2026 MLB Watchability Rankings

Major League Baseball is entering a season in which the sport has the most momentum with the sports public since McGuire and Sosa juiced up and smashed baseballs across the country in the summer of 1998.

Thanks in large part to the new Evil Empire in the Los Angeles Dodgers. But also, to an upstart team full of mostly players nobody has heard of and an entire country backing them in the Toronto Blue Jays. Oh yeah, and an absolutely cinematic Game 7 of last year’s World Series that even the executives who greenlit Moneyball wouldn’t have believed could be real. There is also an enormous amount of pressure on this season to be incredible because of the impending labor war and lockout that could cut into the regular season for the first time since 1994. Viewership and engagement will have the slimmest chance of surviving a long exhaustive labor negotiation if the 2026 season is one of the best of the century.

That is a heavy ask for any set of teams and players. Fortunately, the talent pool is as healthy as it has been in quite some time. With that in mind let’s rank every team in terms of watchability for two types of fans. Type A: fans that haven’t watched a full season in a while and have bought back into the sport after the World Series. Type B: fans that were introduced to Major League Baseball thanks to one of the best World Series of the 21st century. 

These rankings are not a ranking of where the teams will finish or how good I believe the teams to be, it’s strictly based on how much I want to watch them play baseball. Leave your fan feelings at the door.

30. Colorado Rockies

Rockies fans, I’m sorry. As a Brooklyn Nets and New York Jets fan I understand the feeling of being the black sheep of the group. There is nothing outside of the Yankees playing Colorado or Ezequiel Tovar bringing me to watch the Rockies. The reason for that is there is absolutely no direction for this ball club. Bringing in Paul DePodesta would have been cool if this was 2012 or even a decade ago in 2016. Not now after DePodesta has been stained by another black sheep of sports; the Cleveland Browns.

The mountain that DePodesta will have to climb in Colorado is larger than Mount Everest. He’ll have to channel a lot of what made him famous with the Oakland Athletics to be able to make fans actively seek out Rockies baseball. Which is a shame, Coors Field is an awesome venue to watch a baseball game.

29. Chicago White Sox

Like Colorado, the vision for the White Sox is extremely bleak. Signing Munetaka Murikami will only last so long. This team doesn’t want to be good. There aren’t enough fun players to keep watching this team past the first two weeks of the season. The good news for the fans on the south side 2026 won’t be 2024 and that’s a plus. But 2026 will be more of the same since the 2021 division title—losing.

The opportunity for Chicago to make a run is there given the division the Chi Sox play in. Only Detroit is a legitimate contender to win the division. There are question marks and teams in transition up and down the American League Central.

28. Minnesota Twins

I’m not watching a team that traded away literally half of its clubhouse at the trade deadline last year. Yes, Byron Buxton, when he plays, is incredible to watch. As is Royce Lewis when healthy. Joe Ryan for as long as he’s in Minnesota is appointment television. Plus, the Twins broadcast is one of the most underrated in all of baseball. But other than that this team won’t be on my MLB.tv that much in 2026.

27. Washington Nationals

When will this team finally stop tanking? If Washington is trying to replicate what Houston did in the early 2010s—this is the year would be equivalent to 2015. In other words, the Washington Nationals should make the playoffs. The problem? The Nats haven’t executed their tank job as well as Houston did. Washington is nowhere near competing for a playoff spot. They dealt their ace MacKenzie Gore to Texas. They’ve also been rumors of the Nationals moving on from starting shortstop CJ Abrams. There is talent on this roster but given managerial turnover and the organization in the middle of a potential sale I will not have much weeknight interest in the baseball team in our nation’s capital.  

26. Los Angeles Angels

It is Groundhog Day yet again in Anaheim. The Angels are a squad centered around Mike Trout. The problem with that being your strategy in 2026 is that Mike Trout is 34 years old and hasn’t played 150 plus games since 2016.

25. Miami Marlins

The best baseball and biggest crowds in Miami for the 2026 season has already happened. Miami as a host city for the World Baseball Classic works as a place to watch baseball. During the Major League Baseball regular season Miami is not a place you want to watch baseball.

24. Cleveland Guardians

Unfortunately for a great baseball city in Cleveland, most of the baseball world will be watching the AP News bulletin rather than the games the Guardians play because of the Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase betting scandal.

23. Texas Rangers

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that the Rangers were singing Creed on the top of the baseball world. Although, it seems like the same world that Texas conquered in 2023 has now passed them by.

There are always teams in transition in sports. The majority of those teams don’t know that they are in the middle of a transition when it’s happening. Skip Schumaker is taking over managerial duties from future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy. Marcus Semien, who was the first free agent signing for the Rangers World Series team, is now traded away to the New York Mets. 2023 playoff hero Adolis Garcia was non-tendered by the team in November and is now in Philadelphia. Top prospect Jack Leiter is now entering year three and the shine of that pick is starting to wear off. While I want to like this team and watch through their transition because there is still high-end talent in this clubhouse, I won’t be tuning in that much.

22. St. Louis Cardinals

One of baseball’s premiere franchises has fallen a bit from grace. To kind of borrow a phrase from Rick Pitino when he was coaching the Boston Celtics “Stan Musial is not walking through that door. Lou Brock is not walking through that door. Bob Gibson is not walking through that door. Albert Pujols is not walking through that door.”

There is talent on this roster but the usual goals of division titles, deep playoff runs, and competing for the World Series is not on the radar for 2026. I will watch this team to see what type of marvelous defensive plays Mason Winn authors, if Jordan Walker can turn it around after a hype platform that labeled him as the next Cardinal great. And whether St. Louis can JJ Wetherholt can live up to being the 5th ranked prospect in all of baseball.

21. Milwaukee Brewers

A reigning division winner this low on the rankings? Milwaukee, I’m sorry. The brand of baseball that Pat Murphy is instilling with the Brewers is infectious. The energy in the ballpark and the by in from the fanbase comes through the television screen. However, I believe this year is going to be a down year for the Brew Crew. The only appointment viewing with Brewers baseball this year is hopefully the 30 starts that Jacob Misiorowski will have.   

20. Oakland (Forever) Athletics

I’m not just calling the A’s the Athletics. For me it will always be Oakland. Las Vegas could be fun, I’ll withhold judgement until the A’s are playing ball in sin city, but there actually is talent on this roster.

If they want it wouldn’t surprise me that the A’s are in the AL West pennant race as late as August. The biggest obstacle for that is the ballpark that the A’s play in Sacramento. If their pitching can keep Major League offenses in a tiny yard for long enough, the offense is playoff worthy. 

19. Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay is always interesting. The Rays always do enough to stick around in the American League East. They went out and improved an offense that was good but not good enough. Tampa Bay turned the page with longtime second baseman Brandon Lowe shipping him to Pittsburgh in an offseason trade. And oh, by the way they will play again in Tropicana Field for the first time since hurricane Milton tore through the Tampa Bay area in 2024. Tropicana could be looked at as an update from George M. Steinbrenner Field which is a minor league ballpark and of course spring training home of the New York Yankees. For nothing else I’ll actually be looking forward to baseballs pinballing off the numerous catwalks in St. Petersburg for once.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks

What is Arizona doing? There are in a division with the super power to end all super powers in the Dodgers looking to win three straight World Championships, so the rest of the division could be looked at as child’s play.

17. Kansas City Royals

This season in Kansas City will tell me a lot about the direction of the ball club. Bobby Witt Jr is the best shortstop in the game and one of the premiere young talents to watch. Two years ago, they were a playoff team and you had the feeling of watching a club house on the rise just as their star was hitting his prime. Last year, they fell straight on their face from a 30-story building.

Will the Royals be able to dust themselves off and get back on the postseason bandwagon or will KC waste another year of prime Bobby Witt Jr?

16. San Francisco Giants

I don’t get the baseball team that San Francisco has assembled for 2026. But I’m fascinated to see if it works.

This is the first true brainchild of Buster Posey as head of Baseball Operations for the franchise that he helped usher in the “Even Year DynastyÔ” in the 2010s. The potential offensive output this team could have in a cavernous ballpark will make for some fun television. I just don’t know if the Giants will have enough pitching and defense to turn the crooked numbers on the scoreboard into wins.

15. Cincinnati Reds

Wherever Terry Francona goes he has success. In year one in Cincinnati, he turned a franchise that was a rudderless ship around and got them into the Wild Card round even with a squad that barely made it over the .500 mark at 83-79. It is perfectly normal to expect this team to take a leap in year two with the talent that is on this roster. Elly De La Cruz going into year four and his age 24 season should continue to improve and flip the script back to 2024 Elly who finish top 10 in MVP voting. Eugenio Suarez was brought back to Cincinnati in free agency and should provide the thump needed in the middle of the order.

The problem for this team like so many else in the sport is how will the Reds cover 1,438 innings over the course of the season? Nick Lodolo will start the season on the Injured List with a blister issue. Chase Burns battled injuries last year and only threw 43.1 innings. Hunter Greene has some of the nastiest stuff in all of Major League Baseball, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy either. And then, we get to the bullpen and what will the bridge be to Emilo Pagan? I’m intrigued by this club and will be keeping a decently close eye on them throughout the year.

14. Houston Astros

This is not the Astros of the late 2010s and early 2020s. They will be good, but not as great as they have been. Some of the names are the same but they're older now. The prospects in Houston might have talent but they haven’t realized it yet. That being said I’m still terrified of this team like Jason in the Halloween movies. I’ll be keeping my eyes on this team but shaking while peeking through closed blinds.

13. Pittsburgh Pirates

Your eyes do not deceive you. I’m very excited for the Pittsburgh Pirates 2026 season! It’s not just Paul Skenes anymore. Okay.. it’s still pretty much Paul Skenes but there is actually talent around him unlike the first two years of his career. I really like the offseason that Pittsburgh had and am looking forward to seeing if the Pirates can actually give a baseball starved city something to cheer about into the late summer.

12. Boston Red Sox

Do the Boston Red Sox want to be good again? I know Garrett Crochet, Alex Cora, Roman Anthony, and Jarren Duran want to have a successful season, but that question is to John Henry and ownership. Boston made the postseason last year for the first time since 2021 and just the second time since their last World Series championship in 2018.

The Red Sox have the 7th highest payroll in baseball and are above the luxury tax threshold for the second time in a row which sounds like they are going for it, but are they actually? Yes, they did bring in Wilson Contreras to fill the first base void, but they lost Alex Bregman who was their second most important player last year to the Chicago Cubs. Behind Crochet and Bryan Bello, there are a bunch of question marks in the rotation. The bridge to Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman needs to be constructed during the season. This seems to me like a recent vintage John Henry move, which appears to be fielding a competitive team but not really caring because he’s more focused on running a soccer team over in Europe.

11. Baltimore Orioles

For the first time in a long time Baltimore opened the check book and spent some money. Adding Pete Alonso as a certified slugger in the middle of that order will give some of the young players who had down years last year the breath of fresh air that will be needed. I also love the addition of Taylor Ward as an outfield option against left-handed pitching. Speaking of pitching, Baltimore also addressed that in free agency bringing in Chris Bassit to anchor the rotation, trading for Shane Baz, and also signing Ryan Helsley who could be a bounce back candidate.

Two years ago the Orioles were a team on the rise. Given the energy brought in this offseason I see much of that youthful swagger returning and I definitely will be tuning in to see.

10. San Diego Padres

Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado, and Mason Miller are always appointment television. The Padres booth is on my top three booths to listen to in all of baseball. The heated rivalry, no not that the hockey show, between San Diego and the Dodgers is the best in baseball and should be on every baseball fans radar for the entire season. I just don’t know if this team will have the fire power to continue to give Los Angeles a run for their money in the NL West. This team should be fun throughout the season and I’ll always have them in the quad box when watching non-Yankee games.  

9. Chicago Cubs

Speaking of favorite broadcasting booths, Jon Sciambi is one of my five favorite baseball announcers right now. I could listen to him read his grocery list. On the field, this Cubs team should bounce back from an entertaining 2025, but ultimately disappointing exit to the hated Brewers. They have the talent to challenge Milwaukee for the division and the addition of Alex Bregman to the middle of that order will be wonderful to watch. The pitching staff is full of bounce back candidates, but I have my eyes on Shota Imanaga. What can he be in 2026? Can new addition Edward Cabrera stay healthy?

8. Toronto Blue Jays

The reigning American League Pennant winners have such an interesting marathon ahead. There hasn’t been this much pressure on a Blue Jays team since the early ‘90s and it seems like they have the group that is eager to prove that 2025 wasn’t a fluke. Oddly, it still seems like Toronto is an underdog even though they have one of the game's great players in Vladimir Guerrero Jr and a top five payroll in baseball. I’ll be tuning in to see if they crack under the pressure or continue to stay cool, calm, and collected.

7. Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves this season for me are a team in transition. For the first time in 10 years Atlanta will have a new manager. Brian Snitker will move to an advisory role with the organization and Snitker’s bench coach for the last eight seasons, Walt Weiss, will be moving over a chair and calling the shots.

The players on the field also seem like they are entering a different era of Braves baseball. Does Ronald Acuna Jr have an MVP type year? Does Ozzie Albies bounce back from a rough 2025? What about Michael Harris in center? Does the pitching staff that is uber talented stay healthy? A ton of questions but if all or majority of them hit, Atlanta could be back in the postseason.

6. New York Mets

The 2026 Mets are a vastly different ball club from a year ago. David Sterns has his first crack at building a team in his image and it sure is an interesting squad. Adding Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette in free agency to replace the power that left in Pete Alonso is a cost-effective ruthless GM type of move. The problem is that Sterns, Carlos Mendoza, and company are asking both guys to play new positions that they haven’t played before. Sterns also traded for one of his former top of the line starters in Milwaukee, Freddy Peralta to be the Mets “ace” this year in a contract year.  

5. Seattle Mariners

The 2025 season in Seattle might be the best season in its franchise’s history. Building off that will be fun and what does Cal Raleigh have for an encore? Will Julio Rodriguez put together a full season after an up and down 2025? Will Seattle’s starting rotation continue to show night in and night out that they are the best young staff in the game. On top of that the big bad Houston Astros seem like they are a thing of the past and this is Seattle’s division to lose.

4. New York Yankees

I’m not saying the Yankees are running it back, but they are indeed running it back!  Even with the same squad that got bounced from the playoffs in the Divisional Round by the Blue Jays, plus Ryan Weathers, this should still be one of the best teams in all of baseball. A year ago they had the most runs scored in the game and even with the presumed regression from Trent Grisham in the leadoff spot, Bellinger, Chisholm, Stanton (when healthy), and of course the two-time reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge will continue to light up the Bronx night with home runs.

It's the pitching that should be a cause for concern in Yankee land. The Bronx Bombers are asking a lot from a staff that is largely unproven. Can Cam Schlittler put together a full season after a very promising postseason and last two months? What is Will Warren? Will Ryan Weathers be worth the flyer taken upon him in the offseason? When are Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole going to be 100%? On top of that, who in this bullpen will immerge as guys that can be trusted? Should be an interesting season in the Bronx Zoo.

3. Philadelphia Phillies

Thanks to General Manager Dave Dombrowski I think the Phillies are going to have a season for the ages lead by my National League MVP prediction Bryce Harper. The way last season ended for Philadelphia is perhaps the worst way to have your postseason run end. But I believe in a group that just seems fed up with coming in second to the Dodgers and will have the necessary chip on their shoulder to get it done.  

2. Detroit Tigers

Detroit might be the sleeper giant in the American League that everyone should be worried about but I don’t know if they are on the radar yet. The Yankees given the nature of that franchise suck up a ton of the airspace in the AL pennant conversation. Toronto will be right there as will Seattle, but I have my eyes on the Tigers because of the pitching staff assembled. Having Tarik Skubal in a contract year is scary. Bringing back Justin Verlander to Obi-wan Kenobi the rest of this staff seems like it should be illegal. Adding Framber Valdez in the middle of the offseason and sliding him in as the number two, there isn’t a better number two pitcher in baseball right now than Valdez. Oh yeah, and Jack Flaherty and Casey Mise are here too. This rotation is giving flashbacks to the mid 2010 Tiger rotations that had four future Cy Young winners in it.

Detroit offensively was one of the best in the game last year and I don’t see that slowing down too much given the talent in that order. The Tigers will be in the rotation of viewing all season as cornerstone.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Now more than ever, the Dodgers are a real-life MLB The Show All-Star team. They are officially the evil empire of baseball. The attempt at the first three-peat since the 1990s Yankees is the best it could possibly be. I will hate watch this team but also marvel at the stuff they will do throughout the season. It’s good to have a villain in baseball again.

Happy New Year and Happy Opening Day to all that celebrate. Let’s have a wonderful 2026 season!