MLB Power Rankings: Cubs Closing On Top 3, Mets & Royals Slide

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With fewer than 20 games remaining in the regular season, there is very little time left for teams to make significant moves in the playoff picture. Every game carries added weight, whether a club is trying to climb into a division lead, secure a Wild Card spot, or improve its postseason position. The standings can still shift, but the opportunities to gain or lose meaningful ground are quickly disappearing as the regular season approaches its conclusion.

Third-order wins remain a useful tool for providing additional context when evaluating each team. Based on Clay Davenport's adjusted standings, the metric looks beyond a team's actual record by accounting for run differential, strength of schedule, and ballpark effects. It provides another perspective on how a team has performed and whether its record accurately represents the quality of the club.

These Power Rankings place a greater emphasis on sustainable performance rather than simply reacting to a team's most recent results. The arrows indicate which teams are gaining momentum, moving in the wrong direction, or remaining relatively steady as the season winds down. With October approaching and the margin for error becoming increasingly small, the final weeks will help determine which teams are positioned to make an impact in the postseason and which will be left outside the playoff picture.

1. Brewers — 89.5-54.4 (.622)

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Shortstop Cooper Pratt became the first Brewers rookie with an RBI in six consecutive games since Ryan Braun in 2007.

2. Dodgers — 87.4-55.5 (.612)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani struck out four times on Wednesday and then sat out multiple games. He has been dealing with lingering pain in his right biceps and left knee that has prevented him from pitching.

3. Yankees — 83.3-59.6 (.583)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder Aaron Judge took on-field batting practice on Friday for the first time since May 31. He’s been recovering from a stress fracture in his right rib.

4. Cubs — 82.9-61.0 (.576) ⬆️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and starter Kevin Gausman teamed up for a dominant night at Wrigley. PCA hit his 39th homer, a two-run shot, while Gausman allowed one run on five hits over seven innings.

5. Rays — 81.1-61.8 (.568) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Rays put starting pitcher Shane McClanahan on the IL due to left forearm tightness. He also missed two weeks in July with back tightness.

6. Red Sox — 80.1-63.8 (.557)

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Catcher Mickey Gasper hit a homer on Friday that helped Boston win 1-0. His 1.541 OPS is the highest OPS by a Red Sox hitter over any 16-game span since 2010.

7. Marlins — 79.4-64.6 (.551)

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Kyle Stowers left Thursday’s game with a hamstring injury that he has been dealing with in recent weeks as Miami hangs on the edge of Wild Card contention. In 10 games prior, he went 10-for-33 with two homers.

8. Pirates — 78.8-65.1 (.548)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin is returned to the lineup on Friday after missing time with a left ring finger injury. He went 0-for-3 and scored the team’s only run in a 1-0 victory.

9. Braves — 77.3-66.3 (.538)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 200 homers and 200 steals. He did it in 25 fewer games than Alfonso Soriano.

10. Nationals — 72.9-65.6 (.526) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder James Wood returned from a left oblique strain. He went 1-for-4, as his single into right field broke up Atlanta’s no-hit bid with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

11. Tigers — 75.2-67.8 (.526) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Catcher Dillon Dingler is hitting .107/.176/.131 with zero home runs and four RBI over 22 games since August 7. His -14 wRC+ is the worst mark among all qualified MLB hitters during that span.

12. Phillies — 72.5-70.5 (.507)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder Bryce Harper is on pace to become only the third player in Phillies history to post a .900 OPS at 33 years of age or older.

13. White Sox — 72.0-71.0 (.503) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas both joined the 30-home run club on Friday. Both players are helping push a surprising Chicago team to the top of the AL Central.

14. Padres — 71.6-71.4 (.501) ⬇️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Padres called up top prospect Ethan Salas earlier in the week. He became the youngest catcher to debut since Ivan Rodriguez in 1991.

15. Blue Jays — 72.1-71.9 (.501)

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Starter Max Scherzer moved into ninth place on the all-time strikeout list by passing Gaylord Perry.

16. Diamondbacks — 67.9-70.1 (.492) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder Corbin Carroll leads MLB with 16 triples this season, 8 more than the next closest MLB players. That would be the largest gap in triples between an MLB leader and second place since 1957, when Willie Mays had nine more than second place.

17. Giants — 68.7-72.4 (.487) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: First baseman Rafael Devers' 67 extra-base hits are the most by a Giants player in the team's first 142 games since Barry Bonds (67) in 2004.

18. Guardians — 70.1-73.9 (.487)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: On Friday, the Guardians swept a doubleheader versus the Tigers on consecutive walkoffs. Brayan Rocchio scored the winning run in both games and hit a game-tying grand slam earlier in the day.

19. Mets — 68.4-74.6 (.478) ⬇️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Catcher Francisco Alvarez tied Gary Carter for second all-time in multi-homer games by a catcher before turning 25. Johnny Bench did it eight times.

20. Cardinals — 68.6-75.5 (.476) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Cardinals manager Oli Marmol was ejected for arguing after umpire Doug Eddings told rookie pitcher Hancel Rincon to fix his hat in the middle of his big-league debut.

21. Orioles — 68.3-75.7 (.474) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder Colton Cowser saved the day with a leaping, walk-off home-run robbery to push the Orioles to .500 for the first time since April.

22. Rangers — 67.5-76.5 (.469) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Starter Cal Quantrill tossed seven scoreless innings to lead the Rangers to a 6-0 shutout win over the Rays.

23. Twins — 66.1-77.0 (.462)

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder Byron Buxton confirmed that he will need offseason hip surgery, but is hoping to still return to the Twins this season.

24. Mariners — 65.7-78.3 (.456) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Mariners prospect Lazaro Montes drilled a deep home run in his MLB debut on Tuesday. He is the first Mariner with multiple hits in his MLB debut since Ichiro Suzuki's in 2001.

25. Astros — 64.9-79.2 (.450) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Closer Josh Hader recorded his 250th save, becoming only the sixth lefty to accomplish the feat. Over the last 100 years, Hader's .155 career opponent batting average is the lowest among pitchers who have appeared in at least 500 games.

26. Angels — 64.3-78.8 (.449) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Angels owner Art Moreno agreed to sell the franchise for an MLB-record $4 billion to Stan Kroenke, who owns the Rams, Arsenal, Nuggets, Avalanche, and Rapids.

27. Royals — 64.2-79.9 (.446) ⬇️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Jac Caglianone was named AL Player of the Month for August, while Noah Cameron was named the AL Pitcher of the Month. It’s the fourth time in Royals history they have had players win both honors in the same month.

28. Reds — 60.3-82.8 (.421)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Reds will be limiting Chase Burns’ innings for the remainder of the season despite the team chasing a playoff spot. He has thrown 145 1/3 innings after throwing 109 1/3 in 2025.

29. Rockies — 55.5-87.6 (.388)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Catcher Hunter Goodman already has 36 homers and has a chance to become the sixth catcher in NL history to reach the 40 mark. Javy Lopez was the last NL catcher with 40+ homers in 2003.

30. Athletics — 54.3-89.5 (.378)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: On Friday, Max Muncy, Alika Williams, Jeff McNeil and Zack Gelof all hit home runs in the third inning. It was the first time the A’s have homered four times in one inning since 2002.

What storylines stood out this week? Do you agree with the rankings above? Leave a comment and start the discussion.