Latest MLB power rankings foreshadow heated division battle in NL Central in 2026

The Milwaukee Brewers enter the 2025 season with hopes of securing their fourth-consecutive division title, but as is always the case in the competitive NL Central that sent three teams to the postseason last year, doing so won't be easy. Though St. Louis projects to be worse than they've been in quite some time, entering a rare rebuild season, the Pittsburgh Pirates no longer look like free wins on the schedule, and the Cincinnati Reds are returning much of their talented young roster that earned a Wild Card berth last year.

However, most still expect the division to either come down to the Brewers or the Chicago Cubs. While the Brew Crew has been busy winning the division in each of the last three years, Chicago has three-consecutive second-place finishes in the NL Central to brag about. In 2023 and 2024, despite coming in second place in the Central, the Cubs weren't much of a threat to the Brewers, who cleared them by nine and ten games in the end-of-year division standings, respectively. However, last year, though the Brewers never looked in jeopardy of losing their division title once the calendar flipped to September, Chicago did end up finishing just five games behind Milwaukee, who set the MLB pace with 97 wins.

If the 162-game battle wasn't enough to prove that the Brewers held the edge over the North Siders last year, the two met in the National League Division Series, and Milwaukee earned the victory after a memorable five games in October.

What followed was a familiar offseason, one in which the Brewers traded away an All-Star, Freddy Peralta, in an effort to counterbalance their inability to bring talented players into their organization via free agency, while the Cubs added an All-Star to their lineup in Alex Bregman. As was the case last year when the Brewers similarly traded away All-Star Devin Williams and the Cubs added an All-Star in Kyle Tucker to their roster, the offseason moves have led many to pick Chicago to take home the NL Central crown in 2026.

Such is the case in the latest MLB power rankings from FanSided.com, which offer a bullish prediction for Chicago in 2026, while the Brewers find themselves not too far behind. The ranking foreshadows what is bound to be another epic division battle between the Cubs and Brewers in 2026.

Cubs check in at No. 2 on FanSided's latest MLB power rankings, Brewers rank at No. 7

Despite finishing the 2025 season with the best record in baseball, seven is actually a pretty generous ranking for the Brewers this offseason. Other publications have ranked the Brewers closer to the middle of the league when projecting where they will finish in the standings in 2026.

Unsurprisingly, on FanSided's post-World Baseball Classic power rankings, the back-to-back World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, take the top spot. After the Cubs' aggressive ranking in the No. 2 spot, the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Seattle Mariners fill the space between Chicago and Milwaukee at No. 7. Be sure to check out the full rankings, free to read at FanSided.com and linked below for your convenience.

MLB Power Rankings: Where all 30 teams stand after the World Baseball Classic

It's difficult to argue with the Blue Jays and Mariners, seeing as each of them won more games in the Championship League Series than the Brewers last year, and if the Yankees don't finish as one of the top five teams in MLB with the roster they have, something has gone seriously wrong in New York. However, the Mets, who had a second-half meltdown in 2025 before letting their franchise cornerstone Pete Alonso walk in free agency, at No. 5 is more than aggressive. Yes, they added Peralta this offseason and spent way too much money for Bo Bichette, but they also missed the postseason last year, saw a bunch of roster turnover this offseason, and have a lot to prove in a difficult NL East division.

Regardless, one thing is certain: with the Cubs at No. 2 and the Brewers at No. 7, it's bound to be a dogfight in the NL Central this year. Only two other division rivals, the Yankees and Blue Jays, find themselves both ranked in the top seven. Every game will matter, especially those when the two teams square off at American Family Field or Wrigley Field. With a growing rivalry that now includes a postseason victory in Milwaukee's favor, expect another chapter to be added to the Brewers and Cubs' story in 2026.