Power Ranking All 6 MLB Divisions Entering 2024 Season
With Opening Day less than two weeks away and most of the MLB landscape set, we have a good sense for what to expect this season.
The Dodgers and Atlanta are clear front-runners in the National League, while the American League has two teams in the state of Texas and at least one out east with high hopes.
So, how do the divisions stack up against each other? Some are top-heavy, others are deep, and a couple are fairly putrid.
In this exercise, we take a look at each team to rank the divisions, with consideration to PECOTA projections and how the offseason has played out.
Let's dig in.
6. AL Central
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Cleveland Guardians
They will compete for a division title once again, but they will also do it without much thump in the lineup after one of the quietest offseasons in MLB. Whether the Guardians can score enough runs remains a major question.
Their pitching was top 10 in ERA last season and should still be strong, but where will the offense come from?
José Ramírez is one of the better hitters in baseball, but we've seen that isn't exactly enough to get the Guardians over the hump.
Chicago White Sox
It's no secret the White Sox have been a wretched defensive team for years now.
First-year general manager Chris Getz wanted to address this issue in the offseason and did so by adding shortstop Paul DeJong and letting go of Tim Anderson; adding a credible second baseman in Nicky Lopez; and overhauling the catcher position with Martin Maldonado and Max Stassi.
Talent hasn't been the White Sox's issue as much as focus and execution. Will it be better in Pedro Grifol's second season as skipper and with the roster changes from Getz? That's tough to bet on. Especially after they traded Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers should be glad to exist in this division. They are expecting an improvement on 2023 by adding veteran arms Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty to the rotation. They are also relying heavily on youngsters such as Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning.
Detroit needs superstar play from Spencer Torkelson, a big season from Riley Greene and perhaps a bounce-back year from Javier Báez to really reach its potential.
This is a talented young team in a weak division that could surprise some people.
Minnesota Twins
Looking at the Twins' offseason activity, or lack thereof, it's difficult to envision them being much better than the 87-win team that won the division last year.
The good news for Minnesota: It doesn't really have to be. Sure, you can expect some improvement from around the division, but it's still a group of clubs that would be lucky to win 88 games.
Losing Sonny Gray but adding Anthony DeSclafani isn't exactly an upgrade. Joey Gallo took his 20-plus home runs to the Washington Nationals.
Minnesota is the favorite to repeat as division champions, but it's hardly a contender for anything beyond that. An improved Carlos Correa would go a long way in offsetting some of the losses.
Kansas City Royals
This is the most-improved ballclub in the division, which is not saying much after 106 losses last season. But it did add in key areas and also has young talent it knew it would rely on sooner rather than later.
It's a year for Bobby Witt Jr. to continue on the trajectory of being one of the game's superstars, but it cannot rest entirely on his shoulders.
The pitching additions of Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha to rotation; and Chris Stratton, Nick Anderson and Will Smith to the bullpen should have a tremendous impact on Kansas City, which had one of the worst staffs in baseball last season.
5. NL Central
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Chicago Cubs
The Cubs made one of the boldest moves of the offseason by ditching David Ross to make Craig Counsell their new manager.
They also brought back Cody Bellinger, which was important. Adding Shota Imanaga toward the top of their rotation and Hector Neris to the bullpen were also smart moves.
It will be worth monitoring whether the Cubs make more moves, as some key free agents are still on the board.
They are one of the organizations with deep enough pockets to throw money at NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, though it is already a left-handed heavy rotation. J.D. Martinez would also make sense as a DH option.
As is, they should still compete for a division title.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds did a surprisingly good job of scoring runs last season, but it was their lack of pitching depth that really plagued them.
With their offseason moves, the pitching staff should improve from the sixth-highest ERA, opposing batting average and third-most home runs allowed.
Veteran Frankie Montas offers a proven arm to go with youngsters Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft and the injured Nick Lodolo.
It was an average team at 82-80 last season, but marginal improvement could go a long way in this division.
Milwaukee Brewers
They had a decent offseason considering their best pitcher, Corbin Burnes, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles and manager Craig Counsell jumped ship to the division rival Cubs.
But signing Rhys Hoskins and Gary Sanchez isn't enough to generate much buzz or optimism. All it really does is show the Brewers are still in the mix for a third division title in the past four seasons.
The NL Central lacks a truly great team, which hurts its ranking here but has to give Milwaukee some hope. All-Star closer Devin Williams missing three months will be a brutal blow to overcome.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Credit to the Pirates for making some moves to better their team this offseason, but no one really seems convinced. They are still projected to finish last in the division, and that's damning in one this bad.
Marco Gonzales, Martín Pérez and Aroldis Chapman help both the rotation and bullpen. Rowdy Tellez is a decent bat pickup.
The Pirates still fall short from a talent and optimism standpoint. Playing in this division might be their one saving grace in terms of chances to reach .500 for the first time since 2018.
St. Louis Cardinals
They are old, but they are impressive on paper. The Cardinals addressed their pitching woes by acquiring Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and bringing back Lance Lynn.
This is a good way to rectify a pitching staff that failed them in the previous season. The main question is whether it's sustainable if four of your five starters are age 32 or older. If it is, then watch out for the Cardinals and their chances of returning to 2022 form.
Matt Carpenter, now 38, could be a difference-maker off the bench. But St. Louis will need far more than that on what was a middling offense last season, plus getting consistent performances from aging pitchers.
Overall, this a more competitive division than its AL counterpart, but no one is picking a World Series champion from it.
4. NL East
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Atlanta
This is the only team in the division that should feel like it could win the World Series.
The next closest is Philadelphia, which pulled off a World Series appearance two seasons ago. But now the NL is so much better, particularly Atlanta.
Adding Chris Sale and Reynaldo López to the backend of the rotation and betting on Jarred Kelenic's upside, while not losing many key pieces of a 104-win team is a scary proposition.
Atlanta should be extra motivated by how things ended last year.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins are spicy but not necessarily ascending. Luis Arraez is a stud, and their pitching is good even with ace Sandy Alcantara rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
But the Tim Anderson-Jake Burger reunion? Perhaps there is some potential with a change of scenery and fresh start for Anderson.
The Marlins matching their 84 wins from a season ago would still be surprising with Alcantara out and losing Jorge Soler to the San Francisco Giants in free agency.
New York Mets
The Mets shipped out their older, injured and more expensive starting pitchers last year ahead of the trade deadline.
Then this offseason, they signed slightly younger but oft-injured starters with hopes of still competing.
They added Luis Severino and Sean Manaea to the rotation, with Harrison Bader in center field. It could be enough to compete for a wild card, which in theory could be enough to compete for a World Series, but there's not a ton of promise here. The more likely outcome is a forgettable season in Queens.
Philadelphia Phillies
It's clear the Phillies are still trying to take advantage of the window that opened two seasons ago when they made their run to the World Series. But remember the earlier point about Atlanta? Consider what the Dodgers have done, and how much better the NL is now than it was in 2022.
Unfortunately for the Phillies, they are not much better than the 87-win team that won the NL pennant that season.
Bringing back Aaron Nola was important, and their lineup should still be one of the better ones in the game, but it feels like their moment came and went. It's not the worst idea to run it back with a team that reached the NLCS in two straight seasons, but the arrow is no longer pointing up.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals are all about young players and watching how they develop. Adding Joey Gallo and Nick Senzel are solid moves, but their season comes down to getting prospects like Dylan Crews and James Wood ready for the big leagues.
Washington is projected to be the second-worst team in baseball.
Overall, the NL East having 1.5 contenders puts it somewhere in the middle of the best and worst divisions.
3. NL West
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Arizona Diamondbacks
Congratulations, Diamondbacks. Your days of sneaking up on teams are over.
They are following up a run to the World Series by reloading with starting pitching depth as well as more thump in the lineup. They traded for Eugenio Suárez and signed Eduardo Rodriguez. The best players they lost are Evan Longoria, 38, and Tommy Pham, 36.
Otherwise, this is the same team that won the NL pennant last season. They should at the very least keep the Los Angeles Dodgers up at night, if not threaten for the NL West title.
Colorado Rockies
This division could have the best team in baseball (more on that in a moment) and could also have the worst. The Rockies would fall into the latter.
Colorado is relying a lot on younger players to get it done this season, as the offseason moves are not even close to enough to put the Rockies over the top.
Adding Cal Quantrill and Dakota Hudson to the rotation raises the floor a bit, yet it does little to raise the ceiling. Another lost season at Coors Field is the likely outcome.
Los Angeles Dodgers
This could be baseball's newest super team. You're taking a squad that won 100 games last season, and adding Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.
Teoscar Hernández, Manuel Margot, James Paxton and Matt Gage have also joined the team. Meanwhile, the Dodgers' most significant loss was designated hitter JD Martinez.
Ohtani should be able to handle the DH responsibilities just fine, especially while he's unable to pitch. The other pitching additions make the Dodgers a clear favorite to not only win this division but also the entire thing.
If Yamamoto is anywhere close to what his 12-year, $325 million indicates, with Glasnow at the top of the rotation and that lineup, the Dodgers will win 100-plus games and compete with Atlanta for the No. 1 seed in the NL.
San Diego Padres
Trading for Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease gives a stronger case for San Diego, but we're still looking at an 80-win ballclub at best.
You don't lose players like Juan Soto, Blake Snell, Josh Hader and Seth Logo without taking an immediate step back. That's a reasonable expectation for the Padres, who have nothing to show for going all-in a couple of seasons ago.
The silver lining is still having enough high-end talent to get by and compete for a wild-card spot.
San Francisco Giants
Adding Jorge Soler, Matt Chapman and Korean center fielder Jung Hoo Lee makes this a much more interesting team to watch and more impressive on paper.
The lineup looks much more competent than the one that posted the fifth-worst OPS last season. The question for San Francisco is whether its pitching will hold up behind Logan Webb, especially until the injured Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray are able to return.
They certainly could have used Cease, and they still could use Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery. Right now, though, it seems the Giants and Padres are battling for third in this division.
2. AL West
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Houston Astros
Once again, expect the Astros to be an AL contender, whether they win this division or not.
They came dangerously close to ceding the division last year to the Texas Rangers, who eventually beat them in the ALCS en route to their first World Series title.
Those teams should be neck-and-neck again this season, with the Astros largely still intact but with an upgraded bullpen after signing Josh Hader.
Their only big question is in center field, where Jake Meyers is expected to finally take the reins. Even with Justin Verlander starting the season on the IL, it's hard to bet against a team that has made the ALCS every year since 2017.
Los Angeles Angels
How will the Angels respond after losing one the biggest stars the game has seen?
Are they ultimately better off in the long run to refocus on a future without a $700 million player?
Maybe, but it's hard to envision them having enough to compete with the Astros and Rangers, a pair of World Series hopefuls with a clear edge over the Angels in 2024.
As far as middling teams go, they should be one of the better ones thanks to a beefed-up bullpen, which elevates this division. Adding Snell would make them even peskier to the top dogs of the division.
Oakland Athletics
Oakland's pitching is more experienced and probably better, but let's be real about it: The A's are bringing down the property values in the AL West.
They are projected to finish with the AL's worst record, despite their offseason moves bringing in credible starters like Alex Wood, Ross Stripling and a potential closer in Trevor Gott.
None of this helps them really improve from the worst OPS and fewest runs scored in baseball last season.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners are one of the more fascinating clubs to observe. Just two seasons ago, it appeared to be a team on the rise with budding superstar centerfielder Julio Rodríguez and a bevy of young, talented pitchers.
Fast-forward to now and they still have those components, but it's unclear if they have done enough to take a step forward from the team that lost to the Astros in the 2022 Wild Card Round. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has talked about reimagining Seattle's lineup and followed through by sending out a host of established players.
He replaced them while operating with serious budget constraints, and the Mariners project to be slightly above average. But that alone helps the AL West in division rankings.
Seattle will go as far as their rotation takes them, which is up there for best in all of MLB.
Texas Rangers
The World Series champions are in good shape to defend their title and challenge the Astros for the division nod as long as they can survive the first few months.
They won it all without winning the division last year, but they were leading it early and for much of the year. There is no reason to expect a drop-off with so many of the key contributors returning, and the expected emergence of Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford.
The bullpen was an issue for Texas last season, so it made it a priority in signing relievers Kirby Yates and David Robertson. Tyler Mahle is expected to return from Tommy John surgery in the second half of the season, and Max Scherzer is likely to make his 2024 debut around June to add some serious depth to the rotation. Jacob deGrom could also return late in the season.
Having the World Series champion still be a contender, along with another legitimate contender in the Astros makes this division really strong outside of Oakland.
1. AL East
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Baltimore Orioles
Take a 100-win team lacking a bona fide ace, add to it Corbin Burnes, and what do you get? Time will tell, but Orioles fans should be ecstatic.
Baltimore is in the most competitive division in baseball, so replicating last season will be extremely difficult. The sheer volume of young talent seems up for the task of still being a viable contender for the division title or a wild-card spot.
The Orioles' biggest question mark is their bullpen, where they have added Craig Kimbrel, one of the best closers of his generation who has struggled in recent years.
If the bullpen holds up and Burnes stays healthy, the Orioles should be in the thick of things at the end of the regular season.
Boston Red Sox
Someone has to get the honor of being the worst team in the best division and for the second straight season, it will go to the Red Sox.
Move them to the AL Central and they would have the Twins and Guardians sweating. In the AL East, they are cannibalized by their peers, a group of franchises consistently pushing for a playoff spot.
The Lucas Giolito injury hurt Boston's chances even more. But you could do a lot worse than this group for the worst team in a division. With Brayan Bello anchoring the rotation and Triston Casas poised to breakout, they won't be an easy team to play.
New York Yankees
The Juan Soto trade changed the conversation about the Yankees, but the Gerrit Cole injury should as well. He is out for at least one-two months with an elbow issue that requires more testing.
They also signed Marcus Stroman in free agency and traded for Alex Verdugo. It's a clear effort to bounce back from a disappointing 82-win season in which Aaron Judge missed significant time.
They are projected to make a 12-game improvement and win this division full of postseason contenders. But right now is a tense time in the Bronx with the Cole injury hanging over the team.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays don't feel like a true World Series contender anymore, but they are still the team that rattled off 13 straight wins early last season and looked capable of winning it all.
They came down to earth to win 99 games. That's right. Ninety-nine.
They lost Tyler Glasnow and have a ton of uncertainty surrounding their rotation after Taj Bradley was shut down with a pec injury, but they have shown a consistent ability to field competitive teams.
Tampa Bay will ask more of Zach Eflin with Glasnow gone and a group of injured starters. But they are still projected to win 87-plus games despite the turmoil.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays did not need a lot, and their offseason showed it. What they lost was mostly replaced. Where they expect to get better is mostly in-house.
It's still a squad full of young stars on paper, most notably Vladimir Guerrero Jr. It won 89 games in a down year, so it's reasonable to expect some internal improvement.
The truth is the AL East might not have a team as good as the Dodgers, Astros, Rangers or Atlanta. But as a unit, it's better than the collection of teams in other divisions, the sum here being far greater than its parts.
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