With June approaching, we're roughly two full months into the 2026 MLB regular season, meaning about one-third of the season is complete. It's time to check in on all of MLB's 30 teams and hand out grades based on performance, underlying metrics, and how results compare with pre-season expectations.
Grades aren't simply a matter of standings— they're informed by underlying performance and whether teams have exceeded or fallen short of reasonable expectations entering 2026.
Arizona Diamondbacks: B+
The D-backs aimed to bounce back from a disappointing 80-82 campaign last season, and thus far they're doing just that. Arizona sits solidly in wild card position and remains within range of the first-place Dodgers in the NL West.
Corbin Carroll is looking like an MVP candidate thus far, and Eduardo Rodríguez has pitched like an ace through the first two months. Corbin Burnes' eventual return will be a major boon to the rotation and cement their status as real threats in the NL.
Atlanta Braves: A-
Rather than wilt after suffering all those pitching injuries in spring training— Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, Hurston Waldrep, Joey Wentz — the Braves have one of baseball's top rotations thanks to Bryce Elder's new pitch and Martín Pérez's unexpected excellence.
The offense has bounced back from a few disappointing seasons, and the Robert Suarez/Raisel Iglesias one-two bullpen punch at the end of games is suffocating. Last year's injury-riddled 76-86 season looks like a blip.
The Braves are back thanks to a surprisingly great rotation and a powerhouse offense that blends above-average contact skills with power.
Chicago Cubs: C
If we took out the two 10-game winning streaks, the Cubs would easily get an F. But that's 20 wins they stacked. This is one of the weirdest things we've ever seen this early in a season— to have two 10-game winning streaks and then closely follow them with a 10-game losing streak.
The rotation has been ravaged by injuries, but the offense's disappearance just happened. Most of the team was hot during the winning streaks, then just forgot how to hit after the second one ended. There's nothing to do here but just throw them the middle grade, which is obviously a C.
Cincinnati Reds: B-
Sure, the Reds were a playoff team last season, but that was with only 83 wins and then they were a sacrificial lamb for the Dodgers in the Wild Card Series. Then they lost ace Hunter Greene to injury before the season started and have also dealt with a Nick Lodolo injury in the rotation.
Despite that, they were 20-11 through April. They started May with eight straight losses and barely stayed above .500 for a stretch, even hitting exactly .500 at 24-24. They've gotten hot again since.
Breakouts from youngsters Chase Burns and Sal Stewart, in addition to a step forward from Elly De La Cruz, have been highlights.
Colorado Rockies: D
Little was expected from the Rox in 2026, and little has been provided. Expectations met? Well, sort of. This writing finds Colorado with the worst record and worst run differential in all of MLB.
They're on pace for 104 losses, which is plainly bad, but that would also constitute a 15-game improvement over their 2026 loss tally. This season, the Rockies are "merely" very bad as opposed to historically awful, and that's progress of a kind.
Los Angeles Dodgers: A
Angling for the elusive three-peat this season, the Dodgers are, true to recent form, managing their way to another division title. They've dealt with significant injuries to start the year, yet they've maintained a firm grip on first place in the NL West.
Shohei Ohtani is off to a slow start by his ridiculous standards, but he's still one of the most productive players in the league when healthy. The rotation is again one of the best in baseball despite the loss of Clayton Kershaw for much of the year.