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MLB Power Rankings: Astros reign supreme, Yankees lost some steam

By Tim Boyle

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 23: Ryan Pressly #55 of the Houston Astros celebrates the out of Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees to win game four and the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 23, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 23: Ryan Pressly #55 of the Houston Astros celebrates the out of Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees to win game four and the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 23, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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MLB Power Rankings
TAMPA, FLORIDA – MARCH 06: Miguel Andújar #26 of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks on in the third inning against the New York Yankees during a Grapefruit League Spring Training game at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 06, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

25) MLB Power Rankings: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are only slightly ahead of the Cincinnati Reds to begin the year because they’re actually trying to compete. You don’t sign Carlos Santana, Andrew McCutchen, Rich Hill, and make other moves just to roll over for everyone you face. Several of their young and more exciting players have an opportunity to be much better this season. File the Pirates in the “let’s see them prove it” folder until we move them ahead.

24) MLB Power Rankings: Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers chose to have a much quieter offseason after a much more action-packed 2021-2022 winter. They’re still stuck with Javier Baez on the payroll. However, one of last season’s greatest underachieving teams has a halfway decent core in place to finish well ahead of the Kansas City Royals. It’s about all they can hope to do while nurturing their younger players.

23) MLB Power Rankings: Baltimore Orioles

Yes, the Baltimore Orioles are trending upward. The 83-79 team that almost crawled into the postseason last year deserves a lot of credit. Why rank them so low? They had a pitiful offseason. All they needed to do was add one veteran pitcher and a bat better than Kyle Gibson and Adam Frazier. It seems like the Orioles front office forgot how strongly this club finished the year. Failure to seize an opportunity drops them way down to start the season.

22) MLB Power Rankings: Chicago Cubs

Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs believe in themselves much more than the Baltimore Orioles. They spent money on Jameson Taillon, Cody Bellinger, and even former Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini. The Cubs shouldn’t come close to sniffing the postseason. Something closer to .500 should be within their reach. They certainly seem capable of winning seven more games this season.

21) MLB Power Rankings: Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks can surprise a lot of people this year. The young players should help make them a contender soon enough. They’re just not quite there at the present moment to rank them any higher. A timid offseason should have fans cautious about thinking they’ll be able to finish higher than fourth. They definitely can. If you’re looking for a dark horse playoff team in the National League, these are your guys.

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