MLB Power Rankings: Where all 30 teams stand nearing 100 games

MLB teams have learned some lessons on the way to 100 games. The century mark is typically a good barometer for success in any season. The number of MLB teams that have yet to be defined as buyers and sellers is greater than usual this season in particular. Whether it be the Tigers, Red Sox, Twins, Orioles or even Blue Jays, front office executives in the American League have an impossible job. Should they commit to the present or build for the future?

The same can be said of the National League. While the Braves, Brewers and Dodgers have remained atop their respective divisions all season long, where do the Phillies, Marlins, Nationals, Cubs, Cardinals and Pirates stand? The list goes on. The defined sellers will demand a king's ransom for their best players at the trade deadline. Yet, so few teams are actually out of it. Remember, you can't predict baseball, especially in the dog days of summer.

30. Los Angeles Angels

What can we say at this point? The Angels are misery incarnate on the baseball diamond. There is no more aimless organization in the majors. Los Angeles has squandered more than a decade of Mike Trout, much of which coincided with the presence of one Shohei Ohtani. Kurt Suzuki probably won’t survive beyond the one-year deal he signed to manage the last-place Angels. If the Angels want to be smart, interim GM John Mozeliak ought to put just about everything on the table at the trade deadline. Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano, in particular, would bring back a nice haul.

-Chris Kline, FanSided.com staff writer

29. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are bad this season, as opposed to last season, when the Rockies were historically awful and borderline unwatchable. Hunter Goodman is doing his best Cal Raleigh impression at Coors Field. TJ Rumfield should get more love in the Rookie of the Year race. Jake McCarthy and Mickey Moniak are mashing out of nowhere — and could become extremely valuable trade chips, which can help Colorado set up an increasingly bright future. The Rockies will need to field more than 0.5 capable starting pitchers one of these days, but at least there’s a sense of forward momentum with this team for the first time in ages.

-CK

28. Kansas City Royals

The Royals aren't the worst team in baseball, but they're too close for comfort. This is doubly true when you consider how much talent Kansas City has on its big-league roster, including Bobby Witt Jr., Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, the latter of whom could be traded at the deadline. The Royals must pick a lane. Either they are built to contend soon, as we thought before the season, or they're multiple steps behind every other team in the AL Central. I lean more towards the latter, unfortunately.

-Mark Powell, FanSided.com director

27. Athletics

It felt, for a moment there early in the season, as if the A’s might ascend the competitive ladder and win the division. Clearly those hopes were a year or two ahead of schedule. The A’s can be an incredibly exciting team, chock full of young sluggers, but the rotation and bullpen are abject disasters and Sutter Health Park does them zero favors. Nick Kurtz is spending time on the IL now, while Shea Langeliers’ pace has slowed after his torrential start to the campaign. The A’s are broadly moving in the right direction, but this is still a frustratingly flawed team. The last month has been brutal.

-CK

26. New York Mets

The season might be a wash, but any series win against the Phillies, particularly on the road, is a good series no matter the circumstances. It was encouraging to see Francisco Lindor bust out of his slump in Sunday’s series finale, and Nolan McLean continues to give Mets fans reason to believe that the ace of the future is in-house. Tyrone Taylor boosting his trade value by hitting a home run is a nice cherry on top of a rare nice weekend.

-Zach Rotman, FanSided staff writer

25. San Francisco Giants

Giants president Buster Posey has the unenviable task of salvaging a disaster of his own creation. Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers are all paid too much to be easily moved at the deadline. Then again, San Francisco needs to create space on the field for Bryce Eldridge, the Giants’ top prospect and one of this season’s rare bright spots. Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray should both net San Francisco a handful of quality prospects each. That is a good starting point, but it’s unclear how the Giants move forward with such an expensive roster.

-CK

24. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds took a positive step forward this week, and it wasn't on the field. Rather, Cincinnati extended starting pitcher Chase Burns, who figures to be a big part of their rotation for the next half-decade at least. Terry Francona's group has a lot more work to do, and that starts with the front office reaching out to Elly De La Cruz's representation and making an offer they cannot refuse. The Reds are committed to a strong core on paper in a lost season.

-MP

23. Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays inch closer to selling after dropping two of three at home to the White Sox this weekend. They got Shane Bieber’s best start of the season and a quality outing from Trey Yesavage, yet dropped two of three because they managed to score a total of five runs in three games, four of which came across in one game. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. showed some signs of breaking out of his prolonged slump, but this Jays team needs to figure it out quickly to avoid selling. With a brutal upcoming schedule, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

-ZR

22. Houston Astros

Yordan Álvarez is going to win American League MVP if he maintains his current pace. He’s the best all-around hitter in the sport, with incredible plate discipline, vision and raw power. He only swings at good pitches. And when he gets a good pitch, it tends to travel a long way. The superhuman efforts of Álavarez, combined with the overall mediocrity of their division and the American League as a whole, means the Astros are still in it. With one of the absolute worst rotations in MLB, however, Houston needs to operate with aggression at the deadline. Is Dana Brown really willing to sacrifice the future on an expensive sub-.500 team?

-CK

21. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers have the best record in the American League since June 1. The fact that they're still multiple games back of a Wild Card spot proves just how poor their performance was in April and May. The Tigers don't plan on trading Tarik Skubal for now, but that could all change depending on how the next few weeks go. Skubal and the Tigers rotation has emerged as one of the best in the AL. The lineup, at least when we consider a basic stat like batting average, is one of the worst.

-MP

20. San Diego Padres

On paper, San Diego is a very talented team — one that has given the Dodgers and other NL heavyweights real problems in October. Unfortunately, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado have been zapped of their power, while Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts are completely lost at the plate. No team should rely on Ty France and Gavin Sheets as much as the Padres are right now. The rotation is battered and bruised. AJ Preller typically takes the “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” approach at the deadline, but even he seems aware of the sad reality. The Padres just are not built for it this year.

-CK

19. Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals went from winning 23-4 on Friday night to losing 15-1 on Saturday. That encapsulates what’s gone on this season quite well. There’re nights when the Nationals get good pitching that they look like legitimate postseason contenders. There’re other nights, though, when their pitching implodes, and even when their league-leading offense scores runs, it isn’t enough. The Nationals are incredibly fun, but this pitching staff with the exception of Foster Griffin and Cade Cavalli is a disgrace, and that’s going to prevent them from even trying to buy at the trade deadline.

-ZR

18. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners needed the All-Star break reset more than most. It’s hard to find a more disappointing team in the majors. The Cal Raleigh comedown tends to dominate the conversation around Seattle, but Julio Rodríguez has also underperformed. Colt Emerson has not provided the boost folks would expect from a top-10 MLB prospect. The rotation is all over the place, especially away from home. Bryan Woo has struggled to recapture last season’s magic. The Mariners are by far the most talented team in their division, with the AL West’s only positive run differential, but time is running out to find a higher gear.

-CK

17. Baltimore Orioles

They might not be as hot as the Red Sox, but the Orioles ended the first half by sweeping the Royals and have a chance to sweep the Astros with a win on Sunday. Their five-game winning streak brought them to within three games of .500, and that’s good enough to have them right in the thick of the AL Wild Card race. The Orioles are pitching as well as they have all year, and that’s led to their best stretch of the campaign. Whether that continues with a rough upcoming schedule on the horizon or not, remains to be seen, and could determine whether they’ll be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

16. Minnesota Twins

The Twins have surprisingly become a good baseball team! Minnesota, despite ownership's best efforts to turn this team into a seller at the trade deadline and shed payroll, are just a game back of the final AL Wild Card spot. The question remains whether they will trade the likes of Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton at the deadline. Ryan seems like a more likely trade candidate as Buxton has a no-trade clause and prefers to stay in Minneapolis. A serious organization would keep both and make a real run at this thing.

-MP

15. Arizona Diamondbacks

In 2023, the Diamondbacks were a sleeping giant who took off down the stretch and made it all the way to the World Series in underdog fashion. Can Arizona recapture that magic in 2026? The lineup is better than the numbers suggest. It’s not hard to imagine Ketel Marte kicking into a higher gear. Top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt should figure it out at the plate. Lourdes Gurriel, a model of consistency for so many years, is going to find better days if he can get healthy. What’s really holding Arizona back is the rotation. Corbin Burnes still wants to pitch this season. If he comes back and looks like himself, never say never.

-CK

14. Texas Rangers

The AL West has turned into a war of attrition, with Texas holding a narrow lead at the top. The Corey Seager injury and his overall performance this season is a major storyline, but Texas has found other avenues of productivity. Joc Pederson has come (back) alive. Josh Jung, too. That Brandon Nimmo-Marcus Semien trade continues to pay massive dividends. The Rangers’ rotation is a roller coaster ride, but talent-wise, it’s hard to bet against MacKenzie Gore, Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom. The bullpen rocks. The Rangers are a very average team, but that might win the division in 2026.

-CK

13. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates should be higher on this list. They have a top-three lineup in all of baseball and a rotation that includes Paul Skenes and Braxton Ashcraft, two NL All-Stars. Yet, Pittsburgh's bullpen is among the worst in all of baseball and blew another save opportunity on Saturday night in their series against the Cleveland Guardians. Ben Cherington is in search of a bullpen upgrade. Ownership doesn't want to increase payroll. Good luck with that.

-MP

12. Miami Marlins

The Marlins have gone from a team that didn’t know how to lose to one that doesn’t know how to win. They ended the first half by getting swept by the Guardians, and are one game away from potentially being swept in Milwaukee. Sure, some of that has to do with playing against the Guardians and Brewers, two good teams, but a lot of their wins during their hot streak came by a run or two. Their losses during this skid have mostly come by a run or two. I still think this team is good enough to justify holding onto Sandy Alcantara through the deadline, but whether they should be serious buyers can be debated.

-ZR

11. Cleveland Guardians

Slow and steady wins the race. Sure, the Cleveland Guardians are second place in the AL Central as of this writing, but they remain favored to win the division down the stretch. Guards ball is winning baseball, whether it come from Jose Ramirez or Kyle Manzardo, who hit a walk-off home run on Saturday night to beat the Pirates. Nothing Cleveland does is particularly impressive, but they don't beat themselves. That should keep them in play for a postseason berth well beyond the 100-game benchmark.

-MP

10. Boston Red Sox

All of a sudden, the Boston Red Sox don’t know how to lose. They completed a four-game series sweep at home against the AL East-leading Rays, giving them 13 consecutive victories.I’m not much of a believer in this lineup, particularly with Roman Anthony out, but the dynamic duo of Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras has been nothing short of awesome, and the pitching is outstanding every night. The conversation has now firmly shifted from the Red Sox selling to buying, and given how things are going in Tampa Bay and New York, the AL East is suddenly in play. Boy, wouldn’t that be something?

-ZR

9. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are unlikely to win the NL Central, as they've faded since a hot start to the regular season. However, St. Louis is well ahead of schedule, and Chaim Bloom has some tough decisions to make at the MLB trade deadline. Will he trade more expiring contracts away from an active NL Wild Card contender? If so, it means he hasn't taken his eye off the prize, which is turning this young Cardinals team into a roster that can compete with the likes of the Brewers and Cubs long term.

-MP

8. Chicago White Sox

Much like the Cardinals, the question remains whether the White Sox can build upon the momentum they gained with a shocking first half. Whether it be the return of Munetaka Murakami or the emergence of AL All-Star Davis Martin, the White Sox are a threat in a wide open American League. The AL has no true contenders as of this writing, and the Rays and Yankees are on the downswing. What better time for the White Sox to buy than the present?

-MP

7. New York Yankees

Just when it looked as if the Yankees had gotten right before the All-Star break, they dropped the first two games of their weekend set against the Dodgers, seeing Cam Schlittler uncharacteristically struggle in one of the games, Aaron Boone stick with Gerrit Cole a batter too long in the other, and the offense no-showing in both. This team is still one of the best in the AL, but with Aaron Judge still without a clear timetable for a return, the Yankees are in need of a big deadline acquisition or two.

-ZR

6. Philadelphia Phillies

This weekend’s series against the Mets was supposed to be what got the Phillies in a position to compete against the Dodgers and Yankees next week, but it did anything but. Their lineup no-showed in two of the three games, Aaron Nola couldn’t keep the ball in the yard, and the No. 5 spot in their rotation continued to be an absolute mess. The Phillies are a good team, but their holes couldn’t be more prevalent. With Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler lined up to face the Dodgers, they can only hope to mask some of their issues in the short-term before embarking on perhaps the most important deadline of Dave Dombrowski’s Phillies tenure.

-ZR

5. Tampa Bay Rays

It appeared as if the Tampa Bay Rays were in firm command of the AL East heading into the All-Star break, but a four-game sweep in Boston made it clear that the division is still very much up for grabs. There’s still a lot to like about this team, but the offense remains as inconsistent as ever and the pitching showed some cracks. The door remains wide open for the Rays to win the AL Pennant, but they’re going to need to be aggressive at the trade deadline to fend off the Red Sox and Yankees.

-ZR

4. Atlanta Braves

This Atlanta Braves offense that had been maddingly inconsistent entering the break woke up this weekend, scoring six runs or more in each of their three games against the Rangers including a 15-run outburst on Friday night. Not only did Drake Baldwin emphatically break out of a slump, but Austin Riley had a multi-homer game, showing signs of life for the first time in I don’t even know how long. The starting rotation continues to have its ups and downs, but the offense getting back to raking should have the Braves feeling good ahead of the deadline.

-ZR

3. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs celebrated their 2016 World Series team over the weekend, which included the return of David Ross to Wrigley Field. Heck, Anthony Rizzo even caught a home run ball in the outfield. The good vibes around Wrigley Field shouldn't end anytime soon. Pete Crow-Armstrong is a legitimate NL MVP candidate. What the Cubs ought to do is add to their rotation at the deadline, even if catching the Brewers in the Central is a pipe dream.

-MP

2. Milwaukee Brewers

Speaking of those pesky Brewers, Milwaukee added starting pitcher Lance McCullers last week. McCullers has plenty of postseason experience and is the exact type of pitcher the Brewers should hope to revive. While Milwaukee may not add the likes of Skubal at the trade deadline, they could always use more depth in the rotation. If they are to beat the Dodgers in the postseason this time around, they will need it.

-MP

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are practically in cruise control, with really only the Brewers to fend off in the race for the NL’s No. 1 seed. As last season proved, however, the Dodgers don’t need the No. 1 seed to outclass Milwaukee in a postseason setting. Los Angeles is hoping to get healthier on the mound and get a bit more production from the likes of Mookie Betts, but the Dodgers have the best lineup, the best bullpen, and when healthy, probably the best rotation. Life is not fair.

-CK

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