.png?w=1280 "MLB Power Rankings")
MLB Power Rankings as Yankees, Red Sox Close Gap on Blue Jays and Padres, Reds Slide
September has arrived, and with it the final month of the 2025 MLB season, as teams get set for playoff races to heat up across baseball.
This season has often seemed to lack parity. Still, 20 teams remain within 5.5 games of a playoff spot as of Monday. The division races in the AL East, AL West, and NL West could all go down to the wire.
For now, it's time for another updated look at how all 30 teams stack up across baseball, and the New York Yankees are our biggest climbers this week after they went 6-1 against the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox.
Teams on the fringe of contention can't afford a letdown with so few games left on the schedule, and the list of teams that have turned their attention to 2026 will steadily grow in the coming weeks.
Nos. 30-21: Season's Over
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30. Colorado Rockies (39-98)
29. Washington Nationals (53-83)
28. Chicago White Sox (49-88)
27. Baltimore Orioles (61-76)
26. Atlanta Braves (62-75)
25. Minnesota Twins (62-74)
24. Pittsburgh Pirates (61-77)
23. Miami Marlins (65-72)
22. Los Angeles Angels (64-72)
21. Athletics (63-75)
The Angels (2-1 @ HOU), Marlins (3-1 @ NYM) and Pirates (2-1 @ HOU) all picked up series wins on the road against contenders over the weekend, while the Athletics swept a three-game series at home against the Tigers before getting swept themselves by the Rangers.
The Nationals have lost eight in a row, which was enough to drop them below a White Sox team that managed to squeeze out one win each against the Royals and Yankees at Rate Field last week.
The Rockies reached 11 wins in August with their 6-5 victory over the Cubs on Sunday, good for their highest win total of any single month this season. With games left against the Padres (x7), Dodgers (x3) and Mariners (x3), their improved play could impact the playoff picture.
Nos. 20-15: Lurking on the Periphery
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20. Tampa Bay Rays (67-69)
19. St. Louis Cardinals (68-70)
18. Cincinnati Reds (69-68)
17. San Francisco Giants (68-69)
16. Cleveland Guardians (68-67)
15. Arizona Diamondbacks (68-70)
The Diamondbacks went 17-12 in August to quietly climb back onto the periphery of the NL wild-card picture, and a resurgent Zac Gallen (6 GS, 2.57 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 35.0) has led the way on the mound.
The most difficult remaining schedules in baseball belong to the Cardinals and Reds, according to Tankathon. The Rays also face a grind down the stretch with series left against the Blue Jays, Cubs, Red Sox, Mariners and Guardians.
Meanwhile, the Giants are on the other end of the spectrum, with their seven remaining games with the Dodgers all that is left on their schedule against opponents with a winning record.
The Guardians took two of three from the Rays and Mariners at home, putting a brutal 1-9 stretch in the rearview and keeping their longshot playoff hopes alive for another week.
Nos. 14-11: The Playoff Hopefuls
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14. Kansas City Royals (70-67)
Previous Rank: 14
Last Week: 2-1 @ CWS, 1-2 vs. DET
With a 16-12 record in August, the Royals have managed to hang around in the AL wild-card race. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski posted a .976 OPS with eight doubles and seven home runs in his first month with the team, making one of the biggest immediate impacts of any trade deadline addition.
13. Texas Rangers (71-67)
Previous Rank: 15
Last Week: 2-1 vs. LAA, 3-0 @ ATH
An 8-1 record in their last nine games has vaulted the Rangers right back into wild-card contention, though a tough stretch of opponents is on the horizon. After taking on a D-backs team playing much better of late, they will face the Astros, Brewers, Mets and Astros in the following 12 games. That stretch will likely make or break their playoff hopes.
12. New York Mets (73-64)
Previous Rank: 11
Last Week: 3-0 vs. PHI, 1-3 vs. MIA
The Mets went from a half-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East standings to a 6.5-game deficit during a trying month of August, and they dropped three of four at home against the Marlins over the weekend. Nolan McLean (3 GS, 3-0, 0.89 ERA, 21 K, 20.1 IP) has immediately become the best pitcher on the roster since making his MLB debut on Aug. 16.
11. Seattle Mariners (73-64)
Previous Rank: 10
Last Week: 2-1 vs. SD, 1-2 @ CLE
The Mariners have now lost five straight road series after dropping two of three in Cleveland over the weekend, and they are 32-37 overall on the year away from T-Mobile Park. They will look to buck that trend with road series against the Rays and Braves this week before playing 13 of their final 19 games at home.
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Nos. 10-9
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10. Houston Astros (75-62)
Previous Rank: 9
Last Week: 2-1 vs. COL, 1-2 vs. LAA
Despite dropping two of three against the Angels over the weekend, the Astros are still 6-4 in their last 10 games and staked to a two-game lead in the AL West standings. The sputtering offense ranked 23rd in the majors with a .679 OPS in August, but they still escaped the month with a 13-15 record.
9. San Diego Padres (76-61)
Previous Rank: 4
Last Week: 1-2 @ SEA, 1-2 @ MIN
Fresh off a 5-2 week against the Giants and Dodgers that made them one of the biggest risers in last week's rankings, the Padres slid five spots following a pair of series losses on the road. With six games against the Rockies and three games against the Orioles over their next 12 games, the time is now if they are going to make a move in the NL West race.
Nos. 8-7
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8. New York Yankees (76-61)
Previous Rank: 12
Last Week: 3-0 vs. WAS, 3-1 @ CWS
The Yankees took full advantage of a soft spot in their schedule, winning six in a row against the Nationals and White Sox and seven straight overall before losing on Sunday. The offense slugged 18 home runs in seven games last week, and Aaron Judge tied Yogi Berra for fifth on the Yankees all-time list with career homer No. 358 on Sunday.
7. Boston Red Sox (76-62)
Previous Rank: 8
Last Week: 4-0 @ BAL, 1-2 vs. PIT
After a terrific 7-1 road trip against the Yankees and Orioles, the Red Sox returned home and promptly lost two of three to the Pirates. Top prospect Peyton Tolle made his MLB debut on Friday opposite Paul Skenes, allowing three hits and two earned runs in 5.1 innings while racking up eight strikeouts. The 22-year-old could be an X-factor down the stretch, a year after he was a second-round pick in the 2024 draft.
Nos. 6-5
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6. Los Angeles Dodgers (78-59)
Previous Rank: 7
Last Week: 3-0 vs. CIN, 1-2 vs. ARI
The Dodgers now hold a two-game lead in the NL West standings after a walk-off victory on Sunday when pinch-hitter Will Smith led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run. Their next nine games are against the Pirates, Orioles and Rockies as they look to put some distance on the Padres in the division race.
5. Toronto Blue Jays (79-58)
Previous Rank: 6
Last Week: 2-1 vs. MIN, 1-2 vs. MIL
The Blue Jays have a Jeff Hoffman problem, as their closer has allowed 10 hits and eight earned runs in 4.1 innings over his last five outings, suffering a pair of blown saves and a loss during that stretch. They still have a month to sort out roles if they decide to shuffle things in the late innings, but Hoffman did pitch a scoreless ninth in Sunday's 8-4 victory.
Nos. 4-3
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4. Philadelphia Phillies (79-58)
Previous Rank: 5
Last Week: 0-3 @ NYM, 3-1 vs. ATL
The Phillies squandered a terrific start from Jesús Luzardo (6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 7 K) and an opportunity to sweep the Braves for the first time since 2021 with another tough night for the bullpen on Sunday. The addition of Walker Buehler after he was released by the Red Sox gives them an intriguing buy-low reclamation project for the final month, and he was added in time to be eligible for the playoff roster.
3. Chicago Cubs (78-59)
Previous Rank: 3
Last Week: 0-3 @ SF, 2-1 @ COL
In a week when many of the league's top teams struggled, the Cubs were no exception. They were outscored 21-8 by the Giants and swept in a series of at least three games for the first time all season, though they managed to salvage the week by taking two of three from the Rockies. Rookie Cade Horton went 5-1 with a 1.20 ERA over 30 innings in six August starts.
Nos. 2-1
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2. Detroit Tigers (80-58)
Previous Rank: 2
Last Week: 0-3 @ ATH, 2-1 @ KC
The Tigers became the first AL team to reach 80 wins with a 5-0 victory over the Royals on Sunday, and that also marked their 15th shutout of the season, a total that trails only the Pirates (16) for most in baseball. Ace Tarik Skubal led the way with seven shutout innings, and he now leads all qualified AL starters in ERA (2.18), WHIP (0.87), strikeouts (216) and innings pitched (173.0).
1. Milwaukee Brewers (85-53)
Previous Rank: 1
Last Week: 2-2 vs. ARI, 2-1 @ TOR
The Brewers went 21-9 in August, and their lead in the NL Central standings swelled from one game to 6.5 games over the Cubs in the process. Brice Turang (28 G, .343/.398/.694, 17 XBH, 10 HR) just had the best offensive month of his career. He is now rejoined atop the lineup by Jackson Chourio, who went 6-for-9 with two doubles and one home run in his first two games back after missing a month with a hamstring injury.
Complete Rankings
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Complete Rankings
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Philadelphia Phillies
5. Toronto Blue Jays
6. Los Angeles Dodgers
7. Boston Red Sox
8. New York Yankees
9. San Diego Padres
10. Houston Astros
11. Seattle Mariners
12. New York Mets
13. Texas Rangers
14. Kansas City Royals
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Cleveland Guardians
17. San Francisco Giants
18. Cincinnati Reds
19. St. Louis Cardinals
20. Tampa Bay Rays
21. Athletics
22. Los Angeles Angels
23. Miami Marlins
24. Pittsburgh Pirates
25. Minnesota Twins
26. Atlanta Braves
27. Baltimore Orioles
28. Chicago White Sox
29. Washington Nationals
30. Colorado Rockies
Stars of the Week
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Hitter of the Week: DH Rafael Devers, SF
Stats: 6 G, 11-for-23, 2 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R
After hitting just .219/.327/.365 with four home runs in 162 plate appearances over his first 37 games in a Giants uniform, Devers turned a corner in August. The high-profile slugger logged a .989 OPS with nine home runs and 20 RBI in 28 games last month, and he has done it while starting to see semi-regular action at first base.
Pitcher of the Week: SP Emmet Sheehan, LAD
Stats: 1 GS, W, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Something of a forgotten man after spending the 2024 season on the sidelines recovering from Tommy John surgery, Sheehan could end up pitching some big innings in October if he continues to throw the ball like he did on Monday. The 25-year-old has a 3.56 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 54 strikeouts in 48 innings since making his season debut on June 18.
Rookie of the Week: SP Nolan McLean, NYM
Stats: 1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
The Mets needed a boost in the starting rotation, and McLean has made an immediate impact, going 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 20.1 innings over his first three starts, including eight innings of shutout ball against a good Phillies lineup on Wednesday.
Shoutout to Roman Anthony (10-for-27, 3 HR), who continues to be an impact presence atop the Red Sox lineup.
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