Ranking each MLB contender by locker room vibes as we head toward September

Having the most talented MLB team goes a long way toward winning a World Series, obviously, but by no means is that the lone deciding factor. We've seen underdogs win it all in many cases, and often times those underdogs happen to have the best vibes heading into and during the month of October.

Whether it's judging how teams have fared when compared to expectations or just watching how they play and interact with each other on the diamond, here's a look at how the teams currently in postseason positioning rank based solely on vibes.

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12) New York Yankees

Even without Juan Soto and Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees fans felt as if this team had what it took to, at the very least, represent the American League in the World Series. For the first two months of the season, the Yankees played like a team more than capable of getting back to the Fall Classic. Unfortunately, they've gone just 39-38 since the start of June, leading to impossibly bad vibes.

Sure, they've had some good moments during this subpar stretch, but just about all of those have come against subpar competition. The Yankees have gone a combined 5-17 against the Blue Jays and Red Sox, and they've gone a combined 12-20 against teams currently occupying AL postseason spots. In fact, if you remove their 5-1 record against the Mariners, they've gone 7-19 overall. It's been bad, and the worst part about it is that they often seem to beat themselves — and have no answers when it comes to why that continues to happen.

They've struggled to match up against good teams, and Aaron Boone's reluctance to make any major changes like benching Anthony Volpe or taking Devin Williams completely out of high leverage spots has made this season only that much more frustrating. The AL is wide open, but the Yankees don't look like a team capable of winning it. That's unacceptable for this franchise.

11) Philadelphia Phillies

Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies are 77-57 on the year and hold a five-game lead in the NL East. The record is certainly good, but beyond that, the vibes are low. Phillies fans were already fairly low on this team for the most part considering their recent October failures, and combining Zack Wheeler's injury with whatever we just witnessed in Queens this past week has only made morale worse.

They did bounce back from that Mets series and beat up on the lowly Braves, but at this point, Phillies fans don't and shouldn't care about wins against subpar competition. They care about competing with and beating the best of the best, and getting humiliated at Citi Field didn't exactly give Phillies fans hope for what's to come in October. We even saw guys like Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo express major frustration.

For whatever reason, it just feels like this team shrinks in the biggest moments. I do think that can change, but the Phillies' players have to prove it before everyone can truly start to believe it.

10) New York Mets

This past week shows why New York Mets fans are so frustrated. They swept the Philadelphia Phillies in emphatic fashion at home, giving the fan base hope that a division title could be within reach after all, only to then fall flat the next day, committing three errors in a sloppy loss at home against the Miami Marlins.

Right before the Phillies series, the Mets went on a six-game road trip in which they lost two of three against the lowly Nationals and gave away a game against the Atlanta Braves, preventing them from completing a sweep at Truist Park. The Mets are clearly capable of competing with and beating good teams, but their inability to take care of business against the bad ones has them sitting in the third Wild Card spot.

The Mets should be a lot better than they are, and it's hard to explain why they've underperformed. With a tough schedule the rest of the way, perhaps the Mets will play their best baseball in September and give fans more hope ahead of the postseason.

9) Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs were on cloud nine for the first two months of the season, but they've gone just 40-36 since the start of June and 19-19 since the All-Star break. It's been a while since the Cubs have played their best baseball, and that's been frustrating.

What makes this skid worse is that the team's best players have been the main culprits. Pete Crow-Armstrong ended the first half as the potential NL MVP favorite; now he isn't even in the conversation anymore. Kyle Tucker could've been an MVP finalist himself, but things have gone so poorly for him to the point where he got benched and even booed by Cubs fans.

We've seen glimpses of hope. The Cubs even won a recent series against the Milwaukee Brewers. This team has been way too inconsistent for a while, though, and knowing that this could be Tucker's only season in the Windy City, Cubs fans are on edge — and for good reason.

8) Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have the second-best record in the AL and the largest division lead (8.5 games) in the sport, yet it feels like neither of these things really matter. The Tigers have done a great job taking advantage of playing in the AL Central (26-14 vs. AL Central opponents), but they're not even 10 games over .500 against the rest of the league, and there are some questions that they need to answer about October.

We know how great Tarik Skubal is, but who starts a potential Game 2 in October? Jack Flaherty was supposed to be that guy, but he's been wildly inconsistent. Kyle Finnegan has been lethal in Detroit, and Will Vest has had some great moments too, but who else is there to trust in the bullpen?

Vibes were far from stellar after getting swept by the Athletics earlier this week, and if we're being honest, the Tigers haven't been all that great for a while (41-36 since June 1).

7) San Diego Padres

Vibes were immaculate among the San Diego Padres and their fans after the trade deadline. The Padres made several key moves, headlined by the Mason Miller addition, and immediately won nine of 12 after the deadline, taking over first place in the NL West in the process. Well, they'd then get swept by the Dodgers, and while they've been able to go 6-4 since (including winning two of three in their next series against L.A.), I do think it's fair to wonder just how good this team is, particularly against their main rivals.

The Padres have gone just 4-9 against Los Angeles, and several of their star players have disappeared in these high-intensity matchups. For the Padres to go on the deep run everyone hopes, they'll likely have to overcome the Dodgers, the same team that knocked them out of the 2024 postseason.

Vibes aren't horrible, but I'm not sure anyone is so confident that they have what it takes to beat L.A. in October.

6) Seattle Mariners

Vibes were very high for the Seattle Mariners not too long ago, as they finally paired their elite pitching staff with an elite offense after a massive trade deadline. But we haven't quite seen this team click on all cylinders yet.

The Mariners lost seven of their nine games in a recent East Coast trip, but the Astros' struggles kept them within striking distance of first place in the AL West. They've bounced back since by winning four of their last six, including an impressive series win against the Padres.

I believe they have what it takes to go on a serious run, but they haven't quite shown it yet. A strong finish, and perhaps an AL West division crown, will have Mariners fans fully bought in.

5) Los Angeles Dodgers

This season has been a bit of a frustrating one for Los Angeles Dodgers fans. There were talks entering the year that the Dodgers had one of the most talented rosters of all-time and could potentially end up finishing the regular season with one of the best records in the history of the game, but that simply hasn't happened. At 77-57, they're certainly potent, but not quite historically dominant. From a sheer vibes perspective, this season has been a bit disappointing.

With that being said, I can't put the Dodgers lower than No. 5 on this list. They're still favorites to repeat as World Series champions, and while we haven't seen much consistency when it comes to health or production from this team, they often seem to step it up when they have to, much like they did recently against the Padres.

As poorly as this season has gone for them, the Dodgers have a chance to win the NL West and earn a first-round bye. It's hard to do much better than that.

4) Houston Astros

Vibes are a lot higher now than they were just days ago for the Houston Astros. Yordan Alvarez is back, at long last, giving fans reason to believe that their offensive struggles will soon be in the rearview mirror. It's go-time for Houston, and with Alvarez back, why shouldn't the vibes be high?

The Astros have always been inevitable when it comes to winning games this time of year, and they're as fortified as they've been all year roster-wise. Not only is Alvarez back, but Carlos Correa is too, and he has a .831 OPS with Houston.

Josh Hader's injury stings, but Bryan Abreu has been nothing short of dominant as his replacement. The Mariners failed to take advantage of the Astros when they were struggling to score a single run, and now, Houston is equipped to take this division and run into October surging.

3) Boston Red Sox

When the Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers away, vibes were at an all-time low. They had swept the New York Yankees in mid-June to get over .500, only to then trade away the best hitter on the team. Well, the Red Sox have gone 39-24 since the deal, and have established themselves as legitimate contenders.

The best part of this season is that they're doing this when nobody expected them to. Everyone assumed Boston would collapse after trading Devers away, and for good reason. Yet, guys like Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito have stepped up behind Garrett Crochet in the rotation, Aroldis Chapman has been arguably the best closer on the planet out of the bullpen and Roman Anthony already looks like a superstar at the plate. What's not to like about this Red Sox team?

The Red Sox are playing with house money and are thriving. Again, expectations weren't extremely high after the Devers deal, and that hasn't seemed to matter. It's been impressive to watch, and the team has very little to lose at this point.

2) Toronto Blue Jays

I'll be the first to admit I was very wrong about the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays. I didn't expect much from them entering the year, and I didn't expect much from them after they went 30-28 through the end of May. Well, since the start of June, Toronto has gone 48-28, seizing control of first place in the AL East and the best record in the AL as of this writing. With how well they've played, they're legitimate World Series contenders, a reality not many expected to admit this season.

There are so many storylines for fans to enjoy. Veterans like George Springer and Max Scherzer have completely revived their careers. Bo Bichette has fully bounced back following a lost season. Former journeymen like Brendon Little and Nathan Lukes are playing as well as they ever have. Oh yeah, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is locked in long-term, and he's played like a superstar since the start of June (.926 OPS).

This team is just fun to watch. Sure, they don't hit many home runs, but they put the bat on the ball, play absurd defense and pitch well. They seem to be very tight-knit as a group, and have the makings of a World Series winner. The power of friendship is very real, folks.

1) Milwaukee Brewers

Speaking of the power of friendship, let's talk about the Milwaukee Brewers for a minute. At 83-52, the Brewers have the best record in the Majors (by a fairly sizable margin) and have a 6.5-game lead in the NL Central. Yes, the Sal Frelick and Brice Turang-led Brewers (no, seriously, those two lead the team in fWAR) have the best record in the sport.

Nobody thought this team would even compete, let alone make the playoffs, entering the year, yet and here they are. Obviously, they're a lot more talented than anyone gives them credit for, but their continuity has certainly helped them play a bit above their heads.

Yes, they've fallen short earlier than anyone would like in recent Octobers, but this season certainly feels different. The vibes are higher than they've been in quite some time in Milwaukee. Hopefully that can help them go on a deep run in October this time around.