The regular season is complete, and the playoff field is set. Cleveland held off the White Sox by one game to win the AL Central, while Houston finished one game ahead of Texas in the AL West. Chicago still made it in as the final AL wild card. In the National League, San Diego, the Cubs, and Philadelphia secured the three wild card berths behind division champions Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles.
Milwaukee finishes No. 1 in my rankings, followed by the Dodgers and Yankees. But the 12 playoff teams arrive with very different strengths. Here is how they compare in the final regular-season reports published September 28.
Overall rank refers to my rankings across all 30 MLB teams, not playoff seeding. Run differential is runs scored minus runs allowed. Higher offensive TOP is better; pitching TOP measures TOP allowed, so lower is better. The rank in parentheses beside each TOP value is its MLB-wide rank in that category. Category ranks follow the final reports, even where displayed TOP values round to the same number.
American League
Tampa Bay won the AL East at 98-64, Cleveland took the Central at 85-77, and Houston won the West at 81-81. The Yankees, Red Sox, and White Sox fill the wild card spots. Texas finished 80-82 and missed the postseason.
| Overall Rank | Team | Record | Playoff Berth | Run Differential | Offensive TOP (Rank) | Pitching TOP (Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | New York Yankees | 93-68 | Wild card | +138 | .484 (5) | .431 (2) |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Rays | 98-64 | AL East champions | +86 | .473 (12) | .451 (7) |
| 7 | Boston Red Sox | 87-75 | Wild card | +78 | .466 (19) | .443 (4) |
| 9 | Chicago White Sox | 84-78 | Wild card | +56 | .479 (9) | .473 (21) |
| 12 | Cleveland Guardians | 85-77 | AL Central champions | +11 | .461 (24) | .459 (10) |
| 16 | Houston Astros | 81-81 | AL West champions | -32 | .477 (10) | .483 (24) |
The Yankees finish as my highest-ranked AL team at No. 3, moving ahead of Atlanta in the final week. Their +138 run differential is the best among the AL playoff teams, and they pair the fifth-ranked offense with the second-ranked pitching staff by TOP. Milwaukee moved ahead of New York in the final pitching rankings, although both clubs display a .431 TOP allowed.
Tampa Bay finishes fourth overall, one spot behind the Yankees despite winning the division. The Rays combine a +86 run differential with the seventh-ranked pitching staff and 12th-ranked offense. Boston also leans on pitching: the Red Sox finish fourth in TOP allowed but 19th offensively, with a +78 run differential.
The Central race ended with Cleveland one game ahead of the White Sox, but Chicago finishes three places higher in my rankings. The White Sox have the stronger offense, ranking ninth in TOP, and a +56 run differential. Cleveland finishes at +11, with its 10th-ranked pitching helping offset an offense ranked 24th. Both teams reach October, giving those contrasting strengths a chance to matter in the postseason.
Houston closed the season strongly enough to pass Texas and win the West. The Astros climb from No. 21 in the September 20 rankings to No. 16 in the final report, improving their run differential from -59 to -32. Their offense finishes 10th by TOP, but their pitching ranks 24th. Houston is the only playoff team with a negative run differential and has the lowest overall ranking in the field.
National League
Milwaukee finished 103-59, the Dodgers reached 100-62, and Atlanta went 94-68 to complete the group of NL division champions. San Diego finished 91-71, the Cubs 89-73, and Philadelphia 88-74 to take the wild card berths.
| Overall Rank | Team | Record | Playoff Berth | Run Differential | Offensive TOP (Rank) | Pitching TOP (Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee Brewers | 103-59 | NL Central champions | +214 | .485 (4) | .431 (1) |
| 2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 100-62 | NL West champions | +201 | .494 (3) | .436 (3) |
| 5 | Atlanta Braves | 94-68 | NL East champions | +116 | .467 (18) | .457 (9) |
| 6 | Chicago Cubs | 89-73 | Wild card | +147 | .508 (1) | .472 (19) |
| 8 | San Diego Padres | 91-71 | Wild card | +41 | .477 (11) | .462 (12) |
| 10 | Philadelphia Phillies | 88-74 | Wild card | +15 | .464 (22) | .462 (13) |
Milwaukee sets the standard. The Brewers finish with MLB’s best record, the No. 1 overall rating, and the largest run differential at +214. They also take over first place in pitching TOP while finishing fourth offensively. That combination gives Milwaukee the strongest season-long profile heading into October.
The Dodgers remain second overall with a +201 run differential, joining Milwaukee as the only teams above +200. Los Angeles finishes third in both offensive and pitching TOP. The Brewers’ final rating of 127.17 puts them 2.34 points ahead of the Dodgers at 124.83, widening the 1.63-point gap in the previous weekly report.
Atlanta slips from third to fifth overall but still finishes with a +116 run differential. The Braves rank ninth in pitching TOP and 18th on offense. Their division title puts them in the field, while the final numbers place Milwaukee and Los Angeles clearly ahead in my ratings.
The Cubs bring the league’s best offense by TOP at .508, along with a +147 run differential that exceeds Atlanta’s. Their pitching finishes 19th, an improvement from 23rd in the previous report. Chicago remains sixth overall, with its offense the clearest reason to view the Cubs as a dangerous wild card team.
San Diego finishes eighth overall with a +41 run differential, ranking 11th on offense and 12th in pitching TOP. Philadelphia finishes 10th with a +15 run differential, ranking 22nd offensively and 13th in pitching. The Padres have the stronger profile across those categories, though both teams show a .462 pitching TOP at the displayed precision.
What the Final Numbers Say About October
Milwaukee and Los Angeles enter with the strongest all-around profiles. Both rank in the top four on offense and in pitching, and both outscored opponents by more than 200 runs. The Yankees offer the AL’s strongest combination of overall rank, run differential, and TOP on both sides of the ball.
The Cubs stand out for their offense, while Boston and Cleveland depend more heavily on pitching. Houston faces the largest statistical gap to the leading contenders: a division title gets the Astros into October, but their negative run differential and 24th-ranked pitching leave plenty to overcome.
These are full-season measures, not a guarantee of what happens in a short series. They do show what each team brings into the postseason—and where its biggest questions lie.
See the complete final team rankings, offensive TOP rankings, and pitching TOP rankings on the 2026 MLB season page.