MLB Power Rankings as Mets Skid Opens NL Wild Card Race, Mariners, Rangers Catch Fire
Two weeks remain in the 2025 MLB regular season, and so far only the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies have officially punched their ticket to the postseason.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays all have better than a 99 percent chance of making the playoff field, according to the latest odds from FanGraphs.
That leaves five teams battling for three spots on the American League side of things, and four teams jockeying for the final wild-card spot in the National League due to the New York Mets' recent slide.
Ahead is an updated look at where all 30 teams stand heading into the stretch run.
Nos. 30-18: Watching from Home in October
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30. Colorado Rockies (41-109)
29. Minnesota Twins (65-84)
28. Atlanta Braves (66-83)
27. Pittsburgh Pirates (65-85)
26. Washington Nationals (62-87)
25. Chicago White Sox (57-93)
24. Los Angeles Angels (69-81)
23. Baltimore Orioles (69-80)
22. Miami Marlins (70-80)
21. Athletics (70-80)
20. Tampa Bay Rays (73-76)
19. St. Louis Cardinals (73-77)
18. Kansas City Royals (75-75)
The Royals (5-8 in September) and Cardinals (5-7 in September) needed a major final month surge to claw their way back into the wild-card picture, but that has not happened, and their playoff odds have withered to virtually zero percent with two weeks to play.
Meanwhile, the Athletics (3-0 vs. CIN) and Marlins (2-1 vs. DET) did the best job of playing spoiler last week, with the A's rallying from getting shut out twice in a row by the Red Sox to deal a major blow to Cincinnati's playoff hopes.
Looking ahead, the Rays still have seven games against the Blue Jays and three games against the Red Sox, so they could be a factor in the AL East race by way of shaking things up if they can cool off a red-hot Toronto squad.
Nos. 17-14: 4 NL Teams, 1 Wild-Card Spot
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17. Cincinnati Reds (74-74)
16. Arizona Diamondbacks (75-75)
15. San Francisco Giants (75-74)
14. New York Mets (77-73)
It looked like the NL playoff field was set for much of the second half of the season, but an eight-game losing streak by the Mets has opened the door for three teams hovering around the .500 mark to sneak back into legitimate contention.
It looked like the Reds were cooked during a 3-11 stretch of games in late August and early September, but they rallied for series wins over the Mets and Padres. They wrap up the regular season with one series each against the other four NL Central clubs.
With baseball's toughest remaining schedule, the Diamondbacks face an uphill battle. They face the Giants, Phillies and Dodgers at home before closing out the season in San Diego, and they are 16-17 on the year against those four teams, including 5-5 against each of the three NL West contenders.
Aside from their head-to-head matchup with the D-backs, the Giants also face the Dodgers for four games next week. However, if they survive those seven games and are still in the hunt, they close out the season against the Cardinals and Rockies at home.
The No. 3 NL wild card will likely square off against the NL West champion in the Wild Card Series.
Nos. 13-9: 5 AL Teams, 3 Playoff Spots
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13. Boston Red Sox (82-68)
12. Texas Rangers (79-71)
11. Cleveland Guardians (78-71)
10. Houston Astros (81-69)
9. Seattle Mariners (82-68)
The Blue Jays, Tigers and Yankees are all virtual locks to be part of the AL playoff field, which leaves five teams playing for three spots.
The Rangers (3-0 vs. MIL, 2-1 @ NYM), Guardians (3-1 vs. KC, 3-0 vs. CWS) and Mariners (3-0 vs. STL, 3-0 vs. LAA) each came away with a pair of series victories last week.
With a one-game lead entering play on Monday, the Mariners have the outright AL West lead for the first time since June 1. That leaves the Astros fighting for a wild-card berth, and they currently slot into the No. 3 spot.
The Red Sox are 7-8 over their last five series after dropping two of three to the rival Yankees over the weekend, and they are feeling the loss of rookie standout Roman Anthony, who has been sidelined since Sept. 9 with an oblique strain.
The biggest series of the final weekend of the season could end up being the Guardians hosting the Rangers from Sept. 26-28 if both teams stay hot and overtake an Astros team that is 25-29 since the All-Star break.
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Nos. 8-7
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8. San Diego Padres (82-68)
Previous Rank: 8
Last Week: 1-2 vs. CIN, 3-1 vs. COL
The Padres face a 2.5-game deficit in the NL West standings and a 3.5-game gap to the Chicago Cubs for the No. 1 wild-card spot. That means if the season ended today, they would be playing on the road in the NL Wild Card Series. With a 47-28 record at Petco Park, compared to 35-40 on the road, their final 12 games are hugely significant even if they are a safe bet to make the playoffs.
7. Detroit Tigers (85-65)
Previous Rank: 6
Last Week: 2-1 at NYY, 1-2 at MIA
The Tigers are now 26-27 since the All-Star break as they have spent much of the second half coasting on their first-half success and comfortably perched atop the AL Central standings. After ace Tarik Skubal left his Friday start with tightness in his left side, the club avoided a worst-case scenario when tests showed no structural damage.
Nos. 6-5
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6. Los Angeles Dodgers (84-65)
Previous Rank: 9
Last Week: 3-0 vs. COL, 2-1 at SF
With Mookie Betts (1.160 OPS, 9 XBH, 4 HR, 16 RBI) and Teoscar Hernández (.876 OPS, 5 XBH, 3 HR, 7 RBI) both swinging a hot bat after disappointing seasons overall relative to expectations, the Dodgers lineup suddenly looks awfully dangerous, even with Will Smith sidelined. Home series against the Phillies and Giants await this coming week.
5. New York Yankees (83-66)
Previous Rank: 3
Last Week: 1-2 vs. DET, 2-1 at BOS
The Yankees lead the AL and rank second in the majors with a plus-129 run differential, and they have one of the easiest remaining schedules in baseball as they face the Orioles (x7), Twins (x3) and White Sox (x3) to wrap up the regular season. The next two weeks will likely decide how the playoff rotation lines up behind veterans Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, with Luis Gil and rookies Will Warren and Cam Schlitter all in the mix.
Nos. 4-3
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4. Chicago Cubs (85-64)
Previous Rank: 4
Last Week: 2-1 at ATL, 2-1 vs. TB
The Cubs matched a season-high losing streak when they dropped three straight earlier this month, and that speaks to the consistency they have found this year, despite playing roughly .500 ball since the All-Star break. With Kyle Tucker and Owen Caissie both on the injured list, deadline pickup Willi Castro has suddenly become a starter in the outfield.
3. Toronto Blue Jays (87-62)
Previous Rank: 5
Last Week: 2-1 vs. HOU, 3-0 vs. BAL
The Blue Jays are 8-4 in September, and they improved to 50-25 at home with series wins over the Astros and Orioles at the Rogers Centre last week. They have a four-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East standings, and they are looking for their first division title since 2015 and the seventh in franchise history.
Nos. 2-1
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2. Milwaukee Brewers (91-59)
Previous Rank: 1
Last Week: 0-3 at TEX, 2-1 vs. STL
After six straight weeks in the No. 1 spot, the Brewers have been unseated, but they punched their ticket to the postseason Saturday and have a 5.5-game lead over the Cubs in the NL Central. Injured closer Trevor Megill suffered a setback during a bullpen session on Friday as he tries to come back from a flexor strain before the end of the regular season.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (89-61)
Previous Rank: 2
Last Week: 4-0 vs. NYM, 2-1 vs. KC
The Phillies are 10-3 in September, and they are hitting a gaudy .309/.378/.530 as a team this month. Walker Buehler allowed five hits and one earned run over five innings in his Phillies debut on Friday, and there's a good chance he will pitch his way onto the playoff roster in some capacity if he can turn in another strong outing or two down the stretch.
Complete Rankings
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Complete Rankings
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Chicago Cubs
5. New York Yankees
6. Los Angeles Dodgers
7. Detroit Tigers
8. San Diego Padres
9. Seattle Mariners
10. Houston Astros
11. Cleveland Guardians
12. Boston Red Sox
13. Texas Rangers
14. New York Mets
15. San Francisco Giants
16. Arizona Diamondbacks
17. Cincinnati Reds
18. Kansas City Royals
19. St. Louis Cardinals
20. Tampa Bay Rays
21. Athletics
22. Miami Marlins
23. Baltimore Orioles
24. Los Angeles Angels
25. Chicago White Sox
26. Washington Nationals
27. Pittsburgh Pirates
28. Atlanta Braves
29. Minnesota Twins
30. Colorado Rockies
Stars of the Week
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Hitter of the Week: SS Mookie Betts (LAD)
Stats: 6 G, 12-for-26, 3 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 R
Betts is hitting .385/.429/.731 with four doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI in 12 games this month, getting hot at the perfect time for the Dodgers after a lackluster season at the plate prior to the past few weeks. He is up to a .742 OPS on the year and hitting his stride for the playoff push.
Quick tip of the cap to Jorge Polanco, who had 10 doubles in seven games last week for the Mariners.
Pitchers of the Week: Tanner Bibee (CLE) and Kevin Gausman (TOR)
Bibee Stats: W, 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Gausman Stats: W, 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
There have been 12 complete game shutouts thrown this season, and two of them happened last week, so it's only fair to split pitcher of the week honors between those two hurlers. Gausman threw his on Thursday against the Astros, while Bibee logged his second complete game of the season and first career shutout on Friday against the White Sox.
Rookie of the Week: Joey Cantillo (CLE)
Stats: 1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Cantillo turned in the best start of his big league career on Tuesday against the Royals with eight shutout innings, allowing a leadoff single in the ninth before turning things over to Cade Smith for the save. With a 1.09 ERA in 24.2 innings over his last four starts, Cantillo is making a strong case for a spot in Cleveland's playoff rotation if they can stay hot and seize a wild-card berth.
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