While I will be back next week with my final regular-season power rankings and a postseason preview, this is essentially the end of Year 15 of my weekly power rankings.
Kudos out to my friend and sponsor Byron Warnken of Warnken Law for powering the production of this weekly look at the top 10 teams as I keep tabs on the ups and downs of the season.
Speaking of the ups and downs of a season, the 2026 season in Birdland will end without a trip to the postseason. That means we are now 43 years and counting since the Orioles appeared in and won a World Series.
I was 31 years old in 1983. I am now 74 years old. While we have had brief moments of nearly being good enough in a handful of years since then, it’s time for a recommitment on the part of ownership.
Based on his meeting with the media the other day, it seems certain that Mike Elias will be back as president of baseball operations. It looks like Elias wants to add some new voices to his baseball brain trust before any serious personnel moves are made on the field. The club has already parted ways with vice president of player and staff development Matt Blood and reassigned analytics guru Sig Mejdal.
Why is Elias so coy about adding a general manager? He alluded to it this time last year when he finally admitted he had been promoted to president of baseball operations — and then crickets.
Is Elias really serious about adding new insights and opinions to his inner circle or is he just feeding the media and the fan base with something he feels they want to hear?
My sincere hope is that the hiring of Mike Shildt to help finish the development of top-level prospects will begin to pay off and that he will be joined in that endeavor by Cal Ripken Jr. and perhaps Bill Ripken.
Something needs to change on not just in the decision-making on who to draft but how to maximize the players’ chances of succeeding at the big league level.
A prime example of how this organization was underfinanced four years ago was the determination that No. 1 pick Jackson Holliday was ready for the bigs when he clearly needed another 500 minor league at-bats. But the economic constraints Elias was under at the time meant the club needed Holliday to be ready rather than have him actually be ready.
I’ll have more to come in the weeks ahead on the Orioles and what they need to do to position themselves to really be ready to compete in 2027.
Here are my latest power rankings.
1. Milwaukee Brewers (98-58, No. 1 last week): The Brewers are still playing a tick better than the Dodgers. This is shaping up as an epic NLCS against the back-to-back champs.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (96-60, No. 2): I keep seeing a guy named Kyle Tucker hitting home runs in the box scores. They also have Edwin Díaz back as they get ready to head into playoffs.
3. Tampa Bay Rays (95-60, No. 3): I keep looking for a sexier pick to get to the World Series out of the American League, but I cannot come close to finding one.
4. Atlanta Braves (92-64, No. 4): After getting out to a big lead in the NL East in the first half, the Braves had to hold off the Phillies throughout the second half. They proved up to the task. I just don’t know if they can get past the Brewers or Dodgers.
5. San Diego Padres (87-69, No. 9): Looking for a dark horse to make it to the World Series out of the National League? Why not take the team that is 13-1 in their last 14?
6. New York Yankees (89-66, No. 5): I know Aaron Judge is superhuman, but I always thought the idea that he’d return after a three-month period on the injured list with a stress reaction in his rib cage without any rehab games was bordering on lunacy. Now he is on the IL with a calf strain. The Yankees “hope” he’ll be able to play in the postseason. While an ALCS trip wouldn’t be a shock, I don’t think the Yankees can beat the Rays in a possible ALDS.
7. Chicago Cubs (87-69, No. 8): I didn’t love the Cubs’ chances of a deep run before, but a scary incident occurred on Sunday when star third baseman Alex Bregman was hit in the face by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Michael Busch. Bregman apparently has no concussion but suffered bruising and a laceration under his left eye. No word on when he’ll return to the lineup.
8. Boston Red Sox (84-72, No. 6): A month ago, I really thought the Red Sox had more than a puncher’s chance to stir it up, but the Adley Rutschman trade failed to move the needle at all. The catcher is hitting .192/.252/.364 in 107 plate appearances with the Red Sox. And there are chinks in the bullpen and rotation.
9. Philadelphia Phillies (86-70, No. 7): I still give the Phillies a puncher’s chance at advancing deep in the playoffs because of that great starting pitching, but slugger Kyle Schwarber has hit more than a wall in the past month. He’s hitting .181/.301/.402 with 12 extra-base hits in his past 153 plate appearances (33 games). That won’t cut it in the postseason.
10. Cleveland Guardians (81-75, No. 13): Jo Adell has been a run producer on a team that sorely needed to help José Ramírez, having driven in 31 runs since being acquired in a deadline deal. But the starting staff has not been quite up to snuff.
11. Chicago White Sox (80-76, No. 12)
12. Texas Rangers (78-78, No. 14)
13. Houston Astros (77-79, No. 10)
14. Arizona Diamondbacks (82-74, No. 11)
15. Pittsburgh Pirates (79-77, No. 16)
16. Toronto Blue Jays (77-79, No. 15)
17. Baltimore Orioles (75-81, No. 17)
18. Miami Marlins (76-80, No. 20)
19. Minnesota Twins (73-83, No. 18)
20. Detroit Tigers (73-83, No. 21)
21. Seattle Mariners (73-83, No. 23)
22. St. Louis Cardinals (75-81, No. 19)
23. Washington Nationals (73-83, No. 25)
24. New York Mets (71-85, No. 22)
25. Cincinnati Reds (72-84, No. 24)
26. Kansas City Royals (67-89, No. 26)
27. San Francisco Giants (64-92, No. 27)
28. Los Angeles Angels (60-96, No. 29)
29. Colorado Rockies (57-99, No. 30)
30. Athletics (61-95, No. 28)