Early MLB overreactions: Braves are back, Pirates are contenders and more

We’re roughly 10% of the way through the 2026 MLB regular season, but we’ve seen enough to have a read on all 30 teams, right? Well, we certainly have enough information to have some very strong opinions and takes about where things stand in the early stages of the season! 

With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of Major League Baseball, you know we’ve been keeping a very close eye on every team. And with all 30 clubs having played at least 15 games so far, we have some early overreactions about some more notable teams and divisions as we enter the third full week of the regular season.

Five early MLB overreactions we can’t ignore yet

We’re only a few weeks into the 2026 MLB season, which means it’s far too early to make any sweeping declarations. But with every team having played enough games to reveal some early strengths, weaknesses and surprises, there are already a handful of storylines that feel too big to ignore.

The Braves are showing 2025 was a fluke

The 2025 season wasn’t kind to the Braves, who entered the year on the short list of top World Series contenders. Atlanta dealt with injuries to notable players like Ronald Acuna Jr. and Chris Sale, and the end result was a 76-86 showing – good for fourth place in the National League East.

Entering 2026, the Braves were seen under two lenses. On one hand, they have stars like Acuna, Sale, Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies and others on the roster. On the other hand, the Braves have an older roster and it could have been argued they were past their contention window. 

So far, 2026 has been far kinder to Atlanta. The Braves are 10-6, are elite on the mound and at the plate and have yet to lose a single series this year. Olson has found his slugging form with four home runs already while reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin has five homers of his own along with 17 RBIs. Those two are big reasons why the Braves are third in baseball in runs scored. 

We’re still waiting for Acuna to really get hot at the dish, but his presence alone for a full 162-game slate is massive for Atlanta. Add in an MLB-leading 2.41 team ERA and it appears 2025 was a one-year anomaly for the Braves. 

The Pirates are finally here to contend

It was fun to tab Pittsburgh as a fringe playoff contender to watch, but at 9-6, the Pirates are looking like a legitimate team to watch as they aim to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and just the fourth time since 1992. 

They took two of three from both the Cubs and Reds already – two playoff teams from their own division a year ago – and after struggling mightily offensively last year, the Pirates are in the top half of MLB in runs scored. New faces Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn have each provided much-needed boosts near the top of the order while Oneil Cruz has an OPS over 1.000 as the extremely talented outfielder could finally be primed and ready for a true breakout campaign. 

The pitching has also been standout with a team ERA of just 3.23. What makes that line more notable is reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes owns a 5.25 ERA, though he’s given up just two runs over 11 1/3 innings in his last two starts after a rough start on Opening Day.

So far, the Cubs are the only NL Central team under .500 at 7-8, so it should be a fun year to follow the division, especially if the Pirates’ bats stay awake like they have so far. If Pittsburgh finishes even in the middle of the pack in runs scored, the Pirates could be very tough out in October. 

The AL West is confusing – and wide open?

The Mariners were the presumed favorite to win the AL West for the second year in a row while the Astros, who missed the postseason by a single game last year, were viewed as their top opposition. Entering Monday, those two squads are the only two teams in the division to be under .500.

In a surprise, the Athletics are 8-7 after winning seven of 10 and are tied for first place with the Rangers, who are also 8-7 thanks in large part due to a sweep of Seattle. The Angels are 8-8, as well and took two of three from Seattle last week.

The Mariners started 4-9 and actually had baseball’s worst record thanks to a horrific start at the plate before taking three straight from the Astros in a series that wraps up Monday afternoon in Seattle. The Astros are 6-10 and have far and away the worst pitching staff in baseball, and injuries are already piling up with ace Hunter Brown landing on the injured list. 

It looks like the Mariners are trending in the right direction, but as far as Houston is concerned, things look bleak. The Astros missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016. They rebounded in 2017 with a World Series title, but based on how the pitching looks right now, that kind of rebound looks far more unlikely for a team that’s been among baseball’s most consistent over the last decade. 

It’s still the Dodgers’ world and we’re all just living in it

Considering they won each of the last two World Series and went out and added superstars in Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz in free agency, is this even an overreaction?

On one hand, crowning any team the next World Series champion after 15 games is certainly a stretch. On the other hand, this is the Dodgers we’re talking about, and they’re 11-4 and two of those losses came to one team in the Guardians.

The offense is loaded with big names like Tucker, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and, of course, Shohei Ohtani, and that group ranks second in MLB in runs scored while the pitching ranks in the top 10 in team ERA. Ohtani shook off a slow start and already has five homers, and the Dodgers may have a true breakout hitter on their hands as Andy Pages is hitting .429 with a 1.181 OPS. 

Ohtani and World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto have each dazzled on the mound while Tyler Glasnow owns a 4.00 ERA after coming just one run away from three straight quality starts to begin 2026. Outside of that trio, the rest of the rotation has lagged behind with Blake Snell sidelined. Snell’s return is coming in the near future and should give baseball’s premier team another boost. 

There’s still a long way to go, but boy do the Dodgers look ready to 3-peat. 

The Dodgers’ biggest obstacle may be in their own division

The Phillies and Mets should start to trend in the right direction soon and the NL Central looks very competitive. That being said, there are three teams with 10 or more wins in the National League right now – the Dodgers, the Braves and the Padres.

We touched on the Braves earlier, and I will admit that I may have written them off too soon given I didn’t even pick them to make the postseason before the season began. But the Padres are baseball’s hottest team, shaking off back-to-back series losses to the Tigers and Giants to begin the year to get to 10-6 and winning eight of their last 10. And they’re doing so with some huge names not performing up to snuff just yet. 

The team is fifth in team ERA with a 3.41 mark as Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Nick Pivetta are all pitching very well on the mound. Joe Musgrove is working hard to return from Tommy John surgery, and that would certainly give the Padres a rotation that no one wants to face in a series of any length. Additionally, all-world closer Mason Miller has been unhittable, giving up one hit and one walk compared to 19 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. When San Diego has a late lead, Padres fans are going home happy. 

The offense is surprisingly potent as well, ranking seventh in runs scored despite slower starts from the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill. Imagine when those three start to really get hot! As for what’s working, Ramon Laureano has four homers and 11 RBIs to lead the way while role players like Miguel Andujar, Ty France and Luis Campusano are doing very well with limited opportunities. 

All eyes are on the Dodgers and their quest for a rare 3-peat, and it looks like their biggest challenge will be either a resurgent Braves team or a Padres team that they’re set to face at least 13 times – possibly more if we get an NL West matchup in the postseason.