MLB standings ordered by May record: Cardinals trending, Yankees red-hot

The MLB standings underwent significant changes in May. Which teams are on the rise, and which teams are trending in the wrong direction? 

We are roughly one-third of the way through the MLB season. So far, the contenders and pretenders have mostly separated themselves from the pack. Teams like Oakland and Kansas City are entrenched at the bottom, while the real heavy hitters like Tampa Bay and Texas are galloping ahead of the field.

May was a pivotal month for a lot of franchises. A lot of teams teetering on the brink are figuring out their direction, for better or worse. The Phillies turned their season around in a big way last year, but such a revival doesn’t feel possible right now. On the flip side, the Yankees have emerged from an early-season stupor and look like potential world-beaters.

You can view the full MLB standings here, but we will put the focus on the month of May to determine whether teams are trending in the right or wrong direction.

MLB standings: Divisional standings ordered by May record

AL East

1. New York Yankees (19-10)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (17-12)
3. Baltimore Orioles (16-12)
4. Boston Red Sox (13-13)
5. Toronto Blue Jays (11-17)

Not long ago, the Blue Jays were treading water ahead of New York. Now the Yankees have flipped the script completely and put the Rays on high alert, even if Tampa hasn’t exactly slowed down. The Jays have a lot to figure out if they want to keep pace with baseball’s toughest division.

AL Central 

1. Detroit Tigers (16-11)
2. Chicago White Sox (15-14)
3. Cleveland Guardians (12-15)
4. Minnesota Twins (12-15)
5. Kansas City Royals (10-17)

The Tigers have closed to gap on Minnesota at the top of the division, only trailing by 2.0 games now. The White Sox have played better of late, but hovering around .500 the rest of the way won’t be enough to dig them out of the hole they’re in.

AL West

1. Texas Rangers (18-9)
2. Houston Astros (17-10)
3. Seattle Mariners (17-11)
4. Los Angeles Angels (15-13)
5. Oakland Athletics (6-23)

To the remaining A’s fans, we salute you. It has been a long and difficult year and it’s not looking up any time soon. Otherwise, the AL West is one of the hottest divisions in baseball right now. The Rangers and Astros look particularly dominant, which means we could be trending toward another postseason with a heavy Texas flavor. Plus, the Mariners are nipping at the Angels’ heels right now in the race for third place.

NL East

1. Atlanta Braves (15-14)
2. New York Mets (14-15)
3. Washington Nationals (14-15)
4. Miami Marlins (13-14)
5. Philadelphia Phillies (10-16)

The Braves haven’t been quite as prolific lately, but they built themselves a nice cushion early in the season. The Mets are close enough to pose a threat, but New York isn’t playing the best baseball either. To the reigning NL champs in Philly, I ask: are you okay?

NL Central

1. St. Louis Cardinals (15-13)
2. Cincinnati Reds (14-13)
3. Milwaukee Brewers (11-16)
4. Chicago Cubs (10-18)
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (8-18)

The Cubs are in crisis mode right now. The Brewers feel especially vulnerable in first place, but the second-place Pirates — who are only a half-game behind in the standings — were somehow even worse in the month of May. Meanwhile… the Cardinals keep playing solid baseball with a bevy of quality hitters and a rapidly improving bullpen. Watch out for St. Louis.

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (18-10)
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (17-10)
3. San Francisco Giants (17-12)
4. Colorado Rockies (15-13)
5. San Diego Padres (10-16)

The Dodgers feel like the team to beat in the NL right now, or at least in that same ballpark with Atlanta. The Padres, on the other hand, entered the season with visions of grandeur but have been stinking up the field in recent weeks.

MLB standings: American League standings order by May record

1. Texas Rangers (18-9)
2. New York Yankees (19-10)
3. Houston Astros (17-10)
4. Seattle Mariners (17-11)
5. Tampa Bay Rays (17-12)
6. Detroit Tigers (16-11)
7. Baltimore Orioles (16-12)
8. Los Angeles Angels (15-13)
9. Chicago White Sox (15-14)
10. Boston Red Sox (13-13)
11. Cleveland Guardians (12-15)
12. Minnesota Twins (12-15)
13. Toronto Blue Jays (11-17)
14. Kansas City Royals (10-17)
15. Oakland Athletics (6-23)

The Rangers are the hottest team in baseball by just about every metric. The Yankees and the Astros aren’t far behind. While Tampa still stands tall as the best AL team record-wise, there’s competition brewing. The Astros are the reigning champs, while both Texas and New York harbor significant star power. The National League has a handful of powerhouse teams, but right now the American League feels far superior.

At least at the top… the bottom is a different story. Minnesota is hanging on to first place by a thread in the Central Division. Meanwhile, Kansas City and Oakland are objectively the worst teams in baseball. Oakland, in fact, is one of the worst teams of all time.

MLB standings: National League standings ordered by May record

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (18-10)
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (17-10)
3. San Francisco Giants (17-12)
4. Colorado Rockies (15-13)
5. St. Louis Cardinals (15-13)
6. Cincinatti Reds (14-13)
7. Atlanta Braves (15-14)
8. New York Mets (14-15)
9. Washington Nationals (14-15)
10. Miami Marlins (13-14)
11. Milwaukee Brewers (11-16)
12. Philadelphia Phillies (10-16)
13. San Diego Padres (10-16)
14. Chicago Cubs (10-18)
15. Pittsburgh Pirates (8-18)

The Dodgers were kings of the NL for the month of May. The Braves can afford a few lulls here and there given their hot start, but the Dodgers’ current momentum threatens to cause some separation atop the actual NL standings. The Diamondbacks, too, are tied with Atlanta record-wise and have been playing better baseball the last few weeks. The Braves shouldn’t get too comfortable in the contenders circle.

The Cardinals are really a team to watch here. Their positive momentum is significant and the Central Division is highly winnable, even after their retched start to the season. One of the reasons the Central Division is so winnable is the Cubs, who are approaching all-time bad vibes territory at the moment. Is a Chicago fire sale looming?