Aces matter in the postseason. Which contenders are stocked with them -- and which are lacking quality arms?

We're just about a week away from the start of the 2026 MLB playoffs, meaning this year's top contenders are lining up their rotations with hopes of making a deep October run. With that in mind, let's rank the starting pitching options for the teams currently in the postseason field (or deep in the mix) with an eye for how they will be used. These rankings are weighted based on how often a team is likely to use its pitchers in a seven-game series. The No. 1 and No. 2 starters have much more impact than the others because the playoffs are often about riding your best pitchers and then figuring out the rest as you go.

There are a couple of pitchers listed as candidates who, due to the nature of the playoffs, probably won't start but could because of an injury or in a spot-start or bullpen-game situation where an unlikely arm offers a better matchup. I ranked 15 teams with at least a chance of playing in October, so three of the teams listed below won't end up qualifying for the postseason.

Tier 1

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The candidates: Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Justin Wrobleski, Kris Bubic

Yep, the Dodgers are still tops in this category -- even with the currently injured Shohei Ohtani likely not pitching again this season -- and by a pretty good margin. They could start four arms over a seven-game series that are all better than any one arm on five or six of the teams listed below. Skubal picked up right where he left off following elbow surgery earlier this year; he posted the third-best FIP among starters this season. Yamamoto is essentially in a dead heat with Skubal, with the latter ranking seventh and the former eighth in pitcher WAR. Snell made only one start before August due to shoulder fatigue and is currently battling a groin issue. He has been fantastic in eight starts in 2026 and was similarly excellent last year over 11 regular-season starts; I'm rounding up due to his pedigree and playoff performances. Glasnow also hasn't been the most durable arm over the past two years, making 30 starts total, but he has been dealing for the past month or so.

2. Milwaukee Brewers

The candidates: Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson, Dustin May, Kyle Harrison, Robert Gasser

Misiorowski, the heavy favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award, has pretty clearly been the best pitcher in baseball this year -- and without a doubt the most dynamic to watch, too. Henderson is a strong second option who has been very good in the second half despite a below-average breaking ball: His fastball shape and changeup are excellent. After making some tweaks in the offseason, Harrison was outstanding in the first half, but his walks and homers spiked in the second half. Gasser is an innings-eater type, while May is a bit more dynamic stuff wise and has been more durable the past two seasons.

3. Philadelphia Phillies

The candidates: Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Andrew Painter

The Phillies are perennially high in these rankings as they prioritize having impact starters and power bats in their team-building philosophy. Luzardo has narrowly been the best of this group, in my opinion, but Sanchez has thrown 15 more innings and has a slightly higher WAR. Wheeler didn't make his first start of the season until late April following 2025 thoracic outlet surgery but has been right with those two in terms of ace-level, per-inning performance over 20-plus starts; all three are in the top 13 in baseball in x FIP (a better predictor of ERA than ERA itself) among starters. Nola is a solid innings eater type with a strong strikeout r...