It’s safe to say that the Cubs are going to be the winners of our 2026 Defensive Team of the Year award. This feels like a given since they have 110 Runs Saved, 25 more than the next-closest team.

This is the ninth time that a team has surpassed 100 Runs Saved, something that a past Cubs team was the first to do. Here’s a rundown of all the teams that have reached 100 since Defensive Runs Saved was first tracked, in order from most to fewest Runs Saved.

2018 Diamondbacks 129

The 2018 Diamondbacks are the standard-setter, as no team has been able to match their Runs Saved total. The team didn’t have a full-time catcher, but had three part-timers combine for 32 Runs Saved, including Fielding Bible Award winner Jeff Mathis.

Shortstop Nick Ahmed easily led his position with 25 Runs Saved. Ketel Marte ranked among the second base leaders with 14 Runs Saved. The Diamondbacks had a lot of depth. Most of their reserves contributed positive defensive value.

2022 Yankees 127

Similar to the 2026 Cubs, the 2022 Yankees were a lot better defensively than any other team in MLB, finishing 37 runs better than the second-place Dodgers. Similar to the Diamondbacks, a catcher was a big part of this, as Jose Trevino won a Fielding Bible Award. Yankees pitchers were also very good, finishing with an MLB-best 21 Runs Saved, as were the six players who played third base (Josh Donaldson played the most) and finished with 20 Runs Saved.

2018 Brewers 118

The Brewers rose on the strength of their center fielders, with Fielding Bible Award winner Lorenzo Cain posting 20 Runs Saved and reserve Keon Broxton totaling 11 in only 24 games there (we explained how). The Brewers got positive Runs Saved from every position in the field, with third base, right field, and second base bringing the next-most value.

2026 Cubs 110

This is going to be remembered as Pete Crow-Armstrong’s year and deservedly so, but the Cubs would have been the No. 1 defensive team in baseball even without him. They’re that good. Alex Bregman leads all third basemen in Runs Saved. Seiya Suzuki has the second-most Runs Saved in right field, a big improvement for him over past seasons.

2019 Dodgers 108

The Dodgers were one of three teams in 2019 to record at least 100 Runs Saved. They led the majors with big help from right fielder, center field, and first baseman Cody Bellinger, who won the Fielding Bible Award for both right field and multi-position. They were also quite strong at second base where Kiké Hernandez led a group of players who combined for 20 Runs Saved.

2016 Cubs 107

Defense was most definitely a part of how the Cubs ended their historic drought and won the World Series in 2016 (remember Game 5?). They had four players record at least 10 Runs Saved at a position (shortstop Addison Russell, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, right fielder Jason Heyward, and catcher David Ross). Rizzo won a Fielding Bible Award, as did infielder Javier Báez, who won the Multi-Position award.

2019 Astros, 104

The Astros won 107 games and posted the best Defensive Wins Above Replacement (Baseball-Reference’s DWAR) since Defensive Runs Saved was first tracked in 2003. They were a team that was highly reliant on the skill of its players.

Astros outfielders combined for just over half, 56, of their 104 Runs Saved. Michael Brantley had 13 in left field, Josh Reddick had 11 in right field. George Springer, in his healthier days, had 7 Runs Saved in center field and 6 Runs Saved in right field.

2019 Diamondbacks 103

These Diamondbacks were similar in composition to the previous year’s team that holds the record for most Runs Saved. Shortstop Nick Ahmed and left fielder David Peralta each won Fielding Bible Awards. The team was also heavily reliant on defensive positioning, with it accounting for 45 of their 103 Runs Saved.

2024 Blue Jays 102

This was the year of Daulton Varsho, who won our Defensive Player of the Year award after leading the majors with 28 Runs Saved. Catcher Alejandro Kirk (13 Runs Saved) and Varsho’s outfield mate, Kevin Kiermaier (10 Runs Saved) were pretty good too.

Most Defensive Runs Saved in Season – Teams Since 2003

You may have noticed that all of these teams are from 2016 forward. Changes to our Defensive Runs Saved calculation methodology, which cover back to 2013, elevated team Runs Saved totals based on value awarded for defensive shifts. Thus, it was more likely that a team would record 100 Runs Saved under this iteration of Runs Saved.