MLB Power Rankings 2024: Where All 30 Teams Stand with 2 Months Until Postseason
With the trade deadline in the rearview and the calendar flipped to August, the MLB postseason is now less than two months away and the dog days of summer have arrived across the league.
There are still 18 teams within five games of a playoff spot entering play on Monday, so even with the line now drawn between buyers and sellers, there is still a lot to be sorted out in the coming weeks with only 12 playoff spots up for grabs.
What follows is an updated look at where all 30 teams stand across baseball, but there is still plenty of time for further shuffling as clubs look to hit their stride down the stretch and carry that momentum on into October.
Remember, the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series as a wild-card team, while the 2023 Texas Rangers won the title after playing their way out of the Wild Card Series as the division winner with the worst record.
Talent is necessary to make a postseason run, but momentum can go a long way.
Nos. 30-23: Season's Over, Bring On 2025
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30. Chicago White Sox, 27-87
29. Miami Marlins, 42-70
28. Colorado Rockies, 41-72
27. Oakland Athletics, 46-67
26. Toronto Blue Jays, 51-61
25. Detroit Tigers, 53-60
24. Los Angeles Angels, 49-63
23. Washington Nationals, 51-61
The White Sox have a stranglehold on the No. 30 spot in these rankings and are threatening to make history with a 20-game losing streak entering play on Monday. The longest losing streak in MLB history belongs to the 1889 Louisville Colonels at 26 games, while longest modern streak was 23 losses in a row by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies.
Shortstop Xavier Edwards has been a bright spot for the Marlins this month, hitting .395 with 34 hits in 24 games while settling in as the everyday shortstop and leadoff hitter in the batting order.
Despite holding onto ace Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline, the Tigers did sell off Jack Flaherty, Mark Canha, Andrew Chafin and Carson Kelly, and they went 1-5 last week against the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals.
Meanwhile, the Nationals and Angels each moved up on the strength of weekend series wins over the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets, respectively.
Nos. 22-17: Still Alive, Lots of Work to Do
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22. Texas Rangers, 53-59
21. Chicago Cubs, 54-59
20. Cincinnati Reds, 53-58
19. San Francisco Giants, 56-57
18. Pittsburgh Pirates, 56-55
17. Tampa Bay Rays, 57-54
The NL Central is baseball's tightest division race, with all five teams still capable of posting a winning record this season. While the Cubs and Reds face extremely slim odds to claw their way back into the wild-card picture, the upstart Pirates are within striking distance at 3.5 games back for the third spot.
The Rangers opted against selling at the trade deadline, but have since dug themselves a bigger hole with series losses to the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox last week, leaving them 5.5 games back in the AL West standings and 9.5 back in the wild-card race.
It was a great week for the Giants pitching staff, with Logan Webb throwing a five-hit shutout against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday and Blake Snell following him with a no-hitter on Friday facing the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
A tip of the cap to the Rays for taking two of three from the Houston Astros on the road over the weekend, and despite selling off a number of key pieces at the trade deadline, they are just five games back in seventh place in the AL wild-card standings.
Nos. 16-15
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16. Houston Astros (57-54)
Previous Rank: 14
Last Week: 1-2 vs. PIT, 1-2 vs. TB
The Astros paid a steep price for Yusei Kikuchi at the trade deadline, and he threw the ball well in his first start with the team on Friday, allowing three hits and two earned runs while racking up 11 strikeouts in 5.2 innings. A pair of series losses last week keep them from ranking any higher, but they still sit just one game back in the AL West standings.
15. St. Louis Cardinals (57-54)
Previous Rank: 16
Last Week: 2-1 vs. TEX, 1-3 @ CHC
The Cardinals have the worst run differential of any NL team with a winning record at minus-42, and they dropped three of four to the rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field over the weekend. Veteran Tommy Pham is 8-for-21 with two doubles, one triple and one home run in six games since rejoining the team where he started his pro career.
Nos. 14-13
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14. Seattle Mariners (59-54)
Previous Rank: 12
Last Week: 1-2 @ BOS, 2-1 vs. PHI
The Mariners now lead the majors with a 3.28 ERA from their starting rotation, overtaking the Philadelphia Phillies on that leaderboard while also taking two of three from the NL East leaders over the weekend. Center fielder Julio Rodríguez took a major step forward in his return from a high ankle sprain when he started running late last week.
13. Minnesota Twins (62-48)
Previous Rank: 13
Last Week: 1-2 @ NYM, 3-0 vs. CWS
Right-hander Bailey Ober has quietly become a top-of-the-rotation option for the Twins, tallying eight straight quality starts while going 6-1 with a 1.95 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 63 strikeouts in 55.1 innings. It was a quiet trade deadline for the playoff hopefuls, but they have the pieces to make a postseason push.
Nos. 12-11
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12. Boston Red Sox (59-51)
Previous Rank: 15
Last Week: 2-1 vs. SEA, 2-1 @ TEX
The Red Sox added Luis García and Lucas Sims to a middling relief corps at the trade deadline, and they have combined for three scoreless innings since joining the team. A tough stretch of games awaits in the coming weeks as they face the Royals, Astros, Rangers, Orioles, Astros again and Diamondbacks over their next six series.
11. New York Mets (58-53)
Previous Rank: 10
Last Week: 2-1 vs. MIN, 1-2 @ LAA
The Mets suffered their first series loss since the end of June when they lost two of three to the Angels over the weekend, and that was the start of a 10-game road trip as they look to continue climbing the wild-card standings. Left-hander Sean Manaea tossed seven scoreless innings and tallied 11 strikeouts last time out against the Minnesota Twins in his best start of the season.
Nos. 10-9
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10. Arizona Diamondbacks (60-52)
Previous Rank: 11
Last Week: 3-0 vs. WAS, 2-1 @ PIT
The D-backs went 17-8 with a plus-58 run differential in July, going from two games below .500 to right in the thick of the wild-card race in the process. With Paul Sewald removed from the closer's role, it will likely be a committee approach in the ninth inning going forward with Ryan Thompson, Justin Martínez, A.J. Puk and Kevin Ginkel all in the mix for high-leverage innings.
9. Milwaukee Brewers (62-49)
Previous Rank: 6
Last Week: 1-2 vs. ATL, 1-2 @ WAS
The Brewers have suffered three straight series losses, though their six-game lead in the NL Central standings has shrunk by just a half-game as the St. Louis Cardinals have similarly struggled during the same stretch. Deadline addition Frankie Montas picked up the win in his Brewers debut on Friday, allowing three earned runs over five innings against the Washington Nationals on the road.
Nos. 8-7
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8. Atlanta Braves (60-51)
Previous Rank: 8
Last Week: 2-1 @ MIL, 2-2 vs. MIA
Did Atlanta do enough to address their starting lineup at the trade deadline? Slugger Jorge Soler is 2-for-17 with seven strikeouts in his first five games back in a Braves uniform, while Eddie Rosario and Whit Merrifield continue to provide lackluster production as injury replacements. A rematch with the Milwaukee Brewers awaits this week after they took two of three from the NL Central leaders on the road last week.
7. San Diego Padres (61-52)
Previous Rank: 9
Last Week: 2-0 vs. LAD, 2-1 vs. COL
I was critical of the Padres at the trade deadline, questioning why they invested so much prospect talent in bullpen upgrades while settling for veteran Martín Pérez and his 5.20 ERA on the year as the only notable addition to a short-handed rotation. Pérez then promptly tossed six innings of three-hit, one-run ball in his Padres debut on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies for his second straight quality start. If they get the 2022 All-Star version of Pérez, he could be a real game-changer.
Nos. 6-5
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6. Kansas City Royals (63-50)
Previous Rank: 7
Last Week: 3-0 @ CWS, 3-1 @ DET
The Royals could make some serious noise in October with Seth Lugo (23 GS, 2.57 ERA, 127 K, 150.1 IP), Cole Ragans (23 GS, 3.36 ERA, 159 K, 134.0 IP) and Brady Singer (22 GS, 2.88 ERA, 115 K, 125.0 IP) fronting the playoff rotation. They improved to 25-11 against the rest of the AL Central by taking care of business against the White Sox and Tigers on the road last week.
5. Philadelphia Phillies (66-45)
Previous Rank: 3
Last Week: 0-3 vs. NYY, 1-2 @ SEA
The Phillies have not won consecutive games since July 11, going 5-13 during that stretch after previously occupying the No. 1 spot in these rankings seven times in a span of 10 weeks. This still looks like arguably the most complete team in the National League, and they have a nice cushion while they try to get back on track, but this is starting to look like more than just a minor bump in the road.
Nos. 4-3
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4. Los Angeles Dodgers (65-47)
Previous Rank: 2
Last Week: 0-2 @ SD, 2-1 @ OAK
The Dodgers lead in the NL West standings has been whittled down to just 4.5 games following a pair of losses to the San Diego Padres last week, but this group looks poised to hit its stride at the perfect time as guys start to get healthy. Meanwhile, prized deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty twirled six shutout innings in his Dodgers debut on Saturday against Oakland.
3. Cleveland Guardians (67-44)
Previous Rank: 4
Last Week: 2-0 @ DET, 2-2 vs. BAL
Since getting shut out six times during a 16-game stretch in July, the Guardians have gone 6-1 in their last seven games while averaging 6.3 runs. Outfielder Lane Thomas is 3-for-20 and still looking for his first RBI since he was acquired at the trade deadline, while the starting rotation will continue to wait on the returns of Alex Cobb and Matthew Boyd to bolster the incumbent staff.
Nos. 2-1
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2. New York Yankees (67-46)
Previous Rank: 5
Last Week: 3-0 @ PHI, 2-1 vs. TOR
The Yankees have pulled into a tie with the Baltimore Orioles atop the AL East standings after an impressive showing last week that included a three-game sweep of the Phillies on the road. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is 9-for-30 with four home runs in seven games since he was acquired at the deadline, replacing the underperforming DJ LeMahieu as the team's starting third baseman. With 18 of their next 21 games against teams with a losing record, they are poised to make a play for the No. 1 spot.
1. Baltimore Orioles (67-46)
Previous Rank: 1
Last Week: 3-1 vs. TOR, 2-2 @ CLE
The Orioles are assessing their in-house roster options for the stretch run with second baseman Jackson Holliday and third baseman Coby Mayo both promoted from Triple-A and given regular playing time on the infield over the past few games. Holliday is 7-for-18 with two home runs since he was recalled, and it's starting to look like this time he might be up for good. The Orioles have just three more games head-to-head against the New York Yankees as they battle for the top spot in the AL East standings, and that series doesn't kick off until Sept. 24.
Complete Rankings
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Complete Rankings
1. Baltimore Orioles
2. New York Yankees (+3 spots)
3. Cleveland Guardians (+1 spot)
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (-2 spots)
5. Philadelphia Phillies (-2 spots)
6. Kansas City Royals (+1 spot)
7. San Diego Padres (+2 spots)
8. Atlanta Braves
9. Milwaukee Brewers (-3 spots)
10. Arizona Diamondbacks (+1 spot)
11. New York Mets (-1 spot)
12. Boston Red Sox (+3 spots)
13. Minnesota Twins
14. Seattle Mariners (-2 spots)
15. St. Louis Cardinals (+1 spots)
16. Houston Astros (-2 spots)
17. Tampa Bay Rays (+3 spots)
18. Pittsburgh Pirates (-1 spot)
19. San Francisco Giants
20. Cincinnati Reds (+3 spots)
21. Chicago Cubs
22. Texas Rangers (-4 spots)
23. Washington Nationals (+1 spot)
24. Los Angeles Angels (+2 spots)
25. Detroit Tigers (-3 spots)
26. Toronto Blue Jays (+1 spot)
27. Oakland Athletics (-2 spots)
28. Colorado Rockies
29. Miami Marlins
30. Chicago White Sox
AL Award Rankings
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AL MVP
1. Aaron Judge, NYY
2. Bobby Witt Jr., KC
3. Juan Soto, NYY
4. Gunnar Henderson, BAL
5. José Ramírez, CLE
6. Rafael Devers, BOS
7. Jarren Duran, BOS
8. Steven Kwan, CLE
9. Yordan Alvarez, HOU
10. Brent Rooker, OAK
AL Cy Young
1. Tarik Skubal, DET
2. Seth Lugo, KC
3. Corbin Burnes, BAL
4. Logan Gilbert, SEA
5. Cole Ragans, KC
AL Rookie of the Year
1. Luis Gil, NYY
2. Colton Cowser, BAL
3. Hunter Gaddis, CLE
*Note: Until decisive information is released to the contrary, I'm working under the assumption that Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller exceeded rookie eligibility limits in 2023 since his status is listed as such on his Baseball Reference page.
NL Award Rankings
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NL MVP
1. Shohei Ohtani, LAD
2. Marcell Ozuna, ATL
3. Ketel Marte, ARI
4. Bryce Harper, PHI
5. Jurickson Profar, SD
6. Freddie Freeman, LAD
7. Francisco Lindor, NYM
8. Elly De La Cruz, CIN
9. Bryan Reynolds, PIT
10. Alec Bohm, PHI
NL Cy Young
1. Chris Sale, ATL
2. Zack Wheeler, PHI
3. Dylan Cease, SD
4. Paul Skenes, PIT
5. Hunter Greene, CIN
NL Rookie of the Year
1. Paul Skenes, PIT
2. Masyn Winn, STL
3. Shōta Imanaga, CHC
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