The final month of the 2025 MLB regular season is upon us, meaning that the pressure is on. MLB teams not only face pressure to get into the playoffs, but some even face pressure to go on World Series runs.
Don’t get me wrong: Every team wants to and feels it should get the job done. With that being said, some teams will undoubtedly face more pressure than others to win it all. Here’s a ranking of all 12 teams currently in postseason spots sorted from those facing the least amount of pressure to the most.
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12) Houston Astros
It’s strange to have the Houston Astros as the team facing the least amount of pressure, but hear me out. First and foremost, this team has already won two World Series titles in the last seven years. Even if you want to deem the 2017 title as illegitimate (I wouldn’t blame you), they won it again in 2022. Winning another one would be great, but what would it prove? The Astros have already shown they can win it all without cheating, and they’ve already overcome a ton this season.
Yordan Alvarez has played in 42 games. Isaac Paredes is out for the year. Josh Hader is currently sidelined. The pitching injuries as a whole have been insane. In spite of all of that, the Astros are leading the AL West. Making it to the playoffs, especially as a division winner, feels like a win by itself.
So, yeah, the Astros have won recently and are arguably exceeding expectations now. It’d be nice for them to win it all, especially with Framber Valdez hitting free agency after the year, but it feels far from a must.
11) Boston Red Sox
In most years, the Boston Red Sox would be much higher on this list because, well, they’re the Boston Red Sox. Expectations are to win it all just about every year. With that being said, did anyone really think this team would be in World Series contention considering all that’s happened?
Sure, hopes were high entering the year, but the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers seemingly out of nowhere in mid-June. They were just 38-36 at the time of the deal, and it would’ve been understandable if momentum had just been sapped. Well, the Red Sox have gone 43-29 since, catapulting them to a playoff spot, while Devers’ San Francisco Giants are on the outside looking in. Barring a sudden collapse, the Red Sox will make the playoffs, something they were far from a lock to do with Devers.
It’d be cool to see the Red Sox go on a run this season, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First and foremost, Roman Anthony is hurt and without a clear timetable to return. If he isn’t healthy or performing at 100 percent, can we really get on the Red Sox for falling short? Second, the core of this team is young and not going anywhere. The only key free agents Boston has include Alex Bregman, a player very likely to return, and Lucas Giolito, one they’ll have no problem replacing if he departs.
The Red Sox are set up to win for a long time, especially if they reinvest the money they saved from the Devers trade. The fact that they’re likely going to get to the playoffs without him is a victory by itself.
10) Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a tough team to rank because they made moves to try and win now, yet are set up to win in the future. At the trade deadline, the Mariners acquired Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez and Caleb Ferguson, three rentals, to try and make a run. In that vein, it’d be disappointing if they fail to go deep into the postseason.
With that being said, while some intriguing pieces went to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates to execute those trades, the Mariners didn’t part with a single top-100 prospect. They still have the third-best farm system according to MLB Pipeline, featuring a league-high nine (!) top-100 prospects. Additionally, while Naylor, Suarez and Ferguson can all hit free agency after the year, Seattle’s core is locked in long-term.
Yes, it’s never ideal to give assets up for a year that doesn’t result in at least an AL pennant, but the Mariners are built to compete in 2026 and beyond. That makes the sting of falling short in 2025 much more tolerable, taking away a lot of pressure.
9) Toronto Blue Jays
At 83-61, the Toronto Blue Jays not only lead the AL East but have the best record in the American League. Who saw that coming? Sure, there were reasons to expect they’d be better in 2025 than they were in 2024, especially after adding guys like Jeff Hoffman, Anthony Santander and Max Scherzer, but it’s not as if their main additions have done much, and they’re still the class of the AL right now.
It feels as if the Jays have already completed a successful season. They checked a major item off their checklist early by signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million extension, ensuring he won’t be able to test free agency. They’re a near lock to make the playoffs, and have a really good shot of winning the division.
It’d sting if Toronto failed to go on a deep playoff run, especially after trading for a likely rental at the deadline in Shane Bieber and with Bo Bichette set to test the open market, but this season has still been a success. Jobs have been saved, and the fan base has been rejuvenated.
8) Detroit Tigers
Last season, the Detroit Tigers were MLB’s Cinderella story, going from a team that was all but out of contention in August all the way to Game 5 of the ALDS. This season, Detroit hasn’t snuck up on anybody, yet they’ve been among MLB’s best all year. They hold the largest division lead in the AL as of this writing, and there’s a chance they will be the No. 1 seed in the AL when the postseason begins.
Because of that alone, the pressure is on the Tigers to win now. With that being said, did anyone expect the Tigers to take this kind of leap? I mean, they were fun last year, but have now established themselves as one of the premier teams in the sport despite minimal roster changes.
The reason why the Tigers might face more pressure than their AL counterparts, though, comes down to Tarik Skubal, their best player by far. Skubal is a shoe-in for his second straight AL Cy Young Award and he’s been a joy to watch, but who knows how much longer he’ll be in Detroit? 2026 is his final year of club control, and nothing that’s been reported suggests an extension is on the horizon. Winning with the best pitcher in baseball feels like a must, and I’m not sure they’ll have a better chance to do so than this season.
7) Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are another tough team to gauge because they’ve exceeded everyone’s expectations. They lost Willy Adames and Devin Williams this past offseason, didn’t meaningfully replace either player and yet, at 89-57, they have the best record in the sport by a decent margin. I didn’t expect them to make the playoffs, let alone be the No. 1 seed in the National League.
Because of the lack of expectations, it’s hard to say the Brewers are facing much pressure. But based on how things have gone around the league this season, and how things have gone in Milwaukee in recent years, the Brewers have to be feeling some heat.
In regards to this season, when will the NL be this wide-open again? We all thought the league would run through the Dodgers, but they’ve been banged up and remarkably inconsistent. The Phillies are without Zack Wheeler for the season and Trea Turner for who knows how long. The Cubs have really struggled in the second half and are without Justin Steele. The Padres and Mets have both been maddeningly up-and-down all year. The Brewers have a prime opportunity, especially with home-field advantage, to go on a deep run now more than ever.
Considering that, and their recent history of postseason failure, now feels like their best chance to win. They’ve made the playoffs in six of the last seven years, but have made it to the NLCS just once in that span. Getting back there and maybe even further feels like a must, considering how well they’ve played, even with the thought that they’ve exceeded expectations.
6) Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers won last year’s World Series and then proceeded to add Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Roki Sasaki, Hyeseong Kim and Michael Conforto in the offseason, while also re-signing Teoscar Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw. They were supposed to be even better this year than they were in 2024, so it goes without saying that it’s World Series or bust.
With that in mind, the Dodgers undoubtedly face a ton of pressure. People were talking about this team as one that could finish with MLB’s all-time regular-season win record because of how stacked it was on paper.
Falling short in October, given all of these expectations, would be a massive failure. Anything less than a World Series win would be a wasted season. With that being said, it’s not as if this is their last bite at the apple.
The Dodgers have their core locked in long-term, and they literally won it all last season. Had they not won it in 2024, perhaps they’d be dealing with more pressure, but it’s hard to put them ahead of other teams knowing that they just won a title — even with the expectations being what they are.
5) New York Mets
The New York Mets came out of nowhere to not only make last year’s playoffs, but go on a run to Game 6 of the NLCS. They fell short in that series against the Dodgers, but that felt like the beginning of something special. When the Mets won the Juan Soto sweepstakes over the offseason, expectations shot up to clearly World Series or bust. As unfair as that might be, anything short of a World Series win now feels like a failure for a Mets team that was so close last season and added a superstar of Soto’s caliber.
Losing earlier than the NLCS, or even missing the playoffs entirely (which is very possible right now), would really sting, especially after the Mets made four separate trades for rentals at the trade deadline to try and win the World Series this season.
With that being said, it’s not as if Soto is a threat to go anywhere after the year, and the same can be said about Francisco Lindor. Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz might, but that’s far from a guarantee, and even if they do, David Stearns has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to finding replacements. Additionally, the Mets’ farm system has drastically improved, as evidenced by the emergence of pitchers Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat. Even if this team disappoints this season, which would stink, they’re built to win consistently, taking some of the pressure off this season.
4) San Diego Padres
At some point, the San Diego Padres have to win it all when A.J. Preller goes all-in, right? Preller has made numerous trades involving high-end prospects in exchange for win-now talent over the years, and perhaps none were bigger than the deal that sent Leo De Vries to the Athletics in exchange for Mason Miller. Trading one of the top prospects in the sport for a reliever certainly raised some eyebrows, but nobody will care if the Padres win it all right now. Preller’s job could depend on whether the Padres are able to go on a deep run or not, if we’re being honest.
First and foremost, the Padres are at risk of losing quite a few key players to free agency. Michael King has a mutual option he’ll likely decline. Robert Suarez has a player option he’ll likely turn down to test the open market. Luis Arraez, Dylan Cease, Ryan O’Hearn and Nestor Cortes Jr. are all on expiring contracts. They might be able to bring one or two of these guys back, but it’s not as if the Padres are the Dodgers when it comes to spending money.
Second, a good amount of the core that they have locked in is getting quite old. Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Mason Miller are entering their primes, but Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Jake Cronenworth, Jason Adam and Nick Pivetta are all 31 years old or older. Bogaerts, Darvish and Cronenworth have already shown signs of decline, and Musgrove is coming off a major injury. How impactful will these players be in 2026?
Sure, Preller could continue to wheel and deal, but it’s not as if this Padres farm system is flush with prospects anymore. I mean, their No. 1 prospect right now is probably Ethan Salas, a teenage catcher whose stock has fallen dramatically over the past two-ish years. This might be San Diego’s last, best chance to cash in.
3) Chicago Cubs
By trading for Kyle Tucker, a superstar on an expiring contract, the Chicago Cubs made it abundantly clear that they were all-in on 2025. Fair or not, after acquiring Tucker, the expectations became World Series or bust because of his contract status.
Winning it all immediately justifies the deal. The Cubs will be fine with parting with what they did to get Tucker regardless of whether he sticks around long-term or not if they can win a title with him. With that being said, if the Cubs fall short, this can get ugly.
I’d like to think the Cubs will be aggressive to re-sign Tucker, and perhaps they will be willing to meet his lavish demands, but that’s far from a guarantee. And even if they are, it’s a two-way street: Tucker has to want to return. If he does, it’s not the end of the world if they fall short this season. If he departs, the Cubs will have traded Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith and Hayden Wesneski for ... what? The opportunity to lose in the playoffs once?
This could be their only chance to win with Tucker. All Cubs fans can hope is that he’s healthy for the postseason and can lead them to the promised land.
2) New York Yankees
This might seem unfair, since many thought the New York Yankees would take a step back this season after losing Juan Soto (especially after the news that Gerrit Cole would need Tommy John surgery). However, these are the New York Yankees we’re talking about here, and it’s always World Series or bust. That is literally their mission statement.
It’s been 15 years since the Yankees have won it all, as crazy as that is to believe. Falling short this year would make it 16. That’s unacceptable for an organization that prides itself on its ability to win it all.
Additionally, the Yankees boast the best hitter on the planet, Aaron Judge, in the middle of his prime. Judge is on pace to win his third MVP award in four years, which is a fantastic achievement, but it’d be better if one of these MVPs came with a World Series ring. Not only have the Yankees consistently fallen short in the Judge era, but Judge himself has failed to live up to expectations in October.
I don’t know how many absurd seasons Judge has left in him, and a vast majority of this Yankees core is on the wrong side of 30. It’s go-time for the Yankees, especially when taking into account how long it’s been since they last won.
1) Philadelphia Phillies
This one also might be seen as unfair because the Philadelphia Phillies are dealing with some detrimental injuries. Zack Wheeler is out for the season, and Trea Turner is out for the foreseeable future. Not many teams can realistically say they expect to win it all without a player of Wheeler’s caliber in particular. But if not now, when?
First of all, the Phillies’ roster is quite old. Wheeler, Turner, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos and Aaron Nola are all 32 years old or older. Schwarber, Realmuto and Ranger Suarez are all free agents at the end of the year as well. We don’t know how much longer these guys will stay elite, and in the cases of Schwarber, Realmuto and Suarez, how much longer will they be in Philadelphia?
Even without Wheeler, the Phillies have a rotation capable of winning it all. This all comes down to whether their stars can show up or not: History suggests they’ll fold at some point, but if there was ever a time to change the narrative, it’s right now.
The National League is wide open, the Phillies will get home-field advantage for most of the playoffs and again, their roster is aging. Anything short of winning the World Series should be seen as a failure for this core which has consistently fallen short in the Harper era.