There are still two months left on the MLB calendar, with a month of regular-season games still to come before four rounds of the 2026 postseason. So no, the trophy doesn’t get handed out yet - even if the easy answer is to point straight at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But they’re not the only club built to make a long October push. A few teams have the kind of roster construction that plays well when the games tighten up, the margins shrink, and every inning starts to feel bigger.
The Dodgers are the obvious place to start. Shohei Ohtani isn’t pitching and hasn’t since July 3rd, but Los Angeles hardly seems short on answers.
They just traded for Tarik Skubal and activated Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow off the Injured List. That’s enough to make the postseason picture look pretty clean on the mound.
Even with Edwin Diaz back on the Injured List, the late innings still look covered because Tanner Scott has been dominant in the ninth. The offense hasn’t exactly been overwhelming, but the Dodgers have the kind of depth and experience that can carry a team through a playoff grind.
Philadelphia has the sort of profile that can absolutely survive a deep run, too. The Phillies bring power, starting pitching, and a lockdown closer to the table, and they also have the postseason reps that matter when pressure ramps up. Aaron Nola has taken a few steps back, but Christopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo have both picked up the slack.
Jhoan Duran anchors a strong bullpen, and Kyle Schwarber gives them real home-run threat in the middle of the lineup. Bryce Harper shifting back to the outfield to make room for Luis Arraez added more depth and plate skills to the mix as well. The road is a little tougher right now, since the Phillies are trailing the Atlanta Braves by 4.5 games in the National League East, but the overall build is still hard to beat.
The Yankees have their own case. Cody Bellinger is back, Aaron Judge should be following, and Spencer Jones has already stepped up in the outfield.
The addition of Luis Garcia has also worked out well. There are still some health questions in the rotation, but Max Fried is expected back on Saturday, while Gerrit Cole and Cam Schittler continue to dominate.
Add in Carlos Rodon and David Bednar handling the ninth inning, and the ingredients are there. There are bullpen concerns beyond Bednar, but New York’s surplus of starting pitching should help cover some of those cracks.
Milwaukee rounds out the group, and the Brewers have the kind of team that can be a problem in October. Jacob Misiorowski looks unhittable right now, and Kyle Harrison, back healthy, has been effective too. That gives Milwaukee a top of the rotation as strong as just about anyone’s.
Trevor Megill has handled the ninth inning well, and the Brewers have real depth in the starting staff. The lineup won’t scare anyone on paper, but Jackson Chourio is emerging as a star, and Brice Turang and Christian Yelich can’t be dismissed. There are enough useful bats beyond that to keep the offense afloat.
And then there’s the simple fact that Milwaukee always seems to find itself in the postseason. Playing for Pat Murphy only adds to that edge.
In Other News...
Brewers Could Add A Fresh Arm For A Stretch Run Need
With the Brewers sitting atop the division and leaning on a six-man rotation to keep their key arms fresh, the conversation around the pitching staff is starting to shift from survival mode to October planning. Jacob Misiorowski is one of the pitchers the club has been careful to protect, and that approach has left Milwaukee in a position where it can think about adding another arm without having to scramble for one.
One name that could come into play is right-hander Coleman Crow, who has been throwing well at Triple-A and could give the bullpen a needed boost down the stretch. His big-league track record has been uneven in a limited sample, which is part of what makes the decision interesting, because the Brewers do not just need innings now, they need the right kind of coverage to keep starters from wearing down before the postseason arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphys Unusual Brewers Lineup Move Paid Off Fast
Baseballs old left-on-left rules dont always tell the whole story, and the Brewers leaned into that against the Rangers. Pat Murphys lineup decision was rooted in the details that matter more than the bullpen card or a pitchers throwing hand, with Cody Bradfords style creating a different kind of matchup than the usual one teams try to avoid. Milwaukee used that to its advantage early, and the game quickly showed why those finer points of pitch angle and pitch type can matter just as much as handedness.
The Brewers got immediate payoff from the approach, with the left-handed bats helping set up successful bunting plays right away. It was the kind of small-ball sequence that can look routine after it works, but it starts with a manager seeing the matchup a step ahead of everyone else. Milwaukee will keep hunting those edges whenever it can, especially against pitchers whose splits dont fit the standard script. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Farm System Suddenly Has A Roster Squeeze To Watch
The Brewers farm system has reached one of those late-season stretches where the box scores matter almost as much as the standings, because every affiliate seems to be juggling performance, health and the next roster move all at once. Recent games have offered a little bit of everything for Milwaukee watchers, from Brandon Lockridge and Dylan ORae turning in notable performances to the usual churn of rehab assignments and injury updates that can shift playing time from one day to the next.
Joel Kuhnels rehab status is part of that picture, and so is the ripple effect created by Bo Naylors presence in the mix, which has added another layer to how reps are being distributed. Add in some uneven game results, a few costly errors and the occasional big in-game play, and the Brewers minor league picture suddenly looks less like a straightforward development path and more like a roster squeeze worth tracking closely. [Read more 🡒]