Ranking Every MLB Team's Franchise Cornerstone
From New York's Aaron Judge mashing through one of the best seasons ever to Chicago's Kyle Teel with a grand total of 10 career plate appearances, we've ranked Major League Baseball's 30 current franchise cornerstones from top to bottom.
Part one of this two-step ranking process was selecting each cornerstone.
In many cases, that choice was blatantly obvious. But for the tough decisions, it boiled down to answering one question: If I was a new fan of the franchise, whose jersey should I buy?
You don't want to drop a couple hundred bucks on a guy who's going to leave in a year or two, so it's more or less the biggest star who is under team control through at least 2028.
Once the 30 players were selected, the ranking process also boiled down to one rather simple question: What order would the players be selected in if there was a draft in which you could add them to your team's roster under the constraints of his current contract/team control?
Unless otherwise noted, statistics are current through the start of play on Monday.
Nos. 30-28: Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays
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30. Kyle Teel, C, Chicago White Sox
2025 Stats: Made MLB debut on Friday
Career Stats: See above
Team Control: Shouldn't hit free agency until at least 2031
There are cases to be made for Shane Smith or Chase Meidroth here, both of whom could be headed for some AL Rookie of the Year down-ballot votes. But rather than one of those first-year guys exceeding expectations, Chicago's long-term hopes are perhaps most rooted in the catcher who headlined the return they got in the Garrett Crochet trade. Teel has three hits in eight MLB ABs and had an .886 OPS at Triple-A Charlotte before getting the call.
29. Eury Pérez, RHP, Miami Marlins
2025 Stats: Made season debut on Monday
Career Stats: 91.1 IP, 3.15 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 10.6 K/9
Team Control: Slated for free agency after 2029
Aside from Agustín Ramírez and Pérez, Miami's entire roster is probably available for the right price this summer. And while Ramírez has gotten out to a solid start as a rookie, what Pérez accomplished in 19 starts two years ago before his Tommy John surgery was enough to believe he could be the ace of this staff for years to come.
28. Junior Caminero, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
2025 Stats: .262/.294/.515, 15 HR, 40 RBI, 5 SB
Career Stats: .255/.295/.468, 22 HR, 65 RBI, 7 SB
Team Control: Slated for free agency after 2030
Caminero's 15 home runs came in the span of 50 games, which extrapolates to nearly 50 at a 162-game pace. The on-base percentage could use some work, but there's no denying the slugging prowess of the former top prospect who turns 22 next month. Wouldn't be shocking if he makes a run at breaking Evan Longoria's franchise record of 261 home runs.
Nos. 27-25: Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers and Athletics
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27. Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies
2025 Stats: .258/.301/.406, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 2 SB
Career Stats: .260/.291/.435, 45 HR, 163 RBI, 19 SB
Team Control: Under contract through at least 2030
It's not easy to get MVP votes while playing for a team that loses over 100 games, but Tovar pulled it off last season, with 75 extra-base hits in 2024 being just about the only bastion of hope on this sinking ship of a franchise. And because the Rockies aren't allowed to have nice things, Tovar is back on the IL for the second time already this season.
26. Riley Greene, OF, Detroit Tigers
2025 Stats: .276/.327/.488, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 1 SB
Career Stats: .268/.338/.443, 53 HR, 197 RBI, 13 SB
Team Control: Slated for free agency after 2028
Without question, Tarik Skubal is the current face of this franchise. However, the ace is only under team control through next season and thus doesn't fit the criteria. Greene was easily their second-most valuable player in 2024, though, and has again been one of the most potent bats in Detroit's lineup. Decent chance he's headed for a second straight All-Star Game, despite leading the majors in strikeouts.
25. Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics
2025 Stats: .372/.408/.528, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 5 SB
Career Stats: .339/.382/.471, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 5 SB
Team Control: Slated for free agency after 2030
One of the toughest placements on the list, both because you could easily go with Brent Rooker instead of Wilson and because we might be woefully underselling the Tony Gwynn-like star who has more multi-hit games (29) than strikeouts (16). Wilson feels like the future around whom this franchise can eventually build a contender, though.
Nos. 24-22: Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins
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24. Jackson Chourio, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
2025 Stats: .254/.281/.432, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 13 SB
Career Stats: .267/.311/.453, 31 HR, 116 RBI, 35 SB
Team Control: Under contract through at least 2031
Chourio went for 21 home runs and 22 stolen bases during a rookie season that generated both MVP and ROY votes, and he's on pace to leave both of those marks in the dust this year. He has also become Milwaukee's every-day center fielder after exclusively manning the corner outfield spots last season. That eight-year, $82 million (plus two club option years) contract signed before his MLB debut is already looking like an all-timer of a bargain.
23. Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
2025 Stats: .275/.347/.420, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 3 SB
Career Stats: .256/.310/.393, 23 HR, 91 RBI, 16 SB
Team Control: Slated for free agency after 2029
By the time the old guard of Nolan Arenado and Co. is out of the picture in the next couple of years, this 23-year-old is going to be the face of the franchise. Granted, there's about a 0.1 percent chance he'll ever supplant Ozzie Smith as the most prolific shortstop in Cardinals history, but Winn does almost already have more career home runs than the Wizard of Oz hit (28).
22. Carlos Correa, SS, Minnesota Twins
2025 Stats: .245/.287/.378, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 0 SB
Career Stats: .274/.351/.468, 192 HR, 691 RBI, 33 SB
Team Control: Under contract through at least 2028
The first eight players on this list have yet to celebrate their 25th birthday, but with Correa we begin the fun part of trying to weave guys who might be past their prime among their younger counterparts who have not yet begun to peak. Correa was dynamite when healthy last season, posting a .905 OPS, albeit in just 86 games. Minnesota is hoping for more of that in the three-plus years remaining on his nine-figure megadeal.
Nos. 21-19: Houston Astros, Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels
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21. Yordan Alvarez, LF/DH, Houston Astros
2025 Stats: .210/.306/.340, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 1 SB
Career Stats: .295/.387/.573, 167 HR, 484 RBI, 9 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2028
Houston does also have Jose Altuve signed through 2029, but this really should have been the year the torch was officially passed to Alvarez. Between his slow start and the subsequent discovery of a fracture in his hand, though, maybe it ought to be Altuve in this spot. Either way, the ranking probably doesn't change, and Alvarez has plenty of season left to get healthy and anchor another October run.
20. James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals
2025 Stats: .270/.366/.533, 16 HR, 45 RBI, 9 SB
Career Stats: .267/.360/.475, 25 HR, 86 RBI, 23 SB
Team Control: Slated for free agency after 2030
Wood has been quiet as a church mouse thus far in June, but there was a fun stretch in May—when he was routinely mashing while Juan Soto was struggling like never before—where it looked like the Nationals had emphatically won that blockbuster trade from a few years ago. Here's hoping Washington eventually gets him at least a bit of lineup protection, or he could be getting the Barry Bonds treatment soon.
19. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
2025 Stats: .217/.304/.464, 10 HR, 23 RBI, 2 SB
Career Stats: .297/.408/.578, 388 HR, 977 RBI, 214 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2030
In light of the sheer volume of games Trout has missed over the past half-decade, we're open to the argument that Zach Neto has actually become the Angels' cornerstone. Trout can still hit extremely well when healthy, though, and L.A. sure is going to be paying him like the cornerstone for another five years. Maybe he'll get to play in a single postseason win before he retires...
Nos. 18-16: Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs
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18. Corey Seager, SS, Texas Rangers
2025 Stats: .239/.297/.403, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 0 SB
Career Stats: .289/.358/.508, 206 HR, 629 RBI, 18 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2031
While Seager's "when he's actually healthy" asterisk isn't nearly as prominent as Mike Trout's, MLB's lone position player to be named World Series MVP multiple times does seem to be in a constant state of injury recovery these days. And this time around, even his "when healthy" numbers haven't been anything special, his current .700 OPS is easily the worst of his career. However, there's more than enough (and recent enough) track record here that there's still a sense he could anchor a big offensive surge for the Rangers any day now.
17. Logan Webb, RHP, San Francisco Giants
2025 Stats: 87.1 IP, 2.58 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 10.4 K/9
Career Stats: 942.2 IP, 3.34 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 8.3 K/9
Team Control: Under contract through 2028
There are only a couple of franchises for whom a pitcher is the cornerstone, and even this one is hardly an open-and-shut case. Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Jung Hoo Lee are all signed for more years and more dollars than Webb, but the Giants ace is well on his way to a fifth consecutive season with a sub-3.50 ERA. Maybe even an NL Cy Young trophy, too.
16. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF, Chicago Cubs
2025 Stats: .277/.313/.559, 17 HR, 54 RBI, 21 SB
Career Stats: .248/.294/.445, 27 HR, 102 RBI, 50 SB
Team Control: Slated for free agency after 2030
Crow-Armstrong is very much in the running for NL MVP, but did anyone view him as Chicago's most indispensable asset heading into the season? Everyone in our top 15 was already a household name and an All-Star, and the vast majority are having pretty good seasons, too. Hard to slot 10 great weeks ahead of what any of the top half of this list has well established. If PCA continues on his trajectory to 42 home runs and 52 stolen bases, though, we can all look back on this ranking in a few months and have a good laugh.
Nos. 15-13: Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies
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15. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Cincinnati Reds
2025 Stats: .253/.337/.446, 12 HR, 43 RBI, 19 SB
Career Stats: .250/.327/.447, 50 HR, 163 RBI, 121 SB
Team Control: Slated for free agency after 2029
The constant marveling over De La Cruz's feats of strength and speed has waned considerably now that he has been playing at the MLB level for more than two full years. But the absolute moonshots he hit in back-to-back plate appearances against the Royals in late May were a loud reminder that something special is liable to happen any time he takes the field.
14. Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles
2025 Stats: .265/.325/.438, 8 HR, 17 RBI, 7 SB
Career Stats: .258/.343/.494, 77 HR, 209 RBI, 39 SB
Team Control: Slated for free agency after 2028
Henderson missed the first week of the season with an intercostal strain, and it took him another week to get going once he returned to action. Since April 12, though, he has looked an awful lot like the star who was named AL Rookie of the Year in 2023 and was a strong candidate for AL MVP last year. (Hasn't done much to help the Orioles rediscover their winning ways, though.)
13. Bryce Harper, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies
2025 Stats: .258/.368/.446, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 8 SB
Career Stats: .281/.388/.519, 345 HR, 1,010 RBI, 148 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2031
It feels like just yesterday that Harper was the 19-year-old wunderkind winning NL Rookie of the Year with the Nationals, yet now he's the 32-year-old veteran at the midpoint of his 13-year megadeal with the Phillies. He is still at the heart of everything Philadelphia does, too, and it's clearly missing him on the IL at the moment, being stuck in one heck of a funk over the past 10 days.
Nos. 12-10: Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Guardians
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12. Rafael Devers, DH, Boston Red Sox
2025 Stats: .283/.407/.522, 14 HR, 57 RBI, 1 SB
Career Stats: .280/.349/.511, 214 HR, 695 RBI, 33 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2033
Boston hasn't treated Devers much like its cornerstone since the beginning of this past offseason, but he's still the heart and soul of this offense, leading the team in a lot of categories. (Except, notably, for innings played in the field.) There's understandably a ton of excitement over the beginning of Roman Anthony's MLB career, but it'll be a while before he supplants Devers as the guy in Fenway.
11. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Atlanta Braves
2025 Stats: .304/.391/.554, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB
Career Stats: .289/.379/.525, 169 HR, 424 RBI, 196 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2028
Last year was a bust for Acuña, posting a .716 OPS in 49 games before his torn ACL. Since his return in late May, though, he is hitting much more like the phenom who won NL MVP in 2023. Still waiting on the stolen bases to become part of his arsenal again, but his OPS is up to 1.000 in 16 games after another home run Monday night.
10. José Ramírez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians
2025 Stats: .333/.392/.556, 12 HR, 31 RBI, 18 SB
Career Stats: .281/.354/.506, 267 HR, 895 RBI, 261 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2028
It won't happen this season, but it shouldn't be much longer before Ramírez becomes just the ninth player in MLB history with at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases. And by the time his contract runs out in 2028, it's plausible he and Barry Bonds will be the only two players with at least 340 of each. He may one day supplant Derek Jeter and Tony Gwynn as the greatest player to never win an MVP.
Nos. 9-7: Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks
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9. Julio Rodríguez, CF, Seattle Mariners
2025 Stats: .249/.316/.412, 10 HR, 33 RBI, 11 SB
Career Stats: .274/.331/.460, 90 HR, 279 RBI, 97 SB
Team Control: Under contract through at least 2029
Seattle's MVP thus far this season is surely Cal Raleigh with his MLB-leading 26 home runs. But J-Rod is the one the M's signed to a contract that could be worth up to $470 million, and he's having a darn good season of his own with double-digit homers, double-digit steals and some of the most valuable defense in all of baseball.
8. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF, San Diego Padres
2025 Stats: .259/.332/.461, 13 HR, 28 RBI, 12 SB
Career Stats: .277/.348/.525, 140 HR, 350 RBI, 104 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2034
With a .795 OPS since the beginning of 2023, Tatis has been nowhere near the force of nature he was before the PEDs suspension (.965 OPS from 2019-21). And yet, he's still one of the more valuable overall players with 50-plus home runs, 50-plus stolen bases and a Platinum Glove in those two-and-a-half seasons. When the Padres signed him to his 14-year deal, it was the longest contract in MLB history.
7. Corbin Carroll, RF, Arizona Diamondbacks
2025 Stats: .259/.339/.565, 18 HR, 40 RBI, 10 SB
Career Stats: .258/.340/.485, 69 HR, 204 RBI, 101 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2031
Even including the first half of last season in which Carroll sputtered through an all-timer of a Rookie of the Year hangover, he has been a borderline top-10 player since the beginning of 2023. But in stark contrast that sluggish start last year, he has been much more slug-happy this season, ranking top-five in the majors in total bases, even with the modest batting average.
Nos. 6-4: Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates
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6. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Toronto Blue Jays
2025 Stats: .273/.380/.417, 8 HR, 29 RBI, 1 SB
Career Stats: .287/.364/.495, 168 HR, 536 RBI, 21 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2039
It's a good thing for Toronto's ranking that it got Guerrero's extension done a few months ago, because putting one of Anthony Santander, Andrés Giménez or Alejandro Kirk down as the franchise cornerstone would have probably landed the Blue Jays at No. 26 instead of No. 6. As is, they've got a darn good first baseman locked up basically for life. Let's see if he can replicate last year's feat of batting .361 and slugging .672 over his final 85 games.
5. Juan Soto, RF, New York Mets
2025 Stats: .244/.384/.436, 11 HR, 37 RBI, 7 SB
Career Stats: .282/.418/.526, 212 HR, 623 RBI, 64 SB
Team Control: Under contract through at least 2029
For all of the hubbub over Soto's slow start with the Mets, he is leading the majors in walks, his power is coming around and he is now almost New York's most valuable player, as far as bWAR is concerned. It's plausible the final few seasons of his 15-year deal will be as painful and payroll-crippling as Miguel Cabrera's were in Detroit, but any talk of the Mets already regretting making Soto the face of their franchise was wildly premature and far from the truth.
4. Paul Skenes, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
2025 Stats: 91.0 IP, 1.88 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 9.1 K/9
Career Stats: 224.0 IP, 1.93 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 10.5 K/9
Team Control: Slated for free agency after 2029
Though Skenes is under team control for another four-and-a-half seasons, there's already a "Where will his big payday come from?" elephant in the room in Pittsburgh. What a cornerstone he's been, though, 13 months into however long the Pirates portion of his career is to last. Of his 37 starts, 26 have been of the quality variety, only twice allowing more than three runs.
Nos. 3-1: Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees
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3. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
2025 Stats: .291/.349/.492, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 21 SB
Career Stats: .288/.337/.504, 90 HR, 322 RBI, 131 SB
Team Control: Under contract through at least 2030
He'll need to really pick up the pace on the home runs if he's going to become the first player with back-to-back-to-back 30/30 seasons since Barry Bonds in the mid-1990s, but Witt is having another spectacular season as the driving force of what has otherwise largely been an unproductive Royals offense. If you want this not-even-25-year-old at No. 1 ahead of the 30-somethings we have in the top two spots, it's a fair point. Witt is already awesome and should get even better over the next few years.
2. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Los Angeles Dodgers
2025 Stats: .293/.388/.633, 23 HR, 39 RBI, 11 SB
Career Stats: .282/.372/.579, 248 HR, 606 RBI, 156 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2033
The big question when choosing between Ohtani and Judge for the top spot is how much you believe in the former's pitching potential. If he returns to the mound soon-ish and dominates like he did from 2021-23 with the Angels—while also remaining one of the best hitters out there—sure, he's the No. 1 franchise cornerstone, no questions asked. But it feels like we've been waiting on Ohtani to resume pitching for about as long as we've been waiting for GTA6 to come out, and he's the 1B to Judge's 1A if we're only talking about non-pitching production.
1. Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
2025 Stats: .396/.493/.771, 23 HR, 55 RBI, 5 SB
Career Stats: .295/.411/.615, 338 HR, 771 RBI, 58 SB
Team Control: Under contract through 2031
Because he's already 33 years old, you could reasonably argue for Judge as low as No. 5 on this list. But you would also have to be out of your mind to pass on the greatest hitter in the world over concerns that he won't be nearly as good by the end of his contract. He has a 1.128 OPS since the beginning of 2022. Ohtani is next closest on that list at .994. Judge also has 25 more home runs than his closest challenger (again, Ohtani), this despite missing 56 games in 2023 with that toe injury. He's out of this world, and the idea of him continuing to mash until he's 40 doesn't seem far-fetched.
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