Astros 12th, White Sox 11th, Red Sox 10th in MLB Playoff Power Rankings

A 12-team field set on the season's final day: the Astros rank 12th, the White Sox 11th and the Red Sox 10th in Yahoo Sports' playoff power rankings.

The 2026 MLB playoff picture came down to the last scheduled day of the regular season. Eighteen clubs saw their years end Sunday, while a dozen moved on with a month of October baseball ahead. Yahoo Sports weighed all 162 games before publishing its postseason power rankings, and the playoffs open Tuesday.

Seeding matters under the current format: superior records bring first-round byes and the right to host more games. The rankings caution that heavily favored seeds have stumbled repeatedly in recent autumns, and each club's case rests on both its full six-month body of work and its form entering the final month.

Houston holds the 12th spot at 81-81, an AL West champion despite its poorest full-season record since 2014. A year earlier the Astros won 87 games yet stayed home when a tiebreaker went to Detroit, halting an eight-year playoff run. This time they wrapped up the division on the season's final day, aided by a Seattle collapse and a subpar showing from Texas, and their roster is judged the thinnest of the 12 qualifiers, especially on the pitching side.

The evaluation still credits Houston with enough individual talent to threaten in a short series. Yordan Alvarez, the favorite for MVP, anchors the offense alongside quality infield bats Isaac Paredes and Jeremy Peña. Hunter Brown shoulders most of the pitching load, with closer Josh Hader stationed for the late innings.

Chicago sits 11th at 84-78 after holding first place in the AL Central for most of the second half before Cleveland, an experienced contender, overtook the club late. The ranking calls the berth itself extraordinary given the franchise dropped 324 games combined over the prior three seasons, and expects the young roster to recapture the pressure-free approach that fueled it all year.

At the plate, the White Sox were the only major-league team with three hitters who reached 30 home runs: Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery. Postseason experience is limited to Andrew Benintendi, Randal Grichuk and Tommy Pham, while contact-oriented hitters Chase Meidroth and rookies Tristan Peters and Sam Antonacci fill out the lineup. The rotation is viewed as thin, though the bullpen is rated as underrated, giving manager Will Venable the option to turn to his relievers early.

Boston checks in 10th at 87-75, a wild-card entrant that all but secured its position during a 32-5 tear from June 25 through Aug. 7. The closing stretch was rough, with the Red Sox grading near the bottom of the league offensively in September. A Game 162 against the Cubs was relocated to Tropicana Field because of weather in Boston, then lost all significance once the National League wild-card picture resolved.

Up next is a wild-card rematch with the Yankees in the Bronx, renewing last year's meeting under first-year manager Chad Tracy. Roman Anthony, sidelined by injury during that previous playoff run, has been trending upward at the plate in recent weeks, while Willson Contreras, among the American League's top hitters this season, carries a hand question into October. With Garrett Crochet not fully available, the staff leans on veteran right-hander Sonny Gray, rookie left-hander Payton Tolle and Ranger Suárez, a lefty with an October track record.

Philadelphia, Cleveland, the Cubs, the Yankees, Atlanta, San Diego, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee and the Dodgers hold the remaining positions, in that order from ninth to first. Los Angeles occupies the No. 1 spot on the list.