MLB Power Rankings as Mariners, Phillies Surge and Mets, Yankees Sink to New Lows
The line between contenders and non-contenders becomes clearer after the annual trade deadline, but there are inevitably still a handful of teams that will reside on the fringe of contention heading into September.
Entering play on Monday, there are still 15 teams—eight American League and seven National League—that have at least a 10 percent chance of making the postseason, according to the latest odds from FanGraphs.
For three of those teams, the 2025 season will end in disappointment while the rest will make up this year's playoff field.
There is also still time for a surprise contender to emerge, similar to the 2024 Detroit Tigers, so don't completely rule out those teams hovering around the .500 mark.
Nos. 30-21: Is It 2026 Yet?
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30. Colorado Rockies (30-87)
29. Chicago White Sox (43-75)
28. Washington Nationals (47-70)
27. Atlanta Braves (51-67)
26. Pittsburgh Pirates (51-68)
25. Baltimore Orioles (53-65)
24. Los Angeles Angels (56-62)
23. Arizona Diamondbacks (57-61)
22. Athletics (53-67)
21. Minnesota Twins (56-61)
The Minnesota Twins (2-1 @ DET, 2-1 vs. KC) and Athletics (2-1 @ WAS, 2-1 @ BAL) won both of their series last week, but they remain lumped in with the teams that have turned much of their focus to the 2026 season.
It's not out of the question to think the Twins could climb back into the wild-card race, but right now they are 5.5 games back with five teams to overtake to move into the third spot in the standings. Another strong week would likely move them up a tier, but the dust is still settling on their massive trade-deadline fire sale.
After getting outscored by a staggering 45-6 margin in their three games against the Blue Jays last week, the Colorado Rockies now have a minus-349 run differential on the year, putting them in position to challenge the 1932 Red Sox (-349) for the worst run differential since 1900.
Nos. 20-15: Still Alive, But Facing an Uphill Battle
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20. Kansas City Royals (58-60)
19. Miami Marlins (57-61)
18. Tampa Bay Rays (57-62)
17. San Francisco Giants (59-59)
16. St. Louis Cardinals (60-59)
15. Texas Rangers (60-59)
The Kansas City Royals opted for a "soft buy" at the trade deadline, adding outfielders Randal Grichuk and Mike Yastrzemski and left-hander Bailey Falter, then went 4-5 on a nine-game road trip to begin August. They have one of the easiest remaining schedules among wild-card contenders, according to Tankathon, and a golden opportunity to make up some ground next week against the Nationals and White Sox.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers are both 3-7 in their last 10 games and fading in the AL wild-card race, while the Miami Marlins are 4-6 over their last 10 and have not made up much ground on a struggling New York Mets team slotted in the No. 3 wild-card spot.
None of these teams have above a 10 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs, with the Texas Rangers (22.9%) as the lone exception. However, they are 4-9 over their last four series, and have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule.
Nos. 14-11: Living on the Edge
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14. New York Mets (63-55)
Previous Rank: 10
Last Week: 0-3 vs. CLE, 0-3 @ MIL
The Mets are now 1-11 with a minus-25 run differential over their last 12 games, and a 1.5-game lead in the NL East standings has dissolved into a 5.5-game deficit during that stretch. They are now clinging to a slim 1.5-game cushion over the Reds for the final NL wild-card spot, and they will face the rival Braves and a red-hot Mariners team this week.
13. New York Yankees (62-56)
Previous Rank: 12
Last Week: 1-2 @ TEX, 1-2 vs. HOU
The Yankees have lost five of their last six series, and they also find themselves clinging precariously to the final wild-card spot. The pitching staff has a 5.08 ERA since the All-Star break, which checks in 27th in the majors, ahead of only the Braves (5.60), Nationals (5.69) and Rockies (8.49).
12. Cincinnati Reds (62-57)
Previous Rank: 17
Last Week: 2-1 @ CHC, 2-2 @ PIT
The Reds have closed the gap to a floundering Mets team in the NL wild-card race and enter play on Monday just 1.5 games back for the third spot, but the road ahead is a tough one. The league's most difficult remaining schedule, according to Tankathon, has them welcoming the Phillies and Brewers to town this week.
11. Cleveland Guardians (61-56)
Previous Rank: 15
Last Week: 3-0 @ NYM, 2-1 @ CWS
The Guardians are 9-3 in their last 12 games while facing off against the Rockies, Twins, Mets and White Sox, and another favorable week awaits with the Marlins and Braves coming to town. Cleanup hitter Kyle Manzardo has a 1.140 OPS with five home runs and 15 RBI in 18 games since the All-Star break.
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Nos. 10-9
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10. Houston Astros (66-52)
Previous Rank: 11
Last Week: 2-1 @ MIA, 2-1 @ NYY
With May waiver claim Jason Alexander throwing the ball well, Spencer Arrighetti activated from the injured list last week, Cristian Javier expected to make his 2025 debut on Monday and both J.P. France and Luis García on the rehab trail, the Astros pitching staff suddenly has options behind the one-two punch of Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez.
9. Detroit Tigers (68-51)
Previous Rank: 6
Last Week: 1-2 vs. MIN, 2-1 vs. LAA
Since stumbling through a 1-12 stretch of games in mid-July, the Tigers have taken a step toward righting the ship with an 8-5 record in their last 13 games. They still have a six-game lead in the AL Central standings, but the starting rotation needs to get on track after they allowed a combined 34 hits and 24 earned runs in 28.2 innings over six games last week.
Nos. 8-7
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8. Boston Red Sox (65-54)
Previous Rank: 7
Last Week: 2-1 vs. KC, 1-2 @ SD
The Red Sox grabbed headlines by signing hyped rookie Roman Anthony to an eight-year, $130 million extension on Wednesday, and he has settled in nicely as the team's starting left fielder and leadoff hitter. They ran their winning streak to seven games before losing to the Royals on Wednesday, then dropped a series on the road to the Padres to fall to 26-32 on the year away from Fenway Park.
7. San Diego Padres (66-52)
Previous Rank: 8
Last Week: 2-1 @ ARI, 2-1 vs. BOS
Outfielder Ramón Laureano (10-for-37, 4 XBH, 8 RBI) and catcher Freddy Fermin (9-for-23, 2B) have provided a nice spark for the Padres lineup since they were acquired at the deadline, while Ryan O'Hearn (3-for-19, HR) is still settling into his spot in the middle of the order. With the second-easiest remaining schedule in baseball, they have some freedom to figure out how all their new pieces fit together in the coming weeks.
Nos. 6-5
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6. Toronto Blue Jays (69-50)
Previous Rank: 4
Last Week: 3-0 @ COL, 1-2 @ LAD
The Blue Jays were the hottest team in baseball a few weeks ago, but they have cooled off a bit with a 7-8 record in their last 15 games. And three of those wins came against the lowly Rockies at the start of last week. A healthy Daulton Varsho has been a difference-maker offensively, and he has an .873 OPS with 11 home runs and 30 RBI in 31 games on the year.
5. Chicago Cubs (67-50)
Previous Rank: 3
Last Week: 1-2 vs. CIN, 1-2 @ STL
A strong start from Colin Rea (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 6 K) was a welcome sign for the Cubs after deadline pickup Michael Soroka lasted just two innings in his Cubs debut, though the more pressing concern is still their lackluster performance at the plate since the All-Star break. A nine-run outburst on Saturday was a welcome sign, though it came on the heels of a shutout.
Nos. 4-3
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4. Seattle Mariners (66-53)
Previous Rank: 9
Last Week: 3-0 vs. CWS, 3-0 vs. TB
The Mariners are 8-1 with a plus-15 run differential in August, and they have whittled what was a seven-game deficit in the AL West standings as recently as July 10 all the way down to a mere half-game gap to the first-place Astros. First baseman Josh Naylor has a .939 OPS with three doubles, four home runs and 11 steals in 15 games since he was acquired on July 24.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (68-50)
Previous Rank: 2
Last Week: 1-2 vs. STL, 2-1 vs. TOR
A strong week for Mookie Betts (9-for-26, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 6 R) is a welcome sign for the Dodgers offense. They put crooked numbers on the board in lopsided victories on Tuesday (12-6) and Saturday (9-1), marking the first time since July 22 they plated more than five runs in a game. A strong second start since returning from the injured list from Blake Snell (5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 10 K) further improves the club's long-term outlook.
Nos. 1-2
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2. Philadelphia Phillies (68-49)
Previous Rank: 5
Last Week: 2-1 vs. BAL, 3-0 @ TEX
With Jhoan Durán (4 G, 4/4 SV, 0.00 ERA) bringing long-needed stability to the back of the bullpen, David Robertson providing another experienced bullpen arm and Aaron Nola moving ever closer to rejoining the rotation, the pieces are coming together for a Phillies team with legitimate World Series potential.
With a 1.100 OPS and 11 home runs in 21 games since the All-Star break, and 41 home runs overall on the year, Kyle Schwarber has emerged as perhaps the biggest threat to Shohei Ohtani in the NL MVP race.
1. Milwaukee Brewers (73-44)
Previous Rank: 1
Last Week: 3-0 @ ATL, 3-0 vs. NYM
The Brewers have yet to lose a game in August, outscoring opponents by a 70-33 margin during their nine-game winning streak while seizing control of the NL Central race.
They will play five games in four days against the division rival Cubs at Wrigley Field starting August 18, and those will be the final head-to-head games between the two NL Central front-runners. That entire series will be must-see TV, as will this Tuesday's game against Pirates ace Paul Skenes.
Complete Rankings
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Complete Rankings
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Chicago Cubs
6. Toronto Blue Jays
7. San Diego Padres
8. Boston Red Sox
9. Detroit Tigers
10. Houston Astros
11. Cleveland Guardians
12. Cincinnati Reds
13. New York Yankees
14. New York Mets
15. Texas Rangers
16. St. Louis Cardinals
17. San Francisco Giants
18. Tampa Bay Rays
19. Miami Marlins
20. Kansas City Royals
21. Minnesota Twins
22. Athletics
23. Arizona Diamondbacks
24. Los Angeles Angels
25. Baltimore Orioles
26. Pittsburgh Pirates
27. Atlanta Braves
28. Washington Nationals
29. Chicago White Sox
30. Colorado Rockies
Players of the Week
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Hitter of the Week: Shea Langeliers
Stats: 10-for-27, 2 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R
Overshadowed by the historic offensive season Cal Raleigh is putting together, Langeliers is having an excellent offensive campaign of his own at the catcher position. The 27-year-old is hitting .270/.319/.538 with 20 doubles, 23 home runs and 52 RBI in 88 games. He went 5-for-6 with a double and three home runs on Tuesday, and he added a three-hit game with another long ball on Saturday.
Pitcher of the Week: Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers
Stats: 1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
After tossing eight shutout innings of one-hit ball against the Yankees on Tuesday, Eovaldi is now 10-3 with a 1.38 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 111 strikeouts in 111 innings on the year. The 35-year-old is seven innings shy of qualifying for pitching leaderboard, otherwise he would be tops in the majors in ERA and WHIP in what has been the best season no one is really talking about in 2025.
Rookie of the Week: Isaac Collins, Milwaukee Brewers
Stats: 10-for-21, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, SB
Collins gets the nod in a strong week across baseball for rookies on the strength of Sunday's walk-off home run against the Mets, and he is now hitting .452/.541/.806 with 14 hits in eight games in August.
Jacob Lopez (7.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 10 K), Chase Burns (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K), Luke Keaschall (10-for-22, 3 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI) and Drake Baldwin (9-for-25, 2 HR, 10 RBI) also deserve a quick shoutout.
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