MLB power rankings: Brewers surge to the top with MLB's best record, followed by Phillies, Dodgers and Blue Jays

Yahoo

20 hours ago

The whirlwind of activity at the trade deadline plus the three series since then have given us increased clarity on how teams view themselves and how they stack up against one another.
Of course, that doesn't make the rest of the regular season any more predictable — last year's Tigers offer a humbling reminder that there are surely more twists and turns in store — but with October fast approaching, the possibilities and expectations for every club become clearer with each passing day.
With less than seven weeks remaining until the MLB postseason, our latest power rankings survey the major-league landscape by offering a realistic goal for each club to pursue from now until the end of the regular season.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
1. Milwaukee Brewers (74-44)
Secure the best record in baseball. It has been a special summer in Milwaukee so far, and now it's time for the Brewers to parlay their regular-season magic into a deep postseason push, something they've failed to accomplish in their five playoff appearances since they took the Dodgers to NLCS Game 7 in 2018. And just once have the Brewers finished with the best record in baseball: 1982, the last and only time they reached the World Series. With a clear path to repeating that feat in 2025, perhaps this season ends with not just a Fall Classic appearance but also the franchise's first World Series title. Milwaukee has an awfully long way to go to get to that point, but this season feels like it could be the one in which it all comes together for the Brew Crew.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (69-49)
Enter October with momentum. Last year's Phillies notably sputtered in the second half and weren't an especially threatening club by the time they squared off with the rival Mets in October; that showed in their discouraging NLDS performance. This year's club appears far more focused on maintaining a level of excellence throughout 162 games, and the deadline reinforcements headlined by elite closer Jhoan Duran should only aid in those efforts. This squad has all the ingredients to be a championship club — now they just have to go out and do it.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (68-51)
Figure out who their 13 best pitchers are. For the Dodgers, holding off the Padres to claim yet another NL West title and/or winning enough games to avoid the wild-card round will not be easy and will certainly influence the club's chances to make another deep postseason run. That said, arguably even more important for L.A.'s October outlook is identifying which pitchers will be healthy and/or effective enough to be trusted in crunch time. Even with Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani returning to the rotation in recent weeks, this staff faces questions, especially in the bullpen. That a unit that looked overloaded on paper entering the season still has a lot to sort through at this stage is an ominous, if fascinating, storyline to monitor in the coming weeks.
4. Toronto Blue Jays (69-50)
Win the AL East for the first time in a decade. A franchise that faced enormous existential questions during spring training, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. approaching free agency, has since extended its star slugger for the long haul and taken full advantage of its divisional rivals' uneven play to emerge as one of the best teams in the American League. Now it's on Toronto to capitalize on this unexpected opportunity and claim the AL East crown — and perhaps the AL's best record — to ensure a raucous home-field advantage north of the border in October.
5. Chicago Cubs (67-50)
Restore juggernaut status as an offense. After an underwhelming trade deadline that featured just one addition to the rotation who is already injured (Mike Soroka), the Cubs' starting pitching is facing some difficult questions regarding the workload management of key arms Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton. But this club's calling card remains its offensive firepower, which has been notably inconsistent of late. Regardless of the exact construction of the pitching staff, Chicago's best chance of success come October is still rooted in its ability to overwhelm opponents with offense, the way this team often did in the first few months of the season. That superpower needs to return down the stretch for the Cubs to be taken seriously.
6. Detroit Tigers (69-51)
Secure a top-two seed in the American League. A massive lead atop the AL Central built in the first half has shrunk to a more modest gap, but Detroit still has an excellent chance to claim its first division crown since 2014. With a pitching staff that looks to be a bit thinner than the 'Tarik Skubal and Pitching Chaos' strategy that thrived down the stretch a year ago, this is a team that would seriously benefit from avoiding the wild-card round and gaining a bye to ensure its top arms are rested and ready to roll in October.
7. Houston Astros (67-52)
Reclaim full-blown villain status with Carlos Correa back in the fold. The Astros' reacquisition of Correa has made them look far more intimidating and far more familiar as the league's ultimate heel, which Houston should embrace in its pursuit of another AL West title. Josh Hader's shoulder ailment is the latest in an avalanche of injuries that have threatened to derail the latest chapter of this dynastic run, but Houston remains in position to assert itself as one of the most feared ballclubs in baseball.
8. San Diego Padres (67-52)
Chase down the Dodgers at long last. They've had mixed results in the postseason against the 'dragon up the freeway' in recent years, but the Padres have yet to topple the Dodgers in the regular-season standings during this era. With L.A. failing to live up to the astronomical hype entering the season and San Diego loading up at the deadline in classic AJ Preller fashion, this season presents as good a chance as ever for the Padres to claim the NL West crown.
9. Seattle Mariners (66-53)
Win the AL West for the first time since 2001. Cal Raleigh's magical, MVP-caliber season just keeps on rolling. The additions of Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor have made an already-strong lineup look like one of baseball's best offensive units. The pitching is healthier than it has been all season. Although the Mariners likely should've added at least one more reliever at the trade deadline, Andres Muñoz and Matt Brash give manager Dan Wilson two elite bullpen options. The Astros are navigating a litany of injuries, making them as vulnerable as they've been in years. As Ichiro said during his powerful speech at his number retirement ceremony, the time is now; the Mariners must seize the moment and ride their recent surge of momentum to a long-awaited division title.
10. Boston Red Sox (65-55)
Finish with a better record than the Yankees and return to the postseason. Missing the playoffs would make this the first time in more than three decades that the Red Sox failed to reach October in four straight seasons, which highlights the stakes for a franchise that had fallen into a shocking pit of mediocrity in recent seasons. At this stage, a return to the postseason looks likely, but the Red Sox can't get too comfortable. Seven more games against the Yankees offer the chance for Boston to devastate its biggest rivals or falter and risk supreme embarrassment when the lights are brightest. For as drama-filled as Boston's season has already been, it feels like anything is possible from this point forward.
11. New York Yankees (63-56)
Take advantage of the schedule and secure a wild card without having to sweat during the final week. For as bad as the vibes have been in recent weeks, the Yankees can take solace in this: No American League team has an easier slate the rest of the way than New York, including seven games left against both the White Sox and the Orioles. That fact doesn't magically fix some of the more glaring on-field issues the Yankees have demonstrated recently, but there is undeniably some margin for error. There's still a version of this team that could look like a formidable opponent come October; the Yanks have seven weeks to rediscover it.
12. New York Mets (63-55)
Find stability on the mound and some mojo on the road. After a marvelous start to the season, the Mets' run prevention efforts have regressed to a troubling degree, leaving them in a precarious position in the NL postseason picture. Their bats have also cooled off recently, but I'm more confident about the lineup heating back up than I am the pitching staff rediscovering its stout form. A more concerning, big-picture trend has been New York's struggles on the road; no team currently in playoff position has a worse record away from home than the Mets' 25-34 mark. A pivotal three-city trip, featuring stops in Detroit, Cincinnati and Philadelphia, looms next month and could determine this team's fate. If the Mets' road woes continue, that stretch could prove especially costly.
13. Texas Rangers (61-59)
Score more runs. There's no need to overcomplicate this one. The Rangers' lineup, despite featuring plenty of recognizable names with stellar reputations, has continued to underwhelm to a staggering degree while the pitching staff has outpaced expectations at every turn. Even an average run-production operation would likely have Texas in playoff position, and the rotation would make the Rangers a daunting postseason team, but they are running out of time to produce a worthwhile lineup.
14. Cincinnati Reds (62-58)
Play up to the competition. The Reds have admirably hung around in the NL playoff picture, but their toughest test lies ahead: Cincinnati has baseball's most difficult remaining schedule, with showdowns still to come against every current NL playoff team, plus three interleague contests against Toronto. For the Reds to stay relevant deep into September, they'll need to prove themselves against the league's best. Catch them on the right night, and Cincinnati looks up to the task, but navigating the upcoming gauntlet is a lot to ask of a young team that hasn't proven much of anything in recent years.
15. Cleveland Guardians (61-56)
Flush the unpleasant midseason vibes and finish strong. The Guardians have exhibited an impressive amount of resilience following a 10-game losing streak and having two key pitchers placed on the restricted list due to an ongoing gambling investigation. It wasn't long ago that this felt like a doomed season in Cleveland, yet here the team stands with the opportunity to prove that last year wasn't entirely a fluke and the foundation of a healthy and successful franchise remains intact. Whether the Guardians can rally into a surprise playoff spot remains to be seen, but their current positioning is already something of an achievement considering the context.
16. St. Louis Cardinals (61-59)
Play spoiler for the division rivals. The schedule provides a golden opportunity for St. Louis to be an absolute headache for three of its NL Central foes in September. Four of the Cardinals' final five series are against divisional opponents, including six games against the Brewers, three against Cincinnati and three to finish the regular season at Wrigley Field. Perhaps a window opens up for a late playoff push of their own — the Cardinals aren't that far back — but at the very least, this team will have the chance to make its rivals' lives difficult down the stretch.
17. San Francisco Giants (60-60)
Finish multiple games above .500. Since their shocking 107-win campaign in 2021, the Giants have been almost magnetically tethered to a .500 record, winning 81, 79 and 80 games the past three seasons. This year, they are tracking toward another maddeningly middling final record, but there's enough talent here for San Francisco to finish stronger than that. Besides, even if the Giants aren't quite good enough to return to October, it would be horribly disappointing — and fairly brutal optics — if the first year of Buster Posey's tenure overseeing his beloved franchise yielded the exact same mediocre result. Is 85 wins too much to ask? We'll see.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks (57-62)
Give the new bats as many plate appearances as possible. It's no secret that the Snakes face a ton of difficult questions on the mound moving forward, but those concerns can't be fixed right now. A more realistic short-term goal is to find out what they have in their less-experienced young hitters such as Tyler Locklear, Adrian Del Castillo, Blaze Alexander and, hopefully, Jordan Lawlar once he returns from injury. These are talented hitters who could play key supporting roles in 2026 on another elite Arizona offense, which should remain the team's calling card no matter what happens on the mound.
19. Tampa Bay Rays (58-62)
Become road warriors. The Rays are in the midst of a nearly unprecedented, four-city road trip on the West Coast, a partial byproduct of a schedule that frontloaded their home games to avoid the hotter and rainier conditions of late summer at their temporary outdoor home of George M. Steinbrenner Field. Two loss-filled trips in July already cost the Rays mightily in the standings; if they want to hang around in the AL wild-card race, they must find a way to win more games as the away team, because there are three more multi-city jaunts on their schedule after this lengthy West Coast journey.
20. Miami Marlins (57-61)
Have more fun than everyone else. A rough weekend in Atlanta soured the vibes somewhat, but let's not lose sight of the bigger picture here. This is a team that was widely expected and projected to be one of the three worst squads in the league, along with the White Sox and Rockies, yet here the Marlins are in mid-August with a respectable record and a wealth of positive developments up and down the roster. What looked to be a franchise in the earliest stages of a deep and painful rebuild suddenly has a legitimately positive outlook for the not-so-distant future — and you can tell from watching them. The Fish continuing to embrace their youthful exuberance down the stretch should only fuel the optimism entering 2026.
21. Minnesota Twins (56-62)
Let the kids play. The Twins' dramatic roster overhaul at the deadline cleared the way for some new characters to prove themselves down the stretch. Whether it's rookie infielder Luke Keaschall in the lineup or the two talented young hurlers acquired at the deadline in Mick Abel and Taj Bradley, it's important for Minnesota to let the young players find their footing now so as to better prepare them to make a real impact in 2026.
22. Kansas City Royals (59-60)
Get to know the new guys. Kansas City has welcomed a number of fresh faces into the fold this summer, whether it be homegrown rookies (Jac Caglianone, Noah Cameron) or trade acquisitions (Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek, Bailey Falter). Finding out what the team has in those players feels more important for the long haul than whether the cast of veteran deadline additions (Randal Grichuk, Mike Yastrzemski, Adam Frazier) can fuel a last-gasp playoff push.
23. Los Angeles Angels (57-62)
Finish with a winning record. Asking this team to end baseball's longest postseason drought feels like quite the stretch, so there's no need to get greedy here. This year's Halos remain severely flawed but are clearly much more competent and talented than the Anaheim clubs that averaged 92 losses over the past three seasons. October feels like a far-off fantasy, but the 2025 Angels should surpass .500 for the first time since 2015.
24. Atlanta Braves (51-67)
Finish with dignity — but don't win many games. A small silver lining amidst this nightmare of a season for Atlanta: The Braves are extremely likely to find themselves in premium position in December's draft lottery, especially with three other subpar teams ineligible for the lottery (Rockies, Nationals, Angels) due to the limits on being in the lottery multiple years in a row. Getting a top pick is small consolation for how sideways this Braves season has gone, but it's not nothing and could be a nice opportunity to add a premier talent to a farm system that sorely lacks star power.
25. Athletics (53-68)
Clarify roles for the young pitchers. After the team assembled an enviable group of impact bats, it's now time to figure out which pitchers will make up the staff of the next good A's team. Some strong drafts and a series of trades have produced a number of intriguing young arms in the majors or upper-minors, but it's not readily apparent who deserves the chance to compete for a rotation spot and who should be transitioned to the bullpen. These last few weeks of 2025, as well as spring training next year, will be a great time to start crystalizing those roles.
26. Baltimore Orioles (53-65)
Find more arms to believe in entering 2026. The Orioles still boast an impressive collection of hitters to build around but harbor more questions than ever on the mound. Baltimore desperately needs to uncover and nurture some more arms that can be dependable contributors to a competent pitching staff if the franchise wants to get back to being competitive in 2026. The resurgence of Trevor Rogers is an encouraging development, but that's merely a start; there's a ton of work to be done here.
27. Pittsburgh Pirates (51-69)
Find someone, anyone who can be a good major-league hitter. The Pirates have done quite well in amassing competent major-league arms, and that goes well beyond a generational ace in Paul Skenes. But the Pittsburgh offense lags so far behind that this collection of talented pitchers is already in danger of being completely wasted, and the lack of consistent run production is the chief reason Pittsburgh has plummeted backward in a year that was supposed to feature progress toward contending. Guys such as Spencer Horwitz and Nick Gonzales look like modest building blocks, but many more will be needed to form a legitimate lineup.
28. Washington Nationals (47-71)
Figure out what and who needs to stay and go. The Nationals' midseason firing of manager Davey Martinez and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo was a dramatic first step toward altering the direction of a franchise seemingly stuck in the mud, but it was also only the beginning. Regardless of the team's record from now until the end of September, this is a critical evaluation period for interim GM Mike DeBartolo and the entire front office to better understand what internal processes and which members of the coaching and player development staff are worth investing in moving forward and what needs to be overhauled. It's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, but it's crucial for the next chapter of Nationals baseball.
29. Chicago White Sox (43-76)
Identify more members of the 2026 Opening Day roster. The White Sox are still quite bad, but a key difference between this year's team and last year's abject disaster is the uptick in playing time for young players who could be part of the next good Sox team: Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Edgar Quero, Kyle Teel and Grant Taylor all stand out as exciting building blocks. If Chicago can find a couple more such pieces by the end of this season to feel good about, that would go a long way toward providing some semblance of optimism entering 2026, even if the rebuild is still very much in progress.
30. Colorado Rockies (30-88)
Don't lose 122 games. Improved play over the past month has made it far more plausible that the Rockies will avoid the ultimate infamy of losing more games than the 2024 White Sox, but it's by no means a sure thing. The Rockies must go 12-32 the rest of the way to reach the 42-win mark that Chicago could not. And with one of baseball's toughest remaining schedules, including seven more contests against both the Dodgers and the Padres, Colorado is going to have to earn it. Bold prediction: They'll get it done.