Ranking NL playoff rotations after Mets take a big swing on Jonah Tong

The New York Mets caught lightning in a bottle when they promoted one of their top pitching prospects, Nolan McLean, a couple of weeks ago. McLean has won each of his first two starts, allowing just two runs in 12.1 innings of work and striking out 15 batters. After watching him dominate, the Mets have gone back to that well and promoted another top pitching prospect, Jonah Tong, to the majors according to The Athletic's Will Sammon.

This is an aggressive, but deserved promotion for Tong, who has shot up prospect rankings this season. The right-hander leads all minor leaguers with at least 100 innings of work with a 1.43 ERA in 22 starts, and his 179 strikeouts are 32 more than anyone else. Yes, there are some walk issues he'll have to sort out in the majors, and 20 of his 22 starts have come at Double-A, not Triple-A, but his stuff is as good as anyone's in the minors, the results speak for themselves.

McLean has proven he's MLB-ready and then some, in his two starts, and Tong has been even better this season in the minors. The Mets rotation, which has been a weakness in recent months, suddenly looks a lot better when compared to their NL peers.

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6) San Diego Padres

Entering the season, this San Diego Padres' starting rotation would've been much higher on this list, but all five of these starters have massive question marks. Michael King is an ace when healthy, but he's also made just 11 starts this season and is currently on the IL. He's expected to be back within the next week or two, but who knows how effective and durable he'll be down the stretch and into October?

Nick Pivetta has had a breakout year, but will that carry into October? Dylan Cease has been good in the past, but he has a 4.71 ERA this season. How effective can he be expected to be in October? Yu Darvish has had a couple of dominant outings, but for the most part, he's been ineffective, as his 5.36 ERA in nine starts would suggest.

This Padres rotation has upside, especially when King is healthy and Cease is the best version of himself, but there are too many "if's" to rank this rotation anywhere above the weakest of the clubs currently in a postseason spot.

5) Chicago Cubs

This Chicago Cubs rotation would probably rank higher with a healthy Justin Steele, but with the southpaw sidelined for the season, it's hard to rank them any higher than this.

Shota Imanaga has had a good year, but his peripherals suggest he's gotten fairly lucky. Having him as a No. 1 starter feels less than ideal. Matthew Boyd has had a resurgent season, but he, too, has run into a fair share of good luck. Jameson Taillon is a solid No. 4 starter, and you can do worse than Colin Rea as the No. 5 starter, but neither of these guys carry immense upside either.

Cade Horton is the wildcard here. The rookie has a sub-3.00 ERA in his rookie season and has a 1.11 ERA in nine starts since the start of July. Four of the six earned runs he's allowed in that nine-start span came in one outing, and he's allowed just two runs in his last seven starts. If this carries into October, the Cubs become scary.

4) New York Mets

This Mets rotation has the potential to be as good as any in the National League. David Peterson is far from a household name but he was an All-Star this season, has a 3.06 ERA in 45 starts since the beginning of the 2024 campaign (sixth among NL pitchers with at least 250 IP), and he's gone six or more innings in all but nine of his 25 appearances in 2025. Behind Peterson is Kodai Senga, a pitcher who has struggled lately but prior to his mid-June injury was right in the thick of the NL Cy Young race.

Then come the two rookies. McLean and Tong are unproven, but have immense upside. We've seen McLean dominate in the majors, and it would not be shocking to see Tong, a pitcher with even better strikeout stuff, do the same.

Having Sean Manaea, a pitcher who is a year removed from receiving Cy Young votes, as the No. 5 starter, is a luxury not many teams can afford. Manaea has struggled since returning from injury this season, but the talent is there. Clay Holmes is the No. 6 starter for now as the Mets are in the middle of a long stretch without an offday, but if he continues to struggle, it wouldn't be surprising to see him get moved to the bullpen.

There's a lot that has to go right in this Mets rotation. Peterson is steady, but the rest of the starters come with questions. If the rookies can meet their lofty expectations and guys like Senga and Manaea revert to form, this rotation could rank higher on this list when all is said and done.

3) Los Angeles Dodgers

Similarly to the Mets and several other teams on this list, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a starting rotation full of talent but tons of question marks. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been nothing short of spectacular and is the clear ace of this staff, but what about the guys behind him?

Blake Snell is a Cy Young-caliber arm when at his best, and he has a sub-2.00 ERA this season, but he's only made six starts. He's currently on the Paternity List, so he's healthy, but can this remain the case down the stretch and into October? Tyler Glasnow is also currently healthy and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but two of his 13 starts, but he too comes with massive durability concerns.

Shohei Ohtani is back pitching which is amazing, but he now has a 4.61 ERA in 10 starts and hasn't completed five innings a single time. How much value can he provide down the stretch or in the playoffs? Clayton Kershaw has, somehow, been the Dodgers' second-best starter this season, but can he stay healthy? If so, how will he stuff play against elite offenses?

If Snell and Glasnow are healthy, the Dodgers' top three is as good as anyone's in the NL. If Ohtani pitches like the Ohtani of old, the Dodgers have four ridiculous postseason starters, even if he's a bit limited in terms of the innings he can throw. Having Kershaw and a high-upside youngster in Emmet Sheehan behind them is just icing on the cake. Unfortunately, while the upside is there with this staff, again, a lot has to go right. The two staffs in front of them offer a bit more reliability, which matters a ton.

2) Philadelphia Phillies

Zack Wheeler suffering his season-ending injury impacts things greatly. Instead of being the clear-cut best rotation in the league, the Philadelphia Phillies now have the second-best rotation in the NL. That isn't bad, but it could be what costs them a World Series. With all of that being said, even without Wheeler, there's a lot to like.

Cristopher Sanchez might be the NL Cy Young runner-up to Paul Skenes now with Wheeler out. Ranger Suarez has silenced all second-half doubters by allowing just two runs in 13.2 innings pitched in his last two starts with 21 strikeouts and no walks. He's had his best stuff possibly ever in his last two outings. His postseason reputation also happens to be pristine.

Behind that two-headed monster, I'd be lying if I said there weren't questions. Aaron Nola's last start was encouraging, but he had a 6.16 ERA in nine starts before landing on the IL in mid-May and struggled in his first start back. He needs to pitch well down the stretch to earn trust back. Jesus Luzardo looks like an All-Star sometimes, but in other instances, he looks like an unusable pitcher. His 6.70 ERA in nine starts against .500 or better teams is also cause for concern. Taijuan Walker has redeemed himself this season, but is he really a guy you trust in October?

This rotation is more reliable than most in the NL thanks in large part to Sanchez and Suarez, but without Wheeler, I can't say it's as good as the best starting staff in the NL.

1) Milwaukee Brewers

Freddy Peralta doesn't get much recognition, which is fitting considering the Milwaukee Brewers team he's on, but he ranks fifth in the NL with a 2.68 ERA and he's allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but three of his league-leading 27 starts. Brandon Woodruff has been limited to just nine starts this season but he has a 3.10 ERA, pitching like the All-Star he was before undergoing major shoulder surgery.

Quinn Priester has been a revelation in Milwaukee, posting a 3.44 ERA in 24 appearances (19 starts) and 128.1 innings of work. The Brewers have won each of the last 15 times in which he's taken the ball, and 12 of those have come as a starter. Some of that can be attributed to luck, but Priester has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 12 of those 15 appearances. He's pitched remarkably well, and is their No. 4 starter. Jose Quintana doesn't have the best stuff, but he just gets the job done. He might be the best No. 5 starter in the game.

Their Wild Card is Jacob Misiorowski. The Miz pitched so well in his first five career starts to the point where he was named an All-Star. He missed some time with injury after the All-Star break and has struggled in his two starts since returning, but his upside is ridiculous. When at his best, a Peralta-Woodruff-Misiorowski trio can't be beaten, and having Priester and Quintana round things out goes a long way toward explaining why the Brewers have the best record in the game.