MLB Power Rankings: Cubs Leap Red Sox Into Top 5, Mets Up 5 Spots

With the calendar flipping to September this week, the value of every game on the MLB schedule is increasing. The playoff races are entering their most important stretch, and teams have little time left to make up ground or separate themselves from the pack. Division races, Wild Card battles, and the fight to secure favorable postseason positioning will all come into sharper focus as the regular season enters its final month.

Third-order wins remain a useful tool for adding context when evaluating each team. Based on Clay Davenport's adjusted standings, the metric looks beyond a team's actual record by factoring in run differential, strength of schedule, and ballpark effects. It offers another way to measure a team's performance and determine whether its record accurately reflects the quality of the club.

These Power Rankings focus more on sustainable performance than recent results alone. The arrows show which teams are building momentum, trending in the wrong direction, or holding steady as the season moves toward its most critical stretch. With October getting closer, the margin for error is shrinking, and the final weeks will reveal which teams are built to contend in the postseason and which will fall short of the playoff picture.

1. Brewers — 86.6-47.8 (.644)

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt was benched in the middle of an inning for lack of hustle and a missed bunt attempt earlier in the week. Pratt took full responsibility and said, “It won’t happen again.”

2. Dodgers — 84.7-52.0 (.620)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Starter Tarik Skubal returned to Detroit for the first time since being traded. He allowed one run across six innings for one of his best starts since the deadline. 

3. Yankees — 73.4-54.5 (.574)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Starter Cam Schlittler recorded his 200th strikeout as part of a 1-0 shutout of the Red Sox. He became the fourth-youngest Yankee to reach that total in a season. 

4. Rays — 77.4-57.6 (.573) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Rays became the first AL team to record 80 wins on Friday. However, their +53 run differential ranks fourth in the league behind New York, Boston, and Detroit. 

5. Cubs — 77.9-58.1 (.573) ⬆️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong smacked a career-high three homers at Wrigley on Saturday. Cubs fans were booing when he came up for his final at-bat and a position player was on the mound. 

6. Red Sox — 77.3-58.6 (.569) ⬇️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Catcher Mickey Gasper had a 2.208 OPS over the seven games from August 18-25. Only Ted Williams had a higher OPS over a seven-game span in Red Sox history.

7. Marlins — 73.7-57.8 (.560)

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Utility man Javier Sanoja joins Elly De La Cruz and Pete Crow-Armstrong as the only three players at the age of 23 or younger to record three hits and three stolen bases in a single game.

8. Pirates — 75.1-61.9 (.548)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin is beginning a rehab assignment at Double-A on Sunday. The 20-year-old is currently on the 60-day injured list with a left ring finger sagittal band injury.

9. Braves — 67.3-56.7 (.543) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Braves swept the Dodgers thanks to a complete game shutout from Chris Sale. He struck out 11, including Shohei Ohtani on a 100.1 mph fastball, his fastest pitch since 2018. 

10. Tigers — 73.0-61.9 (.541) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander is getting closer to a potential final appearance with the Tigers. He is throwing off a mound, and Detroit hopes he can make one more appearance before retiring. 

11. White Sox — 68.0-63.5 (.517)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The White Sox have opened contract extension talks with Munetaka Murakami, who has hit 29 home runs during his first season in Chicago. A two-year, $34 million contract for Murakami was one of the steals of the offseason. 

12. Phillies — 68.3-64.9 (.513)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Infielder Edmundo Sosa hits a pinch-hit go-ahead grand slam in the 9th inning to lead the Phillies to a 5-3 victory over the Angels on Friday.

13. Padres — 64.7-65.3 (.498) ⬆️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Starter Joe Musgrove is returning from October 2024 Tommy John surgery and made what could be his final rehab start. In five innings, he allowed a run on five hits with three strikeouts at Triple-A. 

14. Nationals — 68.6-69.4 (.497) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Starter Jackson Kent threw seven innings of one-run ball to pick up his first major league win. Washington snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Marlins.

15. Blue Jays — 67.4-69.6 (.492)

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Starter Dylan Cease became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2001 to record 19 consecutive games with at least seven strikeouts.

16. Mets — 65.0-67.4 (.491) ⬆️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Mets activated star Juan Soto from the IL after a month-long stint. He had been sidelined since July 24, dealing with a calf injury. 

17. Orioles — 66.0-70.0 (.485) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Orioles and Trey Mancini announced he will sign a one-day contract with Baltimore and retire as an Oriole on Saturday, September 19.

18. Guardians — 65.8-70.2 (.484)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: MLB reportedly suspended a Dominican prospect, who had $2.8 million agreement with Guardians, due to an age-fraud plot. Cleveland thought he was 13-14 years old and could sign in 2029, but he was actually 16. 

19. Diamondbacks — 63.8-68.9 (.481) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Starters Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen made rehab starts over the weekend at Triple-A. Both starters are desperately needed for an Arizona rotation in flux.

20. Giants — 59.4-65.1 (.477)⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Shortstop Willy Adames could miss the remainder of the 2026 season after he suffered an elbow injury. He’s expected to miss 3-4 weeks after receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection. 

21. Cardinals — 64.3-71.2 (.475) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Rookie Blaze Jordan was placed on the 10-day IL with a badly sprained left ankle on Friday. Just one day before, he hit his first homer at Busch Stadium and made a game-saving catch. 

22. Mariners — 63.1-73.0 (.464) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Catcher Cal Raleigh busted out of his season-long slump earlier this week. On Monday, he posted his first career 3-homer game.

23. Twins — 62.1-73.9 (.457)

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Top prospect Walker Jenkins made his MLB debut on Friday. He went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk, but the Twins lost to Chicago 7-4.  

24. Angels — 59.2-70.8 (.455) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder Wade Meckler robbed a go-ahead home run with an unreal catch in the ninth inning that could be the catch of the year. The Angels still lost the game on a grand slam by the Phillies (see above). 

25. Royals — 61.7-75.4 (.450) ⬆️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Kansas City saw their nine-game win streak come to an end on Wednesday night. It was the club’s first loss since August 15 and arguably their best two-week stretch of the season. 

26. Astros — 58.4-71.7 (.449)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: With their club in first place, the Astros fired general manager Dana Brown. Houston is a mess and seems to be nearing the end of their competitive window. 

27. Rangers — 57.0-73.1 (.438) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Starter Jack Leiter will be shut down for the next few days after experiencing biceps soreness during his one-inning rehab appearance at Triple-A. Texas is trying to use him as a reliever down the stretch. 

28. Reds — 55.8-80.3 (.410)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Eugenio Suárez and TJ Friedl, both of whom were made available to all 29 clubs for the cost of their remaining contract values, both cleared waivers.

29. Rockies — 52.0-84.1 (.382)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Starter Tanner Gordon tossed a career-best seven innings while striking out five. He held the Nationals to one run while pitching the Rockies to their seventh victory in their last 12 road games.

30. Athletics — 50.3-85.8 (.370)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Catcher Shea Langeliers was expected to miss the remainder of the season, but he’s progressing well enough from a medical meniscectomy that he could appear in some late September games. 

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