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?
Trying to make sense of MLB in 2026 is complicated, as evidenced by the lack of movement in these rankings. The teams that have been great remain great, like seeing the Cubs post their second 10-game winning streak of the year, or Atlanta and the Dodgers continuining to avoid any major skids. The surprising teams continue to surprise (Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, to name a few), and the early big-market disasters have not been as bad anymore, but still have a ways to go before joining the contention group.
All in all, only 12 teams enter today’s action with a winning record, with only 10 of them owning a positive run differential. The Yankees suddenly have the longest active losing streak at four games, while the Mets are the team with the largest deficit in the playoff race, at 8 games back of the third wild card. Meanwhile, at 17-23 and with everything falling apart, the Red Sox are only two games back of a playoff spot. As mentioned before, it is hard to make sense of all this.
Having said that, here are three teams that are intriguing for a variety of reasons. The Brewers just swept the Yankees and are again showing how to contend despite a low budget and a cast of no-names, the Blue Jays simply can’t break out offensively, while the Giants are a strange mix of unwatchable and potential contenders (often in the same game).
Contender
No. 6 Milwaukee Brewers (22-16, +54 run differential)
Have we reached a point where the Brewers are… predictable? Not in a boring way, of course, but rather in the way the organization seems to flourish year in and year out despite tepid projections and a roster that features several reclamation projections. Milwaukee has stars, as usual, that glue everything together, but they only seem to make sense when you take the roster as a whole. Take Jacob Misiorowski. The Miz is riding a streak of two scoreless starts in which he has been nearly unhittable, as he now leads the NL in strikeouts and K/9. His ascent to Cy Young candidate seemed preordained after a strong rookie season, but his presence alone cannot explain that the Brewers are once again a top-5 unit in terms of run prevention.
This is where we need to highlight players like Kyle Harrison, basically discarded by the Giants and the Red Sox, now boasting a 2.41 ERA, or Chad Patrick, who may be nothing but smoke and mirrors with his peripherals, but has still managed to pitch to a 3.15 ERA. This has happened after an offseason that included the departure of ace Freddy Peralta and another injury setback for Brandon Woodruff, while closer Trevor Megill had to be demoted to set-up man after a rough start. That has been balanced by the opportunistic Aaron Ashby, leading the league with 7 wins with only 19 games and 26 innings to his name, while Abner Uribe picked up the closer role with ease. Add it all up, and the Brewers are again riding their pitching factory to another competitive season.
Not your average weekend. Not your average team. pic.twitter.com/KCakmS5sAS
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 12, 2026
Despite being the second-worst offense in terms of homers, Milwaukee remains a top-10 scoring team by doing the little things, boasting a top-5 OBP and stealing bases, again overcoming the annual Christian Yelich injury and also a prolonged absence from Jackson Chourio. Brice Turang has developed into the quintessential Brewer, underrated while leading the NL in OBP. Meanwhile, his supporting cast has been more good than great, but with enough value to project Milwaukee with playoff odds that exceed 95%, even as they are a healthy 4.5 games behind the Cubs. With the purpose and resourcefulness this franchise shows every season, nothing should surprise us anymore.
The Middle
No. 14 Toronto Blue Jays (18-23, -15 run differential)
Through 41 games in 2025, the Blue Jays had a losing record, fresh off a loss to the Rays. In 2026, the Blue Jays just lost to Tampa Bay and own a losing record, except it all feels weirdly different. Last season’s club entered the season with low expectations, while the current version was supposed to be a top AL contender following a pennant, solid offseason additions, and the excitement of a fan base that allowed ownership to invest on the team like never before. The 2026 Jays experience has been frustrating in many ways, as every time it seems that Toronto will shake off the rust, another losing streak comes along to put a dent into these hopes.
The injuries have been a problem. Varsho isn’t the same hitter as last year. George isn’t healthy. Vladdy always starts slow.
— Scott BlueJaysAlways (@BluejaysAlways) May 12, 2026
Case in point, Toronto won six of eight at one point to come within one game of .500, only to lose four straight, including a three-game sweep by the Rays in which the Jays only scored four runs. Uneven performances have been the theme for Toronto so far, as most of its stars have struggled to be consistent or stay on the field. With Alejandro Kirk and George Springer battling injuries, many expected Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. to build on his playoff heroics, but he has instead fallen into a pattern of keeping an impressive eye at the plate but without the aggresiveness needed from an elite power hitter. Vladito’s impressive .395 OPS becomes less imposing when his slugging is just .397, with only nine extra-base hits and 17 RBI. While newcomer Kazuma Okamoto has been as good as advertised and leads the team in many offensive categories, that was not part of the plan.
With many injuries to the rotation, the Blue Jays have needed 10 different pitchers to make at least one start, including six from Patrick Corbin, who was essentially out of baseball to start the season. The recent return of Trey Yesavage is a step in the right direction, while Dylan Cease and Kevin Gausman have ace-like potential, albeit with a lower margin for error when the offense is not responding as it should. The Blue Jays rank in the bottom-10 of MLB for most major offensive categories, which may be too much to overcome in a division where the Yankees and Rays appear to be elite and well-rounded. As Toronto finishes another series with the Rays, followed by a roadtrip to Detroit and the Bronx, things need to turn around quickly if they are to repeat the magic of 2025.
Wait ‘Til 2027
No. 28 San Francisco Giants (17-24, -42 run differential)
As someone that watches a lot of Giants games, I’ve stopped trying to understand what this team is all about. They tried to revamp their rotation with mid-tier free agents, only to see Landen Roupp and Robbie Ray become their most reliable options. Logan Webb just went on the IL, but he was having a miserable season with an ERA almost two runs above his FIP. Their presumed closer was just sent to AAA, and their veteran defensive wiz catcher was traded to Cleveland, leaving a tandem of two rookies to play backstop. Rafel Devers, Willy Adames, and Matt Chapman have OPS barely above .600, but suddenly Luis Arraez is a defensive genius at second base, while hitting his usual .320. They have a winning record against the Dodgers, but also lost two games of a double-header in Philadelphia despite holding a ninth-inning lead in both. And of course, they are led by a manager straight out of the college ranks, which continues to be a matter of controversy every day.
Tony Vitello was asked about Giants' fans booing throughout the night after a rough 13-3 loss.
"What would you do? They paid for their ticket. They chose this over everything else. I mean there's 85 million shows you can watch on Netflix… maybe your walls are painted orange &… pic.twitter.com/aRVJTl7wQL
— KNBR (@KNBR) May 10, 2026
The sum of all these unusual factors has produced a season with a sprinkle of hope but also plenty of dour moments and the real possibility that this team is not even close to their usual flirtation with .500. The clear embodiment of the 2026 Giants was seen in their most recent weekend series, where they welcomed the Pirates at Oracle Park. Game 1 was a straightforward affair, with Ray earning his third win with a strong effort, while Game 3 was an exciting game full of drama, as San Francisco overcame three separate two-run deficits to finally win in 12 innings. In the middle of that, the Giants played a dreadful Game 2, allowing 20 hits and committing a number of mental errors that led to a 13-3 drubbing, with many questioning the leadership and competitive spirit of this team.
Despite all the twists and turns, nothing will change much unless the Giants find a way to get out of their collective slump. Being last in homers is always a possible byproduct of playing home games by the Bay, but having 30 fewer walks than any other team while only having 12 stolen bases is unacceptable and kind of embarrassing. The Patrick Bailey trade at least hints that the front office is trying to produce a spark in any way it can. The season is still young in many ways, and San Francisco can point to a tough schedule so far as a factor, but they would need to put together an extended winning streak to believe they can turn the season around. As Devers and Adames have started to play to their standards, there is a glimmer of hope that the Giants can at least battle for a wild card. If that does not happen, it would provide an opportunity to finally commit to a deep rebuild.
