Every week, the Pitcher List team will publish an update to our power rankings, highlighting three teams among the different tiers of contention. As always, the full rankings can be found at the bottom of this article, but where’s the fun in that?
With only two weeks left in the regular season and eight playoff spots all but locked up, there are still several things to look for before we begin the best part of the MLB calendar. The AL Central and West remain up for grabs, with several teams still involved but none of them possessing the quality to simply take control. The battle for the last NL wild card is at least interesting on the positive side, with the Padres and Snakes ready to clash in the final series of the season for all the marbles.
Outside of this intrigue, playoff positioning adds another layer of interest for several squads. The Dodgers are back atop our rankings following an almost perfect week, but they are still behind Milwaukee in the standings. A similar situation is unfolding in the AL East, as the Rays refuse to give up their lead over the Yankees, which could eventually set up a massive all-East clash in the ALDS.
Conversely, every day is also producing the infamous ELIMINATED announcement for many franchises, which is always sad and deflating. More than half of the teams in the standings will see it posted over the next week, with varying levels of pain. The Cubs will avoid it thanks to a massive offensive season, but that cannot be said for our other featured teams, but the Pirates and Mariners will head out to sea with completely different feelings this offseason.
Contender
No. 7 Chicago Cubs (84-67, +142)
After an RBI groundout to open the scoring against Atlanta, the Cubs became the first team to reach 800 runs scored in 2026, adding one more accomplishment to an offense that has been capable to score in bunches. Later on during the same game, the Cubs struggled to close out the game despite having a 7-0 lead, ultimately prevailing 7-3 as Atlanta had several late chances to score. How this game ended illustrates the roller-coaster of watching the Cubs this season, as they are simultaneously impressive but also not being considered as a true contender for the NL pennant. The many flaws of the Cubs were exposed in the past week, when Milwaukee completed a three-game sweep that was both humbling and eye-opening for Chicago. With the division out of reach and all pointing towards the four-seed in the NL playoffs, the Cubs can now focus on regrouping and finding their best version for October.
For the first time in 21 years the Chicago Cubs have a 40-homer hitter!!
PCA is only the second lefty to do so! pic.twitter.com/GfCW0rkoEv
— Alex Patt (@chifanpatt2) September 6, 2026
In terms of power and on-base ability, the Cubs can feel optimistic that they can hang around any game in the playoffs, as they lead the league by a wide margin in walk percentage while also being tops in homers, slugging, and OPS. The recent return to career levels from Alex Bregman has added a new layer of danger to the lineup, Seiya Suzuki is about to post the quietest 5-WAR season you have ever seen, and Pete Crow-Armstrong will become a deserved MVP and still has a chance to post a 40/40 campaign. Teams that hit plenty of homers and can draw walks have been October staples for several seasons, but recent history also shows that a bad bullpen and having no clear ace atop the rotation can spell out disaster.
Chicago’s endless array of injuries has led to a season that has featured 39 total pitchers, with 14 of them making at least one start. It is safe to say that not one of them looks like a good idea for a likely Game 1 matchup against Chris Sale in Atlanta during the wild card round. A large part of Chicago’s run differential and record stem from their performance on games decided by 5+ runs, which stands at a whopping 34-15 with a +153 advantage. These types of games are unlikely to happen frequently once the playoffs begin, and the Cubs will need to find a way to adapt to the pressure-cooker nature of October while also finding a way to set up a reliable back-end of the bullpen. Long-relief man Javier Assad provides versatility, but the high-leverage trio of Daniel Palencia, Ryan Zeferjhan, and Jacob Webb have failed to add clarity to manager Craig Counsell’s decisions.
There is clearly a buzz around the Windy City with both of the city’s teams heading to the playoffs, and especially so for a Cubs franchise set to have their best team since the legendary 2016 championship squad. In some ways, having no chance of catching Milwaukee adds a layer of certainty for the roster and the clear goals they need to set in these final two weeks. The return of Dansby Swanson from injury is a nice addition for the offense, while Edward Cabrera could become a weapon for the pitching staff in any role his health permits. Regardless of how this season ends, the Cubs can at least be content with knowing their offensive core will be intact for next season, and any kind of pitching reinforecements could represent a massive upgrade, including their own pitchers returning from the IL. They may enter the playoffs as the fourth or fifth best team in the NL, but this could be just the beginning of a long contention window for the franchise.
The Middle
No. 14 Pittsburgh Pirates (75-75, +26)
Barring an ocean-sized miracle, the Pittsburgh Pirates are set to watch October from afar for an 11th straight season, which is nothing new for a franchise accostumed to decade-plus playoff absences. At the same time, the Buccos are set to post their best season of the 2020s, with a real chance to have a winning record for the first time since 2018. The emergence of Paul Skenes as a force and the ascent of several prospects had given the Pirates a chance of contending when the season began, but the truth is that Pittsburgh will end the season somewhere close to what their projections expected, hovering around .500 in a very competitive division. While the end result will not be as positive as some hoped, it is also true that the Pirates should walk away from 2026 satisfied and full of positive takeaways.
In 2025, the Pirates featured one of the best pitching staffs but were felled by a lackluster offense that could not even muster four runs per game. This season, the script has been ironically flipped, as Pittsburgh has become a legitimate top-10 offense, only to be limited by an inconsistent staff that could never string winning streaks. In fact, this lack of sustained results is evidenced by the fact that the Pirates had to wait more than four months between their first and second winning streaks of at least four games. A positive September could become the team’s third winning month, enough to match their three losing ones, and the list goes on for how Pittsburgh has mixed encouraging signs with frustrating counterparts.
The only way the Pirates make the Playoffs is “IF” they win out and still get a lot of help from other teams.
So ya the season is basically over. I will still watch every game the rest of the way and cheer them on but it’s very unfortunate that we once again do not see playoff…
— Kody Duncan (@KodyDuncanPGH) September 14, 2026
With calls to revamp the front office prevalent among the fan base, it is important to at least highlight some of the things that helped Pittsburgh move back to respectability in a crowded division. First and foremost, spending real money on a proven veteran like Brandon Lowe has been rewarded with the second baseman becoming the team’s best position player, while Ryan O’Hearn was also a net positive for the offense. The Marcell Ozuna fiasco, on the other hand, shows the risks of signing aging players, but that should not discourage the Pirates from being more aggressive going forward. Having found a true closer in Mason Montgomery and with the young core of Konnor Griffin, Oneil Cruz, and Esmerlyn Valdez leading the way, there is a true foundation regardless of who makes the decisions next time around.
Skenes’ regression was not so profound to suggest he needs major changes, but rather a sign that he still has room to improve, while settling the bullpen and catcher position should be priorities to round out the roster. Just last week, this team put a real dent on the White Sox while sweeping them on the road, showing just how good the Pirates can be against solid competition. In a division where the Brewers and Cubs aren’t going anywhere and the Reds and Cardinals have improved, it is imperative to keep up and invest in the roster. For a decade, it has been impossible to be optimistic around the Buccos, but 2026 at least has served as proof of concept that it can happen.
Wait ‘Til 2027
No. 22 Seattle Mariners (70-81, -60)
Having talked about two teams that will end 2026 on a positive note, now it’s time to discuss one franchise on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Less than a year ago, the Mariners were on the cusp of their first AL pennant, having won the AL West for the first time in decades and advancing through the playoff in increasingly epic fashion. Alas, a bout of bullpen mismanagement led to a George Springer homer that has somehow deflated the whole momentum of the M’s ever since. The front office approached this season as an all-in opportunity to return to glory, and has instead overseen a disaster of weird proportions, as the Mariners will close the season with some of the most confusing stats you will ever see.
They have been serviceable at home but terrible on the road. They have four hitters with at least 20 homers but own a collective OPS below .700, third-worst in baseball. Their pitching staff has allowed the second-lowest walk rate in the game, but is also bottom-10 when it comes to allowing homers, leading to a team 4.24 ERA despite being one of the best staffs in terms of baserunners allowed. The late-game duo of Andres Muñoz and Eduard Bazardo has combined to allow 20 homers with ERAs above 4, while Bryan Woo has varied from ace at home to unplayable on the road. Randy Arozarena will received down-ballot MVP votes, while Julio Rodríguez has been a mystery and Cal Raleigh has needed a late-season hot run to have a chance at a .700 OPS.
The list could go on and on for the M’s, but the reality is that they will face one of the most difficult offseasons in MLB. Even with all the negativity, the Mariners were gifted with a chance to mount a late-season comeback, with a schedule full of games against losing teams, including some of the worst baseball has to offer. Instead of taking advantage of this, Seattle has gone 4-7 in the process, including an embarrassing 2-5 record against an Athletics team that has otherwise played to a 15-32 record in the second half. This debacle has essentially buried any chance for the Mariners, which will be made even more shocking once someone wins the AL West with a record barely hovering 81 wins.
If(when) Dan Wilson gets fired….
Who is YOUR choice to replace him?🤔 #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/QY3ijKocUA
— SleeperMariners (@SleeperMariners) September 14, 2026
The front office will need to decide if 2026 was simply an aberration or a sign that massive changes need to occur. Having watched this team through the season, it seems clear that something has been off from the get-go. Raleigh’s decline will receive plenty of scrutiny, but his usage in 2025 can explain plenty of it, as a full-time catcher is simply not designed to withstand such playing time. The inexplicable regression of Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, Muñoz, Woo, and several other starters will be harder to understand, though, setting up plenty of hard decisions for this roster. Arozarena, the only reliable force in the offense, is set for a big payday in free agency, and could be priced out of Seattle. Manager Dan Wilson has faced plenty of second-guessing and could be on the hot seat from the outset of 2027, and something similar could play out for GM Jerry Dipoto.
George Springer has made a career out of massive playoff moments. He probably never thought one of his swings could destroy an entire franchise.
