The Dodgers won. Again. Honestly, if you fell asleep in 2024 and just woke up looking for someone to show me the standings in major league baseball, you’d probably think not much has changed. Los Angeles just finished off a back-to-back championship run by taking down the Toronto Blue Jays in a wild seven-game World Series last November. But look closer at the divisional boards as we head toward Spring Training 2026, and you’ll see the bedrock of the league has actually shifted quite a bit.
The standings from the 2025 season tell a story of massive payrolls meeting unexpected collapses. We saw the Milwaukee Brewers post a league-best 97 wins, yet they couldn't finish the job. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves—a perennial powerhouse—stumbled to a shocking 76-86 finish. If you’re checking the "standings" today, you’re looking at a league in transition. Free agency has been an absolute fever dream this January.
Major League Baseball Standings: The 2025 Final Picture
Before we get into who is winning the "offseason," we have to look at how the dust settled last year. The American League East was a complete bloodbath. The Blue Jays and Yankees both finished with 94 wins, necessitating tiebreakers that eventually saw Toronto make that historic run to the Fall Classic.
Down in the NL West, the Dodgers didn't actually have the best record in baseball (that was Milwaukee), but their 93-69 finish was enough to stay ahead of a surging San Diego Padres squad that notched 90 wins. The biggest tragedy in the standings? The Colorado Rockies. They lost 119 games. One hundred and nineteen. It's the kind of statistical anomaly that makes you feel for the fans in Denver.
In the AL Central, Cleveland held on with 88 wins, barely fending off a Detroit Tigers team that looks like the real deal for 2026. The Tigers finished 87-75, proving that their young core wasn't a fluke.
American League Final Leaders
The AL standings were defined by parity.
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- AL East: Toronto Blue Jays (94-68), NY Yankees (94-68), Boston Red Sox (89-73)
- AL Central: Cleveland Guardians (88-74), Detroit Tigers (87-75), KC Royals (82-80)
- AL West: Seattle Mariners (90-72), Houston Astros (87-75), Texas Rangers (81-81)
The Mariners finally breaking through to take the West was a massive headline, especially with Houston missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. It felt like the end of an era.
National League Final Leaders
The NL side was much more top-heavy.
- NL East: Philadelphia Phillies (96-66), NY Mets (83-79), Miami Marlins (79-83)
- NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers (97-65), Chicago Cubs (92-70), Cincinnati Reds (83-79)
- NL West: LA Dodgers (93-69), San Diego Padres (90-72), SF Giants (81-81)
How Free Agency is Flipping the Standings for 2026
If you want someone to show me the standings in major league baseball for the upcoming 2026 season, you have to account for the "Paper Standings"—the projected wins based on this winter's spending spree.
The Baltimore Orioles, who finished a disappointing fourth in the AL East last year, just sent a shockwave through the sport. They signed Pete Alonso to a massive five-year, $155 million deal. Seeing "Polar Bear" in orange and black is going to be jarring, but it immediately moves Baltimore from a "rebuilding" look back into a "contender" slot.
Then you have the Chicago Cubs. They just dropped $175 million on Alex Bregman. The Cubs finished with 92 wins last year but fell short in the postseason; adding Bregman’s postseason experience is a clear "win now" move.
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The Pitching Carousel
The Red Sox aren't sitting still either. After a respectable 89-73 season, they went out and traded for Sonny Gray and signed Ranger Suárez to a five-year deal. Their rotation, led by Garrett Crochet, looks terrifying on paper.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers—because apparently two rings aren't enough—landed the top reliever on the market, Edwin Díaz, for three years and $69 million. They also just secured Kyle Tucker on a mega-deal worth $240 million. It's almost unfair at this point.
What Most People Get Wrong About MLB Standings
People tend to look at the W-L column and assume that’s the whole story. It’s not. In 2025, the Atlanta Braves had a positive run differential for much of the first half but ended up 10 games under .500. They were the "unluckiest" team in baseball.
When you look at the current 2026 projections from FanGraphs or PECOTA, they aren't just looking at last year's record. They're looking at things like:
- Expected Weighted On-Base Average (xwOBA): Did players get lucky with bloop hits?
- FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching): Did the pitchers get bailed out by great defense?
- Roster Depth: Who is one injury away from a 10-game losing streak?
The Mets are a prime example. They missed the playoffs despite a massive payroll and a decent 83-79 record. They’ve spent this offseason retooling the bullpen and adding Bo Bichette on a three-year, $126 million contract to stabilize the infield. On paper, they should be a 90-win team. Whether that actually happens is why we play the games.
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Why the Standings Matter Right Now (In January)
You might think standings don't matter in the middle of winter. You’d be wrong. The "standings" right now determine the 2026 MLB Draft order and, more importantly, the international signing pools.
The St. Louis Cardinals just used their top-tier allotment to sign Emanuel Luna, the #8 international prospect. Because the Cardinals struggled last year, they had the financial flexibility to snag a potential 20/20 superstar for their farm system. This is how teams like the Orioles and Tigers built their current contenders—by losing enough to win the draft and the international market.
Actionable Steps for Baseball Fans
If you're trying to keep track of the league before the first pitch is thrown in April, don't just stare at last year's table.
- Track the "Offseason Standings": Follow the MLB Free Agent Tracker to see which divisions are getting tougher. The AL East is currently an arms race between the Yankees, Jays, and the newly-rich Orioles.
- Watch the PECOTA Projections: Around early February, Baseball Prospectus releases their official win-loss projections. These are often more accurate than your gut feeling.
- Check the Spring Training Standings: While the wins don't count, they show you which "non-roster invitees" are pushing for a spot. A team's bench depth is usually what decides the division race in August.
The 2026 season is shaping up to be a battle of the titans. Between the Dodgers trying for a "three-peat" and the Blue Jays looking for revenge, the standings are going to be a mess of high-octane drama. Keep an eye on the Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles; those are the two teams most likely to crash the party this summer.