Welcome to the stretch run of the 2025 MLB season! As we enter September, teams are making their final pushes for the postseason, and some of baseball’s top clubs are already on their way to clinching a playoff berth — potentially as soon as this weekend, in Milwaukee’s case.
In fact, the Brewers are an example of how far a team can go if it kicks into high gear. They have far and away the best record in the majors since the All-Star break, cementing their place atop the standings for a potential No. 1 seed and first-round bye. Boston is another case, as the Red Sox have ridden a 19-12 record since Aug. 1 to vault themselves squarely back into the wild-card race, competing with the rival Yankees for seeding.
Division titles and wild-card berths are still up for grabs, so don’t expect contenders to slow down any time soon — not in a season that seems so wide open once teams get to October.
Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Buster Olney, Jorge Castillo and Bradford Doolittle to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Week 22 | Second-half preview | Preseason rankings
Record: 86-54
Previous ranking: 1
The outcome of a postseason that could very well feature the Brewers as the top overall team probably will settle the question of whether this is Milwaukee’s best team ever. Barring a last-month collapse, that appears likely to be true — for the regular season, at least.
The Brewers have twice won 96 games in a season (2011 and 2018), though the latter season featured a tiebreaker win in Game No. 163. So the winning percentage record (.593) is held by that 2011 squad, well off the pace of the current Brew Crew, which boasts a .614 winning percentage. The Brewers are also on target to finish with their best run differential. Though they have had other great regular seasons, none of them have paid off in a championship. — Doolittle
Record: 80-59
Previous ranking: 4
Nick Castellanos has an 89 OPS+, meaning he has been a below-average hitter this season and one of the worst defensive players in the majors, according to the advanced metrics. He has minus-12 defensive runs saved, which is tied for the fifth worst among all big leaguers this season. Meanwhile, the Phillies have three outfielders playing well right now, in Brandon Marsh (.478 in his past seven games), Max Kepler (.288/.333/.519 in his past 14 games) and Harrison Bader (.447 in his past 11 games). As manager Rob Thomson focuses on winning late-season games, a tough conversation with Castellanos might be forthcoming. — Olney
Record: 78-61
Previous ranking: 2
You’d think a $400 million payroll would buy you more pitching certainty than what the Dodgers have, but here we are. L.A. will finish the season with only two pitchers accumulating more than 100 innings — Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Clayton Kershaw — and will go into the postseason with a lot of staff questions. Once the Dodgers reach the postseason, manager Dave Roberts (and the front office) will have to decide who in the rotation starts, and who might better serve the team coming out of the bullpen. — Olney
Record: 80-60
Previous ranking: 6
Kyle Tucker‘s second-half swoon appears to have swooned, just in time for the free-agent-to-be to fuel one last Cubs push for the NL Central title. Tucker performed like an MVP for the first half of the season, putting up a .931 OPS with 17 homers and 20 steals. Then, as the glitz began to wear off on the Cubs’ breakout season, Tucker’s OPS fell all the way to .815 by Aug. 21 thanks to a .549 mark over 39 games. Whether it was a slump, injuries or both, Tucker was struggling. No more. Since Aug. 22, he has hit .400/.489/.800 over 11 games, during which the Cubs have gone 7-4. He’s back. — Doolittle
Record: 81-60
Previous ranking: 3
With a month to go in the season, 24-year-old Riley Greene has already surpassed the 30-homer and 100-RBI marks, putting him in rarified air in Tigers history. Only three other young Tigers sluggers have hit those marks at age 24 or younger: Jason Thompson (age 22, 1977), Rudy York (twice, ages 23 and 24, 1937 and 1938) and Hank Greenberg (age 24, 1935). It’ll take a big last month, but if Greene can manage eight more homers, he’d become the youngest Tiger to hit 40. Cecil Fielder (51 homers in 1990) and Greenberg (40 in 1937) were both 26 when they did it. — Doolittle
Record: 81-59
Previous ranking: 5
The Blue Jays’ rotation is full, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for top prospect Trey Yesavage on the staff. The right-hander tossed three scoreless innings for Triple-A Buffalo in his professional relief debut Tuesday — an indication that Toronto is considering using him as a reliever down the stretch and perhaps into October. Yesavage was drafted in the first round out of East Carolina just a year ago and began this season in Single-A. He could end the year by becoming a difference-maker at the highest level. — Castillo
Record: 77-62
Previous ranking: 9
Manager Aaron Boone keeps repeating it’s a matter of when, not if, Aaron Judge will return to right field this season. But the “when” remains a question — as is how often Judge will play there and how his elbow injury will affect his throwing ability. Having Judge return to right field is a risk the Yankees would prefer not to take. At best, teams will challenge his willingness to unleash max-effort throws. At worst, he aggravates the injury and faces a long absence into 2026.
The Yankees would prefer Judge remain as their designated hitter, but the team is best optimized with both Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup. And Stanton, at this point in his career, can’t play outfield every day. It’s a tricky situation the Yankees must navigate. — Castillo
Record: 78-63
Previous ranking: 8
The Red Sox know their top three starters: Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito make for a formidable trio. But after that, the rotation remains unclear. Dustin May, their fourth starter, has been inconsistent. In the fifth spot, Walker Buehler was released and Richard Fitts landed on the injured list, opening the door for prospect Payton Tolle. The left-hander, one of the best pitchers in the minors this season, was impressive in his debut. Maybe he’s Boston’s No. 4 starter. The Red Sox won’t need one in a wild-card or division series, but they’ll need one if they’re going to make a deep October run. — Castillo
Record: 76-64
Previous ranking: 7
It’s hard to overstate the impact of Jason Adam‘s injury on the Padres; he has been one of the best relievers in baseball for the past four seasons. In that time, Adam is tied for seventh among all bullpen arms in appearances (262), third in WHIP (0.94), third in opponents’ average (.173) and 14th in fWAR. The best part of the Padres’ roster — their theoretical separator — is their bullpen, and now they’ve lost arguably the best among that group. — Olney
Record: 75-65
Previous ranking: 12
When Juan Soto went through a performance dip early in the season, manager Carlos Mendoza dismissed the idea that there was any developing problem. Rather, he talked about how talented Soto is and how it was inevitable that he would hit. Mendoza turned out to be very right about that: Soto is on pace to finish the season with more than 40 homers and to reach base more than 250 times. He has been absurdly hot of late.
“Elite hitter, getting results now,” Mendoza wrote in a text Tuesday. “Not missing pitches and using the whole field.” — Olney
Record: 77-63
Previous ranking: 10
Recent controversy aside, Framber Valdez will be one of the Astros’ top two starters alongside Hunter Brown in their playoff rotation. From there, Houston faces uncertainty. Lance McCullers Jr. — and his nearly 7.00 ERA — was recently moved to the bullpen. Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia both recently returned from Tommy John surgery. Spencer Arrighetti has a 5.35 ERA but has improved in his past two outings. Journeyman Jason Alexander boasts a 3.19 ERA in nine starts since joining the battered rotation. The Astros need two of those four to solidify themselves. — Castillo
Record: 73-67
Previous ranking: 11
The Mariners are 6-16 on the road since the All-Star break, a dismal record that could cost them a postseason berth. To avoid a collapse, they need to take care of business at T-Mobile Park down the stretch, with 13 of their final 19 games at home. That home slate includes series against three non-playoff foes (Cardinals, Angels and Rockies) and one to finish the regular season against a postseason entrant (Dodgers) that might not have anything on the line by that final weekend. — Castillo
Record: 72-69
Previous ranking: 15
Somehow, someway, the Rangers are back in the AL wild-card race. They’ve rebounded thanks to the offense, which has been comatose for much of the season, coming alive against inferior opponents. Now comes a season-defining stretch against stiffer competition — consecutive series against the Astros, Brewers, Mets and Astros again — with key absences mounting.
Already without Nathan Eovaldi and Marcus Semien for the rest of the season, Corey Seager, the team’s best hitter, is out indefinitely after undergoing an appendectomy. The Rangers played themselves into playoff contention. The next two weeks will decide whether they have a real shot. — Castillo
Record: 70-69
Previous ranking: 14
The nature of baseball means that bad teams beat great teams once in a while. In a sample of one game, there really is no such thing as an upset in MLB. The Royals aren’t a great team, but they’re a good one — just good enough to hang in wild-card contention as the season’s final month begins. If Kansas City ultimately misses out on a return to the bracket by a game or two, there are already a number of recent losses that its fans can stew over, blown leads in losses to non-contenders such as the Angels and Nationals and contenders such as the Tigers. In the AL, only the Orioles, Angels and White Sox have lost more games they once led than the Royals’ 33. — Doolittle
Record: 70-70
Previous ranking: 13
What looked to be a budding playoff push for Cincinnati has fizzled over the past couple of weeks. After reaching a season-high seven games over .500 on Aug. 19, the Reds were one game back of the flagging Mets in the wild-card chase. Cincinnati has since dropped 10 of 13, dropping five games back of New York and falling into a cluster of .500-ish teams with San Francisco, Arizona and St. Louis. It’s been an ill-timed, all-around slump. During that stretch, Cincinnati ranked near the bottom of the majors in runs per game and runs allowed per game. — Doolittle
Record: 70-69
Previous ranking: 16
Just when the Rays appeared headed for a second straight season without October baseball, they mounted a winning streak long enough to crash the wild-card picture again. Reaching the playoffs remains unlikely — it’s calculated at a little more than 7% — but wilder things have happened.
Regardless, getting Carson Williams acclimated and going over the final month could pay dividends for this season and beyond. The shortstop debuted last month as one of the sport’s top prospects. He’s off to a slow start, but the Rays’ decision to waive Ha-Seong Kim ensures he’ll receive regular playing time in September. With third baseman Junior Caminero exploding for a 40-home run season, the future is bright for the left side of the Rays’ infield. –– Castillo
Record: 71-69
Previous ranking: 20
This season — and how it has played out — is one that Rafael Devers could never have imagined. But at the very least, he knows where he’ll be next year, and he’s finishing this season with a burst of offense — over his past 28 games, Devers has 11 homers and a .296/.402/.630 slashline. He’ll have an entire offseason to prepare for what is likely to be an inevitable shift to first base, given the presence of Matt Chapman at third base for the Giants. — Olney
Record: 69-69
Previous ranking: 17
The Guardians won’t be getting star closer Emmanuel Clase back any time soon after MLB announced its sports-betting investigation into Clase and starter Luis Ortiz will keep the pair on nondisciplinary leave for an indefinite period. Clase, coming off a third-place AL Cy Young finish in 2024, hasn’t pitched for Cleveland since July 26. Since then, the Guardians’ bullpen has ranked sixth in the majors with a 3.48 ERA and is 9-for-14 in save situations**. It could be worse. — Doolittle
Record: 70-71
Previous ranking: 18
In comparison to how the situation between Devers and Boston’s front office played out before his trade to the Giants, Ketel Marte has been much more pliable in his damage control with the Diamondbacks — apologizing to teammates for the way he handled his absence right after the All-Star break. Contrary to speculation, some rival officials say they believe Arizona will keep Marte this winter, rather than deal him. — Olney
Record: 70-71
Previous ranking: 19
St. Louis speedster Victor Scott II is at 2.4 bWAR, putting him in a cluster of Redbirds hitters with a chance to lead the team. His candidacy is based on everything but hitting, a somewhat important category in which his performance has been worth minus-11 runs by Baseball Reference’s formulation. Scott’s career OPS+ of 66 would render him unplayable as a regular if not for his top-of-the-charts fielding and baserunning metrics. He has shown progress with his walk rate, but entering his age-25 season in 2026, it’ll be imperative to show more than that at the plate. — Doolittle
Record: 65-75
Previous ranking: 21
Throughout the early months of the season, front offices around the majors weren’t exactly sure what Sandy Alcantara might be in August and September, the final months of his first full season after Tommy John surgery. Well, Alcantara is finishing 2025 strong, with only 14 hits and five walks given up over 27 innings in his past four starts, which will undoubtedly fuel interest from other teams in a possible trade this coming offseason. Alcantara is under contract for $17.3 million for next season. — Olney
Record: 66-73
Previous ranking: 23
The Angels’ aggressive approach with recent top draft picks was immediately effective with Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel, but Christian Moore’s introduction to the majors was rockier. The second baseman, who debuted in June a year after being drafted in the first round of the 2024 draft, was recently demoted to Triple-A with a .195 batting average and .623 OPS in 39 games — production that wasn’t helped by Moore sitting out a month because of a sprained left thumb. Now the Angels hope Moore can get back on track and finish the year strong with opportunity knocking in 2026. — Castillo
Record: 63-77
Previous ranking: 22
When Atlanta’s Brian Snitker met with the “Sunday Night Baseball” announcers before the game in Philadelphia on Sunday, he said he hadn’t made up his mind about whether he wanted to manage in 2026, a decision that will be his alone. He talked about how much he had missed through the many baseball seasons of his lifetime — for example, he has watched only three innings of his son’s high school baseball career. And Snitker wants to travel. If the 70-year-old skipper retires, he’ll continue to work in the Braves organization as a consultant or special assistant. — Olney
Record: 64-77
Previous ranking: 25
Rookies this season fall into two buckets: Nick Kurtz and everyone else. The A’s first baseman is putting the finishing touches on one of the greatest rookie campaigns in recent history. Kurtz’s 177 wRC+ is tied with Yordan Alvarez’s first-year output in 2019 for tops among all rookies with at least 350 plate appearances since 2015, and his 1.037 OPS and .636 slugging percentage are second to Alvarez and his .401 on-base percentage third. Kurtz, who has 28 home runs in 96 games, is the overwhelming favorite to become the Athletics’ first Rookie of the Year since Andrew Bailey in 2009. It has taken him less than 18 months to become a franchise cornerstone since being selected No. 4 in the 2024 draft. — Castillo
Record: 64-76
Previous ranking: 24
The Orioles, long removed from the postseason race and relegated to spoiler, have another month to evaluate which players fit in their plans for 2026. The future is promising with a position player core of Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo.
But what about the other players? Does Adley Rutschman, once entrenched as an Orioles cornerstone, still fit? How about Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle and Jeremiah Jackson? Then there’s the pitching. Tyler Rogers has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since June. He could top a playoff rotation. The Orioles must figure out the rest. — Castillo
Record: 62-77
Previous ranking: 26
Anyone following the season through the prism of the postseason would have ceased to pay attention to the Twins as soon as they finished offloading half of their roster at the trade deadline. If that’s you, you might want to at least tune back in when Joe Ryan is pitching. With 4.9 bWAR entering September, Ryan is having one of the better pitching seasons in the post-Senators part of Twins franchise history. That 4.9 is already tied for 34th in Minnesota history, but Ryan is on pace for 5.8. That would get him to 24th with the Twins’ highest total since Johan Santana (7.6) in 2006. — Doolittle
Record: 63-77
Previous ranking: 27
Some scratched their heads over the Pirates’ decision to start phenom Bubba Chandler in the bullpen after his promotion from Triple-A. In fact, the practice of starting a young pitcher off as a long reliever is a time-honored tradition in baseball — or at least it used to be, with Earl Weaver among the advocates of such an approach. Either way, Chandler has sparkled during three four-inning relief outings, finally getting touched up for three runs by the Dodgers on Tuesday. Still, he has a 2.25 ERA, a save and two wins in his first three MLB outings. Not bad for a middle reliever. — Doolittle
Record: 56-83
Previous ranking: 28
The sequence of the changes made by Washington’s ownership continue to confuse rival executives. Not long before the draft and trade deadline, the Nationals fired GM Mike Rizzo but kept scouting director Danny Haas, who spearheaded the conversation around the team’s No. 1 pick, high school shortstop Eli Willits. Now, Haas has left the organization.
“Changes happen, I get it,” one rival official said. “But it’s the timing that just seems strange. Why not bring in the guy you want before you make those decisions?” — Olney
Record: 52-88
Previous ranking: 29
It takes a long time to really judge a trade, but the first year after Chicago dealt Garrett Crochet to Boston for Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, Wikelman Gonzalez and Braden Montgomery has been encouraging for the White Sox. Crochet (5.0 bWAR) is having a Cy Young-level season for the BoSox. But Teel (1.7 bWAR), Meidroth (1.1) and Gonzalez (0.1, with a 2.03 ERA over 10 outings) are already in the majors. Montgomery, in his first season of professional ball, has reached Double-A and is hitting over .300 for Birmingham. With all of these young players blossoming, it should only get better from here for the ChiSox. — Doolittle
Record: 39-101
Previous ranking: 30
A lot has gone wrong for the Rockies this season, but it has been an excellent year for Hunter Goodman, who leads Colorado position players in WAR by far, as well as in home runs, runs, RBIs and hits.
The 25-year-old is in his first season as the primary catcher for the Rockies. He has been outstanding putting the first ball in play: 44 hits in 88 at-bats, with 10 homers, two triples and six homers. — Olney
