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RotoBaller's Kevin Larson drops his latest MLB Power Rankings. Analysis, insight, and rankings for all 30 MLB teams from worst to first as of August 25, 2025.
MLB Power Rankings: Where Does Every Team Stand?
We’re creeping ever closer to the playoffs. They’re just around the corner. The division races are all pretty set, outside of two. But there’s still plenty left to be figured out with the wild card spots. Two huge divisional battles took place this week that are going to affect playoff standings. One saw a rival get a tad bit of revenge while the other showed one’s dominance over its rival this season. And most importantly, is there a new top team in the AL for our rankings? The world is dying to know. So read on to find out where your team stands. Let’s get into it.
30. Colorado Rockies
After a series split with the Dodgers to start the week, the Rockies headed to Pittsburgh and were unable to muster up any wins. There are still some positives under the hood, though. Jordan Beck has been a bright spot in the second half, hitting for an .840 OPS since the break. At 37-94 the Rockies are now out of danger of having the worst record in modern baseball history, but they will be posting up their third straight 100 loss season after not having a single 100 in franchise history prior to the streak.
29. Chicago White Sox
A nice 8-0 win on Sunday finished a 3-3 week for Chicago. Colson Montgomery smashed his 13th homer of the year in the affair. He’s been a bright spot for the White Sox as they look to build confidence for the 2026 season. He won’t be contending for the AL Rookie of the Year since he only debuted in July, but it’s clear the White Sox have found a solid answer at shortstop with him. A tough stretch against the Royals and Yankees awaits Chicago on the southside this week.
28. Washington Nationals
Outside of an 8-1 loss to start the week, the Nationals played competitively to go 3-3. James Wood hit just his second HR of the second half on Thursday while also posting consecutive multi-hit games. He now has six multi-hit games in the month and might be turning the corner after struggling for much of July. Him and the rest of the Nationals will simply look to build confidence heading into 2026.
27. Pittsburgh Pirates
A weekend sweep of the Rockies to finish an impressive 5-1 week for the Pirates. Jared Triolo drove much of the offensive success for the Pirates by going 8-18 with three multi-hit games. Paul Skenes was solid this week as well. Surprising, I know! In 13 innings pitched he allowed just two earned runs and struck out 15. He’s well on his way to becoming the NL Cy Young Award winner. The Pirates will continue to look for bright spots like these as they finish out 2025 in a similar spot as our other bottom-dwellers: simply looking to build confidence heading into next season.
26. Atlanta Braves
Don’t let the Braves get hot! Winners in seven of their last ten, the Braves are cooking. They’re still much too far out of the wild card race to even feel like they have a chance, but it’s not exactly bad times in Atlanta right now. They’ve welcomed Ronald Acuna Jr back to the lineup after he missed multiple weeks with a calf injury. Michael Harris II has been have a very strong turnaround in the second half as well, posting up a 1.034 OPS since the break. Atlanta’s working to make the best of a wasted season and finishing on a strong note can help set them up for 2026.
25. Minnesota Twins
This week was a bad week for the Twins, going just 1-5 against the A’s and White Sox. It’s been rough for Minnesota for quite some time now as injuries ravaged their season early on. Selling at the deadline signaled they were going to take a dive at some point and they’re very clearly taking that dive now. Luke Keaschall’s development will be paramount to finish the season as he starts to adjust against the league once they get a book on him. Look for another tough week for the Twins as they have the Blue Jays and Padres on deck.
24. Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore’s hot streak came to an end this weekend as they lost three of four to the Houston Astros. But they still were able to sweep a mini two game series against the Red Sox to start the week, giving them a 3-3 record on the week. The recent debuts of Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo look to bring a glimpse of the future to O’s fans. Basallo’s eight year, $67 million extension made headlines in Baltimore and poised the question of if Gunnar Henderson could be next. With Henderson stating that he wants to be in a winning culture, Baltimore will have to turn things around in a major way in 2026 in order to appease their star shortstop.
23. Athletics
If nothing else, at least the A’s are going to give you an entertaining game one way or another. The offense continues to be a bright spot in Sacramento, though the Mariners were about to keep them at bay this weekend. Still, their young lineup led by Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz continue to keep pitchers weary of making mistakes. As far as A’s pitchers go, Jacob Lopez looks to give them hope that they can limit hitters soon. He’s posting a 3.28 ERA this season with a 1.80 ERA in the second half. He’ll look to stay strong as a potential ace for next season as he finishes out 2025 on a strong roll.
22. Miami Marlins
The potential of the Marlins making a wild card run looks to have severely died down after a 3-7 run over their last 10 games. That hasn’t stopped them from having young fun hitters popping up in their lineups. Jakob Marsee, called up from Triple-A Jacksonville at the beginning of August, has posted a 1.121 OPS and has been a consistent source of offense for the fish. Unfortunately the rest of the Marlins haven’t really been able to keep up, but he’s becoming a bright spot for the Marlins as the likelihood of a wild card appearance diminishes.
21. Los Angeles Angels
After a 1-5 week that puts them 8.5 GB of the final AL wild card spot, it may now be safe to say that the Angels’ chances of making a run at a wild card spot are finished. They’re on a 2-7 slide and have four teams between them, giving them an 0.1% chance at making the playoffs according to FanGraphs. Pitching has been their downfall as the staff has a 4.91 ERA over the last 30 days, fifth worst in the majors in that span. It’s hard to compete with a staff that leaky. Los Angeles will need to find a way to improve it next season if they want to finally make it back to the playoffs.
20. San Francisco Giants
The Giants likely are too far out of the race to compete for a wild card spot, being 6.5 GB of the Mets, but a weekend series win on the road over Milwaukee has to help inspire at least some confidence. It helped balance out a bad start to the week against the Padres, but it didn’t help them gain back any ground in the wild card race. On the bright side, Logan Webb may be finding his form again after a bit of a slump in July. But is that going to be enough to boost the Giants back into the playoff race? More than likely not. But if a miracle run is to happen then it needs to start this week as they host the Cubs and Orioles at Oracle Park.
19. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals’ slump may have been stunted this week after a 4-2 week rolling through Florida. It was desperately needed after last week’s series losses to the Rockies and Yankees. But they’re still 5.5 GB of the Mets and didn’t gain any ground in the past week. They’ll need to get things rolling and they need to get it going fast. They host the Pirates for four games this week before going to Cincinnati for the weekend. The Cardinals need to win as many games as possible to try and close the gap on the Mets. Chances are slim, but it’s possible if they get things rolling this week.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks
Maybe Arizona’s gotten past their slip up in Colorado as they went 4-2 this week against Cleveland and Cincinnati. They’re in the same boat as the Cardinals with a 5.5 game deficit to the Mets for the final wild card spot. If they’re to overcome that deficit it’s going to be thanks to their offense. The lineup is hitting for a 121 wRC+ in August, fifth best in the league. The pitching staff’s 4.07 ERA in the month puts them about league average. That’s helping them for now, but they need their very efficient offense to push them even further to keep them in the wild card race.
17. Tampa Bay Rays
It’s very unlike the Rays to see their pitching staff not be able to compete. Prior to Sunday’s 7-2 win over the Cardinals, the Rays’ staff had given up at least six runs in five straight games. They’ve pitched to a 4.83 ERA in the month of August, leading to a 9-11 record in the month. Had that ERA been closer to their season-long ERA of 4.03 then they may be a bit closer in the wild card race. Instead, they’re 6.5 GB of the Mariners for the final spot and need a miracle run at season’s end to even have a chance at sniffing October. Three of their next four series come against the Guardians and Mariners, giving them an ample chance to gain ground on the teams in front of them.
16. Cleveland Guardians
All that momentum that Cleveland had a couple weeks ago has vanished and then some. On August 14th Cleveland was just a half game back of the final wild card spot. But they’ve gone 1-8 since then and now find themselves five games back of Seattle. Part of that streak involved back-t0-back walk off losses to Arizona and Texas. If the loss of momentum and widening gap in the wild card race wasn’t emotionally tolling enough, adding in that layer of salt to the wound just hurts it a little more. Cleveland has very little time to turn things back on to get back into the race as quickly as they dropped out of it.
15. Texas Rangers
A weekend sweep over the Guardians is exactly what the Rangers needed to start feeling like they can find their way back into the race. Not that they’re that far out of things in the wild card. They’re currently 4.5 GB of the Mariners for the final spot. Not an insurmountable climb, but one that’s going to be tough with just 30 games left on the schedule. Texas will have to rely on its pitching to get them there, just as they have the entire season. Jacob deGrom and his 2.76 ERA will drive the headlines, but Nathan Eovaldi and his 1.73 ERA has been a massive reason Texas is even around. Those two need to keep bringing their A-game from here on out for Texas to have a shot.
14. Kansas City Royals
Ever so quietly the Royals are now back in the race. At 3 GB of the Mariners after a 7-3 run, they’re starting to look like they may be the surprise team that makes a run this September. The 4.02 ERA during August isn’t all that inspiring, but the 116 wRC+ has helped get them to where they are. Vinnie Pasquantino was a huge contributor this week, belting a homer in six of his last sevne games. Bobby Witt Jr. has also been a main driver of that offensive success, as one would expect. His 177 wRC+ in August leads the Royals as they fight for October. But a three game deficit will still be tough to overcome. The offense will need to keep up its spectacular ways to help Kansas City’s questionable pitching staff get across the line.
13. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds went 3-3 this week as were unable to make up any ground on the Mets. They sit just 1.5 GB of them for the final spot, but they’re likely going to wish they had been able to make up a little bit more ground. That’s because their upcoming schedule is a brutal test for them. They went .500 in their playoff test a week ago against Philadelphia and Milwaukee, but this may be a bigger risk for them. All of their next five series come against teams currently in a playoff spot or chasing one: The Dodgers, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mets and Padres. This stretch of 15 will likely define Cincinnati’s season and show them where they truly stand.
12. Seattle Mariners
Spirits were high after the trade deadline as Seattle looked like it was set to make a major run at representing the American League in the World Series this year. But lately it hasn’t gone great for Seattle. They’re now 3-8 in their last 11 games, a bit disappointing after their deadline splash. Eugenio Suarez, the biggest fish at the deadline, has hit for just a .611 OPS and just four homers. That’s an underwhelming return after what he did in Arizona, but Seattle fans are going to have to hope he’s just readjusting to T-Mobile Park. With the Royals making a run, they need to keep space between them. The AL West is still within reach too, but a 3-7 run again won’t help Seattle’s causes at all.
11. New York Mets
The Mets are still clinging to a 1.5 game lead over Cincinnati after a 3-3 week. They may be thankful for that upcoming Reds schedule we mentioned as well as that’s probably going to give them a little more cushion. In the meantime, two key pieces of the Mets’ offense are really getting things going in August. Juan Soto his hitting for a 164 wRC+ in August while Francisco Lindor is hitting for a 204 wRC+. They’re both helping to keep New York afloat during an otherwise rough month. They’ll host two of their NL East rivals at Citi Field when Philadelphia and Miami visit this week.
10. New York Yankees
A great week last week was severely stunted after losing three of four to the Red Sox in the Bronx this weekend. They simply can’t find a way to continuously get past Boston and that’s really all that Yankees fans will care about. But for everyone else, they’ve got a half game lead over Seattle for the final wild card spot and are 3.5 games ahead of the Royals. Not much room to breathe but enough to not be super worried. With the Nationals and White Sox on deck this week, there is ample opportunity for the Yankees to continue their course correction over anyone who isn’t Boston.
9. Boston Red Sox
Oh hey, there are those Red Sox! Even though they lost on Sunday night in the Bronx, they still took three of four from the Yankees to help them get back ahead of New York by a half game. In August the pitching staff has really driven a ton of Boston’s success, pitching to a 3.30 ERA. That’s fourth best in the majors in the month and is a major reason they’re 12-9 in the month. On deck is a four game set in Baltimore followed by a weekend set at Fenway where they host the Pirates. Boston will have a great opportunity to put more distance between them and the rest of the AL teams fighting for a wild card spot.
8. Houston Astros
The Astros are getting a huge reinforcement to their lineup this week as Yordan Alvarez is very likely to make his return from a lingering hand injury in a home series against the Colorado Rockies this week. The Astros’ lineup has been a bit lacking this month, hitting for just a 92 wRC+ in August. That hasn’t tied in well with their pitching staff throwing to a 5.08 ERA this month. With that kind of ERA it’s surprising their 10-12 record in August hasn’t been worse. But none of that matters with the Rockies coming to town and Alvarez returning to the lineup in a prime spot for Houston to regain its footing.
7. Chicago Cubs
No team may have had a better week than the Cubs, especially considering how badly they needed it. They took three of five from Milwaukee in a five-game series at Wrigley, then swept the Angels to complete a 6-2 week. They’re not going to regain the NL Central lead, but there may have been no better confidence booster than this week. The Cubs are likely to continue their run this week on the road as they head to San Francisco and then spend the weekend at Coors.
6. San Diego Padres
The Yankees and Red Sox weren’t the only teams to have a major division rivalry take place this weekend. San Diego looked to regain the NL West lead from the Dodgers this weekend and nearly did, but after taking two of three they’re now tied for the NL West lead. It’s a small bit of revenge for last week’s series when the Dodgers swept them last week. But San Diego still has work to do. They’re set to make the playoffs but they would really like to be able to take home an NL West title. They’ll head off to Seattle and Minnesota this week as they aim to win their first NL West title since 2006.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
Speaking of those Dodgers, they have to be sweating a bit. The roster is clearly built for October but they play like they know it. That’s gotten them into focus issues where they slack in matchups they should win easily. How else can you explain them only splitting a series with the 2025 Colorado Rockies? The Dodgers have their own issues, mostly driven by injuries, but their focus gets in the way at times. They need to shove all of that to the side if they want to win the NL West for the 12th time in the past 13 years.
4. Philadelphia Phillies
The big news this week in Philly is similar to last week as it was announced Zack Wheeler needs surgery to deal with a blood clot in his shoulder, keeping him out for the rest of the season. While that’s going to hamper them in October, they aren’t letting it hold them back right now. A 5-1 week has pushed them to a seven game lead over the Mets in the NL East, giving them more than enough space to feel comfortable about their chances at playing in October. Aaron Nola’s return to the rotation should ease some concerns, but he needs to be at 100% to be effective in the playoffs.
3. Toronto Blue Jays
George Springer has been on fire since returning from the IL, racking up seven RBI and four homers in eight games. Toronto has needed that production with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the sidelines for much of this week with a hamstring injury. Yet the Blue Jays are just 4-4 since Springer has returned. They’re not in danger of missing the playoffs by any means, but they no longer have best record in the American League. The good news for Toronto is that Guerrero was able to appear as a pinch hitter on Sunday, meaning his return to the lineup should happen soon. His health will be paramount to the Blue Jays’ potential chances in October, so don’t expect them to rush him back if it isn’t necessary.
2. Detroit Tigers
Have the Tigers finally gotten things figured out? It sure feels like it. They’re on a 12-4 run and have recaptured the best record in the American League. The pitching staff has thrown to a 3.73 ERA in August while the bats have hit for a 109 wRC+. Wenceel Perez has been a great piece of production for the Tigers in August, hitting for a 152 wRC+. Detroit has been catching its footing at the right time and simply will want to be confident heading into October. After just missing out on making the ALCS last season, their goals will be larger this year.
1. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers check in as our top team again this week. With a 4.5 game lead over Detroit for the best record in the majors, it’s a pretty easy call. But this week wasn’t easy for Milwaukee. Rather, it may have been a bit of a wakeup call for the Brew Crew. After losing three of five to the Cubs, they were unable to fend off the Giants and lost two of three to them over the weekend. It’s the first time they’ve lost consecutive series since early June when they went 2-4 against the Padres and Braves. That’s a testament to their success over the past two months, but also a reminder that they’re not invincible. The Brewers may have needed this reminder, but we should expect them to bounce back very shortly. A four game set against Arizona, followed by a weekend set against Toronto, is likely to test them again, though.
