By Grant Brisbee, Johnny Flores Jr. and Andy McCullough
Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.
As the final month of the regular season unfolds, the standings in Major League Baseball remain in flux. Several new contenders in the American League Wild Card race have announced themselves. The two best teams in the National League West are struggling to avoid full-scale collapse. The Toronto Blue Jays are trying to wrap up the American League East for the first time since 2015.
With September in full swing, this week’s edition of the Power Rankings will focus on one specific issue or player under the spotlight as the regular season draws to a close. If you could distill this month into one priority for each club, what would it be?
Record: 89-56
Last Power Ranking: 1
September priority: Figure out the bullpen situation
On Friday, the Brewers placed Nick Mears on the 15-day IL with lower back tightness, marking the fifth reliever to be placed on the IL. Shelby Miller (right UCL) is likely done for the season, while Milwaukee maintains hope that Grant Anderson (right ankle), DL Hall (oblique) and Trevor Megill (right flexor), and Mears can all make it back before October. In any case, Milwaukee has the rest of the month to try to solidify the middle and late innings in case not all of the quartet can return. With a 7 1/2 game lead in the NL Central, there’s a bit of leeway for manager Pat Murphy to see who he has to work with, and for Erick Fedde and Tobias Meyers to get more comfortable in their respective transitions. It’s not perfect, but if there’s one team that can make something out of nothing, it’s these Brewers. — Johnny Flores Jr.
Record: 84-60
Last Power Ranking: 3
September priority: Feel good about their pen
Jhoan Duran didn’t catch the same deadline flu that Ryan Helsley and Camilo Doval caught, so at least the Phillies shouldn’t have to worry about the ninth inning. The earlier innings aren’t in bad shape, but even a little momentum would do wonders. The Phillies have a collection of relievers who all have the potential to be The Story of the Postseason. This might be a very good story. It might be a very bad story.
For example, David Robertson is pitching well in his return, and he could continue to do so in the postseason. You’d simply like as much evidence as you can get that he’ll keep pitching well. And that goes for every non-Duran in the bullpen. A nice, strong finish, without any weirdness, would help the ol’ blood pressure out. — Grant Brisbee
Record: 82-62
Last Power Ranking: 4
September priority: Finish with the American League’s best record
After closing out the first half with a monstrous 59-38 mark, the Tigers have basically been a .500 team since the All-Star break. Thankfully for them, no one in the AL Central has challenged for the crown. But if the season ended today, the top spot in the AL would go to the Blue Jays. A first-round bye would do wonders for Detroit’s pitching staff. But more than anything, home-field advantage throughout the playoffs — where the Tigers are 46-29 at Comerica Park — would be a massive benefit. To get there won’t be easy. Of the Tigers’ 18 remaining games, three are against the Yankees, a whopping six are against the playoff-hunting Guardians and an additional three are against the Red Sox. At least there’s a series against the Marlins, right? — Flores
Record: 82-61
Last Power Ranking: T-5
September priority: Win the East, get a little extra rest
The Blue Jays have the most uncomplicated set of priorities in baseball. Win the division and finish with one of the two best records in the American League. There’s probably no way to do the former without also doing the latter, so let’s just say that the Jays’ biggest priority is to win baseball games.
So please excuse any Blue Jays coaches, players or managers who start saying things like, “We gotta take it one day at a time” or “Just gotta give 110 percent.” They might be cliches, but they’re also exactly what the team needs to do. That’s it. Do the stuff from the cliches, and you’ll be fine. — Brisbee
Record: 80-63
Last Power Ranking: T-7
September priority: Win more baseball games than the Blue Jays
On the latest episode of “The Roundtable” — the award-winning and buzz-generating podcast from The Athletic — Sam Miller described Aaron Judge’s throwing arm as the Chekhov’s gun of the postseason, which is a perfect description. You know it’s going to become even more of a story than it already is. You’re just not sure when or why.
Until then, it’s probably not going to make a huge difference, and in a perfect world, he’d mash enough dingers to help the Yankees win the AL East. That’s the plan, anyway, and it’s certainly not a bad one. — Brisbee
Record: 81-63
Last Power Ranking: T-5
September priority: Get the stars right
In Sunday’s series finale, a 6-3 loss to the Nationals, neither Pete Crow-Armstrong (right knee) nor Kyle Tucker (left calf) was in Chicago’s lineup. PCA reportedly feels good after fouling a ball off his kneecap, but an IL stint for Tucker has not been ruled out, per The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney. Elsewhere, Seiya Suzuki, who closed the first half with an .867 OPS, has managed to post a pedestrian .594 OPS in the second half. With the Cubs sitting 7 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers with 19 games remaining, the priority should be getting everyone healthy and in sync ahead of what figures to be a best-of-three wild-card series. — Flores
Record: 80-64
Last Power Ranking: 2
September priority: Good grief, figure out the bullpen
It’s never a good sign when your $72 million reliever is saying things like “Baseball hates me right now,” but that was Tanner Scott on Friday night after serving up a walk-off homer. (Editor’s note: Things did not go any better for Scott on Monday night.) And that wasn’t even the team’s worst loss of the weekend. The Dodgers hit a new low the next evening, when Blake Treinen and Scott combined to blow a game in which Yoshinobu Yamamoto lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth. Manager Dave Roberts likes to establish a trust tree of relievers heading into the postseason. The team has a month to figure out which branch Scott, who was so devastating in relief for San Diego last October, will reside. — Andy McCullough
Record: 80-65
Last Power Ranking: T-7
September priority: Stay healthy
Sure, they have a “stretch goal” of getting really hot and overtaking the Blue Jays and Yankees in the AL East. But if they have a more realistic goal heading into the postseason, it’s to stay in good shape. They’re finally seeing what a healthy Trevor Story can do, and they’re quite enjoying it. Garrett Crochet was finally let off his post-injury leash, and he’s thriving. Alex Bregman is back, improving the defense and lengthening the lineup at the same time.
Sounds great. Now keep it that way. (And maybe win the East if you can scrounge up a few extra wins.) — Brisbee
Record: 78-66
Last Power Ranking: 10
September priority: Build the bridge to Bryan Abreu
The Astros haven’t ruled out a return from closer Josh Hader, who has been sidelined for the past month with a capsule strain in his shoulder, but he may not make it back for October. Abreu can replace Hader, and manager Joe Espada can trust the setup duo of Bryan King and Steven Okert. But as currently constructed, the Astros would be giving high-leverage innings to midseason castoffs Craig Kimbrel and Enyel De Los Santos. Kimbrel will merit serious consideration for the Hall of Fame when he retires, but his recent postseason track record is a tad worrisome. — McCullough
Record: 79-65
Last Power Ranking: T-7
September priority: Run down the Dodgers
San Diego has not won the National League West since 2006. This is the year, man! The Dodgers look gassed. The Padres play seven games this month against the Rockies and the White Sox. The opportunity to slay the dragon up north is right there. To do so, though, they will need much better results from the starting rotation. The group survived a weekend at Coors Field to pull within one game of the Dodgers heading into Monday, although the Dodgers own the tiebreaker and there are no more head-to-head matchups between the two. The team has loftier goals than winning the division. But that would be a nice start. — McCullough
Record: 76-68
Last Power Ranking: 11
September priority: Fix Ryan Helsley
The Mets are still leading a surprisingly active wild-card race, so we can’t just assume that they’ll be in the postseason. But … well, we can all just assume they’ll be in the postseason, right? Good.
And if that’s the case, they’ll need the top-tier reliever they thought they were trading for at the deadline. The switch on Helsley’s back flipped like a Krusty doll as soon as he was traded, and while it’s unlikely that he’ll be back in high-leverage situations soon, he can at least pitch his way onto a postseason roster that he’s not guaranteed to make. — Brisbee
Record: 76-68
Last Power Ranking: 12
September priority: Don’t let this opportunity go to waste
For weeks, folks have raved about Seattle’s potential for a postseason run. Cal Raleigh might win the American League MVP. Julio Rodríguez has turned the clock back to 2022, posting a .933 OPS since the All-Star break. On paper, the rotation looks formidable and the bullpen looks deep. Yet the starting pitchers have struggled, despite their gaudy resumes. If the group can get right in time for October, the Mariners are primed to do damage in the wide-open American League field. In the meantime, they’ve let a bunch of less talented teams creep up on them in the wild-card race. — McCullough
Record: 75-70
Last Power Ranking: 13
September priority: Beat the odds, despite all the injuries
Texas surged back into contention just as pretty much everything started to fall apart for it in late August. Marcus Semien broke his foot. Nathan Eovaldi suffered a strained rotator cuff. Corey Seager required an appendectomy. Only Seager has a chance of returning this year. Meanwhile, the team is about to face the Brewers, Mets and Astros. If the club can stay within striking distance of Seattle, perhaps it will beat the odds and return to the postseason. Heading into Monday’s games, FanGraphs pegged Texas’ chances at 15.3 percent. Stranger things have happened. — McCullough
Record: 73-71
Last Power Ranking: 14
September priority: See what you have in Carter Jensen
Royals fans, let’s face it: Salvador Perez won’t be behind home plate forever, and after trading away Freddy Fermin at the deadline, it’s high time that Kansas City explores what the future at the catcher position looks like. Enter, Jensen. The Royals’ No. 4-ranked prospect, per The Athletic’s Keith Law, was called up as part of September’s roster expansion, and so far has played a grand total of … two innings behind the plate. Even as the Royals hunt for a playoff spot, the Kansas City native certainly deserves a fair shot. — Flores
Record: 72-72
Last Power Ranking: 16
September priority: Just keep playing
With a series win over the Mets, the Reds have just barely managed to stay alive in the NL wild-card race. At four games back with 19 to play, it’ll take a miracle to make it happen, but don’t tell that to Cincinnati, which continues to believe that the club has what it takes to make its first postseason appearance in a full 162-game season since 2013. “We’re still alive,” manager Terry Francona said on Sunday. “Until they make you go home, keep playing.” — Flores
Record: 73-70
Last Power Ranking: 15
September priority: Get into the postseason
If there’s one team that knows about what can happen if you can just get to October, it’s the Guardians. Last season, Cleveland took an AL Central crown all the way to the American League Championship Series, eventually falling 4-1 to the New York Yankees. As of this writing, the Guardians sit just 2 1/2 games back of the AL’s final wild-card spot, where, should they clinch a berth, they’d likely have a first-round matchup against the streaky Astros. With four games against the Royals and three to close out the season against the Rangers — two teams also vying for a wild card spot — the Guardians have near total control over their destiny. — Flores
Record: 73-71
Last Power Ranking: 19
September priority: Give the fans a reason to feel excited about next year
In the end, despite the hot start and the acquisition of Rafael Devers, San Francisco looks likely to finish right around .500, just as many projection systems forecasted in March. Even with Devers, the Giants were who we thought they were. So what does that mean for the state of the franchise? Attendance has improved. The offensive core of Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos looks decent. But the team is still not in the same league as the Dodgers and the Padres, which should heighten the pressure on Buster Posey to land a premier free agent this winter. Sound familiar? — McCullough
Record: 71-72
Last Power Ranking: 17
September priority: Figure out which Griffin Jax to expect in 2026
Jax was an ace reliever for the Twins in 2024, but he struggled mightily this season. Except if you believe expected statistics, there was nothing wrong with him at all. His FIP was still great, and his xERA puts him in the company of pitchers like Garrett Crochet, Nathan Eovaldi and Hunter Brown. That’s why the Rays paid up for Jax at the trade deadline, even though they were ostensibly selling. They believed in what was under the hood.
Since joining the Rays, though, Jax has been the regular kind of bad, allowing too many homers and walking too many batters. A rebound in September could make him the preferred high-leverage option for the 2026 bullpen. More of the same, and he might not even be in the conversation. — Brisbee
Record: 72-73
Last Power Ranking: 18
September priority: Try to find clarity on the 2026 rotation
Arizona is unlikely to add much payroll this winter after a disappointing season. The composition of the rotation is a mystery. Corbin Burnes, the team’s $210 million offseason addition, will be recovering from Tommy John surgery. Merrill Kelly was traded to Texas. Zac Gallen will be a free agent. The team can use the next few weeks to make some determinations about how to handle the winter. Does Gallen, who has been better lately after a wretched summer, merit a qualifying offer? Can the team trust Brandon Pfaadt? Should it attempt to trade from its position-player core (hint: Ketel Marte) in hopes of acquiring young pitching? There’s a lot of questions here. — McCullough
Record: 72-73
Last Power Ranking: 20
September priority: Have Jordan Walker end things positively
Prior to his two-run walk-off single on Saturday, the former top prospect was in the midst of an 0-for-25 stretch, with 10 strikeouts. That stretch also included some very public concerns about his commitment to his approach and preparation. Still just 23, time isn’t necessarily running out for Walker, but after what will be three disappointing seasons to start his career, it’s not like he’ll have a ton of runway heading into 2026, either. That is unless he can show the St. Louis coaching staff and front office a level of consistency that is befitting of an everyday player. There are 18 games left to make that happen. — Flores
Record: 65-79
Last Power Ranking: 22
September priority: Get everyone excited for 2026
It’s been a disastrous season for the Braves, a complete failure in almost every respect. They might be the most disappointing team in baseball. How is an organization supposed to sell that to fans this offseason?
It has a month to figure it out, especially considering how many current Braves will almost certainly be a huge part of next season’s plans. That’s by design, with most of the young core locked up for a long time, and it’s a great plan when it works as designed. When it doesn’t, well, you get the 2025 Braves. They’ll have to play like the not-2025 Braves for a month to get anyone feeling good going into the offseason. — Brisbee
Record: 66-77
Last Power Ranking: 26
September priority: Get everyone excited for 2026
It’s been a disastrous season for the Orioles, a complete failure in almost every respect. They might be the most disappointing team in baseball. How is an organization supposed to sell that to fans this offseason? Yes, this is a copy-and-paste from the Braves’ capsule immediately above this, but it works even better here.
And to answer the question, it would be incredibly easy to get hyped up about the 2026 Orioles. Even though they’ve spent the season rolling around the newspaper at the bottom of the cage, they still have roughly 34 young hitters with All-Star potential or All-Star credentials. If four or five of them rake in September, and the team wins more games than it loses, this team sells itself. — Brisbee
Record: 66-78
Last Power Ranking: 21
September priority: Keep Kyle Stowers cooking
When Stowers made the AL All-Star team, he was already inspiring articles, like this one from Brittany Ghiroli, titled “How All-Star Kyle Stowers caught up to fastballs and became one of baseball’s best stories.” Since being named to the team, though, he’s been even better, with a .310/.407/.619 slash line.
Is he a franchise player? The Marlins would like to think so, and they’ll take any remaining evidence he can provide in September, thank you very much.— Brisbee
Record: 67-77
Last Power Ranking: 23
September priority: Hope Jo Adell ends on a high note
It’s never easy finding reasons for optimism at this time of year in Anaheim. The Angels are on track to finish with a losing record for the 10th consecutive season. The team has played three postseason games since 2010. Mike Trout has stolen 14 bases in the 2020s. But it is nice for Angels fans to get to watch a solid full season from Adell, a former top prospect who has struggled to find his footing in the majors. Adell entered Sunday leading the club in homers (33), while posting a .796 OPS. So there is that. — McCullough
Record: 66-79
Last Power Ranking: 25
September priority: Enjoy Nick Kurtz’s breakout
Kurtz, the No. 4 pick in last year’s draft, has cooled off just a tad, but that was inevitable after he swatted 11 homers in July and posted a .471 on-base percentage in August. Heading into Sunday’s games, his .443 wOBA ranked second among all hitters with at least 400 plate appearances, trailing only Yankees star Aaron Judge. He should run away with the American League Rookie of the Year award. With the combination of Kurtz, fellow rookie Jacob Wilson, catcher Shea Langeliers and outfielder Tyler Soderstrom, the heart of the Athletics’ batting order looks formidable for years to come. Everything else with the franchise might be in flux, but it does have some young fellows who can mash. — McCullough
Record: 64-80
Last Power Ranking: 24
September priority: Get Byron Buxton to 30-30
For as many prolific players that Minnesota has had throughout its history, none have reached the 30-home run, 30-steal threshold, and only one has ever reached 25-25. Buxton could be the first. With 30 homers and 21 steals to his name, Buxton is in the midst of his most productive and healthiest season, all at age 31. A 30-30 campaign would be the cherry on top for a year that has also included an All-Star Game nod and a hometown spot in this year’s Home Run Derby. Run, Byron, run. — Flores
Record: 64-80
Last Power Ranking: 27
September priority: Pick a lane for Bubba Chandler and stick with it
After a late August call-up, the Pirates initially opted to stick the flamethrower in the bullpen as a bulk reliever. Following a stretch of 12 innings with three earned runs and nine strikeouts, Pittsburgh gave Chandler his first taste of starting pitching in Sunday’s finale against the Brewers, where he promptly allowed nine earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. Initially, the Pirates likened their plan to that of Braxton Ashcraft, who also debuted in the bullpen before earning some starts. The slight difference is that Ashcraft had made seven appearances out of the pen before making his first start, whereas Chandler had just three. It’s a unique approach, but much like shoes, one size doesn’t fit all. Finding the fit for Chandler is key. — Flores
Record: 55-89
Last Power Ranking: 29
September priority: Appreciate the rookies
Entering play on Monday, only one player in all of baseball (Kyle Schwarber) has hit more home runs since the All-Star break than Colson Montgomery (18). The former first-round pick has done nothing but rake since the seasonal calendar flipped, but he’s not the only standout Southsider. Of the top 10 rookies in the American League by fWAR, three of them (Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth) are on the White Sox. Sure, there’s a chance 2025 is another 100-loss season, but with youngsters like that, things could quickly get brighter real soon. — Flores
Record: 59-84
Last Power Ranking: 28
September priority: Beat the other bad teams, at least
The remaining schedule for the Nationals includes the Marlins, Pirates and White Sox, as well as seven games against the Braves. It’s like they’re in some sort of tournament of the damned, and they want to win first place.
This isn’t just for bragging rights or self-respect. The Nationals came into the season feeling like they were just about to turn the corner and become relevant again. Instead, they’ve taken four steps back. Playing their best baseball of the season against other struggling teams would go a long way. — Brisbee
Record: 40-104
Last Power Ranking: 30
September priority: Help Chase Dollander manage the elements at Coors Field
Man, what a brutal rookie season for Dollander, the No. 9 pick in the 2023 draft and Baseball America’s No. 8 prospect in the game heading into this season. He’s getting the full Rockies experience — a 3.64 ERA in nine outings on the road and a devastating 9.98 ERA at Coors Field. The place can break the spirit of young pitchers. There are a lot of things that need to change in Colorado, but there’s only so much the franchise can do about the altitude. — McCullough
(Top photo of Shohei Ohtani: Brandon Sloter / IOS/Getty Images)
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