Griff’s End-of-May MLB Power Rankings
Surprise teams precariously positioned for post-season…but is it still early
The first two months of the 2026 MLB regular season has produced unpredictable results, such as the Rays dominating the American League standings and the rebuilding Cardinals, sad-sack Pirates, perennially challenged White Sox and far-too-young Nationals sitting above the .500 mark. On the other hand, at the one-third mark of the ’26 season, we have also seen many teams forecast as mortal locks for the post-season, struggling into June – led by the Tigers, Mets, Phillies, Blue Jays and Mariners.
MLB DIVISION RANKINGS (through May 28): Overall the National League is a surprising 33 games above the break-even mark in inter-league play. 1-NL Central + 26 (to .500) … 2-AL East +12 … 3-NL East +7 … 4-NL West +1 … 5-AL Central -18 … 6-AL West -28.
BLUE JAYS: Through the first 57 games, the Jays have been forced to use 24 pitchers, including catcher Tyler Heineman twice and including a dozen of those Jays hurlers who were not part of the ’25 AL Championship.
The Jays need to solve some fundamental issues that have prevented them from winning games against lower-payroll teams, one that they were expected to beat. In building this Jays roster, the front office has had a recent history of focusing on run-prevention, combining pitchers that pound the strike zone and defenders who minimizes the damage on balls in play. But the best laid plans…
The first third of the season has seen the Jays in a perplexing no-man’s-land of unable to defend small-ball and rein in a lesser opponent’s speed game, while, at the same time, unable to match the traditional power-game of the big-boy opponents. The Jays offence needs to step it up in terms of power, extra-base hits and clutch, while the defence needs to return to fundamentals. Those mistakes don’t show up on the stat sheet.
Consider outfielder Yohendick Pinango has zero errors on his record, but every fan remembers the double at Yankee Stadium that dropped on the foul line as three players stood by. Fresh, also, are the memories vs. the Marlins, first time as he gave way to Andres Gimenez then realized it was his ball, dove feet first and kicked an RBI double to centre field and finally a line drive in that same inning where his route to the ball seemed inspired by a Picasso sketch book. Clearly, stats don’t tell the entire story in baseball.
With all that in mind, the Jays can be perceived as underachievers and, even though there are 13 players currently on the major-league IL, it can be argued that every team has injuries with which to deal. The Jays list of walking wounded shows a total missing individual payroll, at the moment, of just under $100-million, including six starting pitchers – Dylan Cease, Jose Berrios, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, Cody Ponce and Bowden Francis.
Here are some injury updates: Alejandro Kirk (fractured left thumb) was with the team on the recent homestand. He has caught bullpens and is now swinging the bat vs. live pitching in Florida. They will be better when he returns, likely with Brandon Valenzuela as backup.
Shane Bieber (forearm fatigue, two years removed from Tommy John) threw two innings in a Florida Complex League game on Monday and will throw three innings next time. He will continue to ramp up and is at least a month away.
Max Scherzer (forearm and ankle) threw 30 pitches vs. live hitting, the equivalent of two innings, on the field at Rogers Centre on Wednesday morning. He continues to remain with the team on the road as unofficial advisor to younger players in the dugout during games. He is chomping at the bit to return to the mound. At 55 innings, he receives a $1M bonus and then another mill for every 10 innings after that. He is now at 18.2 innings.
Addison Barger (right elbow inflammation) is hitting but has not yet started a throwing rehab program. His arm, of course, is a huge part of his arsenal. They miss him as a deterrent against opposing runners and miss his power potential.
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Here are the GriffsthePitch.com power rankings, with huge changes from opening day, which was largely based on the previous season and traditional spring mirages. Number in parentheses is the end of April power rank.
1-Dodgers (1)
’26 Opening Payroll: $390.5M (1)
Manager: Dave Roberts
SUMMARY: One can argue at any moment they are not the best team, but they will be there when it counts and have purchased the depth to withstand injuries.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (9) Kyle Tucker, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Yosh Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernandez, Edwin Diaz.
2-Braves (4)
’26 Opening Payroll: $246.5 (8)
Manager: Walt Weiss
SUMMARY: After a down year in 2025, the Braves are back with a different manager, trending up with legitimate Cy Young and MVP candidates.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (7) Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ha-Seong Kim, Ronald Acuna Jr, Chris Sale, Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez.
3-Rays (12)
’26 Opening Payroll: $105.2M (27)
Manager: Kevin Cash
SUMMARY: Every time you feel this is it for the Rays way that their luck has run out, they come up with an answer. This time it’s home at the Trop with OF Chandler Simpson and a healthy LHP Shane McLanahan.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: Zero
4-Brewers (7)
’26 Opening Payroll: $129.1M (21)
Manager: Pat Murphy
SUMMARY: The Rays and Brewers are the MLB players union’s
Choice, the argument against ownership linking payroll and contending.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (2) Christian Yelich, Brandon Woodruff.
5-Yankees (3)
’26 Opening Payroll: $333.2M (3)
Manager: Aaron Boone
SUMMARY: Bronx Bombers live up to their name, but need to straighten the bullpen before they can be elite. Can David Bednar hold up for 162 games plus October?
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (7) Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodon, Trent Grisham, Max Fried.
6-Padres (2)
’26 Opening Payroll: $262.1 (6)
Manager: Craig Stammen (R)
SUMMARY: The Padres will make a couple of blockbuster moves before the deadline that have people scratching their head. But they remain forever interesting.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (7) Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Michael King, Fernando Tatis Jr, Nick Castellanos, Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish.
7-Guardians (13)
’26 Opening Payroll: $97.7M (29)
Manager: Stephen Vogt
SUMMARY: The Guardians have sprinted to the lead in a division that has been surprisingly gettable with Skubal out and the Twins and Royals disappointing.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (1) Jose Ramirez.
8-Diamondbacks (11)
’26 Opening Payroll: $186.3M (16)
Manager: Torey Lovullo
SUMMARY: Ketel Marte has started to crush again and this team is only going to get better as the season progresses. Imagine if Corbin Burnes was healthy.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (7) Corbin Burnes, Nolan Arenado, Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill KJelly, Zac Gallen, Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll.
9-Cardinals (10)
’26 Opening Payroll: $118.6 (24)
Manager: Oliver Marmol
SUMMARY: The city and the region are always going to support their Cardinals, so planning a rebuild wasn’t a gamble. But they are winning and competitive already. Bonus.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: Zero
10-Phillies (20)
’26 Opening Payroll: $311.2M (4)
Manager: Don Mattingly
SUMMARY: This team was always going to rebound, with the rotation they have and talent in the lineup. Rob Thomson isn’t as dumb, nor Don Mattingly as smart as we think.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (6) Zack Wheeler, Trea Turner, Aaron Nola, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto.
11-Reds (6)
’26 Opening Payroll: $146.7M (19)
Manager: Terry Francona
SUMMARY: With Hunter Greene on the verge of a return to the mound, the Reds are a trendy choice to battle for a wild-card through the summer..
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (1) Eugenio Suarez.
12-Cubs (5)
’26 Opening Payroll: $240.09M (9)
Manager: Craig Counsell
SUMMARY: The Cubs are like a rollercoaster covered in ivy. So much talent yet a 10-game losing streak. Even the Billy Goat curse is making a comeback.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (7) Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Shota Imanaga, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Jameson Taillon, Nico Hoerner.
13-White Sox (29)
’26 Opening Payroll: $105.2M (26)
Manager: Will Venable
SUMMARY: Just south of the Cubs, both geographically and in power rankings, you will find the White Sox. Their Japanese import is early choice for rookie-of-the-year.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (1) Andrew Benintendi.
14-Nationals (27)
’26 Opening Payroll: $102.4M (28)
Manager: Blake Butera (R)
SUMMARY: The youngest front office in baseball is leaning on its young offence to lead them into the future. Better than the Mets and much cheaper.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: Zero
15-Mariners (17)
’26 Opening Payroll: $181.2M (18)
Manager: Dan Wilson
SUMMARY: M’s rotation is the best young foursome in majors. They need to create more offence to pull away in what has been a bad AL West.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (5) Luis Castillo, Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor.
16-Blue Jays (19)
’26 Opening Payroll: $300.3M (5)
Manager: John Schneider
SUMMARY: Once the NHL playoffs are over, a lot of Canadians will shift attention back to the Jays and wonder what the hell is happening top the AL defending champs.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (8) Vlad Guerrero Jr, George Springer, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Jose Berrios, Andres Gimenez, Anthony Santander, Kaz Okamoto.
17-Athletics (16)
’26 Opening Payroll: $131.9M (20)
Manager: Mark Kotsay
SUMMARY: The A’s are like the Indians in the early ’90s when they were readying to move into Jacobs Field. A’s want to be good now but prefer to win in new Vegas digs.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (1) Luis Severino.
18-Pirates (9)
’26 Opening Payroll: $120.7M (22)
Manager: Don Kelly
SUMMARY: Paul Skenes, Konnor Griffin and a great stadium are a good start, but unless they keep Skenes it’ll be a tough sell to quality free agents.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (2) Mitch Keller, Konnor Griffin
19-Marlins (23)
’26 Opening Payroll: $78.1M (30)
Manager: Clayton McCullough
SUMMARY: Speed and youth and three key Canadians make this an interesting team to watch. They are finding ways to compete but still have a distance to go.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (1) Sandy Alcantara
20-Orioles (15)
’26 Opening Payroll: $201.5M (13)
Manager: Craig Albernaz (R)
SUMMARY: When the O’s jumped up to 101 and 91 wins in 2023-24 they tried to accelerate the winning process given an abundance of young position player talent. It has failed.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (3) Pete Alonso, Chris Bassitt, Tyler O’Neill.
21-Astros (25)
’26 Opening Payroll: $228.2M (11)
Manager: Joe Espada
SUMMARY: The Astros window of post-season opportunity has lasted since 2017, but that window may be closing thanks to key injuries and a team ERA over five..
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (7) Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Carlos Correa, Christian Walker, Josh Hader, Tatsuya Imai, Lance McCullers.
22-Twins (18)
’26 Opening Payroll: $119.2M (23)
Manager: Derek Shelton
SUMMARY: They looked at a division that seemed wide-open but replacing key bullpen pieces they traded off last summer has not been easy. Plus, the loss of Pablo Lopez.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (2) Pablo Lopez, Buron Buxton.
23-Red Sox (21)
’26 Opening Payroll: $256.1M (7)
Manager: Chad Tracy (R)
SUMMARY: The Red Sox identity has always been about scoring runs and ruling at Fenway. Firing Alex Cora was the latest in what seems like dysfunctional relationship among players, fans and front office.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (5) Sonny Gray, Trevor Story, Garrett Crochet, Masataka Yoshida, Willson Contreras.
24-Rangers (14)
’26 Opening Payroll: $200.1M (14)
Manager: Skip Schumaker
SUMMARY: The Rangers are struggling in a very winnable decision. They have solid names in the starting rotation but the three youngsters are still finding themselves.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (5) Jacob deGrom, Corey Seager, Nate Eovaldi, Brandon Nimmo, Joc Pederson.
25-Giants (22)
’26 Opening Payroll: $223.6M (12)
Manager: Tony Vitello (R)
SUMMARY: Sure Buster Posey is one of the good guys in baseball, but the move to a college-background manager and some questionable personnel moves add up to this.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (6) Matt Chapman, Robbie Ray, Rafael Devers, Jung Hoo Lee, Logan Webb, Willy Adames.
26-Royals (28)
’26 Opening Payroll: $181.7M (17)
Manager: Matt Quatraro
SUMMARY: The Royals were a trendy picks to take the next step. Sal Perez is nearing the end of his road and Vinnie Pasquantino has struggled coming off heady WBC success.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (3) Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Bobby Witt Jr.
27-Mets (26)
’26 Opening Payroll: $368.7M (2)
Manager: Carlos Mendoza
SUMMARY: The Mets have an owner with the deepest pockets in baseball who has yet to figure it out when it comes to building a winning roster. Bo is not a Big Apple sort of guy.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (8) Juan Soto, Bo Bichette, Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, Sean Manaea, Devin Williams, Jorge Polanco, Kodai Senga.
28-Tigers (8)
’26 Opening Payroll: $236.7M (10)
Manager: A.J. Hinch
SUMMARY: Even if Tarik Skubal manages to fast-track back to health and to the rotation, it may be too late in terms of contending. Look for them to explore trade talks in July.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (5) Tarik Skubal, Javier Baez, Gleyber Torres, Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty.
29-Angels (24)
’26 Opening Payroll: $187.0M (15)
Manager: Kurt Suzuki (R)
SUMMARY: The Angels are benefitting from a Mike Trout power resurgence, but, elsewhere, Jose Soriano’s numbers have levelled off and Yusei Kikuchi is on 60-day IL.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (3) Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon. Yusei Kikuchi.
30-Rockies (30)
’26 Opening Payroll: $105.3M (25)
Manager: Warren Schaefer
SUMMARY: The Rockies have been slightly more competitive in ‘26 but there is no reason to move them out of the Mile-High basement.
PLAYERS AT $15M-PLUS AAV: (1) Kris Bryant.