Part 2 of 3: Box-Toppers’ top five improving clubs for preseason 2026
Second of a three-part series.
The Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks are Box-Toppers’ most improved teams as we head toward the 2026 baseball season.
Both clubs have surged 11 spots in the Box-Toppers rankings since the end of 2025—the largest jumps in the league—fueled by aggressive offseason acquisitions and key player returns.
While these “risers” are the story of the winter, they are still chasing the heavyweights we profiled in Part 1 of our series. As we noted, the New York Yankees hold the most raw Box-Toppers points (128.5) based on 2025 performance, though the Chicago Cubs actually claim the #1 overall spot (125.6) once we account for “prospective absences” due to injury.
These preseason totals are dynamic: as players move, their 2025 points are subtracted from their old rosters and added to their new ones. Today, we look at the five teams that have gained the most ground in the Box-Toppers standings as of early March.
There is still plenty of work to do for these surging rosters. Notably, even after their massive jumps, all five of these “most improved” clubs remain outside the overall top 10 teams.
A guide to charts in this post
Players changing teams—A look at the top 19 players joining new clubs.
Top remaining free agents—The best available unsigned players as of March 5, ranked by 2025 performance.
Preseason team rankings—All 30 teams ranked by the cumulative 2025 points of players of their prospective 2026 rosters.
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Here are the teams with the biggest gains in Box-Toppers points from the end of 2025 to the current 2026 preseason standings:
Baltimore Orioles
Gain: First with a 25.2-point gain, also tied for the biggest jump in rankings—an 11-spot rise from 24th at the end of 2025 (76.5 points) to 13th place in preseason 2026 rankings (101.7 points).
Box-Toppers rankings of players changing teams for 2026
Ranger Suárez has the most 2025 Box-Toppers points among players changing teams for 2026. Suárez earned 15.8 Box-Toppers points in 2025 with the Phillies and signed with the Red Sox for 2026. Here is a look at the players with the most 2025 Box-Toppers point changing teams for 2026. Shown is their 2025 team, their 2026 team, their position, their 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) and their ranking among all players in 2025 points.| Player | 2025 team |
2026 team |
Pos | 2025 BTP |
Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranger Suárez | Phillies | Red Sox | pi sp | 15.8 | 10 |
| 2 | Freddy Peralta | Brewers | Mets | pi sp | 14.7 | 12 |
| 3 | Sonny Gray | Cardinals | Red Sox | pi sp | 14.0 | 16 |
| 4 | Merrill Kelly | Rangers | D-backs | pi sp | 12.7 | 23 |
| 5 | Framber Valdez | Astros | Tigers | pi sp | 11.7 | 25 |
| 6 | Edward Cabrera | Marlins | Cubs | pi sp | 11.7 | 29 |
| 7 | Shane Baz | Rays | Orioles | pi sp | 10.7 | 39 |
| 8 | Dylan Cease | Padres | Blue Jays | pi sp | 8.7 | 61 |
| 9 | MacKenzie Gore | Nationals | Rangers | pi sp | 8.7 | 63 |
| 10 | Taylor Ward | Angels | Orioles | lf | 8.5 | 69 |
| 11 | Edwin Diaz | Mets | Dodgers | pi cp | 8.0 | 75 |
| 12 | Adrian Houser | Rays | Giants | pi sp | 7.7 | 86 |
| 13 | Eugenio Suárez | Mariners | Reds | 3b | 7.5 | 89 |
| 14 | Pete Alonso | Mets | Orioles | 1b | 7.2 | 94 |
| 15 | Chris Bassitt | Blue Jays | Orioles | pi sp | 7.0 | 104 |
| 16 | Brandon Lowe | Rays | Pirates | 2b | 7.0 | 105 |
| 17 | Josh Bell | Nationals | Twins | 1b dh | 7.0 | 106 |
| 18 | Miles Mikolas | Cardinals | Nationals | pi sp | 7.0 | 109 |
| 19 | Nathaniel Lowe | Red Sox | Reds | 1b | 7.0 | 111 |
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Key additions: Pitcher Shane Baz (10.7 points, 22nd among American League pitchers) from the Rays, outfielder Taylor Ward (8.5 points, eighth among AL batters) from the Angels, first baseman Pete Alonso (7.2 points, 11th among National League batters) from the Mets and pitcher Chris Bassitt (7.0 points, 42nd among AL pitchers) from the Blue Jays.
Key losses: Pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (6.7 points, 50th among AL pitchers) to the Rockies.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Trevor Rogers (11.7 points, 17th among AL pitchers) and pitcher Dean Kremer (7.7, 33rd among AL pitchers).
Injury adjustment: -2.1, bringing their injury-adjusted total to 99.6, 12th among all teams. Closing pitcher Felix Bautista (2.0 points in 2025) will likely miss most of the season (torn rotator cuff and labrum in his throwing shoulder) and second baseman Jackson Holliday (2.5 points in 2025) will likely miss about a month (fractured hamate bone in his right hand).
Arizona Diamondbacks
Gain: Second with 18.7-point gain, an 11-spot gain from 26th at the end of 2025 (74.9 points) to 15th place in preseason 2026 rankings (93.6 points). (The 11-spot gain is tied for the biggest jump among all teams.)
Box-Toppers rankings of remaining free agents
Lucas Giolito has the most 2025 Box-Toppers points (9.4) among currently unsigned free agent players as of March 4, 2026. Here is a look at the players with the most 2025 Box-Toppers points among remaining free agents. Shown is their 2025 team, their position, their 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) and their ranking among all players in 2025 points.| Player | Team | Pos | BTP | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Giolito | Red Sox | pi sp | 9.4 | 56 |
| 2 | Patrick Corbin | Rangers | pi sp | 7.0 | 107 |
| 3 | Zack Littell | Reds | pi sp | 6.7 | 120 |
| 4 | Wilmer Flores | Giants | dh | 5.0 | 202 |
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Key additions: Starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (12.7 points, 12th among AL pitchers) from the Rangers (though it should be noted, Kelly earned 9.7 of his points with the Diamondbacks in 2025 before being traded to the Rangers).
Key losses: No significant losses.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Zac Gallen (12.7 points, 11th among NL pitchers) and pitcher Ryne Nelson (8.4 points, 27th among NL pitchers).
Injury adjustment: -2.4 points, bringing their injury-adjusted total to 91.2, 14th among all teams. Notably, two pitchers are expected to miss about half the season after undergoing elbow surgery—Corbin Burnes (3.7 points in 2025) and A.J. Puk (1.0 point in 2025).
Colorado Rockies
Gain: Third with an 11.0-point gain, a one-spot gain from 30th at the end of 2025 (47.0 points) to 29th place in preseason 2026 rankings (58.0 points).
Key additions: Starting pitchers Tomoyuki Sugano (6.7 points, 50th among AL pitchers) from the Orioles and Michael Lorenzen (5.0 points, 67th among AL pitchers) from the Royals.
Key losses: No significant losses.
Key holdovers: Catcher Hunter Goodman (5.9 points, 24th among NL batters) and outfielder Mickey Moniak (5.0 points, 39th among NL batters).
Injury adjustment: 0.0 points.
Minnesota Twins
Gain: Fourth with a 10.0-point gain, a five-spot gain from 25th at the end of 2025 (75.4 points) to 20th place in preseason 2026 rankings (85.4 points).
Key additions: First baseman/designated hitter Josh Bell (7.0 points, 13th among NL batters) from the Nationals.
Key losses: No significant losses.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Joe Ryan (11.7 points, 15th among AL pitchers), catcher Ryan Jeffers (6.7 points, 19th among AL batters), and third baseman Royce Lewis (6.5 points, 21st among AL batters).
Injury adjustment: -6.0. Starting pitcher Pablo López (6.0 points, 52nd among AL pitchers) is expected to miss the 2026 season, recovering from elbow surgery. López was limited to 14 starts in 2025 as he battled injuries, including a right hamstring strain, a right shoulder muscle strain, and a right forearm strain. López made 32 starts for the Twins in 2024 and earned 11.7 Box-Toppers points, 17th among AL pitchers.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Gain: Fifth with a 9.2-point gain, a four-spot gain from 27th at the end of 2025 (69.7 points) to 23rd place in preseason 2026 rankings (78.9 points).
Key additions: Second baseman Brandon Lowe (7.0 points, 14th among AL batters) from the Rays and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (5.7 points, 25th among NL batters) from the Braves.
Key losses: No significant losses.
Key holdovers: Pitchers Paul Skenes (21.1 points, second overall, first among NL pitchers) and Mitch Keller (6.7 points, 41st among NL pitchers).
Injury adjustment: 0.0 points. The Pirates 78.9 injury-adjusted team total ranks 22nd overall.
Tomorrow: Part 3: The Decliners—The five teams with the biggest offseason reduction in points.
About Box-Toppers
Box-Toppers tracks who contributes most to their team’s victory. Using standard box score statistics, we identify the Player of the Game for every MLB contest. In the regular season, winners earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point, with bonus points awarded to the top overall and league-specific players of the day. More on how Box-Toppers works.
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Related
A look at free agents at the close of the 2025 season: Ranger Suárez, Kyle Schwarber among free agents with most 2025 Box-Toppers points
This post uses information from Jon Roegele’s Tommy John Surgery List.
Box-Toppers 2026 preseason team rankings
The New York Yankees are the top-ranked preseason team for 2026 as of early March 2026. Players currently on the roster accumulated 128.5 Box-Toppers points during the 2025 season, most of any team. Shown below are each team ranked by the cumulative 2025 Box-Toppers points of players on current rosters. Here’s a look at columns in the chart:• The first two columns show each team’s cumulative Box-Toppers point totals as of early March (2026), with their ranking among all teams (R ’26).
• The second two columns show each team’s cumulative Box-Toppers point totals at the end of the 2025 regular season, with their ranking among all teams (R ’25).
• The next column (+/-) shows the Box-Toppers point gain or loss each team has had since the end of 2025.
• The next three columns reflect how injuries (and other factors) are impacting each team’s Box-Toppers point totals. The first of the three columns shows each team’s injury adjustment (Inj Adj), including players who will not be available in 2026 based on their 2025 Box-Toppers point total. The next two columns show each team’s cumulative Box-Toppers point totals as of early March with the injury adjustment applied (2026 IA), with their ranking among all teams with their injury adjusted points (Rank w/IA).
| Team |
R ’26 |
2026 |
R ’25 |
2025 |
+/- |
Inj Adj |
Rank w/IA |
2026 IA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yankees | 1 | 128.5 | 2 | 127.1 | +1.4 | -5.4 | 2 | 123.1 |
| Cubs | 2 | 125.8 | 7 | 117.6 | +8.2 | -0.2 | 1 | 125.6 |
| Red Sox | 3 | 120.4 | 8 | 112.7 | +7.7 | 0.0 | 3 | 120.4 |
| Tigers | 4 | 116.3 | 11 | 109.3 | +7.0 | -4.9 | 5 | 111.4 |
| Blue Jays | 5 | 113.6 | 10 | 111.7 | +1.9 | -1.0 | 4 | 112.6 |
| Phillies | 6 | 110.1 | 1 | 131.4 | -21.3 | -6.6 | 11 | 103.5 |
| Padres | 7 | 109.6 | 4 | 118.6 | -9.0 | -4.7 | 9 | 104.9 |
| Mariners | 8 | 108.1 | 6 | 117.6 | -9.5 | -1.0 | 6 | 107.1 |
| Dodgers | 9 | 107.0 | 5 | 117.9 | -10.9 | -0.4 | 7 | 106.6 |
| Braves | 10 | 107.0 | 13 | 106.0 | +1.0 | -8.3 | 13 | 98.7 |
| Royals | 11 | 105.4 | 12 | 107.4 | -2.0 | 0.0 | 8 | 105.4 |
| Reds | 12 | 103.8 | 15 | 102.7 | +1.1 | 0.0 | 10 | 103.8 |
| Orioles | 13 | 101.7 | 24 | 76.5 | +25.2 | -2.1 | 12 | 99.6 |
| Mets | 14 | 98.8 | 14 | 104.5 | -5.7 | -9.7 | 17 | 89.1 |
| D-backs | 15 | 93.6 | 26 | 74.9 | +18.7 | -2.4 | 14 | 91.2 |
| Guardians | 16 | 90.4 | 17 | 96.3 | -5.9 | -1.5 | 18 | 88.9 |
| Giants | 17 | 90.2 | 19 | 84.8 | +5.4 | 0.0 | 15 | 90.2 |
| Rangers | 18 | 89.2 | 3 | 123.6 | -34.4 | 0.0 | 16 | 89.2 |
| Brewers | 19 | 88.4 | 9 | 112.6 | -24.2 | 0.0 | 19 | 88.4 |
| Twins | 20 | 85.4 | 25 | 75.4 | +10.0 | -6.0 | 21 | 79.4 |
| Athletics | 21 | 84.7 | 23 | 77.4 | +7.3 | 0.0 | 20 | 84.7 |
| Astros | 22 | 79.2 | 16 | 101.9 | -22.7 | -5.0 | 23 | 74.2 |
| Pirates | 23 | 78.9 | 27 | 69.7 | +9.2 | 0.0 | 22 | 78.9 |
| Marlins | 24 | 74.2 | 18 | 84.9 | -10.7 | -2.0 | 25 | 72.2 |
| Rays | 25 | 73.3 | 22 | 80.0 | -6.7 | 0.0 | 24 | 73.3 |
| Angels | 26 | 66.4 | 20 | 84.6 | -18.2 | 0.0 | 26 | 66.4 |
| White Sox | 27 | 63.9 | 28 | 64.4 | -0.5 | -0.5 | 27 | 63.4 |
| Cardinals | 28 | 60.9 | 21 | 80.4 | -19.5 | 0.0 | 28 | 60.9 |
| Rockies | 29 | 58.0 | 30 | 47.0 | +11.0 | 0.0 | 29 | 58.0 |
| Nationals | 30 | 50.9 | 29 | 60.1 | -9.2 | -0.3 | 30 | 50.6 |
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