The 2026 Major League Baseball playoffs begin Tuesday with four Game 1s in the Wild Card Series. It's a 12-team field, and each league's top two division winners get a bye to the divisional round. That means eight teams in the first round before the final four join the fun. As we head to the most fun month of baseball on the calendar, which teams are set to have the most offensive firepower?
Let's rank 'em!
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Here are the 12 playoff offenses, ranked:
12. Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians hit for a low average, don't get on base at a high clip -- though the OBP isn't terrible -- don't hit for power and are ranked last among playoff teams in runs scored (24th in baseball). They can steal bases, though they weren't close to the league lead or anything, checking in at seventh. José Ramírez is a better hitter than his numbers have shown this season, while Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter have enough upside to get hot here in the playoffs. Overall, though, this is a terrible playoff offense.
11. Philadelphia Phillies
How much of the load can two guys carry? Of the Phillies' regulars, only Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber finished with an OPS+ over 100, essentially meaning the Phillies have two above-average hitters and everyone else is below average. It's a low batting average/high-strikeout team and Luis Arraez is supposed to help there, but he's dealing with a sprained ankle right now. Overall, the Phillies finished 19th in runs and 22nd in OPS. They just aren't a good offense outside of two guys.
10. Boston Red Sox
A middle-tier team in batting average and OPS, the Red Sox are one of the lightest-homering teams in the playoffs, sitting in the bottom five of the 30 MLB teams in homers. Those take on heightened importance in the playoffs, too, as generally the teams in the playoffs have good pitching and it's tougher to string hits together. There are reasons to believe the Red Sox offense could be more dangerous than the numbers show, though. Roman Anthony missed nearly the entire season due to injury, but he's back and hitting well. Same with Trevor Story. Trade deadline acquisition Adley Rutschman is picking things up a bit. Ceddanne Rafaela is back off the IL. Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu have been productive all year and we've now named six possible difference-makers on offense.
9. Houston Astros
Yordan Alvarez was the best hitter in baseball in the regular season. How much help will he get? Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes had quality seasons and Yainer Díaz is a good-hitting catcher. Christian Walker still has plenty of power and we know Jose Altuve loves showing out in the playoffs. As a team, the Astros led the majors in home runs but ranked only 13th in runs and checked in at seventh in OPS. It's a quality offense without being elite.
8. Atlanta Braves
The names look a lot scarier than the numbers for the Braves this season, for the most part. They are top 10 in average and runs, but finished 16th in OPS. Matt Olson, Michael Harris II and Drake Baldwin had good seasons, and while Ronald Acuña Jr. was good, he wasn't near his 2023 MVP level. Then again, he is scorching hot right now, so maybe he's locked it in just in the nick of time. Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley were disappointing, but we've seen them do it before, so we know the top-level talent is in there somewhere.
7. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays lineup isn't overly deep, but they have one of the best power hitters in baseball -- and he isn't just a power hitter -- in Junior Caminero, along with the AL stolen base leader Chandler Simpson, who hit over .300. Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Díaz are good-to-great hitters and Liam Hicks has been an excellent addition since the trade deadline. Victor Mesa Jr. closed the season on a heater as well. Though the Rays aren't elite at OPS, they finished eighth and second in average and are the toughest team in baseball to strike out.
6. Chicago White Sox
The newbies are one of the worst batting average teams and strike out a ton. They don't run much. What do they do? They hit bombs. Despite sitting 25th in average, the White Sox are eighth in slugging percentage (fans of isolated power are in love). They have a trio of 30-homer guys in Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas. On a per-at-bat basis, Randal Grichuk is one of the most prolific power hitters in baseball (he platoons, but lefties beware). Overall, they finished fifth in runs scored, though there has to be concern about over-reliance on the long ball in the playoffs.
5. New York Yankees
A lot hinges on Aaron Judge here. If he's in the lineup and is himself -- three-time MVP self -- it takes the Yankees to another level. They have a great supporting cast and Ben Rice actually qualifies as better than that. He'll finish in the top five of MVP voting and is finishing the season hot. But then there's a line of productive players like Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis García Jr., Spencer Jones and more who are better served helping the stars, Judge and Rice, than being stars themselves. Even with Judge missing all that time due to injury, the Yankees finished second in the majors in home runs, but they were tied for 11th in OPS. They need Judge in order to be dangerous. A fully healthy Judge would bump this group up to third and would have an argument for No. 1.
4. San Diego Padres
It was a tale of two halves. At the All-Star break, the Padres were dead last in the majors in runs, average and OPS, among other stats. They were brutal. Since the break? They led the majors in average, sit second in OPS and third in runs scored. What changed was Fernando Tatis Jr. started playing like an MVP and Jackson Merrill woke up one day and reverted to All-Star form. Ty France has also been huge and, while he hasn't hit for average all season, Manny Machado still has plenty of power. That first half was a long time ago and it's safely in the rearview. The Padres are a scary bunch right now in a short series.
3. Milwaukee Brewers
For fans who dislike reliance on the long ball, here's your horse. The Brewers ranked second in runs scored behind only the Cubs this season while finishing tied for 28th in home runs. How? Well, they led the majors in average and on-base percentage. They are toward the top in doubles, triples and stolen bases. Are there stars? Yeah. William Contreras is a star catcher and Brice Turang is arguably the best second baseman in baseball. Christian Yelich isn't a star anymore, but he's a former MVP. Jackson Chourio is a budding superstar. Jake Bauers is having a monster season at the plate. Still, one of the best features of the Brewers is that they are a "whole-is-better-than-sum-of-the-parts" team. Doubt them at your own peril.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
Only the Cubs have a higher OPS, though the Dodgers finished fourth in runs scored. Still, there are plenty of reasons to believe the Dodgers bring the best offense in baseball into the playoffs. Shohei Ohtani was hurt for a few weeks, but he's back and has re-acclimated to the lineup. Teoscar Hernández and Mookie Betts were having lackluster seasons before getting really hot late. Kyle Tucker had a miserable year but really hit well late in the season. Will Smith missed a lot of time with injury before getting hot down the stretch. Noticing a theme? The Dodgers' real season starts in October. They're ready. I didn't even mention Freddie Freeman or Max Muncy.
1. Chicago Cubs
Though they can be maddeningly inconsistent -- see last week for details -- the Cubs are at or toward the top in every major offensive category. They led the majors in runs and OPS, just to name two. They have star power in the surefire National League MVP Pete Crow-Armstong. Alex Bregman played like a superstar in the second half, and two home runs as part of a four-hit effort on Sunday seemed to quiet questions about his facial fractures. It's a well-rounded lineup, too, with power and speed sprinkled throughout. They can rally from any spot and that's what makes the lineup dangerous when it's on. When it's off, well, they're likely to be swept. Which team shows up? We'll soon find out. Something to watch: Pretty much every regular has had an extended hot streak at some point except Michael Busch. Is he saving it for the postseason?
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