MLB Power Rankings as Guardians, Mariners Keep Streaking, Mets and Rangers Crash
The 2025 MLB regular season is down to its final week, and here's how you know it's going to be dramatic: There are still seven playoff tickets waiting to be punched.
Apart from the five teams that have already clinched postseason berths, another 15 are still technically in play to make it. There are three teams within just 3.0 games of the National League's third wild-card spot, while all three division titles in the American League remain up for grabs.
Nowhere are things wilder than in the AL Central. The Detroit Tigers held a 10.0-game lead as recently as September 3. By way of their sudden slump and a 10-game win streak by the Cleveland Guardians, that lead is all the way down to one game.
Let's get into where all 30 teams stand as they round third and head home.
Nos. 30-17: Watching from Home in October
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30. Colorado Rockies (43-113)
29. Minnesota Twins (67-89)
28. Pittsburgh Pirates (67-89)
27. Washington Nationals (64-92)
26. Los Angeles Angels (70-86)
25. Chicago White Sox (58-98)
24. Baltimore Orioles (73-83)
23. Tampa Bay Rays (76-80)
22. St. Louis Cardinals (76-80)
21. Atlanta Braves (73-83)
20. Miami Marlins (76-80)
19. Athletics (73-83)
18. Kansas City Royals (78-78)
17. Texas Rangers (79-77)
The Rangers were surging not too long ago, but a seven-game losing streak has all but crushed their playoff dreams. The Royals are likewise on the precipice of elimination, though they at least took some frustration out on the Blue Jays with a 20-1 shellacking on Friday.
The Braves and Marlins are finishing strong in the NL East with winning streaks of eight and six in a row, respectively. Each has played spoiler for AL contenders, with both notably winning a recent series against Detroit.
Also carrying momentum out of 2025 are the Athletics. They are 32-26 in the second half, and have recently frustrated the heck out of would-be playoff teams with a three-game sweep of Cincinnati and a series win in Boston.
Otherwise, the best bit of good news among this lot belongs to the Rockies. After threatening to do so pretty much all year, they took themselves out of the running for the all-time loss record with their 42nd win on Friday.
Nos. 16-13: 4 NL Teams, 1 Wild-Card Spot
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16. San Francisco Giants (77-79)
15. Arizona Diamondbacks (79-77)
14. New York Mets (80-76)
13. Cincinnati Reds (80-76)
With losses in seven out of their last nine, the Giants have pretty much reached the "lucky to be here" portion of their contention run. But shoutout to Justin Verlander, who's the hottest 42-year-old around with a 2.17 ERA in his last 11 starts.
The Diamondbacks just continue to hang in there, having won 15 of their last 23 games. Yet they're really going to have to earn their playoff ticket the hard way, as they finish the year with three each against the Padres and Dodgers.
As for the Mets, their tailspin has put them out of the money in the NL wild-card race. They followed an eight-game skid with wins in four of six, but their loss on Sunday opened the door for the Reds to knock them from the third spot by way of a tiebreaker. The Reds won their season series with the Mets, 4-2.
He isn't going to win the NL MVP, but Juan Soto arguably has a stronger MVP case this year than he did in 2024. He's gone 40-30 with an NL-high .399 OBP, and he's put the Mets on his back with 10 homers in his last 22 games.
The Reds have charged hard with wins in five in a row and six out of seven. Elly De La Cruz finally got off the schneid with a homer on Friday, and the Reds as a whole have homered 25 times this month after racking up just 22 in July and August.
Nos. 12-9: 4 AL Teams, 3 Playoff Spots
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12. Houston Astros (84-72)
11. Boston Red Sox (85-71)
10. Detroit Tigers (85-71)
9. Cleveland Guardians (84-72)
Suddenly, the Guardians.
Right when they seemed to have perfected the art of just sort of being there, they have ripped off 15 wins in their last 17 games. Their starters should take a bow, as their 2.04 ERA in September is by far the league's best.
Unless the Tigers get their act together, the story of Cleveland's rise will be as much one of their downfall. It suffices to say that the three-game set between the two in Cleveland this week is capital-H Huge, and the Tigers need to win all three games to clinch the season series and gain a tiebreaker.
For their part, last week had a brutal switcheroo for the Astros. Sweeping the Rangers was all well and good, but Yordan Alvarez got hurt and then the Mariners came to town and all but won the AL West race with a crucial series win.
The Red Sox are barely hanging on in their own right, though they at least got Wilyer Abreu back on Sunday. Ideally, he will elevate an offense that has been wildly hit-or-miss (mostly miss) since Roman Anthony strained his oblique on September 2.
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Nos. 8-7
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8. San Diego Padres (85-71)
Previous Rank: 8
Last Week: 1-2 @ NYM, 2-1 @ CHW
The Padres are basically treading water at this point, having lost 15 out of their last 26. It doesn't help that their starters have a 5.17 ERA in September, with Michael King and Nestor Cortes in particular guilty of laying some really rotten eggs.
And yet, FanGraphs still has San Diego's playoff odds at 99.9 percent. So they have that going for them, which is...well, you know the bit.
7. Seattle Mariners (87-69)
Previous Rank: 9
Last Week: 2-1 @ KCR, 3-0 @ HOU
Despite hitting the skids at times, the Mariners are 30-17 since they remade their roster ahead of the trade deadline. They're also back to winning on the road, with their huge sweep of the Astros this past weekend making it three straight series victories on the road.
Even if he doesn't win the AL MVP, Cal Raleigh's 2025 season should be celebrated as an all-timer. That one guy broke records held by Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr. in one season is bonkers.
Nos. 6-5
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6. New York Yankees (88-68)
Previous Rank: 5
Last Week: 2-1 @ MIN, 3-1 @ BAL
The Yankees seemed to let their guard down against the Twins, dropping the opener of a three-game set before resorting to out-slugging the Twins to win the next two games. Looking back even further, this is only a 46-43 team since mid-June.
Still, Aaron Judge isn't the only reason the Yankees pose a threat for a deep playoff run. Having Max Fried (who set a career high with 13 strikeouts on Thursday) and Carlos Rodón to throw at teams also ups their wow factor.
5. Chicago Cubs (88-68)
Previous Rank: 4
Last Week: 3-0 @ PIT, 0-4 @ CIN
The Cubs punched their ticket to their first postseason since 2020 on Wednesday, and it came amid a 7-1 stretch that reignited their momentum. At least, that is, until it went away once they took one on the jaw from the Reds over the weekend.
Though Chicago's pitching has really stabilized (3.54 ERA) since August 1, it's still hard to know what to make of their offensive outlook for October. Above all, they need Kyle Tucker healthy and Pete Crow-Armstrong to find his first-half form.
Nos. 4-3
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4. Los Angeles Dodgers (88-68)
Previous Rank: 6
Last Week: 1-2 vs. PHI, 3-1 vs. SFG
What a day for the Dodgers on Friday. Clayton Kershaw took the mound at Dodger Stadium after announcing his retirement, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts went back-to-back, and the Dodgers ultimately clinched a 13th straight playoff berth.
Also, the Dodgers have won 10 out of 14 since beginning September with a five-game skid. They have averaged two home runs per game in this span, and their rotation is as hot as can be.
3. Toronto Blue Jays (90-66)
Previous Rank: 3
Last Week: 2-2 @ TBR, 1-2 @ KCR
The Blue Jays were humming along for a good long while there, but they went into Sunday as losers of four in a row and have become quite a bit banged up. They're still without Bo Bichette, and Chris Bassitt joined him on the injured list over the weekend.
They did clinch a playoff berth on Sunday, however. Also, can you tell that George Springer has been down this road before? He's posted a 1.090 OPS and 12 homers in 33 games since his return from a concussion in August.
Nos. 2-1
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2. Milwaukee Brewers (95-61)
Previous Rank: 2
Last Week: 3-0 @ LAA, 1-2 @ STL
Sweeping the Angels doesn't get you much clout around these parts, though it's still nice to see the Brewers stabilizing with wins in six out of eight. They needed a win or a Cubs loss to clinch the NL Central on Sunday, and they got the latter to seal the deal.
Meanwhile, color us intrigued by reports of the Brewers considering Jacob Misiorowski for a relief role. He has a 6.23 ERA in seven starts since a stint on the IL, but surely we all want to see if he can get even higher than 102.4 mph out of the bullpen in the postseason.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (92-64)
Previous Rank: 1
Last Week: 2-1 @ LAD, 1-2 @ ARI
There's some drama going on between Nick Castellanos and Rob Thomson, but it's neither here nor there for the Phillies' playoff outlook. They were the first team to clinch a division title, and they're coming in hot with a 31-16 record since August 1 and a 13-6 record in September.
For all the stars the Phillies have in their lineup, it's the other guys who are hot right now. Put together, Harrison Bader, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh have a 175 wRC+ in September.
Complete Rankings
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Complete Rankings
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Chicago Cubs
6. New York Yankees
7. Seattle Mariners
8. San Diego Padres
9. Cleveland Guardians
10. Detroit Tigers
11. Boston Red Sox
12. Houston Astros
13. Cincinnati Reds
14. New York Mets
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. San Francisco Giants
17. Texas Rangers
18. Kansas City Royals
19. Athletics
20. Miami Marlins
21. Atlanta Braves
22. St. Louis Cardinals
23. Tampa Bay Rays
24. Baltimore Orioles
25. Chicago White Sox
26. Los Angeles Angels
27. Washington Nationals
28. Pittsburgh Pirates
29. Minnesota Twins
30. Colorado Rockies
Stars of the Week
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Hitter of the Week: Matt Olson (ATL)
Stats: 6 G, 12-for-30, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R
Olson had a 60-game stretch in the middle of the summer in which he hit only four home runs. He's gone deep nine times in 24 games since that streak ended, and he's on a heck of a home run and RBI kick lately. In his last nine games, he's homered in five of them and driven in a run in all but two of them.
Pitcher of the Week: Hunter Greene (CIN)
Stats: W, 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
After recording only seven outs in his previous assignment against the A's, Greene badly needed a rebound in his start against the Cubs on Thursday. Taking a no-hitter into the seventh qualifies, and he was still throwing gas (two pitches of 101.5 mph) in the ninth inning.
Rookie of the Week: Carter Jensen (KCR)
Stats: 6 G, 9-for-23, 4 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R
It's been feast or famine for Carter since his call-up on September 2, as half of his 12 hits have come in just two of his 14 games. Both of his three-hit games came last week, with the highlight being his three-double day in the Royals' 20-1 dismantling of the Blue Jays on Friday.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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