Grading all 30 MLB teams so far as we enter the month of June

Sure, it won't technically be summer for another three weeks still. But June 1 still feels like a meaningful signpost on the long and winding road that is the MLB regular season: Spring is the time to shake off the rust and work out the kinks, but now it's time to put the pedal to the metal and see what kind of time you can really be.

So what better time to take stock of how the year's gone so far — and see who's sitting pretty and who still has work to do? As the meat of the season approaches, we're handing out grades for all 30 Major League teams, based on their performance relative to expectations.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Grade: B-

• Biggest surprise: Michael Soroka
• Biggest weakness: Lineup depth

If you told D-backs fans in March, with Corbin Carroll still recovering from a broken hamate bone, that they'd be four games above .500 enterin June, they probably would've taken it. And yet everything about this team's statistical profile screams average, without enough lineup depth behind their big bats and not enough pitching overall. Arizona still feels like a team in need of some sort of shakeup to really make some noise in the NL.

Atlanta Braves

Grade: A

• Biggest surprise: Bryce Elder
• Biggest weakness: Pitching depth

Remember back in spring training, when Atlanta was convinced the sky was falling? Not that you could blame them, given just how much of their starting rotation was on the shelf due to injury. Flash forward a couple months, though, and the Braves have been the class of baseball, with a lineup that's mashing like it's 2023 all over again and the most stunning All-Star campaign in recent memory from Bryce Elder. Is this pitching run sustainable? Given how well they hit — and with Spencer Strider rounding into form and Hurston Waldrep coming back — does it really matter?

Baltimore Orioles

Grade: D

• Biggest surprise: Leody Taveras
• Biggest weakness: Starting pitching

It could be worse, I suppose. Baltimore has finally shown some signs of life of late, particularly offensively, and the AL Wild Card race is such a mess that no one is truly out of it yet. (Well, okay, maybe no one but the Angels.) Still, it's hard not to be disappointed that the same old problems continue to plague this Orioles team under Mike Elias, particularly on the pitching side. Until that changes, it's hard to take them seriously, and time is running out on this core.

Boston Red Sox

Grade: F

• Biggest surprise: Caleb Durbin
• Biggest weakness: Lack of power

Where do we start? Garrett Crochet is still on the shelf for an indeterminate period of time, the lineup is among the most punchless in baseball and, oh yeah, they're mired in last place in the AL East after costing Alex Cora his job. There's still time and talent here to make a run, but it's getting late awfully early, and that's unaccepable for a team that was supposed to be stepping into its contention window this season.

Chicago Cubs

Grade: C+

• Biggest surprise: Ben Brown
• Biggest weakness: Pitching injuries

Just a few weeks ago, this grade likely would've been a lot higher. But then the offense went in the tank, and the injuries to this pitching staff just kept on coming. It's far too early to stick a fork in this Cubs team; you don't put together two separate 10-game winning streaks by accident, and this remains a deep and dangerous lineup. But it's also hard to see them going toe to toe with the NL's heavyweights unless this rotation gets and stays healthy, and merely being pretty good is no longer good enough.

Chicago White Sox

Grade: A+

• Biggest surprise: Munetaka Murakami
• Biggest weakness: Starting pitching behind Davis Martin

On the South Side, however, it's been one big party. That's the thing about low expectations: The White Sox have about the same record as their intracity rivals, but it's been so long since they've had a pulse that it feels lightyears apart. Munetaka Murakami has been the steal of the offseason, while several members of this young core have progressed ahead of schedule. Start throwing some money around next winter and we might have something.

Cincinnati Reds

Grade: C

• Biggest surprise: JJ Bleday
• Biggest weakness: Offense

Speaking of throwing money around: The Reds had a golden opportunity for a big winter fresh off last year's Wild Card run, only to squander all that good will by once again failing to invest in what's been a largely moribund offense. Bleday has been a revelation, but a pitching staff that carried Cincy last season has gotten bit by the injury bug, and when you score so few runs, there's zero margin for error.

Cleveland Guardians

Grade: A-

• Biggest surprise: Lineup depth
• Biggest weakness: ... pitching depth?

Write these Guardians off at your own peril. This isn't your older brother's Guards Ball; Cleveland has a real, honest-to-goodness lineup around Jose Ramirez these days, thanks to to prospects like Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana and developmental successes like Angel Martinez. The pitching has been shakier than we're used to, but we trust the Guardians to figure things out on the mound — and there's more young talent coming through the pipeline.

Colorado Rockies

Grade: C+

• Biggest surprise: Chase Dollander
• Biggest weakness: Pitching (duh)

Colorado has at the very least been respectable, and considering how bad things have been of late, that's good enough in year one under a new regime. Dollander is the most promising homegrown pitcher this team has had in a very, very long time, and the Rockies' new, analytically inclined front office is finally committed to cracking the code of playing at Coors Field.

Detroit Tigers

Grade: F

• Biggest surprise: Framber Valdez
• Biggest weakness: Lineup depth

Really, we'd give them an F- if we could. Of all the disappointments on this list, none have been more profound than the Tigers, which held on to Tarik Skubal for one more run only to lose him to an elbow injury and promptly fall apart. Detroit now has the worst record in baseball, and Skubal is almost certainly gone at the trade deadline, as the team's other young talent simply hasn't come together around him over the last couple of years.

Houston Astros

Grade: D+

• Biggest surprise: Cam Smith
• Biggest weakness: Pitching, pitching, pitching

Even without Cam Smith taking the much-anticipated second-year leap, offense has not been the problem in Houston. The pitching, on the other hand, has been an unmitigated disaster, which is why Houston finds itself in fourth place right now. If they can't right the ship soon, a true teardown might be coming, as there's no way Jim Crane wants to keep footing a tax bill for a losing team. Then again, Houston has shown progress of late, and through Yordan Alvarez all things are possible. It's been a huge disappointment so far, but the fat lady isn't singing yet.

Kansas City Royals

Grade: F

• Biggest surprise: Any hitter not named Bobby Witt Jr.
• Biggest weakness: Hard to win when you can't score

She might be in Kansas City, though, where the Royals have been spared last place in the AL Central thanks only to the incompetence of the Tigers. Yet again this team has failed to put a functional lineup around Bobby Witt Jr., and while the pitching remains pretty good, it's not nearly good enough to cover for the lack of production from guys like Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone and Salvador Perez. If the bats don't wake up soon, a quick rebuild could be coming.

Los Angeles Angels

Grade: D

• Biggest surprise: Jose Soriano!
• Biggest weakness: ... every other pitcher

Organizationally speaking, the Halos get an F hands down. This remains the most rudderless team in the entire sport, years away from contention without seemingly any sense of how to actually start down that path. This is just another unremarkably bad year in a stretch full of them, so we'll spare them a failing grade. Just know that you, personally, get an F, Arte Moreno.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Grade: Incomplete

• Biggest surprise: Andy Pages
• Biggest weakness: Getting the rotation to October in one piece

Does it really matter? Breaking news: the Dodgers are very, very good, with an offense that's rapidly rounding into form after an uncharacteristic dry spell. But we knew that already; the only question is whether they can get all of their high-priced veterans to the postseason healthy, and whether the baseball gods will smile on their bid for a historic threepeat. On paper, though, L.A. has everything it needs, with a new bullpen likely coming at the trade deadline.

Miami Marlins

Grade: C-

• Biggest surprise: Eury Perez
• Biggest weakness: Lineup depth

It wasn't all that long ago that the Marlins were among the pleasant surprises of the early season, with a pesky lineup and surprising pitching depth. But the latter has absolutely cratered as the year has gone on, with both Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez underperforming and top prospect Robby Snelling lost to Tommy John all too soon into his MLB career. Oh, and the lineup has regressed, particularly Kyle Stowers. A step forward was a reasonable expectation, but instead Miami feels as far away from real contention as ever.

Milwaukee Brewers

Grade: A-

• Biggest surprise: Kyle Harrison
• Biggest weakness: Is there enough pop?

The Brewers are doing it again. Don't let past October failures leave you numb to just how consistent this team manages to be between March and September, even when they trade away Freddy Peralta and lose Brandon Woodruff to another injury. Jacob Misiorowski might already be the best pitcher in baseball, and while there are still questions about this offense — particularly where slugging is concerned — they're athletic and annoying and know how to win tons of regular season games. Whether they'll be able to flip the postseason script remains to be seen.

Minnesota Twins

Grade: C

• Biggest surprise: Luke Keaschall
• Biggest weakness: Bullpen

Despite the best efforts of ownership, the Twins aren't totally hopeless, with some interesting young starting pitchers and Byron Buxton doing his thing. But those pitchers have yet to be healthy and consistent enough, and the lineup doesn't have nearly enough firepower to make actual noise. The result is a team floating in the middle, neither contending nor rebuilding but seemingly waiting for the other shoe to drop.

New York Mets

Grade: D-

• Biggest surprise: Nolan McLean
• Biggest weakness: Can somebody please help Juan Soto?

Soto just keeps on mashing at a historic rate, despite Francisco Lindor missing much of the year so far and Bo Bichette providing absolutely zero assistance. Heck, pretty much this entire lineup has been punchless, with several of David Stearns' offseason additions blowing up in his face. Not what you want with a record payroll after a historic late-season collapse last summer. If there's a silver lining here, it's that the pitching has clear upside left to be unlocked — do not sell your McLean stock — and you have to figure that the offense will at least get a little better. Right?

New York Yankees

Grade: B+

• Biggest surprise: Rotation depth
• Biggest weakness: Bullpen

When they're clicking, the Yankees look as good as anybody in baseball; the ceiling is that high, with a wealth of starting pitching and an offense that can score runs in bunches. Of course, when they aren't clicking, things can get very ugly very fast — especially in a bullpen that Brian Cashman has repeatedly failed to address. Overall, there's plenty of reason for optimism here, though not so much that old doubts don't creep in.

Athletics

Grade: C+

• Biggest surprise: Lawrence Butler
• Biggest weakness: Can this rotation stay afloat?

Granted, it wasn't so long ago that hovering around .500 and sitting in second place in an admittedly weak division would've been cause for celebration. This team feels like it should have progressed beyond that by now, though, and yet the pitching staff is no closer to viability and several ostensible cornerstones — most notably Butler — haven't developed as hoped. The future is still pretty bright here, but we need to start seeing real results and real investment soon.

Philadelphia Phillies

Grade: C-

• Biggest surprise: Brandon Marsh
• Biggest weakness: Lineup depth

The Phillies have stabilized things a bit of late, sure. But the fact that this team had to work just to get back above .500 shows just how radically the bar has been lowered from where it was prior to the season — and from where it should be for a team this expensive. There is less than zero starting pitching depth should one of the first five get injured, but more pressingly, who will provide run production behind Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper? Time is running out for this core to get over the hump, and they only appear to be moving further away from that goal.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Grade: B+

• Biggest surprise: Spencer Horwitz
• Biggest weakness: Can you really trust this lineup?

I'm still not totally sure that I take this Pirates offense seriously enough to mark them as serious NL contenders, or even a playoff team by the time all is said and done. That said, the fact that we're even having this conversation represents something of a win, and actually spending a bit of money on guys like Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn has done wonders. With Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones in the rotation (plus Seth Hernandez arriving sooner rather than later), Pittsburgh is primed to contend for the foreseeable future. I just wish I trusted Bob Nutting a bit more.

San Diego Padres

Grade: C

• Biggest surprise: The sheer depths of Mason Miller's awesomeness
• Biggest weakness: Pick a star, any star

I understand what the record says, and that San Diego is currently in possession of a playoff spot. But are you seriously going to look me in the eye and tell me this team is a contender, with zero credible rotation depth and an offense whose core components are all underperforming their bloated salaries? The Padres deserve credit for making it work thus far, but unless Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill can find it soon (and Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth can turn back the clock), I don't see it. And some uncomfortable questions are looming.

San Francisco Giants

Grade: F

• Biggest surprise: Luis Arraez
• Biggest weakness: Pitching

What else is there to say? Few executives have been as motivated to win as Buster Posey over the last couple of years, and yet all he has to show for it is a clogged payroll and a middling product in just about every facet of the game. All of his big bets have gone bust so far, from Rafael Devers to Willy Adames to Matt Chapman. There's some exciting young talent in the pipeline, but not nearly enough to make up for the lack of big-league depth, and this might need to get worse before it gets better.

Seattle Mariners

Grade: B-

• Biggest surprise: Andres Munoz
• Biggest weakness: Hitting left-handed pitching

I can't grade the Mariners too highly, given that they were one game away from the World Series last season and only recently climbed back above .500. I remain a long-term believer, though: This pitching staff is too good, and they've still managed to be a top-10 offense by wRC+ with injuries to Cal Raleigh and Brendan Donovan. Add a righty bat at the deadline, get healthy and this team should once again be among the most complete in the AL. Until then, the fact that they've treaded water is good enough.

St. Louis Cardinals

Grade: A-

• Biggest surprise: Jordan Walker
• Biggest weakness: Starting pitching

Walker's development from potential bust to potential All-Star would be worth this grade on its own. The fact that the Cardinals appear to have the makings of a legit lineup around him is just the cherry on top, as is St. Louis taking two of three from the Cubs this weekend to stick in second place in the rugged NL Central. Pitching has lagged been the hitting to date, but we're way ahead of schedule here; there's time for Chaim Bloom to go to work, and the early returns are tremendously positive.

Tampa Bay Rays

Grade: A

• Biggest surprise: Nick Martinez
• Biggest weakness: No power whatsoever

Is there some flukiness to what the Rays have done so far? Undoubtedly. But you are what your record says you are, and Tampa's right now says that it's the best team in the American League. The lack of pop at the plate is a concern, as is the lack of rotation depth given the durability concerns of guys like Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen. But no one expected the Rays to be anywhere near the top of this division back in spring training.

Texas Rangers

Grade: D

• Biggest surprise: Starting rotation
• Biggest weakness: A punchless offense

Flags fly forever, but it feels like this era of Rangers baseball has about run its course at this point. What was supposed to be a three-headed rotation monster featuring Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and MacKenzie Gore has failed to materialize, and the offense hasn't been good enough to make up for it even with bounce-back years from Joc Pederson and Jake Burger. Given how old and expensive this roster is, falling short of contention this year might lead Chris Young to pull the plug and reset a bit.

Toronto Blue Jays

Grade: C

• Biggest surprise: Patrick Corbin
• Biggest weakness: Whatever injury god this team apparently ran afoul of

I would love to have seen what this Jays team might have been able to do over the first couple of months with something like normal health. Instead, nearly their entire Opening Day rotation is currently on the IL, and hitters like George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger have all missed time as well. That's not the only reason why Toronto remains below .500, but it's certainly the most important one. If they can get healthy, there's still a potential playoff team here, and they've managed to eke out enough wins to remain in striking distance.

Washington Nationals

Grade: A-

• Biggest surprise: A wagon of an offense
• Biggest weakness: Every pitcher other than Cade Cavalli

Sure, the pitching staff is ugly. But no team is baseball has scored more runs than the Nationals so far this season, a downright remarkable thing to say considering where this team was when new GM Paul Toboni came aboard over the winter. James Wood and CJ Abrams are stars to build around, and we're still in the early stages of this rebuild. If pitching prospects Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana can ever stay healthy, we'd really be cooking with gas.

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