Ranking MLB's five remaining undefeated teams: Whose early success is most believable?

The MLB record for winning streak to open a season stands at 13

Only five undefeated teams remain one weekend into the new baseball season. Four of them went to the postseason last year (two met in the World Series) and the fifth finished last season very well. Three games is just three games -- not even 2% of the 162-game season -- but sweeping that first series makes for a fun opening weekend.

Here now are baseball's five undefeated teams ranked in order of how much we believe in them moving forward.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Who they played: Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium

How it went: There was a "playing with their food" vibe to this series. The D-backs took a 2-0 lead in all three games, only to watch the Dodgers storm back and steal away the win. Andy Pages had a three-run go-ahead homer in the first of two four-run innings on Opening Day. In the series finale, Will Smith hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow both turned in workmanlike two-run, six-inning starts. Shohei Ohtani has reached base seven times in three games. Freddie Freeman had three hits Saturday and still hasn't struck out in 2026. Kyle Tucker is only 2 for 11 at the plate so far, though he's made several standout defensive plays in right. Edwin Díaz is 2 for 2 in save chances. 

Why they rank here: The Dodgers are the two-time defending World Series champions and the best team in baseball, at least on paper. Why wouldn't we believe in them? They could have gone 0-3 in their first series and I'd still be confident the Dodgers will win the NL West and make noise in the postseason. The opening sweep just reaffirmed that, yeah, they're really good.

2. Toronto Blue Jays

Who they played: Oakland Athletics at Rogers Centre

How it went: The first two games were very competitive. Jeff Hoffman blew a save on Opening Day, opening the door for Andrés Giménez to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth. In Game 2, Athletics righty Michael Kelly blew the save in the ninth, the two teams traded runs in the tenth, then Ernie Clement won it with a walk-off single in the 11th. Two games, two walk-offs.

The Blue Jays struck out 50 -- 50! -- A's in the series, setting a new MLB record for strikeouts in the first three games of a season. Kevin Gausman set a franchise record with 11 strikeouts on Opening Day. Dylan Cease set a franchise record with 12 strikeouts in his Blue Jays debut the next day. Eric Lauer, not exactly a strikeout artist, fanned nine in 5 ⅓ innings Sunday.

Why they rank here: Talent is the most important factor and the Blue Jays have plenty of it. The immaculate vibes they rode to the American League pennant last year are still present, and that stuff matters. It's not everything, but it matters. Hoffman makes me nervous in the ninth inning, though not enough to think he'll derail Toronto's season. The Blue Jays are great. News at 11.

3. New York Yankees

Who they played: San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park

How it went: The Yankees have been playing baseball since the dawn of time and yet this year is the first time they shut out their opponent in the first two games of the season. They held the Giants to one run in the three games, prompting new Giants manager Tony Vitello to wonder if his "fire and brimstone" speech had backfired. It was a thorough dismantling.

Aaron Judge struck out four times on Opening Night, then went deep Friday and Saturday to remind everyone he's the best hitter on the planet. Giancarlo Stanton has been on a warpath since the start of spring training and went 6 for 12 with a homer against the Giants. The bullpen, which was a headache much of last year, has 12 strikeouts in 11 shutout innings.

Why they rank here: The Yankees and Blue Jays finished neck-and-neck last year (tied with 94 wins), so I might as well put them neck-and-neck here. I have some reservations about the middle of New York's bullpen and an offense that figures to rank near the top of the league in strikeouts. Otherwise, the Yankees once again look like a World Series contender.

4. Milwaukee Brewers

Who they played: Chicago White Sox at American Family Field

How it went: Jacob Misiorowski set a franchise record with 11 strikeouts on Opening Day and the Brewers scored 14, 6, and 9 runs in their three wins, so things went pretty well. Christian Yelich's pinch-hit go-ahead three-run homer Sunday was clearly the highlight of the weekend. Milwaukee used a six-run eighth to complete the comeback from an early 7-2 deficit.

The Brewers have been the Brewers. They're hitting .337/.452/.519 as a team with nearly as many walks (22) as strikeouts (24), and poor Brandon Sproat was charged with seven of the team's 10 runs allowed. Led by new third baseman David Hamilton (3 for 4 with four walks, no strikeouts, and three steals), the Brewers have stolen nine bases, three more than any other team. 

Why they rank here: Underrating the Brewers is pretty much a bit at this point. They exceed expectations and projections every year with their team of short kings, particularly offensively. There are always more MLB-caliber pitchers than roster spots. Ranking fourth doesn't mean I don't believe in them. I do. Spots 2-4 are pretty tight here, with a huge gap between 4 and 5.

5. Miami Marlins

Who they played: Colorado Rockies at loanDepot Park

How it went: Between the World Baseball Classic and the Marlins' season-opening sweep, loanDepot Park was the place to be the last few weeks. Miami rode a vintage Sandy Alcantara performance to a 2-1 win on Opening Day. They came back from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 the next day. Then, on Sunday, Owen Caissie smacked a two-run walk-off homer.

Marlins' hitters had 19 strikeouts and eight walks in 108 plate appearances, so that's a combined 25.0% strikeout-plus-walk rate. Only the Cardinals (18.8%) and Rays (23.4%) were lower in the Opening Weekend. There were a lot of balls in play this series and balls in play are fun. That's when the action happens and there was a lot of it in Miami.

Why they rank here: The Marlins went 54-42 in their final 96 games last year and carried that over into 2026. Still, three one-run wins over the Rockies isn't that impressive, plus it's likely Alcantara (and rental closer Pete Fairbanks) will be traded this summer to advance the rebuild. I like where the Marlins are headed, just not nearly enough to put them over the other four undefeated teams.