Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman): "I don't deserve this! To die like this!"
Will Munny (Clint Eastwood): "Deserve's got nothing to do with it!"
-- Unforgiven, 1992, directed by Eastwood
As I occasionally (but not annually) do, I am ranking Playoff teams by how much they, and their fanbases, deserve to win a World Championship. And I am casting baseball bias aside, so the Yankees won't be 1st.
Did I say I'm casting baseball bias aside? Not completely:
12. Boston Red Sox, American League Wild-Card Berth
May Deserve Because: Boston is a liberal city. Massachusetts is a liberal State. New England is a liberal region. Fenway Park is historic. And Adley Rutschman and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are decent guys.
Don't Deserve At All Because: They're the Boston Red Sox. They cheat. Even before they started cheating, they were scum. And now, they have Aroldis Chapman. Fuck 'em!
11. Los Angeles Dodgers, National League Western Division Champions
May Deserve Because: Los Angeles is a liberal city in a Blue State. It deserves a break for what it's gone through in this calendar year, from the awful wildfires to Trump sending troops in to intimidate and agents in to illegally arrest. Dodger Stadium is a nice ballpark with a lot of history. Their players seem to be good guys. Magic Johnson is the main owner.
Don't Deserve At All Because: They won it all the last 2 years, and also just 6 seasons ago. Their manager, Dave Roberts, was a 2004 Red Sock. I'm sick of hearing about Shohei Ohtani. He's not better than Babe Ruth. And while current management had nothing to do with it, the Treason of '57 must never be forgotten or forgiven.
10. Houston Astros, American League Western Division Champions
May Deserve Because: I can't think of a single reason.
May Not Deserve Because: They cheat. And they still have Jose Altuve. Their last title was only 4 years ago. Also, they're from Texas. Finally, an 81-81 team doesn't deserve to be in the postseason.
9. Tampa Bay Rays, American League Eastern Division Champions
May Deserve Because: They haven't won a World Series in their 29 seasons of play. And... that's about it.
May Not Deserve Because: They're in Florida. The St. Petersburg side of Tampa Bay is a lot more conservative than the Tampa side. Tropicana Field is a stupid stadium with artificial turf. And their fans don't even show up for a winning team: The Rays averaged only 17,468 fans per game this season, 28th out of 30 teams. Only the other Florida team, the Miami Marlins, and the Sacramento Athletics, did worse -- and the Marlins were 80-82, while the A's were 64-98 and playing in a minor-league ballpark in a metro area that they plan to abandon after 1 more season. The Rays went 98-64, and still couldn't outdraw either of those teams. Don't tell me the stadium is in a bad location: The Yankees used to draw 2 million a year to the South Bronx, when it was the urban hellhole of America.
8. Atlanta Braves, National League Eastern Division Champions
May Deserve Because: Atlanta is a liberal city. If the Braves were going to leave downtown (or sort-of-downtown) Atlanta, then they did it the right way, creating a full destination, not just a ballpark. And Truist Park looks like it has all the options, even if it is named for a bank. (Two, in fact: For its 1st 2 seasons, it was SunTrust Bank.) Ronald Acuña Jr. is a great talent and a good guy, and while he's already won a title (with the 2021 Braves), Matt Olson and Mike Yastrzemski haven't. Indeed, Yaz the Younger might be able to win the title that his grandfather Carl never could in 23 seasons in Boston.
May Not Deserve Because: While Atlanta is a liberal city, Georgia is a conservative State. It went for Biden in 2020, and has 2 Democratic Senators, but went for Trump in 2016 and 2024, and hasn't elected a Democrat as Governor since Roy Barnes in 1998. Yes, the 1st 2 digits are a 19. And they did move out of the city to the northwestern suburbs. They didn't say they did it to get away from the city's black people, but they did say they went where the heart of their fan base was. Some heart. They have Chris Sale, who already has a tainted ring with the Red Sox. And, as I said, they won the title only 5 years ago.
7. New York Yankees, American League Wild-Card Berth
May Deserve Because: It would make a lot of people I know happy, since I only live only 47 miles away. They have Aaron Judge (though he's injured at the moment), Giancarlo Stanton (ditto), Gerrit Cole, and many other deserving players. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, the new Yankee Stadium is a fantastic ballpark, and there are easier ones to hit home runs in. And it's New York, the greatest city in the world.
May Not Deserve Because: A drought of 17 seasons might seem like an eternity to Yankee fans, but to most others, it's not so bad. And many Yankee fans, including yours truly, can become insufferable when our team is defending World Champions. The players deserve it a lot more than many of the fans do.
6. San Diego Padres, National League Wild-Card Berth
May Deserve Because: They have never won a World Series in 58 years of trying. The city's last baseball team that went as far as the Pennant was in the Pacific Coast League, the 1967 Padres. Petco Park is a nice ballpark. And their fans deserve it after the tease of last season. It would also make Emma Stone happy.
May Not Deserve Because: San Diego is one of the most conservative cities in the country. The Padres still insist upon foisting the occasional horrible uniform on us. Fernando Tatís Jr. is a known cheater, Manny Machado is a rotten guy, and Xander Bogaerts doesn't need another ring. And their fans are acting like Met Fans West: Talking a lot of trash, especially to the nearby more successful team (the Dodgers), without the sufficient results.
5. Chicago Cubs, National League Wild-Card Berth
May Deserve Because: Chicago is a great liberal city, practically making Illinois a Blue State all by itself. Wrigley Field is a great and legendary ballpark. And for all their suffering, Cub fans deserve more than 1 World Championship in a century.
May Not Deserve Because: They won just 10 years ago. That's not a drought, unless you're a Yankee Fan. And there's no obvious player on the team that hasn't won a title and really deserves to. They're a good team, but they're not an especially interesting one. If they won another Pennant, and even another World Series, it would be nice, but it wouldn't be the wonderful story that it was in 2016.
4. Philadelphia Phillies, National League Wild Card Berth
May Deserve Because: Philadelphia is a great city. It's a liberal city. Pennsylvania is a Blue State. Citizens Bank Park is a great ballpark. It's been 18 years since they last won it all, with a complete turnover of players. It would make a few people I know happy, since I only live only 64 miles away.
May Not Deserve Because: Their fans have been known to be a bit rough. A 18-year drought isn't that bad: And Bryce Harper is generally considered to not be a good guy.
3. Chicago White Sox, American League Wild-Card Berth
May Deserve Because: Chicago is a great city, a liberal city in a Blue State. Rate Field isn't the awful stadium people say it is: It's pretty good. While the Pale Hose last won the World Series, or a Pennant, just 21 years ago, that's their only Pennant in 77 years and their only title in 109 years. And they suffered through a 121-loss season just 2 years ago. For what the team has done in just those 2 years, and for what their fans have lived through, still in the shadow of the Cubs, they deserve to win.
May Not Deserve Because: Team owner Jerry Reinsdorf remains a jerk at age 90, and now he wants another new ballpark, when the one he has is only 35 years old. And there is, as yet, no compelling player on the White Sox, one that makes us say, "He deserves a ring." The only player on the team who has one is Andrew Benintendi, and that came with the 2018 Red Sox, so it's tainted, and I can't root for him, even if he was a Yankee in between.
2. Cleveland Guardians, American League Central Division Champions
May Deserve Because: They haven't won a World Series in 78 years. Progressive Field is a really good ballpark. They willingly got rid of a bigoted team name. Cleveland is a liberal city. It would make Drew Carey happy.
May Not Deserve Because: They held that bigoted team name for 107 years. They have no obvious individual player to root for, unless you want to count José Ramírez. Ohio is a Red State.
1. Milwaukee Brewers, National League Central Division Champions
May Deserve Because: Milwaukee is a liberal city. The Brewers have never won a World Series, and the city hasn't won one in 69 years, since the 1957 Braves. Christian Yelich is a terrific player in his 13th season, and deserves a ring. And they'd be doing it in memory of Bob Uecker.
May Not Deserve Because: American Family Field is more of an airplane hangar than a ballpark. Other than that, there's not much reason. It's not as if Bud Selig still owns the team.
There you have it: The team in the 2026 Major League Baseball Playoffs most deserving of winning the World Series is the Milwaukee Brewers.
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