By Tim Britton, Chad Jennings and Andy McCullough Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst . Here are the collective results. This baseball season defined by parity is approaching its final month.
Barring a righteous hot streak, no team will win 100 games this season, which has not happened since 2014. The division races remain fierce: The Dodgers are fending off the hard-charging Diamondbacks and Padres in the National League West, while the Guardians attempt to do the same with the Twins and the Royals in the American League Central. The Yankees and the Orioles continue to jockey for supremacy in the AL East.
In short, there is great theater ahead. But August presented intrigue of its own, with the postseason picture coming into focus and several contenders moving into better positions. For this week’s power rankings, we highlighted one important maneuver made by each team this month.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers Record: 78-53 Last Power Ranking: 1 Big August move: IF Max Muncy activated from the injured list Our worries derive from our context. Most of you probably didn’t go to bed Sunday night fretting over whether you used the subjunctive mood properly, and most major-league teams don’t spend their summers mindlessly scraping the labels off beer bottles because they’re on pace to win only 95 games.
Advertisement Throughout August, though, the Dodgers have started to resemble the Dodgers more, at least in the batters’ box. This Shohei Ohtani guy is still pretty good, and Mookie Betts came back two weeks ago and has looked generally like Mookie Betts. Muncy came back one week ago and has looked like the best version of Max Muncy — with apologies to the Oakland prospect — in the time since, and that’s the kind of thing that can really raise the ceiling for L.
A. in October. A Muncy who’s closer to his 2021 self than either of the past two years would hit higher than seventh on most teams, you know? The Dodgers prefer he be that consistent producer again.
— Tim Britton T-2. New York Yankees Record: 78-54 Last Power Ranking: 2 Big August move: RHP Luis Gil to the injured list with a lower back strain Initially, it seemed the biggest blow to the Yankees would be the Aug. 12 wrist injury to Jazz Chisholm Jr.
, the team’s biggest trade deadline addition who’d been on a tear while learning to play third base on the fly. But Chisholm has already returned and far sooner than expected. Meanwhile, Gil’s injury has forced the Yankees to dig back into their thin rotation depth.
With Clarke Schmidt and Cody Poteet also hurt, the Yankees recalled Will Warren, who had an 8.59 ERA in three previous spot starts and then gave up five earned runs in three innings on Saturday. Gil was a Rookie of the Year candidate with a 3.
39 ERA through 24 starts. — Chad Jennings GO DEEPER Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. pays it forward with new 'little brother' at Little League Classic T-2.
Philadelphia Phillies Record: 77-54 Last Power Ranking: 3 Big August move: LHP Ranger Suárez activated from the injured list After a month away from the action, Suárez returned on Saturday and looked a heck of a lot better than when he left. The left-hander had yielded 18 earned runs in his last four starts before hitting the IL, or nearly as many as the 20 he’d surrendered over his first 16 starts this season. Advertisement Suárez’s mid-summer lull reflected one for Philadelphia’s rotation as a whole — and sure, their pitching staff as a whole and their team as a whole.
The ERAs from starters and relievers ballooned in July and August, and the Phillies’ record is under .500 since the start of July. So maybe Suárez’s return to form on Saturday can be similarly symbolic for the rest of the staff and roster.
Philly has given up just 32 runs in its past 10 games heading into Monday. — Britton 4. Baltimore Orioles Record: 76-56 Last Power Ranking: 4 Big August move: IF Jackson Holliday promoted to the majors (technically July 31, but we’ll count it) The Orioles have been treading water for about two months, which has permitted the Yankees to pull even in the American League East.
The moves Baltimore made at the trade deadline have not yet worked out. Zach Eflin hurt his shoulder and landed on the injured list. The team optioned fellow starter Trevor Rogers to the minors after Rogers posted a 7.
11 ERA in his first four starts as an Oriole. Seranthony Domínguez took a pair of losses in appearances against the Mets last week. The team will, as always, rely on its homegrown players for stability.
Holliday looks far less overmatch in his second turn in the majors. He is still prone to strikeouts and won’t hit much for average, but his slugging potential has improved the Orioles’ lineup and hinted at his potential stardom in the future. — Andy McCullough JACKSON HOLLIDAY CLEARS THE BASES 🔥 pic.
twitter.com/tyO3H4v9eq — MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2024 T-5. Milwaukee Brewers Record: 75-55 Last Power Ranking: 5 Big August move: RHP Trevor Megill activated from the injured list Milwaukee can cruise to the postseason, with a healthy lead in its division and scant competition from the also-rans of the National League Central.
The Brewers would still like to leapfrog either the Phillies or the Dodgers to secure a first-round bye, especially after dropping a wild-card series to Arizona last autumn. One extra incentive for getting some postseason rest: A chance to rest the bullpen, which had thrown more innings than all but three other clubs heading into Monday’s games. Megill is a crucial part of that mix.
He filled in as the closer while Devin Williams nursed a back injury early in the season. He will be part of rookie manager Pat Murphy’s bullpen weaponry when October begins. — McCullough Advertisement T-5.
Arizona Diamondbacks Record: 75-56 Last Power Ranking: 9 Big August move: Getting the real Corbin Carroll to stand up Snakes Alive? Yes, indeed. The Diamondbacks remain hot on the heels of the Dodgers in the National League West, with the Padres not far behind. The team has played excellent baseball since June, working their way back from an early-season lull.
The club looks more talented than it was during last year’s run to the World Series. Part of the reason for the revival is Carroll, who was the club’s best player in 2023. Carroll spent months in a righteous funk at the plate but has been working his way out of it.
He posted a .914 OPS in his first 22 games this month, clobbering fastballs and producing extra-base hits. If he can recreate his form from 2023, the lineup will be all the more dangerous in October.
— McCullough 7. Cleveland Guardians Record: 75-57 Last Power Ranking: 6 Big August move: LHP Matthew Boyd activated from the injured list With this one, it’s possible to go glass-half-full or glass-half-empty, but the Guardians’ vibes are good enough that we can’t help but be optimistic. Boyd returned from Tommy John surgery on Aug.
13 and pitched a gem. His second start wasn’t nearly as good, but it was good enough to win. Then he got the win with six good innings on Sunday.
Boyd has provided a boost to a rotation that’s needed it. The trouble is that Boyd’s return came just as another starter, deadline acquisition Alex Cobb , went on the IL with a nail fracture. The Guardians’ rotation just hasn’t been as good as usual this year — Shane Bieber having elbow surgery in April didn’t help — but they’re still holding onto that lead in the AL Central.
— Jennings T-8. San Diego Padres Record: 75-58 Last Power Ranking: 7 Big August move: RHP Yu Darvish activated from the restricted list — but returned to the injured list This one is more about the long view for the Padres this autumn. San Diego has played itself into a more comfortable playoff position — if such a thing exists in the NL wild-card race — in the second half, allowing it some luxury to look forward to a postseason rotation.
And a postseason rotation with Yu Darvish in it is better than one without. Darvish hasn’t pitched in the majors since late May, and he volunteered to go on the restricted list in early July to tend to a family matter (sacrificing his salary and ability to use team facilities in the process). His return from the restricted list and to the IL allows him to build his arm strength back up in a more formal setting to potentially contribute down the stretch.
Darvish had pitched to a 3.20 ERA in 11 starts earlier this season. — Britton Advertisement T-8.
Kansas City Royals Record: 74-58 Last Power Ranking: 11 Big August move: RHP John Schreiber activated from the injured list Out since July 29 with a knee injury, setup man Schreiber returned in time to pitch in a couple of close Royals wins to help keep the team in control of a wild-card spot. One bullpen trade acquisition, Hunter Harvey , suffered a rehab setback that will delay his return to the bullpen, but the Royals have managed without him in part because Schreiber came back and every other deadline addition — starter Michael Lorenzen , reliever Lucas Erceg , and infielder Paul DeJong — has been terrific. — Jennings 10.
Minnesota Twins Record: 72-59 Last Power Ranking: 8 Big August move: IF Edouard Julien promoted to the majors Minnesota is entering the final stretch of the season in a familiar, frustrating spot: Both Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa are on the injured list. Royce Lewis is always in danger of joining them there. The injury to Buxton earlier this month brought back Julien, who has struggled for much of the season after a strong rookie campaign in 2023.
The Twins can use all the offensive help they can get with their stars on the shelf. They thought Julien might have similar potential before his offensive approach derailed this summer. He has looked more like himself since his return, including a four-hit showcase in a rout of San Diego last week.
— McCullough GO DEEPER How 'Beer and Tacos methodology' made the Twins one of MLB’s most entertaining teams 11. Houston Astros Record: 70-61 Last Power Ranking: 10 Big August move: RHP Justin Verlander activated from the injured list Luis Garcia isn’t coming back this season, neither are Lance McCullers Jr. , Cristian Javier or José Urquidy , but the Astros do have Verlander back in the rotation for the first time since Jun.
9. Verlander hasn’t been at his peak dominance this season but remains Justin Verlander, and the Astros could still get a couple of other significant boosts — reliever Ryan Pressly and outfielder Kyle Tucker — before the end of the regular season. The Astros have taken firm control of the AL West, and still have some opportunity to get even better before the playoffs.
— Jennings GO DEEPER The legend of Justin Verlander at Old Dominion: Vanity plates, house parties and high heat 12. Atlanta Braves Record: 71-60 Last Power Ranking: 12 Big August move: 3B Austin Riley to the injured list with a fractured hand It’s hard to overstate how different Atlanta looks this season compared to last. Its top six position players last year combined for more than 33 wins above replacement (according to FanGraphs).
Those same half-dozen players this year have combined for fewer than seven, or less than Ronald Acuña Jr. managed all by his lonesome in 2023. Advertisement Riley, though, had been the best of that group, the club’s second-best everyday player behind Marcell Ozuna .
Atlanta has already stretched thin on the infield to cover for the loss of Ozzie Albies . Now it turns to Gio Urshela , just signed after his release by the Tigers , to steady the hot corner. The lineup will need to get more out of Michael Harris II , just back and put into the leadoff spot, trade acquisition Jorge Soler and Matt Olson , perhaps turning around his season-long slump, to mitigate the loss of Riley and hold off the chasers for an NL wild card.
— Britton 13. New York Mets Record: 68-63 Last Power Ranking: 15 Big August move: RHP Dedniel Núñez activated from the injured list The Mets invited 35 pitchers to major-league spring training this season; their best reliever wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t the first time the Mets left Núñez behind; he was taken by the Giants in the Rule 5 draft ahead of the ’21 season and spent the whole year with San Francisco — rehabbing thanks to Tommy John surgery.
He was returned to the Mets that fall, and he’s now the 28-year-old rookie tasked with strengthening New York’s bridge to Edwin Díaz . The Mets’ bullpen this season has used enough arms to qualify as phantasmagorical. Only two of the eight relieves on the Opening Day roster are still pitching for the club, and almost nobody has taken hold of a defined role outside of Díaz.
Núñez might be the other exception. In 35 big-league innings this season, Núñez is running a strikeout rate above 35 percent and a walk rate below 6 percent. The other pitchers doing that in baseball are — nope, sorry, he’s it.
— Britton 14. Boston Red Sox Record: 67-64 Last Power Ranking: 13 Big August move: 1B Triston Casas activated from the injured list Out since April 20 because of a rib cage injury that resembled “ a car crash with (his) body ,” Casas gave the Red Sox an immediate boost with multiple hits in four of his first seven games back. Veteran Dom Smith had capably filled the void for a little while, but he’d gone cold, and Casas is a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat.
There’s increasing optimism that Trevor Story could play again this season, relievers Justin Slaten and Liam Hendriks have both begun rehab assignments, and veteran Rich Hill signed a minor-league deal to provide some eventual rotation depth (though only after trade deadline acquisition James Paxton got hurt in his third start with the team). — Jennings Advertisement 15. Seattle Mariners Record: 67-65 Last Power Ranking: 14 Big August move: Firing Scott Servais and promoting new manager Dan Wilson Servais lost his job in the wake of Seattle’s mid-summer collapse , with the team blowing a 10-game lead in the American League West and ceding the division back to the incumbent Astros.
Jerry Dipoto replaced Servais with Wilson , a longtime Mariners catcher. The presence of Wilson is unlikely to fix the offense, assembled by Dipoto, that entered Monday ranked 28th in OPS and 26th in runs. Seattle did win its first series under Wilson, but the team’s postseason probabilities have shrunk to the single digits.
The disappointment of this season should place more scrutiny on Dipoto, who has run the baseball operations department since September 2015. — McCullough GO DEEPER Former Mariners manager Lou Piniella praises Dan Wilson, the team's new skipper 16. San Francisco Giants Record: 66-66 Last Power Ranking: 17 Big August move: RHP Camilo Doval optioned to Triple A — and then recalled Few saw the Giants’ decision to option Doval on Aug.
9 coming, even after the closer had struggled over the previous month, especially with his command. After 15 days in Triple A, Doval returned over the weekend to a different role, his old one now belonging to Ryan Walker . In his first chance as a late-inning fireman, he helped preserve a one-run lead and get the ball to Walker in a critical win.
For Doval, that makes August both a loss and a win, which is kind of how it goes for a Giants team drawn inexorably to the .500 mark. They’re .
500 this season and .500 over their past 462 games, dating to the final week of that magical, seemingly Faustian 2021 regular season. To escape that gravity and emerge as a legit playoff contender in the final month, San Francisco will need Doval and every edge it can get in tight games late.
— Britton 17. Tampa Bay Rays Record: 65-66 Last Power Ranking: 16 Big August move: RHP Drew Rasmussen activated from the injured list Calling up top prospect Junior Caminero on Aug. 13 is the move that should stir the most excitement, but it’s the Rays’ pitching injuries that have hung over much of this disappointing season.
The Rays had hoped that Rasmussen would return to pitch meaningful games down the stretch, which wasn’t possible given the team’s first half, but at least he’s back from Tommy John, and only a few weeks after Jeffrey Springs also returned. A third key piece of the Rays rotation, Shane McClanahan , began throwing off a mound at the trade deadline, meaning he, too, is progressing nicely from Tommy John. It’s all too little, too late for this season, but the Rays have shifted focus firmly to 2025 when that trio of starters could help get them back to relevance.
— Jennings Advertisement 18. St. Louis Cardinals Record: 65-66 Last Power Ranking: 19 Big August move: C Willson Contreras to the injured list with a fractured finger Maybe no team has been as active in August as the Cardinals , whose plummet down the wild-card standings has led to demotions for Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman .
The biggest loss to what was left of St. Louis’ playoff ambitions is Contreras’ fractured middle finger — which feels symbolic in a month that’s flipped off these birds. Only the Marlins have scored fewer runs in the National League than the Cardinals, and Contreras has been just about the only bright spot for that St.
Louis lineup. This had arguably been Contreras’ finest all-around season, a clear justification of the big free-agent deal he’d signed two winters ago to replace Yadier Molina. Now St.
Louis will have to turn to Pedro Pagés and Ivan Herrera , who to their credit have both looked good for stretches this season, to fill in behind the plate. On a larger level, the Cardinals are still waiting on Paul Goldschmidt to join Nolan Arenado ’s late-summer renaissance. — Britton 19.
Chicago Cubs Record: 66-66 Last Power Ranking: 18 Big August move: RHP Héctor Neris released On the one hand, Neris was released despite an ERA below four as the team’s closer through the middle of this month — a little hinky when considering the vesting option in Neris’ contract. On the other hand, the Cubs’ bullpen has been their strength over the last couple of months, and it was never Neris driving that bus. Chicago has unearthed some gems in relief, with Tyson Miller and Jorge López in particular looking nasty from the right side.
That allowed the Cubs to move on from Neris and focus more on their future without sacrificing whatever chances remain for the postseason this year. To that end, the Cubs have done well to take advantage of a soft August schedule that continues this week in Pittsburgh and Washington. It gets harder eventually, but not by much: According to Tankathon, Chicago owns the easiest remaining schedule in the National League.
— Britton 20. Detroit Tigers Record: 66-66 Last Power Ranking: 21 Big August move: 3B prospect Jace Jung promoted from Triple A Advertisement In a week, the Tigers activated Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene from the IL, recalled Spencer Torkelson from Triple A and called up prospects Jung and Trey Sweeney (one of the players acquired in the Jack Flaherty trade). Carpenter was remarkably impactful in the short term (three homers in his first two games back), but the Tigers clearly are thinking long-term, so getting Jung’s feet wet seems most significant.
It’s not out of the question, though, that Carpenter, Greene, Torkelson, Jung and Sweeney could all be on the Opening Day roster next year. — Jennings GO DEEPER Tigers' Javier Báez to have season-ending hip surgery 21. Cincinnati Reds Record: 63-68 Last Power Ranking: 20 Big August move: Not rushing Hunter Green back from the injured list The Reds are not actual contenders for a postseason spot.
The team loses more often than it wins. So while the recent elbow injury suffered by Greene has doomed any long-shot hopes of a wild-card spot, the team had to be encouraged that an MRI revealed no structural damage. The ailment interrupted a strong campaign for Greene, the former No.
2 overall pick who only flashed his potential during his first two seasons in the majors. He made the All-Star team earlier this summer and looked the part of a front-line starter. His contract puts him under team control through 2029.
If the Reds ever expect to challenge the Brewers for supremacy in the National League Central, they will need Greene to be healthy. Perhaps next year. Or the year after that.
Or some year, eventually. — McCullough 22. Toronto Blue Jays Record: 65-68 Last Power Ranking: 24 Big August move: Putting RHP Bowden Francis in the starting rotation Francis, a 28-year-old right-hander, bounced between the rotation and the bullpen earlier in the season, but rejoined his place among the starting five when the Blue Jays dealt Yusei Kikuchi to Houston.
Francis has made the most of his late-summer opportunity. He capped an excellent four-start stretch by taking a no-hit bid into the ninth inning against the Angels on Saturday. A solo home run spoiled Francis’s shot at history, but he still finished with a career-best 12 strikeouts.
His performance lately has been a bright spot for an otherwise bleak conclusion to the season for Toronto. — McCullough 23. Pittsburgh Pirates Record: 62-69 Last Power Ranking: 22 Big August move: OF Henry Davis promoted to the majors Paul Skenes , the No.
1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, looks like a star, a future contender for Cy Young Awards who should get some consideration for this year’s ballot. The jury is still out on Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021.
He failed to flourish upon his debut last season and looked even less productive at the plate in 2024. An injury to catcher Joey Bart — another top pick, No. 2 overall by San Francisco in 2018, who was having the best season of his career — has created an opening.
Davis played well for Triple-A Indianapolis after being demoted in June. He has a chance to show why the future could still be bright in Pittsburgh. — McCullough Advertisement 24.
Texas Rangers Record: 60-71 Last Power Ranking: 23 Big August move: RHP Jacob deGrom beginning minor-league rehab assignment Tyler Mahle returned from injury and then got hurt again. Jon Gray came back from the IL and was quickly knocked around by the Guardians. Max Scherzer had his latest rehab assignment scratched because of some sort of lingering shoulder issue.
Things have just never quite worked for the Rangers this season. They were hurt, their offense was down, and their title defense is going to end without a playoff berth. But at least deGrom is pitching again, beginning a rehab assignment on Thursday and pitching in his first game since April 2023.
There’s a chance he could be back in the big leagues in September (and perhaps pitching meaningful games next year). — Jennings 25. Washington Nationals Record: 59-73 Last Power Ranking: 25 Big August move: OF Dylan Crews promoted from Triple A That brief dalliance with wild-card relevance in mid-June aside, this Nationals season has always been about introducing the National League to James Wood and Dylan Crews in the outfield.
Wood, who debuted at the start of July, has looked more than big-league-ready over those two months. Crews, a consensus top-10 prospect in the sport entering the season, has solidified that projection with strong results in the minors this season. The No.
2 pick behind his LSU teammate Paul Skenes in the 2023 draft, Crews slides into center with Wood in left, giving Washington one of the most tantalizingly talented outfields in baseball. The rebuild has been long, for sure, but the Nats are starting to see the light on the other side. — Britton 26.
Oakland Athletics Record: 56-75 Last Power Ranking: 26 Big August move: RHP Mason Miller activated from the injured list Placed on the IL a week before the trade deadline, and activated a little more than a week after, Miller got five saves in his first seven appearances of the month to become the third A’s rookie to reach 20 saves in a season. The other two were Andrew Bailey and Huston Street, both more than a decade ago. Brent Rooker also returned from the paternity list to hit his 30th home run of the season, and the A’s have actually played winning baseball since the end of June.
— Jennings 27. Los Angeles Angels Record: 54-77 Last Power Ranking: 27 Big August move: CF Mike Trout declared out for the season Advertisement What counts as a meaningful move for a team like the Angels? It likely didn’t mean much in the short-term to lose Trout for the rest of the year , but the ongoing health problems of Trout are certainly discouraging for the future, and two days after the trade deadline the team announced that Trout suffered another tear to his left meniscus and won’t play again this season. That sort of thing tends to cast a shadow over an already bleak situation.
Losing Luis Rengifo to a wrist injury was also no good. The Angels did call up veteran Johnny Cueto from Triple A, which might be fun but is unlikely to make much of a difference. — Jennings GO DEEPER Mike Trout gets excited about hitting Mike Trout autographed baseball card 28.
Miami Marlins Record: 47-84 Last Power Ranking: 28 Big August move: IF Connor Norby promoted to the majors Part of the return for Trevor Rogers at the trade deadline, Norby has debuted with the Marlins with hits in six straight games, including home runs on Saturday and Sunday. Blocked in Baltimore, he’s now the man in Miami, given how little the Marlins have gotten offensively from their regulars this season. That’s become a tradition, and so has Miami’s penchant for dealing starting pitchers for talented infielders.
That’s what got the Fish Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis Arraez and Jake Burger . The first two were moved earlier this season, signaling that this rebuild is just getting underway.
— Britton 29. Colorado Rockies Record: 49-83 Last Power Ranking: 29 Big August move: Uhh ..
. Antonio Senzatela is pitching rehab games? Yeah. The Rockies.
Kris Bryant is on the injured list again. Kyle Freeland has a 5.70 ERA.
The team is more than two dozen games out of first place. The front office did little at the trade deadline. It is hard to find reasons for optimism.
Getting to see Senzatela, who underwent Tommy John surgery last summer, would qualify as a victory for a franchise that rarely experiences them. — McCullough 30. Chicago White Sox Record: 31-101 Last Power Ranking: 30 Big August move: LHP Ky Bush promoted to the majors Advertisement Look, gentle reader, this is a bleak exercise for White Sox fans.
You want to get hyped about Yoán Moncada and Mike Soroka starting rehab assignments soon? You amped for recent first-round pick Hagen Smith ’s professional debut? You curious when Colson Montgomery will turn it around in Triple A? Be our guest. Replacing Pedro Grifol with interim manager Grady Sizemore has not altered the club’s downward trajectory. The team remains on pace to surpass the 1962 New York Mets for the worst record in baseball history.
The arrival of Bush, a pitching prospect acquired last summer from the Angels, will not change matters. But he could be part of a more competent White Sox roster in the future. — McCullough (Top photo of José Leclerc : Sam Hodde / Getty Images).
