It is mid-January, that weird "dead zone" of the baseball calendar where the stove is either white-hot or stone-cold depending on which Twitter insider you follow. Most fans are staring at their calendars waiting for February 20, when pitchers and catchers finally report to the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues. But if you want to understand what the 2026 season is going to look like, you have to look at how the dust settled back in November.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently the center of the universe. Again.
They just finished a back-to-back championship run, taking down the Toronto Blue Jays in a grueling seven-game World Series that felt more like a chess match than a ballgame. When Yoshinobu Yamamoto hoisted that MVP trophy, it wasn't just a win for LA; it was a signal to the rest of the league that the "super-team" era is very much alive and well.
But looking at the MLB standings for all teams from the 2025 finish reveals some cracks in the traditional power structures that most people are completely overlooking.
The American League Hierarchy: Toronto’s Rise and Houston’s Fall
Honestly, the biggest shocker of the year wasn't the Dodgers winning. It was the Houston Astros missing the postseason. For the first time since 2016, October baseball didn't involve Minute Maid Park. They finished with 87 wins—usually enough to sniff a Wild Card—but in a hyper-competitive AL West, they were the odd man out.
The Seattle Mariners finally broke their division title drought, finishing at 90-72. They weren't flashy. They just had a pitching staff that refused to give up more than three runs a game for basically the entire month of August.
Over in the AL East, the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees finished in a dead heat at 94-68. Toronto took the division on a head-to-head tiebreaker, which turned out to be the difference-maker for their deep playoff run. The Yankees, despite the star power, had to fight through the Wild Card rounds, eventually knocking out their rivals, the Red Sox, in a series that felt way closer than the 2-1 final score suggests.
The AL Central was, well, the AL Central. The Cleveland Guardians scraped by with 88 wins to take the top spot. The Detroit Tigers were the real story there, though. They surged late to grab a Wild Card spot with 87 wins and actually bounced the Guardians in the first round of the playoffs. It was chaotic. It was messy. It was exactly why we love this sport.
National League Reality: The Brewers are Legit
If you’re just checking the MLB standings for all teams to see how the "big" names did, you’re missing the Milwaukee Brewers. They finished with 97 wins. That was the best record in the National League. Better than the Dodgers (93 wins), better than the Phillies (96 wins), and certainly better than the Braves, who had a nightmare season and finished 76-86.
Milwaukee’s dominance in the NL Central was absolute, but they couldn't get past the Dodgers in the NLCS. It’s the same old story: regular season excellence meeting the October buzzsaw.
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The NL East belonged to Philadelphia. They were a juggernaut at home, going 55-26 at Citizens Bank Park. But the road was a different story, and that inconsistency eventually bit them when they ran into Los Angeles in the Division Series.
And then there are the Rockies. 43 wins. 119 losses. 50 games out of first place. It’s hard to even wrap your head around a season that bad. It's the kind of year that forces a franchise to look in the mirror and realize the "rebuild" hasn't even started yet.
What the Winter Meetings Changed
The standings we saw in November are already becoming obsolete because the money is moving. The Chicago Cubs, who finished 92-70 and just missed out on a deeper run, made the biggest splash of the winter by signing Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million deal. They're clearly tired of being "pretty good" and want to challenge the Brewers for the division crown.
The Boston Red Sox just landed Ranger Suárez on a massive $130 million contract to anchor their rotation. This comes after a 2025 season where their pitching fell apart in the final weeks.
Meanwhile, everyone is watching Kyle Tucker. The Mets and Blue Jays are reportedly in a bidding war that could see Tucker earning $50 million a year on a short-term "prove it" style deal. If the Mets land him, the NL East standings in 2026 are going to look wildly different.
Key Standings Data (Final 2025 Regular Season)
- AL East: Toronto (94-68), NY Yankees (94-68), Boston (89-73), Tampa Bay (77-85), Baltimore (75-87)
- AL Central: Cleveland (88-74), Detroit (87-75), Kansas City (82-80), Minnesota (70-92), Chicago White Sox (60-102)
- AL West: Seattle (90-72), Houston (87-75), Texas (81-81), Athletics (76-86), LA Angels (72-90)
- NL East: Philadelphia (96-66), NY Mets (83-79), Miami (79-83), Atlanta (76-86), Washington (66-96)
- NL Central: Milwaukee (97-65), Chicago Cubs (92-70), Cincinnati (83-79), St. Louis (78-84), Pittsburgh (71-91)
- NL West: LA Dodgers (93-69), San Diego (90-72), San Francisco (81-81), Arizona (80-82), Colorado (43-119)
The Athletics' New Reality
We have to talk about the "Athletics." No city name. Just the Athletics. Their move to West Sacramento for the next three seasons is one of the weirdest storylines in baseball history. They finished 76-86, which is surprisingly respectable given the absolute circus surrounding the franchise. They aren't good, but they aren't the 2025 White Sox (60 wins) or the Rockies.
The branding is sparse, the stadium is small, and the future is in Las Vegas, but for now, they are a team without a home that somehow managed to play better-than-expected baseball.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season
If you're looking at these standings to find value for the upcoming year, keep an eye on the Cincinnati Reds. They finished 83-79, making their first postseason appearance in a full season since 2013. They are young, they are fast, and they finally have the confidence that comes with playing meaningful games in October.
The Braves are also the ultimate "buy low" candidate. A 76-win season for a roster that talented is a fluke driven by injuries. If they stay healthy, they are an 100-win team hidden in the skin of a sub-.500 team.
Stop focusing only on the Dodgers. Yes, they won the World Series. Yes, they are favorites again. But the gaps are closing. The Mariners have the pitching to beat anyone, and the Blue Jays have proven they can go toe-to-toe with the best in the NL.
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Next Steps for Fans:
- Track Spring Training: Keep an eye on the reporting dates starting February 11.
- Watch the Waiver Wire: Teams like the Phillies are actively looking for catching depth (Ryan Jeffers is a name to watch) as J.T. Realmuto’s future remains uncertain.
- Check the WBC Rosters: The World Baseball Classic starts March 6, and it’s going to impact how stars like Freddie Freeman (who recently withdrew for personal reasons) prepare for the 162-game grind.
The 2025 MLB standings for all teams tell a story of a league in transition. The old guards like Houston and Atlanta are stumbling, while the next generation in Seattle and Detroit is finally arriving. It’s going to be a long winter, but Opening Day on March 26 will be here before you know it.