MLB Power Rankings: Playoff baseball edition

The MLB playoffs are locked and loaded, and we could not be more excited. So, to kill the hours before the games start, we decided to rank every team in the MLB.

The official MLB website’s power rankings have the White Sox at 30th, with a season high ranking of 28. The biggest surprise there is that they ever got off the bottom. There’s not much to say here, this is a bad baseball team.

Despite some young talent ready to make an impact for the Marlins next year, this season was essentially a write-off for Miami. Manager Skip Schumaker is set to leave after mutually agreeing to void an option year, who knows who will replace him or if there will be any healthy pitchers by opening day 2025?

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At some point, the Rockies might be a competent baseball team again, but that depends on if they can find some pitching. For now, this is a back-to-back 100-loss ball club.

Losing Mike Trout will hurt any team in the MLB, but with the Angels lacking elite talent around him, Trout’s injury issues continue to plague the Halos. At some point, it could be worth trying to move on from the 11-time All-Star and allow the young guys to flourish.

No longer the Oakland Athletics, the A’s will be moving to Sacramento for the foreseeable future in a move that almost no one wants. It was a sad day for a proud ball club that has been mismanaged by ownership for years when they finished their final game at the Coliseum. Let’s hope for better days ahead.

ESPN reported the Nationals recently sent CJ Abrams to Triple-A over what was described as an “internal issue” but in reality was punishment for the All-Star shortstop leaving a Chicago Casino at 1am the night before a game. Perhaps that suggests not all is well in the nation’s capital.

It’s tough to feel any sympathy for the Pirates, given their decision to cut Rowdy Tellez to save $200,000 before he reached his plate appearances bonus. Paul Skenes could be the best pitcher in baseball in just a couple of years, so there’s talent to build on, but with owners this cheap, it doesn’t create a unified team.

We’re sure Rangers fans will take a bad 2024 season coming off a World Series win last year, but it does show the fickle nature of baseball. The Rangers got hot at the perfect time last year, but with a rotation suffering from injuries, it always looked difficult to repeat. Fear not, Rangers fans, you’re still the current World Series champs.

Not a great year for the Jays, who struggled to get production from the usually reliable Bo Bichette. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a monster, but there is a real chance he won’t be around much longer if Toronto doesn’t turn things around quickly.

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Per ESPN, this was the first time since 2016 that the Rays finished sub-.500, which is impressive. This year’s struggles can be chalked up to a pitching rotation that was rarely healthy. If those guys enter 2025 healthy, Tampa Bay could be in a great spot.

Elly De La Cruz is the real deal and could be a foundational piece for the Reds moving forward. Elsewhere, there’s not much to be excited about, the Reds just sort of exist in the MLB at the moment. Finding the right manager could help them make the leap.

The Giants spent big in the offseason, and it didn’t make any difference at all. This is the third year in a row of finishing sub-.500, maybe it’s time for a change.

ESPN suggests it may be time for the Cardinals to move on from Paul Goldschmidt, given his struggles in recent years against off-speed pitching. That would be a big decision to make, especially if he does well elsewhere.

Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell and Kyle Teel are all regarded as top-25 prospects and are expected to make their major league debuts next season, which will serve the Sox well as they look to get out of their recent slump.

The Cubs finished 83-79 on the year, but a lack of elite players makes that their cap at this point. As MLB’s website asks, “Will they make a big addition this offseason? Is there a team that would immediately benefit more from one?”

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Julio Rodriguez is back following a tough start to the year. He’s good enough to win games by himself, but he’s going to need some help at some point.

The Twins threw away a Wild Card spot after going 2-8 in their last 10 games in September, which has got to be brutal for their fans. There’s always next year.

The Royals are set to face the Orioles in the AL Wild Card round and given their incredible hitting with RISP, even with their recent dip, it’s not crazy to think they get over the line against Baltimore.

The Tigers and Royals finished with the same record, but it’s Detroit who enters the postseason with more momentum after going 7-3 down the stretch. Facing off against the Astros in the Wild Card round won’t be easy, but there’s a good chance they win that series.

For the first time in seven years, the Braves aren’t NL East champions. They split their doubleheader against the Mets to ensure their playoff spot, now they face the Padres in the Wild Card round in what should be an exciting matchup.

The D-Backs missed out on the playoffs after some unfortunate late-season losses. The D-Backs led the league with 886 runs in the 2024 season, per Statmuse, making their playoff exclusion look even more inexplicable.

The Mets won one of the wildest games of the season in game one of their season-ending doubleheader against the Braves to ensure their playoff spot. They are now set to battle the Brewers for a chance to play the Phillies in the NLDS.

The Orioles have not won a playoff series since 2014 per Champs or Chumps, and this year could be no different unless Gunnar Henderson plays to the peak of his powers to make up for the lack of a third pitcher in the rotation.

The Astros are once again the AL West Champs, but all attention will be on Yordan Alvarez, whose knee issue has kept him out in recent games per ESPN and has no clear timeline for a return.

If the Braves and Mets split their doubleheader, the Brewers will face the Mets with a huge pitching advantage in the Wild Card round, giving them a great chance to win their first playoff series since 2018.

Jose Ramirez’s 40-40 season was there for the taking before Cleveland’s final game got cancelled. Still, he had an incredible season and was a big reason why the Guardians have a bye. A Guardians v Yankees ALCS would be incredible viewing.

The Padres clinched a playoff spot with a game-ending triple play, which is only the third game-ending triple play in the Wild Card era, per ESPN. If that doesn’t create some excitement and momentum heading into the playoffs, we’re not sure what will.

Can Aaron Judge finally turn his incredible regular season performances into game-winning performances in the playoffs? So far in his career he has struggled in October but after one of the best offensive seasons the MLB has ever seen, now could be the time for Judge to perform when it matters most.

The Dodgers would be our number one, but their pitching situation is a concern with Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone done for the year and Clayton Kershaw unlikely to play in October, there’s a lack of elite talent on the mound all of a sudden. Still Shohei Ohtani could win a series by himself.

Zack Wheeler has been possibly the best pitcher in baseball this year and has shown his ability in recent playoff runs. The pieces are all there for Philadelphia to win the World Series, and at the moment, they’re our favorites to do so.

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