What is the best team in baseball? August is drawing to a close and that means the postseason race is coming down to the wire.. With some of the best MLB teams slumping right now, it’s time for our latest MLB power rankings to evaluate clubs across the league.
As always, our MLB power rankings factor in injuries, week-long performances and how the team has fared this month. We’ll have analysis of the worst MLB teams on Saturday. With that said, let’s dive in and examine all 30 teams.
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We had already stuck our proverbial fork in the Seattle Mariners before they let Scott Servais find out he was fired over push notification. Servais certainly isn’t one of the best managers in MLB, but he also is a victim of circumstances. When Mariners ownership wouldn’t allow for significant payroll increases this offseason, it limited what the front office could do to address a weak Mariners lineup. Sure enough, the glaring Achilles heel for this team kept a phenomenal rotation out of the playoffs.
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August is the nail in the coffin for the St. Louis Cardinals. Pitching (4.73 ERA) is a huge issue for St. Louis but it’s also not like Paul Goldschmidt (.705 OPS), Willson Contreras (.723 OPS) or Brendan Donovan (.588 OPS) have helped the Cardinals lineup since the All-Star Break. With a trip to October unlikely, the next storyline for St. Louis becomes whether or not they keep skipper Oliver Marmol for the 2025 season.
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If you want to watch a young team having fun and letting loose on the base paths, the Tampa Bay Rays are for you. While the Rays aren’t lighting up the scoreboard (.603 OPS in August), they lead MLB teams in stolen bases (36) this month by a wide margin. Plus, there are some bright spots on the Rays pitching staff to get an early look at for 2025.
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The San Francisco Giants continue to tread water. San Francisco posted a 13-12 record in July and they are just barely playing above .500 this month. In short, it’s why the Giants get to stay just within striking distance of the third Wild Card spot without ever really closing the gap. Unfortunately for San Francisco, a rough Giants schedule in September will likely cause them to finish the year with a losing record.
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We’re counting the Chicago Cubs out of the playoff hunt, but they are at least playing better baseball in August. The Cubs rolled into Friday with an 11-7 mark, thanks in large part to some excellent work by the pitching staff (3.26 ERA in 160 innings). If Chicago closes the season out strong, there’s at least hope it gives ownership the motivation to let the front office improve the roster this winter.
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In their first 58 games this season, the Boston Red Sox rotation had the fifth-best ERA (3.22) in the majors. In August, that rotation ERA sits at 4.82 which is 20th in the majors. It turns out, that making one of your prized trade deadline acquisitions being a starter who was DFA (James Paxton) isn’t the best strategy for contention. If Boston misses the postseason in 2024, it’s fair to wonder if John Henry will slash payroll even more this winter.
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Late-game heroics are the perfect summary of the New York Mets finding ways to survive in the playoff hunt. No one would mistake the Metropolitans for one of the best MLB teams in 2024. Yet, they have the second-most wins (27) since July 1. What’s fascinating about this Mets team is the fact they are better on the road (32-28) than at Citi Field (35-33) this season.
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We moved the Atlanta Braves up a spot in the MLB power rankings today, but it feels destined to be temporary. Already without so many key players for the remainder of the season, now All-Star third baseman Austin Riley gets an extended stay on the injured list. Perhaps Atlanta’s depth gives them a shot in a wide-open race for the third Wild Card spot, but the Minnesota Twins *Aug. 26-28) and Philadelphia Phillies (Aug. 29 – Set. 1) are looming threats on the Braves schedule.
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The good news for the Minnesota Twins is that the starting pitching has been outstanding this month. In 20 games, the Twins rotation boasts the fourth-lowest ERA (3.16) with an 8-4 record. Now for the bad news. The Twins bullpen is 22nd in ERA (4.44) this month. It’s good to see the Twins lineup (.785 OPS, fifth in August) is performing, but the bullpen is what dictates results in October.
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The Kansas City Royals have been one of the best MLB teams in August, posting an 11-7 record with some solid contributions on the pitching side (3.79 ERA). Of course, the real hero is Bobby Witt Jr. Arguably the most well-rounded player in baseball keeps smashing at the plate, demonstrated by his .370/.434/.753 slash line and 1.187 OPS this month (Baseball Reference). The Royals won’t be mistaken for a World Series contender, but they can be dangerous in a Wild Card series come October.
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Justin Verlander provided the very spark the Houston Astros rotation needed. Getting the future Hall of Famer back does wonders for saving Houston’s pitching staff, allowing the team to expand its rotation and be smarter with its bullpen. As for the Astros lineup, it ranks 12th in OPS this month (FanGraphs) even with Kyle Tucker still without a timeline to return from a shin injury. Health is no guarantee, but Tucker and Verlander being available in October would make Houston as dangerous as anyone.
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You’ll find the Philadelphia Phillies a lot higher in MLB.com and ESPN MLB power rankings because of their season-long record. We viewed the Phillies as the best team in baseball a few weeks ago, but this team hasn’t lived up to that title since. In fact, since July 1, the Phillies are tied for 26th in wins (19) and they have a similar record (29-33) as the Pittsburgh Pirates (29-33) and Oakland Athletics (29-32) since the Phils returned from London on June 10. A turnaround feels inevitable, but we need to see it first.
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It’s business as usual for the Milwaukee Brewers. The club is battling to be 20 games above .500, a mark few in Wisconsin predicted would be possible in 2024. We were impressed by Milwaukee splitting a home series against one of the best teams in MLB (Los Angeles Dodgers), though, what followed against St. Louis was a letdown. With that said, the Brewers lineup (.733 OPS since All-Star Break) is performing well and the pitching staff (3.37 ERA, 6th in MLB) is thriving in August.
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After a dominant stretch by the San Diego Padres, they are now 3-4 in their last seven games. The big surprise was the series defeat at Coors Field to the lowly Rockies, but San Diego recovered quickly by taking the home series against the Twins. We’re still buying stock in the Padres, especially since this team is finding ways to win without Yu Darvish and Fernando Tatis Jr. Both players could be back in September.
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The Cleveland Guardians were easily one of the best MLB teams in the first half of the season. However, a lot changed after the All-Star Break. Cleveland is tied with the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds with 15 wins since the ASB. During that stretch, the pitching (3.99 ERA) has been fine. What’s dragging this team down is a Guardians lineup that has the second-worst OPS (.639) in baseball. Cleveland clings to the fifth spot in our MLB power rankings for now, but that will change in September if they drop the series against the Royals.
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Here’s where things stand for the Baltimore Orioles in the weeks since the MLB trade deadline. Trevor Rogers, who the club vastly overpaid for, posted a 7.11 ERA in 19 innings (FanGraphs). Zach Eflin, who holds a 2.13 ERA since joining the Orioles rotation, is on the injured list and Seranthony Dominguez has two losses. That’s why the Orioles are 9-11 this month. There’s still more than enough time for one of the best MLB teams to turn it around, but the Orioles front office is deservedly under fire for its decision at the deadline.
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The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of the best MLB teams in 2024. Arizona entered Friday with the most wins in August (14), the most wins since July 1 (31) and the best record since June 1 (47-24). When you’re playing more than 20 games above .500 for nearly three months, you’ve earned the right to be called one of the best teams in baseball. Now, Arizona gets its shot to climb even further up the MLB power rankings in September if it can handle upcoming sets against the Red Sox, Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers.
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With the Orioles slumping and the Guardians treading water, just playing right above .500 has pushed the New York Yankees atop the American League. The Yankees haven’t been great this month (10-8), with the pitching staff (4.17 ERA) struggling. Even as New York works through those issues, the Yankees lineup is being carried by Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. The AL is certainly wide open, but the Yankees look like the best team currently.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in MLB. Since Mookie Betts returned to the Dodgers lineup on August 12, Los Angeles is 7-3. During that 10-game stretch, even with numerous injuries, the pitching staff sports a 3.21 ERA and the Dodgers lineup is responsible for the sixth-best OPS (.761) in the majors. Plus, the defense is improving with Betts now in the outfield and both Tommy Edman and Kevin Kiermaier healthy.
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