What a weird season. Going into the last series of games, we didn't have a Division Champion crowned for two of the AL divisions, and a possible 3-way tie for all of the NL Wild Card teams. We didn't even know if the AL West Champion was going to have a winning record! What a mess, but the dust has finally settled and we have our 12 postseason participants. Who will I be
rooting for? The first and last place teams are obvious, but what about
the other teams? As I've mentioned before, there are a lot of
factors that influence my ranking, but I usually start with a list of
teams
who have suffered the longest Championship droughts and adjust
accordingly.
Once again, I present my personal 2026 Playoff rankings!
1. Boston Red Sox - AL Wild Card (7 year drought)
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2019 Topps Heritage #1 World Series Champions (Boston Red Sox) |
The fact that this team is even in the postseason is nothing short of miraculous. Just think, almost halfway through the season they were 32-46, a staggering 14 games below .500! Something clicked just before the All-Star break, and they became unstoppable. They get a repeat of last year's matchup in Yankee Stadium, and I hope there's enough magic in the season left to get them past the Yankees this time.
Prediction: (*Spoiler Alert!*) Lose to the Dodgers in the World Series
2. Cleveland Guardians - AL Central Champions (77 year drought)
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| 1967 Laughlin World Series #45 1948 Braves vs Indians |
Don't sleep on the 1-2 punch of Parker Messick and Gavin Williams. They measure up with any other playoff team's top 2 starting pitchers. The biggest obstacle is the offense, which has scored the least amount of runs out of all the playoff teams.
Prediction: Lose to the Red Sox in the AL Championship Series
3. Milwaukee Brewers - NL Central Champions (57 year drought - Never won a World Series)
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| 2026 Topps #107 Milwaukee Brewers (TC) |
How about those Brewers huh? Not only were they the first team to clinch their division, they also have the best record in baseball! This is one of those teams where the sum is greater than the individual players. They're going to be dangerous, especially with Jacob Misiorowski leading the way.
Prediction: Lose to the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series
4. Chicago White Sox - AL Wild Card (20 year drought)
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| 2005 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH134 White Sox Sweep (WS) |
Wow. Just wow. After 3 straight years of over 100 losses, including a record 121 losses just 2 years ago, the White Sox are playoff bound! That's how you do a rebuild! They'll be fun to watch.
Prediction: Lose to the Guardians in the AL Division Series
5. San Diego Padres - NL Wild Card (57 year drought - Never won a World Series)
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| 2026 Topps #292 San Diego Padres (TC) |
It's
often said that pitching is what carries teams in the playoffs, and the
Padres have arguably one of the best bullpens in the Majors. Starting pitching
is solid but not fantastic, and their offense behind Tatis doesn't
exactly scare anyone. I'd love to see this team win their first World Series, but it's going to take one incredible hot streak.
Prediction: Lose to the Cubs in the NL Wild Card Series
6. Philadelphia Phillies - NL Wild Card (17 year drought)
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| 2009 Topps Heritage #391 The Champs Celebrate (WS) |
If Jesus Luzardo can come back for the playoffs, a rotation of Cristopher Sanchez, Zach Wheeler and Luzardo is very strong. Harper and Schwarber are going to have to carry the offense though.
Prediction: Lose to the Braves in the NL Wild Card Series
7. Atlanta Braves - NL East Champions (4 year drought)
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| 2022 Topps Heritage #210 |
The only reason they rank higher than the Cubs is because they're my dad's team. Plus, Chris Sale deserves another ring. This is a well balanced team that can go quite far if things break their way.
Prediction: Lose to the Dodgers in the NL Division Series
8. Chicago Cubs - NL Wild Card (9 year drought)
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| 2017 Topps #206 Chicago Cubs (WS) |
It seems like a lot of playoff teams this year have strong pitching and mid offense. The Cubs are the opposite. They have lots of offense, led by eventual MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong and the broken faced Alex Bregman. The pitching however has been ravaged by injuries and will need everything they have to keep the Cubs chances alive.
Prediction: Lose to the Brewers in the NL Division Series
9. Houston Astros - AL West Champions (3 year drought)
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2023 Topps Heritage #475 '22 World Series Game 4 (WS, SP) |
Last year was a nice reprieve from their run of 7 straight AL Championship Series. I'm not ready to have them start a new streak yet. Fortunately, they're not a good team.
Prediction: Lose to the White Sox in the AL Wild Card Series
10. Tampa Bay Rays - AL East Champions (28 year drought - never won)
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| 2026 Topps #408 Tampa Bay Rays (TC) |
For years, I've compared the Rays to pesky mosquitos. They always find a way to win despite lacking a true superstar player. Now they have that superstar in Junior Caminero, and the #1 team in the AL might just be geared for a deep run.
Prediction: Lose to the Red Sox in the AL Division Series
11. Los Angeles Dodgers - NL West Champions (won last year)
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| 2026 Topps Heritage #313World Series Highlights (WSHL, SP) |
The Dodgers have now tied the 1991-2005 Atlanta Braves with their 14th straight playoff appearance. They've won their division in all but one of those years, and are aiming to win their third straight World Series. I have nothing against them other than your typical dynasty oversaturation. It'd be nice to see someone else win.
Prediction: Win their 3rd straight World Series over the Red Sox
12. New York Yankees - AL Wild Card (Not a long enough drought)
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2010 Topps - History of the World Series #HWS25 Yankees |
We've reached a new milestone in the Yankees' drought. With the 12th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, the Angels selected 17 year old Jared Grindlinger, making him the first drafted person born the same year as the Yankee's last title. They grow up so fast!
Prediction: Lose to the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series
To summarize my predictions:
AL Wild Card
Red Sox over YankeesWhite Sox over Astros
NL Wild Card
Cubs over PadresBraves over Phillies
ALDS
Guardians over White Sox
Red Sox over Rays
NLDS
Dodgers over BravesBrewers over Cubs
ALCS
Red Sox over Guardians
NLCS
Dodgers over Brewers
World Series
*sigh* Dodgers over Red Sox
