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Ranking Dodgers, Mariners and All 30 MLB Pitching Staffs for 2026 Season
The 2025 MLB postseason helped reframe the importance of elite arms in today's age of explosive offense, as the Los Angeles Dodgers rode ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and terrific starting pitching to a title.
After an offseason where Freddy Peralta (NYM), Framber Valdez (DET), Dylan Cease (TOR), Sonny Gray (BOS), MacKenzie Gore (TEX), Ranger Suárez (BOS), Shane Baz (BAL), Edward Cabrera (CHC), Justin Verlander (DET), Ryan Weathers (NYY) and Japanese League star Tatsuya Imai (HOU) all changed teams, the pitching landscape has changed.
That's to make no mention of the ever-shifting bullpen pictures across baseball, with the most notable shift there being Edwin Díaz signing with the Dodgers, while the Mets replaced him with Devin Williams.
To help set the scene for the season ahead, we've ranked all 30 pitching staffs, taking into account impact talent, rotation quality, back-end bullpen dominance and overall organizational depth.
In case you missed it: Ranking Mets, Red Sox and All 30 MLB Lineups for 2026 Season
Nos. 30-26
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30. Washington Nationals
With Mackenzie Gore traded to the Rangers and Josiah Gray optioned to Triple-A to shake off the rust in his return from Tommy John surgery, the Nationals' rotation looks like the worst in baseball by a sizable margin. They signed Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell to eat innings. Foster Griffin has some intriguing upside as a KBO returnee, but Cade Cavalli might be the only long-term piece on the entire staff.
29. Colorado Rockies
It's never easy for the Rockies to convince quality arms to pitch at altitude, so signing Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano in free agency was a nice win. A healthy Ryan Feltner is also a big addition to the staff, while the trio of Juan Mejia, Jimmy Herget and Victor Vodnik at the back of the bullpen offers quality stuff. This is still a bottom-tier group overall, light on results and upside.
28. Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have a respectable top of the rotation with José Soriano, Yusei Kikuchi and reliever-turned-starter Reid Detmers, but the back of the staff could be a revolving door with Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah already injured. Veterans Kirby Yates, Jordan Romano and Drew Pomeranz were signed to stabilize the bullpen, but they are a combined 108 years old.
27. Chicago White Sox
Shane Smith, Davis Martin and Sean Burkes emerged as a useful trio of arms for the rebuilding White Sox last year. The gaps have been filled around them with free agents Anthony Kay and Erick Fedde. Top prospects Noah Schultz and Tanner McDougal should also arrive at some point in 2026, while reliever Grant Taylor has huge breakout potential with some of the best pure stuff in baseball. There's upside here for this to be a top 20 group, but they are lacking in true impact talent.
26. Athletics
The Athletics settled for signing Aaron Civale to a one-year, $6 million deal as their only notable addition to the rotation, which means they are relying heavily on the up-and-coming duo of Jacob Lopez and Luis Morales to take another step forward. They also lack a proven closer in the wake of the Mason Miller trade last summer, though veterans Scott Barlow and Mark Leiter Jr. were added to the mix.
Nos. 25-21
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25. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have 337 innings to replace after trading Sonny Gray and letting Miles Mikolas walk in free agency. Much of that workload will fall on young, unproven arms. They did buy low on Dustin May in free agency, who could emerge as a useful trade chip. While the rotation is a question mark, the bullpen could be a sneaky strength with Ryne Stanek, Matt Svanson, JoJo Romero and Riley O'Brien managing the late innings.
24. Minnesota Twins
Losing Pablo López for the season to Tommy John surgery is a major blow for the Twins. There is a wide range of potential outcomes for everyone on their staff behind Joe Ryan. Bailey Ober has been an impact starter in the past but struggled to a 5.10 ERA in 2025, while Taj Bradley and Mick Abel are still looking to deliver on their prospect pedigrees. The bullpen was blown up at the deadline, as old friend Taylor Rogers was signed to handle closer duties.
23. Arizona Diamondbacks
The D-backs ranked 23rd in the majors with a 4.49 ERA last season and return essentially the same core group after re-signing Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen. They will get Corbin Burnes back at some point in 2026, but there's no guarantee he will immediately be back to frontline form. In the bullpen, they still lack a lockdown closer and settled on a reunion with Paul Sewald to address their late-inning vacancy.
22. Miami Marlins
Even after trading away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers, the Marlins still have a solid collection of arms, headlined by Sandy Alcantara and rising ace Eury Pérez. They are banking on Max Meyer finally taking that next step forward, while top prospect Thomas White could also be a factor later this year. The bullpen is thin, but it at least has a proven ninth-inning option now in Pete Fairbanks.
21. Atlanta Braves
The Braves have a bona fide ace in Chris Sale with a lethal one-two punch at the back of the bullpen in Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias, but their depth has been decimated by injuries. Spencer Strider, Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach are all starting the year on the injured list, leaving some combination of Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, Reynaldo López, Jose Suarez and Didier Fuentes to shoulder the load behind the 36-year-old Sale.
Nos. 20-16
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20. Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians have two impact starters (Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee) and an elite bullpen arm (Cade Smith), but the rest of their pitching staff fits comfortably into the middle of the pack. Someone from the group of Slade Cecconi, Joey Cantillo, Parker Messick and Logan Allen needs to step forward as the No. 3 starter for the rotation to be a strength, while the bullpen needs to sort out who bridges the gap to Allen in the late innings.
19. Tampa Bay Rays
With a healthy Shane McClanahan and free-agent signings Steven Matz and Nick Martinez, the Rays' rotation has a new look this season. McClanahan has not appeared in an MLB game since Aug. 2, 2023, so it's unclear what can be expected of him this year. This might not look like an elite staff on paper, but don't be surprised if they outperform expectations, as has so often been the case.
18. San Francisco Giants
Adding Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser to replace Justin Verlander gives the Giants a deeper, but potentially less impactful starting rotation, at least relative to how Verlander pitched down the stretch in 2025. With Camilo Doval traded and Randy Rodríguez sidelined, the bullpen pieces will need to fall into place around Ryan Walker, with right-hander José Buttó as a potential X-factor.
17. Texas Rangers
Even with one of the thinnest bullpens in baseball, it's difficult to rank the Rangers any lower simply on the strength of Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and MacKenzie Gore at the top of the rotation, not to mention an up-and-coming Jack Leiter. The durability of a 36-year-old Eovaldi and a 37-year-old deGrom will ultimately determine how good this staff can be, but there's a top 10 ceiling if they stay healthy and a couple of arms emerge at the back of the bullpen.
16. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers churn talent like few other contenders can. Freddy Peralta was the latest casualty of their cost-cutting. They now need Jacob Misiorowski to step forward as a co-anchor to the rotation alongside Brandon Woodruff, while someone from Kyle Harrison, Brandon Sproat, DL Hall, Logan Henderson and Robert Gasser also needs to break through. They have a history of cobbling things together when it looks like they've downgraded, but it's also hard to bank on that, which lands them in the middle of the pack.
Nos. 15-11
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15. Houston Astros
Can Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows effectively replace Framber Valdez in the Astros rotation? If the answer is yes, this has the potential to be a top 10 staff, but that is far from a given. The bullpen will be without closer Josh Hader to start the year as he nurses biceps tendinitis, but they have arguably the best setup man in baseball in Bryan Abreu to hold down the fort.
14. Toronto Blue Jays
With Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and José Berríos all sidelined to start the year, the Blue Jays' depth will be put to the test early. It meant the decision to re-sign Max Scherzer went from luxury to necessity. The rotation should be a strength once everyone is healthy, but the bullpen needs Jeff Hoffman to return to elite form alongside newcomer Tyler Rogers and deadline pickup Louis Varland.
13. Pittsburgh Pirates
Aside from Paul Skenes at the top, the Pirates staff requires more projection than most in this range. The trio of Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler and Carmen Mlodzinski all flashed impact potential last season, with Ashcraft and Chandler both boasting a Top 100 prospect pedigree. Lefties Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery are quality additions to the bullpen, but middle relief could be hit or miss.
12. San Diego Padres
How high does the best bullpen in baseball push the Padres up these rankings? With Mason Miller, Adrian Morejón, Jeremiah Estrada and eventually Jason Adam, they are going to shorten a lot of games. That will likely be necessary with Randy Vasquez, Germán Márquez and Walker Buehler all penciled into rotation spots. Joe Musgrove is likely to be put on an innings limit once he finally returns from Tommy John surgery.
11. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs didn't land the bona fide ace this offseason, but there's still a lot to like about a rotation of Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and newcomer Edward Cabrera. They will also have 2023 All-Star Justin Steele back at some point in 2026. Flame-throwing Daniel Palencia is poised to join the ranks of baseball's elite closers. Veterans Hunter Harvey and Phil Maton were signed to bridge the setup gap.
Nos. 10-6
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10. New York Mets
The addition of Freddy Peralta and a full season of Nolan McLean give the Mets a substantially improved outlook in the starting rotation. It takes pressure off pitchers like Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga, who now slot at the back of the staff. The bullpen is going to miss Edwin Díaz, no question, and they have put a lot of eggs in the Devin Williams/Luke Weaver basket for better or worse.
9. Kansas City Royals
With Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron, the Royals have one of the most stable rotations in baseball. Ragans and Lugo both took a step backward last year after top-five finishes in 2024 AL Cy Young voting, so getting them back to frontline form will be key. The late-inning trio of Matt Strahm, Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez is rock solid.
8. Baltimore Orioles
Despite not signing an ace-caliber starter, the Orioles still have the potential for an elite rotation with fully healthy seasons from Trevor Rogers (1.81 ERA, 109.2 IP) and Kyle Bradish (2.53 ERA, 32.0 IP). They paid a steep price to acquire controllable starter Shane Baz, while Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin will chew up innings. The bullpen is a question mark, even with the Ryan Helsley signing, but their rotation is built to handle a significant workload.
7. Cincinnati Reds
The Hunter Greene injury keeps the Reds from cracking the top five, but they still have a quality rotation, especially if both Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns deliver on their elite prospect pedigree. Re-signing closer Emilio Pagan was a smart move. Newcomers Pierce Johnson and Brock Burke will add quality length to a relief corps that leaned heavily on just a few arms in 2025.
6. New York Yankees
Despite being without Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón to start the year, the Yankees still have a solid five-man rotation of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers, Will Warren and Luis Gil. That depth will be invaluable once those two veterans return to action. The deadline pickups of David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird from last year will be counted on to anchor a new-look bullpen.
5. Philadelphia Phillies
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Rotation
1. RHP Zack Wheeler
2. LHP Cristopher Sánchez
3. LHP Jesús Luzardo
4. RHP Aaron Nola
5. RHP Andrew Painter
High-Leverage Relievers
LHP José Alvarado
RHP Brad Keller
RHP Jhoan Durán
The Phillies will need to navigate life without Zack Wheeler for the first few turns through the rotation as he continues his recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, but all signs point to their ace being back in action by late April.
That gives rookie Andrew Painter a handful of starts to prove he should be the guy over Taijuan Walker in the No. 5 starter role. He threw the ball well this spring with a 2.31 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 11.2 innings.
The late-inning trio of José Alvarado, Brad Keller and Jhoan Durán has the stuff to be as good as any in baseball, providing more support than they've had in recent seasons for what should again be an elite rotation.
4. Boston Red Sox
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Rotation
1. LHP Garrett Crochet
2. RHP Sonny Gray
3. LHP Ranger Suárez
4. RHP Brayan Bello
5. LHP Connelly Early
High-Leverage Relievers
RHP Justin Slaten
RHP Garrett Whitlock
LHP Aroldis Chapman
The Red Sox have turned a starting rotation that was a question mark last season into a true strength after acquiring Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo in a pair of offseason trades and signing Ranger Suárez to a five-year, $130 million deal. That provides high-end depth behind one of baseball's elite aces in Garrett Crochet.
Rookies Connelly Early and Payton Tolle both got their feet wet down the stretch last season. They will give the organization better depth than most teams, with Early edging out Oviedo for the No. 5 starter job to open the year.
Can Aroldis Chapman replicate his elite 2025 season? The bullpen's success is contingent on him being a lockdown option in the ninth inning, but there's nothing in his underlying metrics to suggest significant regression is coming.
3. Seattle Mariners
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Rotation
1. RHP Logan Gilbert
2. RHP Bryan Woo
3. RHP Luis Castillo
4. RHP George Kirby
5. RHP Bryce Miller
High-Leverage Relievers
LHP José A. Ferrer
RHP Matt Brash
RHP Andrés Muñoz
The Mariners projected five-man rotation and sixth starter Emerson Hancock all return after accounting for 144 of 162 starts last season. That's a level of stability few other pitching staffs can boast.
Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo and George Kirby have all been All-Stars at some point in the last three seasons. All four are capable of ace-caliber production when things are clicking.
The bullpen is also one of the deepest in baseball, with Gabe Speier, Eduard Bazardo, José A. Ferrer, Matt Brash and electric closer Andrés Muñoz all capable of handling high-leverage work.
2. Detroit Tigers
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Rotation
1. LHP Tarik Skubal
2. LHP Framber Valdez
3. RHP Justin Verlander
4. RHP Jack Flaherty
5. RHP Casey Mize
High-Leverage Relievers
RHP Kyle Finnegan
RHP Will Vest
RHP Kenley Jansen
The Tigers finished outside the top 10 in starter's ERA last season, despite another Cy Young performance from ace Tarik Skubal. That should change this year after Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander were added to the mix. Whoever has the hot hand between Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize combined with them could form a lethal playoff rotation.
That leaves Keider Montero, Ty Madden and Troy Melton as quality depth, while KBO returnee Drew Anderson can be deployed in a variety of roles after he piled up 245 strikeouts in 171.2 innings last year.
Few managers do a better job of utilizing their relief corps than A.J. Hinch. He now has a set closer in Kenley Jansen to anchor a group of versatile arms capable of working from opener to setup and everywhere in between.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
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Rotation
1. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
2. LHP Blake Snell
3. RHP Tyler Glasnow
4. RHP Emmet Sheehan
5. RHP Shohei Ohtani
6. RHP Roki Sasaki
High-Leverage Relievers
LHP Tanner Scott
LHP Alex Vesia
RHP Edwin Díaz
The Dodgers' starting rotation was the difference-maker in their World Series run last season. No one will remember that Blake Snell (11 starts), Shohei Ohtani (14 starts), and Tyler Glasnow (18 starts) missed time early in the season.
It could be another year of navigating injuries and slow builds as they aim to make sure everyone is healthy and peaking at the right time in October. They have the arm talent to do that with guys like Gavin Stone, Kyle Hurt, River Ryan and Landon Knack as potential depth.
The biggest change here is the bullpen, which was a huge question mark last October. It looks like a major strength following the addition of Edwin Díaz. This staff is built to win in the postseason. While there could be some bumps along the way this summer, it's the best collection of arm talent in baseball.
