Who has the best starting rotation in MLB? Pitching is king in Major League Baseball and there’s nothing more important in the regular season than a strong, deep rotation. With pitchers only getting better, it’s time to look at the best MLB rotations in 2024.
A variety of factors come into play with our MLB rotation rankings. Boasting multiple front-line starters or aces is great, but it doesn’t carry quite as much weight over a full season if you lack pitching depth. Similarly, teams with starters that carry injury risks or those already on the injured list are knocked down or off our list.
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Here are the 10 best starting rotations in MLB ahead of Opening Day
10. Chicago Cubs
Justin Steele remains one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball. The ace of the Chicago Cubs rotation ranked 15th among starters in K-BB rate (19.6 percent) last season, emerging as an NL Cy Young candidate. While there is always some risk in the transition from international ball, Shota Imanaga shows the swing-and-miss stuff paired with the ability to generate weak contract to become a high-end starter. Of course, what prevents Chicago from being higher in our MLB rotation rankings is the lack of upside beyond these two, especially with Jameson Taillon’s durability troubles and a lack of strong depth behind him.
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9. Cincinnati Reds
Upside is the story with the Cincinnati Reds rotation. Hunter Greene, the hardest-throwing starter in MLB, likely won’t post an ERA under 4, but the Reds’ ace will have one of the highest strikeout rates in the NL. Behind him, Frankie Montas has demonstrated front-line ability (3.67 ERA from 2021-’22) when his shoulder is right, while Andrew Abbott (3.87 ERA in 2023) and Graham Ashcraft have each showcased some intriguing stuff and numbers. Nick Lodolo and Nick Martinez are wild cards, but we also must account for the Reds’ arms among the best MLB rotations because Great American Ballpark will make every starter’s numbers look worse.
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8. Arizona Diamondbacks
The knock on the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation last year was the lack of proven options and innings-eaters behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. A first step towards addressing that is the development of Brandon Pfaadt, who compiled a 4.14 ERA and 3.89 FIP in his final 58.2 innings last season and was even better in the playoffs (3.27 ERA, 1.09 WHIP). Adding to that, Arizona signed Eduardo Rodriguez to serve as a high-end No. 3 starter. The Diamondbacks are for real with a four-man rotation that’s great for October, but that No. 5 spot is what keeps them in eighth place.
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7. Minnesota Twins
If the Minnesota Twins kept Sonny Gray or replaced him with another front-line starter, they easily move into the top five for our best starting rotations in MLB. Instead, the Twins’ organization is banking on perennial AL Cy Young candidate Pablo Lopez being backed by breakout seasons from Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober. Given the ballpark and the stuff they’ve showcased, that’s very possible. We also like the Twins’ pitching depth with Anthony DeSclafani and Louie Varland, but the real wild card here is Chris Paddack. In his first season back, the Twins are putting a lot of weight on the 28-year-old recapturing the form he put on display as a rookie in 2019 (3.38 ERA).
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6. Toronto Blue Jays
José Berríos is likely to never recapture the greatness he displayed with the Minnesota Twins, but at least he dramatically lowered his ERA (5.23 to 3.65) in 2023. Fortunately for the Toronto Blue Jays, they just need him to stay healthy and be an excellent mid-rotation starter. We know what Toronto is getting from Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt is a proven innings eater. Plus, Yusei Kikuchi finished the year with a 3.86 ERA, though, he might be more of what we saw in the second half (4.05 ERA). If Alex Manoah could ever come close to replicating the success from his first two seasons, Toronto would be in a phenomenal position. What he put on the mound in 2023 and even during spring training this year, however, suggests that isn’t happening.
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5. San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres would not have cracked our list of the 10 best MLB rotations in 2024, but then they surprised everyone and landed Dylan Cease. We consider last season to be more of a fluke and there’s little doubt he could recapture his Cy Young form with the Padres’ pitching coaches. Paired with Joe Musgrave, San Diego boasts an outstanding 1-2 combo and Michael King could quickly become a highly effective No. 3 starter in short order. That leaves Yu Darvish to eat innings, with Jhony Brito and a mix of other young arms rotating as the fifth starter in San Diego. Of course, the absence of a proven No. 5 keeps the Padres from moving up higher.
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4. Los Angeles Dodgers
Even with Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) sidelined for the first half of the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation is one of the best in baseball. Years removed from Tommy John surgery, Tyler Glasnow boasts Cy Young-caliber stuff, capable of maintaining his career 30 percent strikeout rate and keeping his ERA under 3.5. Offseason signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto might not have gotten as much attention as the Shohei Ohtani addition, but Yamamoto could finish the year as one of the 10 best pitchers in baseball. There’s also plenty of upside with Bobby Miller and Los Angeles is flush with pitching depth thanks to Walker Buehler, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone and Michael Grove. Of course, it’s the medical red flags throughout the Dodgers pitching staff that push them down.
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3. Philadelphia Phillies
Zach Wheeler earned every dollar of his contract extension as the face of the Philadephia Phillies rotation. He also took the pressure off Aaron Nola, who should be more rejuvenated after a normal offseason and an opportunity to learn from what led to an underwhelming 2023 campaign. We admittedly aren’t confident that Ranger Suarez will meet the breakout expectations people have for him, but Christopher Sánchez certainly might and Taijaun Walker is stable. The first five arms alone give the Phillies one of the best starting rotations in MLB and there’s intriguing depth and prospects behind them, too.
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2. Seattle Mariners
Suffice it to say, we’re bullish on the Seattle Mariners rotation. Luis Castillo and George Kirby are both young aces who could lead rotations for several playoff contenders. While Logan Gilbert isn’t as flashy, the baseball world will be viewing him as one of the best No. 3 starters in the majors by the All-Star Break. Behind that trio, the upside Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo offer Seattle especially based on the stuff they’ve shown recently, give us the confidence that the Mariners will have one of the best MLB rotations in 2024.
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1. Atlanta Braves
The Phillies, Mariners and Dodgers all have some of the best starting rotations in MLB, but there can only be one team at No. 1. Heading into Opening Day, we believe the Atlanta Braves have the best rotation in baseball. Spencer Strider will make a few mistakes with his location, but his swing-and-miss stuff is unmatched. Max Fried is a phenomenal No. 2 starter for a World Series contender, Charlie Morton is the reliable veteran and Chris Sale’s durability risk is perfectly balanced as a No. 4 starter who has a much higher ceiling. Behind that elite front four, Atlanta also boasts Bryce Elder, Reynaldo Lope, AJ Smith-Shawver, Ian Anderson and Hurston Waldrep to provide a wealth of pitching depth for a 162-game season.
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