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Power Ranking Every MLB Team's Ace For 2026
Be warned, this is not a countdown of the 30 best pitchers in baseball today.
Rather, it's the projected No. 1 starter for every team, or in some cases, the person B/R believes will be the de facto ace of each club in 2026, even if they aren't necessarily getting the ball on Opening Day.
If we were to rank the top 30 pitchers in the game, teams like the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, and Boston Red Sox would have multiple names on the list. Instead, each team was limited to one, leaving some heavy hitters off the countdown.
With all that acknowledged, here's a ranking of every MLB team's ace for 2026 from worst to first.
30. Miles Mikolas, Washington Nationals
1 of 30
Age in 2026: 37
2025 Stats: 8-11, 4.84 ERA, 5.03 FIP, 100 SO, 0.3 WAR, 156.1 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
Despite getting just $2.25 million guaranteed on a one-year deal from the Nationals this winter, Miles Mikolas became the de facto ace in D.C. when new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni traded MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers in January.
The long-time St. Louis Cardinal has posted an unsightly 4.98 ERA since the start of the 2023 season. To his credit, though, Mikolas has still logged 529.1 innings during that stretch, which is 13th among all starters in baseball. Having a veteran presence that will eat innings is important for rebuilding teams.
What the Nationals hope happens this year is that Josiah Gray and/or Cade Cavalli, both of whom have struggled with injuries, begin to look like the rotation cogs they appeared to be destined to become a few years ago.
29. Kyle Freeland, Colorado Rockies
2 of 30
Age in 2026: 33
2025 Stats: 5-17, 4.98 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 124 SO, 2.5 WAR, 162.2 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
A native of Denver, Kyle Freeland has gotten the chance to pitch for his hometown team for nine seasons. As cool as that may sound, making half your starts every season at Coors Field isn't a fate you would wish on your worst enemy, and probably has warped out perspective on what Freeland is as a pitcher.
Freeland has never matched the 2018 campaign that saw him finish fourth in the NL Cy Young Award voting. However, he posted a 4.37 ERA in 16 road starts last year, which isn't necessarily good, but it's much better than the 5.75 ERA he had at home.
If Freeland logs 170 or more innings this season, he'll have a $17 million option vest for 2027. Obviously, he probably wants that money. Although, it might be a blessing in disguise for that option not to vest and for Freeland to get a chance to pitch anywhere other than Mile High.
28. Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals
3 of 30
Age in 2026: 26
2025 Stats: 8-12, 4.21 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 122 SO, 1.8 WAR, 151.1 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
The Cardinals traded Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox this winter, which makes Matthew Liberatore the default ace in a rotation also set to include Dustin May, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, and Kyle Leahy.
Liberatore is miscast as an ace while president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom rebuilds the organization in his image, but the former first-round pick did show the potential to be a strong No. 4 starter a year ago. If you pitch to an ERA under 4.30 and log 150 innings every year, you'll pitch in the league for at least a decade.
Someone like May has a higher ceiling, which is why the Cardinals gave him a one-year, $12.5 million deal in free agency this offseason. But availability matters, and Liberatore has pitched more innings (334) in parts of four MLB seasons than May has in six (324).
27. Shane Smith, Chicago White Sox
4 of 30
Age in 2026: 26
2025 Stats: 7-8, 3.81 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 145 SO, 2.2 WAR, 146.1 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
Shane Smith was an All-Star for a lowly White Sox team as a rookie, striking out 145 batters and logging 146.1 innings.
Perhaps Smith—who wasn't drafted out of Wake Forest in the 20-round MLB Draft in 2021—isn't destined to be an ace moving forward. But he is a controllable starter who could realistically be part of the next White Sox team that contends.
Smith probably isn't going to be taking the ball in October this year, but with him, Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Chase Meredith, and Munetaka Murakami, there does finally seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel on the South Side.
26. Luis Severino, Athletics
5 of 30
Age in 2026: 32
2025 Stats: 8-11, 4.54 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 124 SO, 2.5 WAR, 162.2 IP
2025 Ranking: 24
The good news from Luis Severino's first season is that he logged more than 160 innings for the second season in a row, meaning the injury problems that stalled his career from 2019 to 2023 might really be behind him.
The bad news is that Severino posted an unsightly 6.01 ERA in 15 home starts, openly complaining about Sutter Health Park, the Triple-A stadium the Athletics are calling home until they (probably) move to Las Vegas in a few years.
If you want a silver lining, Severino posted a 3.02 ERA in 14 road starts. Whether he should trash his home ballpark or not, there does seem to be something to it being a disastrous place to pitch. MLB Park Factors say the only more hitter-friendly park in baseball last season was Coors Field.
The problem is, the A's are still going to call Sutter Health Park their home for the foreseeable future. Maybe Severino will get more comfortable there in his second season in green and gold, but the silver lining we mentioned above may only matter to a trade suitor that tries to pry him away from Sacramento this summer if the A's bats can't make up for their lack of pitching.
25. Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians
6 of 30
Age in 2026: 26
2025 Stats: 12-5, 3.06 ERA, 4.39 FIP, 173 SO, 1.4 WAR, 167.2 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
Even after a down year, you could definitely make the case that Tanner Bibee is Stephen Vogt's ace. Gavin Williams got good enough results last year, though, that he deserves to be mentioned here over Bibee.
A first-round pick in 2021 out of East Carolina, Williams posted a 3.06 ERA and threw nearly 100 more innings than the prior season. Williams also pitched six shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers in a Game 1 ALWCS loss, capping off an impressive season.
It does need to be pointed out, though, that there are some concerning trends with Williams. He led baseball with 83 walks last season, and he significantly outpitched both his 4.29 expected ERA and 4.39 FIP. Williams does feel like a regression candidate in 2026, something he'll have to overcome.
24. Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers
7 of 30
Age in 2026: 33
2025 Stats: 7-2, 3.20 ERA, 3.17 FIP, 83 SO, 1.8 WAR, 64.2 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
If Brandon Woodruff pitches how he did last year over 28-32 starts this season, he'll wind up significantly higher on this list.
But considering Woodruff has made 23 starts over the past three seasons, the small-budget Brewers probably hoped he would decline the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer when they extended it to him. Instead, with obvious health concerns, Woodruff took the money to remain with the only club he's ever pitched for.
Not only is Woodruff making a ton of money in 2026, but there's even more pressure on him with Freddy Peralta being traded to the New York Mets in January. Yes, there's reason to be excited about Jacob Misiorowski and, when healthy, Quinn Priester. But Woodruff, a two-time All-Star, is the veteran anchor of this staff now.
Two-time defending NL Manager of the Year Pat Murphy's team always seems to outperform the talent on their roster, but it's natural to wonder if they can do that with Woodruff as their ace.
23. Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks
8 of 30
Age in 2026: 30
2025 Stats: 13-15, 4.83 ERA, 4.50 FIP, 175 SO, 1.1 WAR, 192 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
Zac Gallen declined the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks this past offseason, but his market never materialized with the QO offer attached to him following a down year. He ended up settling for a $22.025 million deal to return to the Diamondbacks, but it's a pact that includes more than $14 million in deferred money.
To his credit, Gallen did still log 192 innings last season. With Merrill Kelly currently dealing with a back injury and Corbin Burnes uncertain to pitch at all this season as he works his way back from June 2025 Tommy John surgery, being able to eat innings will be very valuable for the DBacks.
However, the Snakes have to be hoping there's more in there from Gallen, who posted consecutive top-five NL Cy Young Award finishes in 2022 and 2023. But since posting a 3.04 ERA and 3.16 FIP between 2022 and 2023, Gallen has a 4.31 ERA and 4.01 FIP.
Whether it's because he helps them to reach the playoffs or becomes a trade candidate, Arizona needs some sort of resurgence from Gallen during his eighth campaign in Phoenix.
22. Yusei Kikuchi, Los Angeles Angels
9 of 30
Age in 2026: 35
2025 Stats: 7-11, 3.99 ERA, 4.23 FIP, 174 SO, 2.5 WAR, 178.1 IP
2025 Ranking: 26
Yusei Kikuchi had a very Yusei Kikuchi season in the first season of a three-year, $63.68 million contract with the Angels.
The veteran lefty pitched to a 3.11 ERA in 20 first-half starts, earning him the second All-Star Game selection of his career. However, just like when he was an All-Star with the Seattle Mariners in 2021, Kikuchi collapsed in the second half of the season, posting a 5.51 ERA in 13 starts following the Midsummer Classic. Kikuchi's 2024 season—split between the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros—was kind of the reverse, as he posted a 4.42 ERA in the first half of the season, but pitched to a stellar 3.49 ERA after the All-Star Break.
Kikuchi's problem hasn't been flashing front-line potential, but he's struggled to put together full seasons. At this point, that might just be who he is.
21. Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays
10 of 30
Age in 2026: 30
2025 Stats: 10-5, 2.76 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 127 SO, 2.5 WAR, 150 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
Shane McClanahan may very well reclaim his status as one of the nastiest pitchers in baseball in 2026, but it's hard to view the two-time All-Star as Kevin Cash's ace right now when he hasn't thrown a pitch in a Major League game since 2023.
For the time being, Drew Rasmussen is the top dog in Tampa Bay's rotation. He was an All-Star in 2025, posting a 2.76 ERA across a career-high 150 innings. Rasmussen had this breakout season despite pitching his home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which graded out as the ninth-most hitter-friendly park in 2025. The Rays will move back into Tropicana Field—which was the 27th-most hitter-friendly park in 2024, per Statcast—which should help Rasmussen and all Tampa Bay pitchers this season.
As with McClanahan—and really, all Rays pitchers—the biggest thing for Rasmussen is staying healthy. He's probably never going to be a guy that flirts with 200 innings in a season, but if Rasmussen can log closer to 170 in 2026, that would be a great development for the Rays.
20. Michael King, San Diego Padres
11 of 30
Age in 2026: 31
2025 Stats: 5-3, 3.44 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 76 SO, 0.8 WAR, 73.1 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
That the Padres gave Michael King a three-year, $75 million contract with the chance to opt out after the first season this winter shows you that A.J. Preller and company believe he's more likely to replicate his 2024 season than 2025.
Granted, 2025 wasn't a disaster. Inflammation in his right shoulder and left knee limited King to just 15 starts, though he posted a solid 3.44 ERA over 73.1 innings. However, both his 4.26 expected ERA and 4.42 FIP suggest he was worse during that stretch than his back-of-the-baseball-card stats might lead you to believe.
Of course, it's entirely possible, if not likely, that King wasn't completely healthy during his 15 starts a season ago. The prior season, he got down-ballot NL Cy Young votes, going 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA and 3.33 FIP across 173.2 innings. He also fanned 12 Atlanta Braves during a dominant performance of seven shutout innings in Game 1 of the 2024 NLWCS.
Both the Padres and King are banking on the 2024 version of King reemerging in 2026, which might be as simple as him just staying healthy. If that happens, the Padres will be a scary team in 2026, and King will be a free agent again next winter.
19. Matthew Boyd, Chicago Cubs
12 of 30
Age in 2026: 35
2025 Stats: 14-8, 3.21 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 154 SO, 3.4 WAR, 179.2 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
At 34 years old, Matthew Boyd put together a career year for the Cubs, logging nearly 180 innings and earning a spot in the All-Star Game, making the two-year, $29 million deal Jed Hoyer gave him prior to the 2025 campaign look like a stroke of genius.
The concern for Boyd has always been health, as he pitched just 263 total regular-season innings between 2020 and 2024. Given the history and that he's in his mid-30s, it's fair to have some skepticism about Boyd's ability to match his workload from a year ago. Still, it's an amazing turn of events that Boyd pitched well enough last year to be picked for Team USA's World Baseball Classic roster.
With a rotation headlined by Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, and Edward Cabrera, there's a wide variance of outcomes for the Cubs in 2026. The ceiling is high, but a big part of hitting that potential is dependent upon Boyd making 30+ starts for the second season in a row.
18. Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles
13 of 30
Age in 2026: 28
2025 Stats: 9-3, 1.81 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 103 SO, 3.3 WAR, 109.2 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
A right knee subluxation prevented Trevor Rogers from pitching in the majors until May 24, and he was actually optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after that start. However, once he returned to the majors on June 18, Rogers was one of the best pitchers in baseball.
In fact, from June 18 on last season, FanGraphs says that Rogers' 3.1 WAR was the fourth-best mark among all starting pitchers in baseball. The only three who had higher marks over that period are all in the top five on this list.
Rogers looked like a budding star with the Miami Marlins in 2021, but really didn't show that form again until last season. If he continues to pitch like an ace in 2026, the Orioles have a real shot to go worst-to-first in the AL East following a busy offseason.
17. Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds
14 of 30
Age in 2026: 27
2025 Stats: 10-7, 2.87 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 149 SO, 3.9 WAR, 166.1 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
With Hunter Greene dealing with right elbow stiffness in Spring Training, Andrew Abbott is who we've decided to go with as Terry Francona's ace. After how he pitched in 2025, Abbott arguably should be considered Cincinnati's top starter even if Greene is healthy.
For a Reds team that ended up sneaking into the postseason as a wild-card representative in the NL, Abbott posted a 2.87 ERA, earning him an All-Star Game nod and some down-ballot Cy Young support. Perhaps the most impressive part about Abbott's season is that he actually fared well at Great American Ball Park, posting a 2.39 ERA in what's usually a nightmarish place for pitchers.
In a perfect world, Greene will be healthy, making Abbott the No. 2 in the starting rotation. Again, if healthy, the trio of Greene, Abbott, and Nick Lodolo has a chance to be really good.
16. Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
15 of 30
Age in 2026: 30
2025 Stats: 13-10, 3.42 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 194 SO, 3.1 WAR, 171 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
Joe Ryan dealt with some back inflammation early in Spring Training, but by all accounts, he avoided any major injury and should be ready to go for the Twins when the 2026 season begins.
Even if Ryan wouldn't be ready to start the season for the Twins, he still is the only real option to be considered the ace of Derek Shelton's team, who has already lost Pablo López for the season to Tommy John surgery.
Ryan is coming off an All-Star season in 2025. If he stays healthy and the Twins are as bad as their roster suggests they will be, Ryan—a free agent after the 2027 season—will likely become one of the most coveted pieces available prior to the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
15. Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins
16 of 30
Age in 2026: 30
2025 Stats: 11-12, 5.36 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 142 SO, 1.7 WAR, 174.2 IP
2025 Ranking: 11
It was a nightmarish first half back from Tommy John surgery for former NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, who posted a 7.22 ERA across 18 starts prior to the All-Star Break. He struggled so much that the Marlins opted to hold on to him rather than trade him when his value was at its lowest.
However, Alcantara looked much more like himself in the second half of the season, going 7-3 with a 3.33 ERA in 13 starts after the break. That should give the Fish optimism heading into 2026.
Of course, you always have to wonder with the Marlins whether they'll trade a big player when they are performing, so one of the realities could be that if Alcantara picks up where he left off last year, he'll be wearing a different uniform in August.
At the same time, the Marlins went 35-32 in the second half of the 2025 season. If they're contending for a wild-card spot in July, the Marlins might be inclined to hold onto arguably the greatest pitcher in their franchise's history. His contract includes an affordable $21 million team option for 2027, so it's not as though they'll lose him after the season.
14. Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals
17 of 30
Age in 2026: 28
2025 Stats: 3-3, 4.67 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 98 SO, 2.1 WAR, 61.2 IP
2025 Ranking: 9
2025 turned into a lost season for Cole Ragans with strains to his left groin and left rotator cuff limiting him to just 13 starts. He struggled with a 4.67 ERA over those 13 starts, although his 2.50 FIP suggests he wasn't that bad.
Prior to 2025, Ragans had emerged as one of the better starters in baseball since being acquired by the Royals in the June 2023 trade that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Texas Rangers. That included a fourth-place finish in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2024, a season that also saw Ragans get selected to his first career All-Star Game.
It's not a coincidence that when Ragans logged 186.1 innings in 2024, the Royals won 86 regular-season games and a postseason series. They regressed to 82-80 without an effective Ragans for much of 2025. It's pretty clear that Matt Quatraro's squad needs a bounce-back season from Ragans.
13. Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers
18 of 30
Age in 2026: 38
2025 Stats: 12-8, 2.97 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 185 SO, 3.4 WAR, 172.2 IP
2025 Ranking: 14
At the height of his powers, Jacob deGrom was as dominant as any pitcher you'll ever see. Perhaps he didn't quite reach that level in 2025, but deGrom impressed while taking on his largest workload since he won his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award in 2019.
In his first full season back from the second Tommy John surgery of his career, deGrom posted a 2.97 ERA over 172.2 innings, nearly as many frames as he had logged in the four prior seasons combined. deGrom was selected to the All-Star Game for the fifth time in his career, and ultimately finished eighth in AL Cy Young Award voting.
There will always be durability concerns with deGrom, who will turn 38 in June. But he still averaged 97.5 mph on his fastball last year, and over 90 mph on his slider. As long as he can do that, deGrom is going to be a quality front-end starter.
12. Bryan Woo, Seattle Mariners
19 of 30
Age in 2026: 26
2025 Stats: 15-7, 2.94 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 198 SO, 3.6 WAR, 186.2 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
Logan Gilbert might reassert himself as Seattle's ace in 2026, and if not him, both George Kirby and Luis Castillo have pitched like aces in the not-so-distant past. But based on 2025, it's Bryan Woo who deserves to be ranked as the ace of what's arguably the best rotation in baseball.
Woo was an All-Star for the first time in 2025, and rode 198 strikeouts over 30 starts to a fifth-place finish in AL Cy Young Award voting. Unfortunately for Woo, right pectoral inflammation prevented him from making a regular-season start after Sept 19th. It limited him to 4.1 innings pitched over two appearances when he did return during the ALCS.
All accounts are that Woo is healthy entering the 2026 season, which will make it interesting to see whether he becomes a perennial All-Star or if 2025 proves to be something of an outlier. Even if he winds up being more like a middle-of-the-rotation option, Dan Wilson's club figures to have a strong mix of starters yet again.
11. Dylan Cease, Toronto Blue Jays
20 of 30
Age in 2026: 30
2025 Stats: 8-12, 4.55 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 215 SO, 3.4 WAR, 168 IP
2025 Ranking: 12
From a traditional sense, Dylan Cease had a disappointing contract year with the Padres, posting a 4.55 ERA. Yet, he was coveted when he hit the open market, with the defending AL Champion Blue Jays securing his services on a seven-year, $210 million contract that includes deferrals.
So what is it that intrigued teams about Cease, despite his subpar season? Perhaps a feeling that the best might be yet to come, which would really be something considering he's finished in the top four in Cy Young voting twice already in his career (2022 and 2024). This is someone who, no matter what, racks up both strikeouts and innings pitched, as he's first (1,106) and seventh (884) in both categories since the start of the 2021 campaign.
If you're looking for other reasons to be encouraged, Cease's 3.45 expected ERA and 3.56 FIP suggest he pitched much better than his 4.55 ERA would indicate.
Cease will hope those better results come to fruition in 2026, as he'll headline a rotation that also will include Kevin Gausman and AL Rookie of the Year favorite Trey Yesavage.
10. Freddy Peralta, New York Mets
21 of 30
Age in 2026: 30
2025 Stats: 17-6, 2.70 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 204 SO, 3.6 WAR, 176.2 IP
2025 Ranking: 22
What the Mets lacked down the stretch during a disastrous finish to the 2025 season was a stopper in their rotation. Rookie Nolan McLean may prove to be that guy, but president of baseball operations David Stearns traded for Freddy Peralta in January to try to solve that problem.
Peralta's final season with the Brewers proved to be his best, as he led the NL with 17 victories, while making his second career All-Star Game appearance. Peralta logged a career-best 176.2 innings, doing so while making 33 starts for the first time in his career.
Set to become a free agent after this season, Peralta recently told Jon Heyman of The New York Post that he is looking for a contract of "seven or eight years." Whether he'll get that or not, if he's able to match his 2025 campaign, Peralta is going to make out very well next offseason.
9. Hunter Brown, Houston Astros
22 of 30
Age in 2026: 27
2025 Stats: 12-9, 2.43 ERA, 3.14 FIP, 206 SO, 4.6 WAR, 185.1 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
Enough attention probably wasn't paid to Hunter Brown's breakout season in 2024, but he left no doubt in the 2025 season, when he finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting, that he's one of the better pitchers in the sport.
Among starters in the junior circuit last season, Brown finished in the top five in K/9 (10.00), ERA (2.43), FIP (3.14), strikeouts (206), and WAR (206). That earned him his first career All-Star Game nod and a finalist spot in AL Cy Young voting.
With Framber Valdez having departed in free agency and some uncertainty about how Tatsuya Imai will translate to the majors, Brown is the undisputed ace of the Astros at this stage. All indications are that the 27-year-old is ready for that responsibility.
8. Max Fried, New York Yankees
23 of 30
Age in 2026: 32
2025 Stats: 19-5, 2.86 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 189 SO, 4.8 WAR, 195.1 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
The Yankees will get back former AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole in 2026, after he missed all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery. But it's Max Fried who has emerged as Aaron Boone's unquestioned ace entering the campaign.
Following a tremendous eight-season run with the Atlanta Braves, Fried joined the Yankees on an eight-year, $218 million deal in free agency. He responded with arguably the finest season of his career, leading baseball with 19 wins, while posting career-highs in strikeouts (189) and innings pitched (195.1). Fried's first season with the Yankees concluded with him winning his fourth career Gold Glove Award and finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting.
The only blemish on Fried's resume at this point is that he has struggled in the postseason. While he was part of a Braves team that won the 2021 World Series, Fried has a 5.31 career postseason ERA, including getting shelled against the Blue Jays in Game 2 of the ALDS last year.
If Fried can get better postseason results in 2026—assuming the Yankees are able to emerge from the loaded AL East and reach the playoffs in some form—he has a shot to climb up even further on this list, assuming Cole doesn't retake his place as the ace in the Bronx.
7. Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
24 of 30
Age in 2026: 37
2025 Stats: 7-5, 2.58 ERA, 2.67 FIP, 165 SO, 3.6 WAR, 125.2 IP
2025 Ranking: 3
If you could guarantee Chris Sale would stay healthy, he would be even higher on this list. Unfortunately, a fractured left ribcage limited Sale to just 125.2 innings last year, and that's actually the second-most frames he's logged in a season since the start of the 2020 season.
But while injury risk has to be factored in for Sale—who will turn 37 in late March—so too does the fact that he's about as dominant as any starter in baseball when he's on the mound. Over two seasons with the Braves, Sale has a 2.46 ERA and 2.33 FIP across 303.1 innings. That includes his 2024 campaign, in which he won the NL Cy Young Award.
Sale probably isn't going to make 33 starts at this stage of his career, but he continues to be an impossible look for even the best left-handed hitters in the sport. If he hasn't already, another dominant season or two could cement the nine-time All-Star's Hall of Fame case.
6. Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants
25 of 30
Age in 2026: 29
2025 Stats: 15-11, 3.22 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 224 SO, 5.5 WAR, 207 IP
2025 Ranking: 5
Logan Webb is as durable as any pitcher in the game today, as he's led baseball in innings pitched three years in a row.
It would be unfair, though, to only view Webb through the prism of being a workhorse. In addition to leading baseball with 207 innings pitched last season, he also struck out 224 batters, the most among NL starters. Webb did give up 210 hits— which were the most among any pitcher in baseball—but he did so across 34 starts, which is pretty much unheard of today.
For good measure, Webb won a Gold Glove Award in 2025, finishing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting, the third consecutive season in which he finished sixth or better. If you think it's unfair that Webb didn't crack the top five, you might be right.
5. Cristopher Sánchez, Philadelphia Phillies
26 of 30
Age in 2026: 29
2025 Stats: 13-5, 2.50 ERA, 2.55 FIP, 212 SO, 6.4 WAR, 202 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
Cristopher Sánchez followed up an All-Star campaign in 2024 with an even better 2025 season, finishing runner-up in NL Cy Young Award voting.
Sánchez has one of the nastiest changeups in baseball, which he pairs with a 95 mph sinker and an occasional slider. The thing that's so impressive about the lefty is that he seems to be able to handle a heavy workload like a pitcher from 20 years ago. He finished in a tie with the aforementioned Webb for the MLB lead with 22 quality starts—an outing of at least six innings and three or fewer earned runs—last season.
There are high hopes in Philadelphia that Jesús Luzardo could be a dark-horse NL Cy Young contender in his contract year. Zack Wheeler—who ranked No. 2 on this list a year ago—seems to be trending towards a return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery relatively early in 2026. Make no mistake, though, Sánchez has emerged as an ace even in a loaded Phillies rotation.
4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers
27 of 30
Age in 2026: 27
2025 Stats: 12-8, 2.49 ERA, 2.94 FIP, 201 SO, 5.0 WAR, 173.2 IP
2025 Ranking: Not Ranked
If this countdown were created at the end of the 2025 regular season, Yamamoto would have been a few spots lower. Pitchers like Webb and Sánchez were better than him during the 2025 regular season.
With that said, Yamamoto was still really good in his second MLB season, and one of the greatest postseason runs of all time earned him a bump.
Yamamoto pitched two complete games last postseason, the first in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Brewers and the second in Game 2 of the World Series against the Blue Jays. He also closed out an epic Game 7 of the World Series, allowing just one hit over 2.2 innings pitched against the Blue Jays, earning Fall Classic MVP along with his second ring in as many MLB seasons.
Yamamoto is certainly capable of competing for the NL Cy Young Award in 2026 after finishing fifth a year ago. No matter what, he's shown in the postseason that he's a throwback who is willing to take the ball whenever his team needs him in a manner that reminds you of Randy Johnson or Madison Bumgarner.
3. Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox
28 of 30
Age in 2026: 27
2025 Stats: 18-5, 2.59 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 255 SO, 5.8 WAR, 205.1 IP
2025 Ranking: 7
With no innings limit holding him back, Garrett Crochet turned in a tremendous first season with the Red Sox, leading baseball with 255 strikeouts. He was an All-Star and finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting.
Perhaps most impressively, Crochet showed he can be a workhorse despite being arguably the top strikeout pitcher in the sport today. He led the AL in both batters faced (814) and innings pitched (205.1). While the Red Sox would lose Games 2 and 3, he delivered in Yankee Stadium in ALWCS Game 1 last October, striking out 11 batters and allowing just one run across 7.2 innings pitched.
The Red Sox inked Crochet to a six-year, $170 million contract extension last April, which already looks very team-friendly considering he'd likely get over $300 million if he hit the open market.
2. Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
29 of 30
Age in 2026: 24
2025 Stats: 10-10, 1.97 ERA, 2.36 FIP, 216 SO, 6.5 WAR, 187.2 IP
2025 Ranking: 4
Have there been five pitchers in MLB history who have had better starts to their careers than Skenes? Probably not, and you likely wouldn't need all five fingers to count those who you could make an argument for.
After winning the NL Rookie of the Year in 2024, Skenes put together an insanely dominant campaign in 2025, leading baseball in ERA (1.97), ERA+ (217), FIP (2.36), and HR/9 (0.5). For good measure, FanGraphs says he led senior circuit starters in WHIP (0.948) and WAR (6.5). Unsurprisingly, Skenes unanimously won the NL Cy Young Award in his age-23 season.
The Pirates should be better in 2026 than they were in 2025, having acquired Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn, and Marcell Ozuna over the winter. It's still questionable whether they'll be playoff contenders. It sure would be great to see Skenes pitch at PNC Park in the postseason, since the Pirates haven't made the playoffs since 2015. But with Skenes set to become eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2027, the clock is likely ticking on his limited window in Pittsburgh.
1. Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
30 of 30
Age in 2026: 29
2025 Stats: 13-6, 2.21 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 241 SO, 6.6 WAR, 195.1 IP
2025 Ranking: 1
In 2025, Tarik Skubal became the first pitcher since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez to win back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards. It's no surprise, then, that Skubal—who finished fifth in AL MVP voting—has claimed the top spot on our countdown for the second season in a row.
Since July of 2023, FanGraphs says that Skubal leads all qualified starting pitchers in ERA (2.39), FIP (2.39), strikeouts (571), and WAR (15.9). He's also an incredible showman, one that you can't truly appreciate fully until you've seen how the ball jumps out of his hand in person, and how entertaining he is on the mound.
At 29, Skubal will look to become the first pitcher in AL history to win three Cy Young Awards in a row (each league got its own Cy Young in 1967). He would join the exclusive company of Hall of Famers Greg Maddux (1992-1995) and Randy Johnson (1999-2002) as the only pitchers ever to win three Cy Youngs in a row if he's able to accomplish the feat.
Even if Skubal doesn't quite do that, he'll hit the open market at the age of 30 next offseason. Whenever there's a new collective bargaining agreement in place, Skubal, a Scott Boras client, should break the bank.
