Ranking MLB's 12 Most Watchable Teams for the Final Two Months

The Miami Marlins—a team that felt destined to lose 100-plus games coming into the season—are hovering around .500 in August. In fact, since the start of June, first-year manager Clayton McCullough's squad is 32-24 (.571).

Alas, the Fish didn't quite crack this list considering they still have a minus-50 run differential and are pretty unlikely to factor into the NL playoff picture.

However, beyond seeing whether former NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara can regain his old form, there's plenty of reason to pay attention to the Marlins down the stretch. With Kyle Stowers, Otto López and Edward Cabrera, there are quite a few players in Miami that are worth watching.

With respect to the Marlins, this list will focus on teams with serious playoff odds. (Although not all teams, because it's hard to say the New York Yankees are watchable right now.) Here are the 12 most watchable teams in baseball for the final two months.

12. Cincinnati Reds

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In Terry Francona's first season as manager, Cincinnati has hung around in the postseason picture enough that it has a chance to sneak in as a wild-card team.

Here's a few key notes on the Reds:

• Nick Lodolo (blister) and Hunter Greene (groin strain) are currently on the injured list, but when healthy, they are part of a great starting pitching trio with All-Star Andrew Abbott.
• Elly De La Cruz is one of the most must-watch players in the sport, with 19 home runs, 73 RBI and 30 stolen bases.
• We'll see whether a change of scenery helps Ke'Bryan Hayes to improve offensively, but the Reds added one of the best defenders in all of baseball by acquiring him from the division-rival Pirates. He has a staggering 91 defensive runs saved in parts of six MLB seasons.

The Reds are a team that could wind up winning 82 games, but there's an alternate scenario in which they sneak into the postseason and are a tough out.

11. Texas Rangers

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The Astros might be the team from Texas that winds up winning the AL West, but they were left off the list because two of their most exciting players—DH/LF Yordan Alvarez and INF Isaac Paredes—are on the IL.

With a serious hamstring strain, it's unclear if Paredes will be back this year at all.

Meanwhile, the Rangers were one of the most disappointing teams in baseball through the first three months of the season, but they have a 19-11 record since then. And Bruce Bochy's squad isn't short on star power:

• Though there's quite a bit of injury risk that comes with it, Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle are one of the best starting pitching trios in baseball.
• Corey Seager is a two-time World Series MVP who posted a 1.040 OPS in July.
• Adolis García, Joc Pederson, Marcus Semien and Jake Burger are among the veterans on this team who have underachieved offensively this season, but could change the complexion of this lineup if they got hot.

As of now, the Rangers are on the outside looking in for the AL postseason. But they are a team with about as much postseason experience as any in the league, so they fall into the category of a team you wouldn't want to see in the playoffs if they get in.

10. New York Mets

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Considering we left the Yankees off the list altogether and the Mets were nearly no-hit by Gavin Williams Wednesday, this seems like a fair ranking for them.

After all, they're 27-30 since the start of June, so this hasn't been a good team the last two-plus months.

With that said, there's still plenty of players on this team worth watching for:

• The Mets acquired Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto before the trade deadline, remaking a bullpen already headlined by one of the top closers in the league in Edwin Díaz.
• Neither Juan Soto nor Francisco Lindor is performing as well as they did a year ago, but they are both still among the best players the senior circuit has to offer.
• Not only is Pete Alonso headed towards a payday in free agency, but he's also going to break the Mets' franchise home run record in the process, as his 251 career homers put him just one behind Daryl Strawberry's 252.

This is a team that's likely to be in the postseason, whether it's as the NL East winner or a wild-card representative. They don't seem to have the same magic as they did a year ago, though.

9. Boston Red Sox

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It's been an uneven ride for Alex Cora's club in 2025, but the Red Sox have one of the more talented rosters in baseball and could easily still either win the AL East or claim one of the top wild-card spots in the AL.

Here are a few players worth watching down the stretch:

• Garrett Crochet currently leads baseball in strikeouts (183) and innings pitched (148.1). If anyone can prevent Tarik Skubal from repeating as AL Cy Young Award winner, it's him.
• In his age-37 season, Aroldis Chapman has managed to turn back the clock. Now an eight-time All-Star (and serious Hall of Fame candidate), he has minuscule marks in terms of ERA (1.21) and FIP (1.95).
• Alex Bregman has been tremendous in his first—and potentially only—season with the Red Sox. He's got a .905 OPS in 69 games, which would represent his highest single-season total since he posted a 1.015 OPS en route to finishing runner-up in AL MVP voting in 2019.

Beyond how the rest of this year plays out from a wins/losses perspective, the Red Sox are super-interesting to follow because with Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, they have about as much impact young talent as anyone in the league. Perhaps, dare we say, too much.

Trying to make it all work will be an interesting challenge for Cora.

8. Chicago Cubs

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By not making a major starting pitching addition before the trade deadline, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer risked wasting a World Series-caliber offense.

But with a lineup that leads baseball in runs scored, the Cubs are going to be able to hit with anyone:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong is a legitimate NL MVP candidate. Not only has he homered 27 times, but with 18 defensive runs saved and 18 outs above average in center field, he might also win the Platinum Glove.
• With 21 home runs and an .857 OPS, Michael Busch has been one of the most underrated players in baseball this season.
• With 75 walks, an .859 OPS and a 4.2 WAR, Kyle Tucker could well wind up as an NL MVP finalist if he has a strong finish to his contract year.

How will Matthew Boyd hold up down the stretch? Will the Cubs have enough pitching to win a World Series in October? Those are fair questions. But they are definitely going to slug in the meantime.

7. Detroit Tigers

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A month ago, the Tigers would have been higher on this list, but they are 13-17 since the start of July. President of baseball operations Scott Harris also didn't make a major trade before the deadline.

With that acknowledged, there's quite a bit to like about the Tigers:

• At the time of publication, Tarik Skubal leads AL starters in ERA (2.18), ERA+ (189), FIP (1.95), WHIP (0.832), BB/9 (1.2), K/9 (11.6), strikeout-to-walk-ratio (9.53) and WAR (5.6), per Baseball Reference. He's got a real shot to become the first pitcher to repeat as AL Cy Young Award winner since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez did it in 1999 and 2000.
• Though Javier Báez has cooled off considerably, Spencer Torkelson and Gleyber Torres were both question marks coming into the year that have turned in very productive campaigns.
• While he strikes out at a high clip, Riley Greene has been an excellent run producer, with 26 home runs, 84 RBI and an .814 OPS. The Tigers need him to get hot again, though, because he's been part of their dip in recent weeks.

The Tigers broke a lengthy postseason drought last year, but did it as a wild-card representative. If they can hold on, they'll win the AL Central for the first time since 2014.

6. Los Angeles Dodgers

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Perhaps this is too low for the Dodgers, but to a degree, it feels like they are coasting through the regular season, aware that anything short of a second consecutive World Series win is going to feel like a failure.

Still, there's plenty to watch for the rest of this season:

• Shohei Ohtani has a chance to win his fourth MVP, which would allow him to join Barry Bonds as the only players to ever win more than three MVPs.
• While it's been an underwhelming season for Mookie Betts, Will Smith is having a monster season, leading the NL with a .321 batting average and a .420 on-base percentage.
• The conversation around Los Angeles' pitching has understandably focused on the amount of injuries, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto has had a tremendous second MLB season. Yamamoto has a 2.51 ERA and 2.91 FIP over 122 innings pitched this season.

The Dodgers won last October without much quality starting pitching, although that isn't traditionally how things work. With Ohtani, Betts, Smith and Freddie Freeman, among others, this is going to be a tough lineup. Whether they will have enough healthy pitching to compete, though, is unclear.

5. Seattle Mariners

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For years, the Mariners have had tremendous pitching but not enough offense for them to compete for a World Series.

Over the final two months of the season, we'll find out if president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has done enough to change that.

Certainly, there's more to like about the Seattle offense than in years past:

• With 42 home runs and a .946 OPS, Cal Raleigh is having one of the greatest offensive seasons a catcher has ever put together.
• Randy Arozarena's 22 home runs this season are only one off of his career-high of 23, a mark that he set two years ago.
• The M's reacquired Eugenio Suárez in the midst of a monster year that has seen "Geno" club 37 homers so far.

With some combination of Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Luis Castillo —plus an All-Star closer in Andrés Muñoz—Seattle has the pitching to win it all. Finally, the M's may have a powerful enough lineup to take advantage.

4. Toronto Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays won at least 16 games every month from May-July, including going a scalding-hot 18-8 during the month of July, catapulting them into the top spot in the American League East.

Toronto's plus-55 run differential is still only the third-highest mark in their division, but in a wide-open AL, they seem to have as realistic a shot to make a deep run as anyone:

• Don't look now, but Bo Bichette is again a hits machine. His 143 hits are the top mark in baseball currently, and the 27-year-old will be extra motivated to finish the season strong since this is a contract year.
• The Blue Jays might not have a true ace, but they have four really solid starters with José Berríos, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Eric Lauer that would make them a tough out in a longer postseason series. For what it's worth, future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer is also lurking.
• Who saw this coming from George Springer this year? In his age-35 season, the former World Series MVP has an .889 OPS. He should return soon from a concussion.

Both manager John Schneider and general manager Ross Atkins entered the year on the hot seat. They could each get lucrative extensions if the Blue Jays win their first AL East title since 2015.

3. Philadelphia Phillies

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The Phillies' roster might be top-heavy, but boy, the best players on their roster are worth the price of admission.

• Kyle Schwarber is a legitimate NL MVP candidate, having already reached the 40-home run mark in early August.
• Bryce Harper is one of the most accomplished players of this era, and he has been on a tear since returning from right wrist inflammation in late June.
• Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez might be destined to finish as runners-up to Paul Skenes in the NL Cy Young Award race, but they form the best one-two punch in baseball.
• Jhoan Duran—acquired from the Twins before the trade deadline—is one of baseball's best closers. His intro has traveled with him from Minnesota, and it sure is electric at Citizens Bank Park.

Ultimately, this is a team that is going to be judged by whether it has a parade at the end of October. But as they aim for their second straight NL East title and fourth consecutive postseason appearance, the Phillies should be an entertaining team for the rest of the season.

2. San Diego Padres

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With Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill playing at one of baseball's most beautiful venues, the Padres are always going to have a high watchability factor.

Also, with A.J. Preller serving as their president of baseball operations, there is probably always going to be a slew of new star players.

Here's the latest batch of upgrades Preller acquired during one of the more all-in trade deadline splurges you'll see:

• Mason Miller might have struggled in his second appearance as a Padre, but he's one of the hardest throwers in the history of the sport. He's joined what was already a tremendous bullpen with Robert Suarez, Jason Adam and Adrián Morejón.
• DH/1B Ryan O'Hearn and OF Ramón Laureano were among the only players having good years for Baltimore Orioles before being traded. O'Hearn was an All-Star that has mashed right-handed pitching this year.
• Other notable names acquired by the Padres before the trade deadline included C Freddy Fermin, LHP Nestor Cortes and LHP JP Sears.

It's fair to question whether a team with this many new additions can gel in time to make a deep postseason run, but one way or another, it's going to be fun to find out.

1. Milwaukee Brewers

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In recent years, the Brewers have lost everyone from ace Corbin Burnes to shortstop Willy Adames to manager Craig Counsell, and they just seem to go on without skipping a beat.

Last year's NL Manager of the Year Pat Murphy has again done a tremendous job, as the Brewers—after losing both Adames and closer Devin Williams in the offseason—currently have the best record in baseball.

• With an MLB-best 13 wins and a 3.03 ERA across 130.2 innings pitched, Freddy Peralta is pitching as well as he ever has.
• Trevor Megill's emergence as a dominant back-end reliever last year wasn't a fluke, as the 31-year-old was selected to his first All-Star Game this season.
• According to Baseball Reference, seven of the nine players in Milwaukee's regular lineup—William Contreras, Brice Turang, Caleb Durbin, Isaac Collins, Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick and Christian Yelich—have been worth 2 WAR or higher. This isn't a lineup with one MVP candidate, but it's gotten pretty good production all around.

Additionally, Chourio (strained hamstring), 1B Rhys Hoskins (sprained thumb), RHP Jacob Misiorowski (tibia contusion) and RHP Shelby Miller (strained forearm) should all return before the regular season concludes.