For the second straight season, MLB has branded a specific weekend as Rivalry Weekend. It features mostly interleague play rivalries, so we won't see the throwback traditional rivalries that are among baseball's best, such as Dodgers-Giants, Cubs-Cardinals or Yankees-Red Sox.
Give credit where due: it's an incredibly difficult task to fit the schedule together in such a way to line up something resembling a rivalry on the same weekend for every single team. MLB did the best it could here, logistically. Let's keep that in mind even as we point out a few of the matchups below aren't actual rivalries.
Bring on the branded Rivalry Weekend, MLB! Let's rank the 15 battles.
15. Diamondbacks vs. Rockies
These are two of the youngest teams in baseball, and there haven't been many races for the division title between the two. The 2007 NLCS had a little beef, even if it ended in a sweep.
With the Rockies again being one of the worst teams in baseball and the D-backs appearing to be subpar, there isn't much juice here in 2026, either. Both fan bases hate a small handful of other teams more than one another.
14. Athletics vs. Giants
Even if Sacramento isn't too far away, the luster is lost from the Bay Series with the A's having left Oakland. There was some good history with A's vs. Giants series in the Bay, including the 1989 World Series, though that was marred by an Earthquake.
As for this year, the A's are in first place — albeit only one game over .500 — but they aren't in Oakland or in their new, permanent home yet. The Giants are terrible. This series isn't even in an actual MLB ballpark. It's a bummer.
13. Battle of Florida ("Citrus Series")
Does geography excite you? That's about all we've got here. Given that Florida was long made up of a good number of transplants and snowbirds, you'll often see a mix of Yankees and Red Sox fans in the state, in addition to a litany of other teams.
The die-hard followings for the Marlins and Rays just aren't big enough to have developed such a huge hatred for one another in these interleague games. You need fan hatred to ratchet up the drama. But the Rays look awesome right now, and the Marlins aren't terrible.
12. Orioles vs. Nationals
At least there's a good name here: the Beltway Series (or Battle of the Beltways). Also, who isn't excited to discuss a long-standing cable television dispute?
In terms of history, from 1961-71, after the St. Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles, there was a bit of an Orioles-Washington Senators rivalry. The Senators became the Texas Rangers, though, and these Nats aren't even the same franchise.
Only about 40 miles separate Baltimore from D.C., and there are a decent number of Orioles fans who hate that the Nats showed up and infringed on their territory. But this one doesn't seem all too exciting. Maybe if both teams were great. Right now, that just isn't the case.
11. Red Sox vs. Braves
For those unaware, there's a connection between these two franchises: the city of Boston. The Braves franchise originated in Boston and was there until 1953 before moving to Milwaukee. It came to Atlanta for the 1966 season.
The Red Sox started as the Boston Americans in 1901, meaning these two franchises shared Boston for over 50 years. Is that really all that interesting these days? Nah, probably not.
Here in 2026, it also appears to be a mismatch, as the Red Sox have been bad and the Braves have been one of the best teams in baseball.