n Record:\u00a022-34<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a023<\/p>\n Tarik Skubal<\/a>\u2019s recovery from elbow surgery has been smooth, and the expectation is that he\u2019ll be back on the mound soon — which will give Detroit about 10 Skubal starts before it has to decide whether to trade him. And it seems likely the Tigers would target pitching in any deal, as they lack high-end pitching at the top of their farm system. With whom could they possibly trade? The Dodgers have River Ryan<\/a>, which would be a steep asking price for a rental … and the Padres have a clear rotation need and improved farm system depth. — Olney<\/p>\n 28. San Francisco Giants<\/p>\n Record:\u00a022-34<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a028<\/p>\n Buster Posey has been unafraid to make major deals in his 20 or so months as president of baseball operations, but whether it\u2019s Matt Chapman<\/a>, Willy Adames<\/a> or Rafael Devers<\/a>, some of his acquisitions seem problematic. One that doesn\u2019t: Luis Arraez<\/a>, who came over on a one-year, $12 million contract and has been more than the Giants could have expected. He has gotten back to looking like the perennial batting champion of previous seasons, slashing .325\/.366\/.432. But what has really stood out has been his defense at second base, a position he was adamant about playing over the offseason. Within one year under infield guru Ron Washington, Arraez suddenly looks like a Gold Glove-caliber defender. — Gonzalez<\/p>\n 29. Los Angeles Angels<\/p>\n Record:\u00a021-35<\/p>\n Previous ranking:\u00a030<\/p>\n