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2 days ago
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- Yahoo
Seattle Mariners Stay Steady in MLB Power Rankings
Seattle Mariners Stay Steady in MLB Power Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. A lot has been written about the Seattle Mariners and their pitching staff being really solid this season. But the real highlight reel right now belongs to Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. Advertisement Raleigh's output at the plate has been awesome. Raleigh has hit 27 home runs to lead the major leagues. He also has with 60 RBIs, giving the Mariners' offense a big push. Still, the Mariners have seen their American League West Division lead go away. They have slid down to be in second place as the Houston Astros have stormed their way to the top spot. Seattle is 37-35 at this point, still doing its best to stay in the division race. Despite being in mid-June, the Mariners are looking like they are looking for an AL wild card spot. This level of play has kept Seattle in the No. 11 spot in the latest MLB Power Rankings from The Athletic. Seattle Mariners' offense has been picking up the slack for team's pitching woes Tim Britton of The Athletic offers some perspective on the Mariners' current situation. "The Mariners' offense is the best it's been since ancient times, and that foundational starting rotation has instead been their albatross," Britton wrote. "The division is still winnable, and the ceiling for the roster looks higher now than it did in March if all aspects of the game align." Advertisement Britton points out that the Mariners' pitching staff was the big reason why the team wasn't included in The Athletic's preseason top 10 rankings. "In that initial writeup, (The Athletic writer) Grant Brisbee went on and on about Cal Raleigh's chase of 60 home runs and the genius of bringing back Jorge Polanco and all of why J.P. Crawford would rebound with the stick — and how if this team could just find a couple starters," Britton wrote. "… Yeah, so sometimes teams follow broad expectations while confounding on every specific." Mariners manager Dan Wilson has done a good job of getting Seattle to stay in the division race. Even though Seattle is down 4 1/2 games to the Astros, it remains in contention as the summer months roll along. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB Power Rankings: Another new No. 1? Mets make their way back to the top, plus a top-10 debut
By Tim Britton, Chad Jennings and Levi Weaver 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 we near closer to the season's midway point, it feels like a good time to check in to see how each team is stacking up against expectations going into the 2025 season. Some teams, like the Dodgers and Phillies, are performing close to where we anticipated — and where we slotted them in our preseason power rankings. Some, like the Tigers and Blue Jays, have outperformed our predictions, while teams like the Braves and Diamondbacks have surprised us and fallen short. Not all of this is purely performance-based, of course. Injuries play a part, as do the decisions made by ownership. But ultimately, we can glean some insight by looking at how a team has performed beyond the advantages or disadvantages with which it started. Many things can happen throughout a season that can change a team's trajectory, but let's break down why — at this point — each team turned out to be better or worse or just as good as we anticipated and what that might mean for the rest of their season. Record: 45-27 Last Power Ranking: 2 Preseason Power Ranking: 5 In late March, the Mets were a top-five team that felt kinda similar to the other teams around them in the rankings. By late April, the Mets were the first team this season to supplant the Dodgers as the No. 1 team in our Power Rankings. They've gotten less than expected from Juan Soto — though Soto's coming around — and Sean Manaea has yet to pitch, but Pete Alonso's been awesome, same for Francisco Lindor, and the rotation has been shockingly good (and deep). The NL East isn't the three-team race we anticipated — for more on that, see No. 15 — but the Mets have helped keep the division strong at the top. We expected them to be pretty good, and they've been better than that. — Chad Jennings Advertisement Record: 44-29 Last Power Ranking: T-3 Preseason Power Ranking: 1 When the Dodgers ran off to an 8-0 start, it appeared possible our No. 1 position in the rankings might never change. But the team everyone expected to be dominant has merely been very good — good enough to lead arguably the best division in baseball, good enough to be within shouting distance of the best record in the sport, good enough that most every projection system still thinks LA will finish with more wins after 162 than anyone else. The Dodgers have endured the, by now, annual pilgrimage to the injured list of basically every one of their starters, and provided they get most of them back at the right time, they're still the frontrunners. — Tim Britton Record: 46-27 Last Power Ranking: 1 Preseason Power Ranking: T-16 Here's what has happened in Detroit: Almost everything has gone right. Tarik Skubal's Cy Young 2024 season wasn't a fluke. Spencer Torkelson found himself. So did Javy Báez. Dillon Dingler is one of the game's most productive catchers. Wenceel Pérez has a .967 OPS since returning from injury last month. Need I go on? OK, I will: Casey Mize has been the pitching version of Torkelson — the nearly-a-bust who put it all together this year. Tommy Kahnle has a sub-2.00 ERA. An aerospace engineer has an ERA of 2.11 out of the bullpen. This week marks the beginning of a test, of sorts, as closer Will Vest went on the IL. Let's see if the magic can continue now that they're facing a bit of hardship. — Levi Weaver Record: 42-29 Last Power Ranking: T-3 Preseason Power Ranking: 7 The first line of our preseason Yankees analysis: 'The past few months have not gone well for the franchise.' We wrote our first Power Rankings shortly after Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil got hurt, but before Devin Williams pitched so poorly that he lost the closer role. The Yankees remain a team whose flaws get a lot of attention, but they've also consistently remained one of the two best teams in the American League. Aaron Judge and Max Fried can make up for a lot, but Luke Weaver, Carlos Rodón, Paul Goldschmidt and Trent Grisham have helped a lot too. We pegged the Yankees as one of several pretty good teams, and they've since separated themselves among the very best in baseball. — Jennings Advertisement Record: 44-28 Last Power Ranking: 5 Preseason Power Ranking: 12 The short version of what's happened since then: Pete Crow-Armstrong. OK, it's not just PCA, but the 23-year-old's breakout season has been the gasoline pumping through an engine that has stayed revved all year. His 4.0 bWAR is best among NL position players (and fourth in the sport, behind Aaron Judge, Jeremy Peña and Paul Skenes). Other things that have gone right: Carson Kelly's career year, Michael Boyd and Drew Pomeranz turning into winning lotto tickets, and Kyle Tucker being every bit the star the front office expected it was getting in the trade with the Astros. It doesn't appear that anyone else in the Central is going to threaten them. The focus is now on setting up the roster at the trade deadline to be built for a deep October run. — Weaver Record: 43-29 Last Power Ranking: 7 Preseason Power Ranking: 4 Much of the Phillies' preseason upside was tied to their rotation, with the emergence of Cristopher Sanchez and the arrival of Jesús Luzardo. Indeed, the rotation has been excellent — Zack Wheeler is still Zack Wheeler — and the Phillies have remained one of the game's best teams, but with enough flaws that keep them from overtaking the Mets in the NL East or from consistently remaining in the top five of our Power Rankings. They're more or less what we expected: a team that still looks like it could challenge for a championship (but also a team that needs an outfielder and a reliever at the trade deadline). — Jennings Record: 41-31 Last Power Ranking: 6 Preseason Power Ranking: 20 At least one more middle-of-the-order threat. That's what we wrote about at the start of the season: Man, if this team had that one more bat, maybe it could actually compete in the NL West. We're about to find out just how much that extra bat can propel a team that has already outstripped the preseason expectations. The bullpen has been exceptional, and Robbie Ray is rejuvenated in the rotation. Now, Rafael Devers is the kind of lineup presence the Giants haven't been able to buy for the last seven years, and he addresses a serious need at 1B/DH. — Britton Advertisement Record: 39-32 Last Power Ranking: 8 Preseason Power Ranking: 13 A 14-3 start surged San Diego up the rankings, and it's fallen steadily in the time since, with the squad under .500 after Game 17 — which, we should point out, is only fatal if you're a football team. The lineup lacks the depth of the best in the sport, so it's leaning especially hard on the quite capable shoulders of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. Few contenders have as gaping a hole as the Friars do in left field, and no contenders have a general manager as eager to address weaknesses in season as A.J. Preller. — Britton Record: 41-31 Last Power Ranking: 9 Preseason Power Ranking: 8 While Houston remains in the rankings about where we expected coming into the season, the path has endured a few twists, and what's beyond the horizon is unclear. The Astros are in first in an AL West that has underwhelmed, they've misdiagnosed a star player's injury for the second straight season, and they've lost multiple key members of their pitching staff to injury. Jeremy Peña and Hunter Brown have been phenomenal, and Houston should get more in the second half from Alvarez (eventually), Christian Walker and Yainer Díaz. Whether there's enough arms to get the Astros across the finish line is another question. — Britton Record: 40-32 Last Power Ranking: 12 Preseason Power Ranking: 14 Honestly, if we'd known Shane McClanahan was going to miss this much time, we probably would have ranked the Rays even lower coming into the season. But even without their ace, the Rays have played their way into the AL wild-card race. Drew Rasmussen has stepped into the No. 1 starter role while Jonathan Aranda is the latest multi-position Rays hitter to emerge from obscurity. The Rays endured loads of injuries in their outfield, but once again, they've found a way to stay competitive. They have a winning record in their temporary home ballpark. — Jennings Record: 36-35 Last Power Ranking: 11 Preseason Power Ranking: 11 What kept Seattle outside the preseason top 10, of course, was its pitching staff. In that initial writeup, Grant Brisbee went on and on about Cal Raleigh's chase of 60 home runs and the genius of bringing back Jorge Polanco and all of why J.P. Crawford would rebound with the stick — and how if this team could just find a couple starters … Yeah, so sometimes teams follow broad expectations while confounding on every specific. The Mariners' offense is the best it's been since ancient times, and that foundational starting rotation has instead been their albatross. The division is still winnable, and the ceiling for the roster looks higher now than it did in March if all aspects of the game align. — Britton Record: 38-33 Last Power Ranking: T-14 Preseason Power Ranking: 18 We asked three Blue Jays questions in our preseason Power Rankings: 1. Will the addition of Anthony Santander jolt the lineup? Answer: Nope. He's been awful. 2. What does Max Scherzer have left? Answer: So far, only one start. 3. Will the team make the most of what could be Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s final season as a Blue Jay? Answer: Guerrero signed an extension, but it remains to be seen whether the Blue Jays can make the most of this year (which could be the last for Bo Bichette in Toronto). Advertisement Toronto has a winning record, but a negative run differential. Plenty of questions remain. — Jennings Record: 39-34 Last Power Ranking: T-14 Preseason Power Ranking: 15 They're still over .500, which seems to be the case every year, of late. Their pitching is good but not great (though Jacob Misiorowski's debut was very exciting). Their offense is bad but not terrible — near the bottom of the league in batting average and OPS, and in the top half of the league in runs scored, thanks in part to an emphasis on speed. Put it together, and the final product is just about what we expected. They're not bad, but if you're one of the other wild-card contenders, do they strike fear in your heart? Not yet. Alas, the team that has spent the better part of a decade playing the part of scrappy and inspiring underdog seems to be trying on a new costume: the rather boring middle-of-the-pack team. So, what happened? About what we expected. — Weaver Record: 36-36 Last Power Ranking: 22 Preseason Power Ranking: 10 Old heads will remember a time when the Texas Rangers routinely punished opposing pitchers, only for their own pitching to attempt reconciliation with the enemy by allowing runs by the fistful. For maybe the first time ever, the roles have changed. The Rangers have the best ERA in the American League, and they've spent most of the season passing up any and all scoring opportunities. It's been better of late, and they're in the midst of a schedule-breather. The AL West is a weak division, so it's not too late. But what has happened is that they've backed themselves into a corner. — Weaver Record: 31-39 Last Power Ranking: 16 Preseason Power Ranking: 2 In our defense, nearly everyone seemed to be bullish on the Braves at the start of the season. Data-based projections routinely pegged them as one of the teams to beat, in large part because they seemed to be on the verge of a healthy, proven roster with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider, and newcomer Jurickson Profar providing an offensive boost in the outfield. Instead, Profar got suspended soon after our preseason rankings were released, Acuña took a long time to get back, and Strider hasn't been nearly as good as we all remember him. We've been waiting for the Braves to get on a roll. We're still waiting. — Jennings Record: 36-35 Last Power Ranking: 19 Preseason Power Ranking: 3 Arizona had the best offense in baseball last season. With a mildly better pitching staff, the thinking was that it should be a contender not just for the postseason but for the pennant, and then the Diamondbacks added Corbin Burnes. The offense is still quite good, but the best-laid pitching plans always go awry. Jordan Montgomery was lost for the season before it started. Burnes is done for this season and probably next, and so is emerging closer Justin Martinez. The rest of the rotation is performing well below expectations, to the point that Arizona should contemplate selling come July 31. — Britton Advertisement Record: 36-35 Last Power Ranking: 12 Preseason Power Ranking: T-16 Surprise, surprise: the problem is injuries, again. Byron Buxton is healthy, which is a sentence Twins fans have been longing to hear for quite some time. Unfortunately, the monkey's paw put down a finger to grant the wish, and the next thing you know, the Twins IL has a lot of other names on it: Royce Lewis (again), Pablo López, Zebby Matthews, Michael Tonkin … Luke Keaschall got called up, hit .368 over seven games and then broke his arm. Meanwhile, Carlos Correa's OPS is under .700. And yet, thanks in part to strong performances by guys like Joe Ryan, Jhoan Durán and — albeit inconsistently — Chris Paddack, the Twins are still very much in the mix for an AL wild-card position. — Weaver Record: 37-35 Last Power Ranking: 10 Preseason Power Ranking: 24 The Cardinals were probably not worse than 23 other baseball teams at the start of spring, but the feeling around them was sunk by a sense of stagnation. St. Louis had added a single free agent (Phil Maton) over the winter, and it hadn't sold off assets the way it suggested it would when the offseason began. What was left was a team frustratingly in the middle — not good enough to actually compete for a postseason spot, not bad enough to accumulate talent. And that's kind of where the Cardinals remain now. That 12-1 stretch in May was outstanding; they were five under .500 before it, and they're four under .500 after it. — Britton Record: 37-35 Last Power Ranking: 21 Preseason Power Ranking: 23 There have been a few high spots in Terry Francona's first year in Cincinnati — Andrew Abbott has been a revelation in the rotation, Nick Martinez has lived up to the qualifying offer and Elly De La Cruz has an OPS in the mid-.800s (despite having 81 strikeouts in 310 plate appearances). Advertisement Unfortunately, the sum of the parts has still been fairly mediocre. Spencer Steer and Matt McLain have yet to really take off. Hunter Greene was brilliant when he was healthy, but he hasn't pitched since June 3 and isn't likely to be back soon. The Reds have some good building blocks. So far, they haven't quite been able to stack them into anything stable. — Weaver Record: 38-36 Last Power Ranking: 20 Preseason Power Ranking: 6 Our preseason Power Rankings analysis of the Red Sox was actually pretty on-point — Alex Bregman and Garrett Crochet have been awesome, and the farm system has had an impact — but Bregman's also been hurt, the rest of the rotation has struggled, and the farm system's impact has not overwhelmed (Kristian Campbell's hot start faded, and Roman Anthony just arrived). Rafael Devers had been elite at DH … but he was just traded. Aroldis Chapman has been as dominant as ever, so is he the next to go, or is he going to help them right the ship and set course for the postseason? The Red Sox are a weird team. They've had quite a few things go right, but they've struggled to stay above .500. The pieces just haven't quite fit together. — Jennings Record: 34-38 Last Power Ranking: 17 Preseason Power Ranking: 19 One of last year's Cinderella stories, the Royals have crashed back to earth a bit this season. Bobby Witt Jr. played at an MVP level in 2024, and this year, he has been simply a very good player. Jonathan India hasn't been the cure-all in the leadoff spot. Jac Caglianone wasn't the solution either — his OPS currently sits at a dismal .484, which is higher than both Hunter Renfroe's and Michael Massey's. The pitching staff that blossomed into a force in 2024 has still been pretty good — Cole Ragans' 5.18 ERA has been offset by sub-2.00 marks for Kris Bubic and rookie sensation Noah Cameron. But until the offense awakens, Kansas City appears to be in the 'one step back' phase after taking three steps forward last year. — Weaver Advertisement Record: 35-35 Last Power Ranking: 18 Preseason Power Ranking: 21 OK, look — José Ramírez has been brilliant yet again. His .928 OPS is third best in the AL, and he is exempt from the rest of what I'm about to say, which is: the offense has not been very good. Nobody else on the team has an OPS over .784 — and that's Steven Kwan, whose .361 OBP is carrying the bulk of the load. The only non-Ramírez hitter with double-digit home runs is Kyle Manzardo (11), who has a sub-.300 OBP. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Clase has looked human. When you're winning in the sliver-thin margins, it would help to have Superman in the bullpen — as Clase was last year before the playoffs. At just one game over .500, the Guardians do not appear to be any threat to overtake the Tigers in the Central. Can their offense rebound enough to threaten for a wild-card spot? As of this writing, they're just a game out. — Weaver Record: 30-41 Last Power Ranking: 24 Preseason Power Ranking: 9 Upon clicking our preseason Power Rankings and searching for the Orioles, I was bracing to discover we'd ranked them in the top five or something to start the season, but instead, we were skeptical about whether they'd done enough to supplement their young core and rebuild their rotation. Both concerns were justified; we just didn't take them far enough. The Orioles have, in fact, been a mess. They have the fourth-worst run differential in baseball, the rotation has been awful and even their lineup has been mediocre. We weren't sold on the Orioles heading into the season, but even that skepticism was far too optimistic. — Jennings Record: 34-37 Last Power Ranking: 25 Preseason Power Ranking: 27 Please, as you approach The Big A, remember to bend the knee at the Unofficial Kings of California, 2025. For all their warts, the Angels own a sweep at Dodger Stadium, a spotless record in seven games with the Athletics and a series win over the Giants. Even including dropping one set to the Padres, that's a 13-3 mark against foes in the Golden State. (They won 12 games against those teams all last season.) Advertisement Yes, the run differential is the same as that of the White Sox, and the third-order winning percentage expects serious decline, but the overall record is within three games of a playoff spot, and did we mention that sweep at Dodger Stadium? — Britton Record: 30-42 Last Power Ranking: 23 Preseason Power Ranking: 26 Our preseason Power Rankings describe the Nationals as being 'bound for a fourth-place finish, at best.' Much of that was due to the division in which they play, but the Nats haven't done themselves many favors. They have a good young core to build around — James Wood, CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore — but the supporting cast just hasn't done enough to make much of a difference. Top prospect Dylan Crews didn't exactly hit the ground running, and short-term additions this offseason have been most disappointing. Somehow, the Nats' season has been both disheartening and predictable. — Jennings Record: 29-44 Last Power Ranking: 26 Preseason Power Ranking: 22 It's less what has happened, and more what hasn't: Paul Skenes hasn't been able to single-handedly lift the Pirates out of the mire. Would you like to guess who leads the NL in starting pitcher wins? Fine, I'll just tell you: it's a tie (8) between Robbie Ray of the Giants (2.55 ERA, 2.0 bWAR) and Brandon Pfaadt of the Diamondbacks (5.50 ERA, 0.2 bWAR). Skenes has an ERA of 1.78 and leads the NL in bWAR at 4.0. He's 4-6. The win is dead, and this is its obituary. The Pirates still can't score runs with any regularity, and unfortunately, scoring runs is a prerequisite to winning baseball games. The only real intrigue remaining is: Will they be able to capitalize at the trade deadline, and can Skenes win the Cy Young with a losing record? It's only happened once before, but never by a starter. Eric Gagne went 2-3 in 2003 (but also saved 55 games). — Weaver Advertisement Record: 30-44 Last Power Ranking: 27 Preseason Power Ranking: 25 I mean, you'd love to toss out that one month where the Athletics went 3-24. Outside of that, they've played some compelling baseball, fueled by more young talent that has you encouraged about the team's on-field future, however discouraging the team's which-field-are-we-talking-about future remains. On the other hand, you can't dismiss a full month when it represents a little under 40 percent of the season and when it completely tanks any incipient reveries about a wild-card push in the underwhelming American League. — Britton Record: 28-42 Last Power Ranking: 28 Preseason Power Ranking: 28 Gotta give us credit for this one, because we nailed it! We looked at a team that didn't have much of a lineup, didn't win much last season, and wasn't really trying to win this year, and said to ourselves: You know, this looks like one of the five worst teams in baseball. That's analysis, people! Now, if you want to nitpick, you could point out that we singled out Sandy Alcantara's return from the IL as a bright spot — he's unfortunately been not great — but that would be rude, and we're certain you'd never do that. Instead, we humbly accept your pat on the back for correctly identifying the Marlins as a not-very-good baseball team.— Jennings Record: 23-49 Last Power Ranking: 29 Preseason Power Ranking: 30 Unfortunately, the new Pope didn't work a miracle. What, did you think they were going to break a record for losses one year and then contend for the playoffs less than 12 months later? At least the Rockies spared them from perma-dwelling in the No. 30 spot, I guess. I'll leave this section to the world's premier White Sox fan: — Weaver Record: 15-57 Last Power Ranking: 30 Preseason Power Ranking: 29 In our preseason rankings, we had the Rockies ahead of the franchise that just set the record for most losses in a season, and the Rockies took umbrage. This was bulletin-board material. Were we not paying attention to another offseason of inertia? That the roster would legitimately suffer from the loss of the retired Charlie Blackmon, and that Brenton Doyle probably wouldn't be as good as he was last season? Did we overlook how they tied for the worst preseason projection Baseball Prospectus had ever handed out? More than 70 games into the season, Colorado is on pace to underperform that 55-win projection by 23 and to smash the record for losses set by the White Sox just last year by nine. — Britton
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rays vs. Mets Highlights
Cedric Mullins trade buzz and value of Mets current top prospects | Mets Off Day Live On Mets Off Day Live, host of The Mets Pod Joe DeMayo and The Athletic's Tim Britton join SNY's Chelsea Sherrod to discuss the value of New York's top prospects in the farm system and assess what the front office should do at the trade deadline. 6:46 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
10-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB Power Rankings: Guess who? A new team takes the top spot and we ask some big questions
By Tim Britton, 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. Now that we're into the second week of June, we've reached the point of the season where a bad start can become a bad season, when the numbers on the scoreboard are tough to change with a good homestand or road trip. In other words, we're starting to see answers for our preseason questions come into focus — on who might break out, who might regress and who will surprise us out of the blue. Advertisement Which means it's time we change the questions. Every organization is on a fact-finding mission over the 50-plus days that separate today from the trade deadline, working to figure out what exactly is real and what isn't. So, for each of the 30 teams, let's ask one big question: What is the thing that each front office needs to research and answer to propel a pennant, to save a season, or to retrench a rebuild? Record: 43-24 Last Power Ranking: T-2 One big question: Can Detroit keep its pace? The Tigers have been far and away the best team in the AL through the season's first 67 games or so. With a little over 90 games left, it's worth wondering if any of this is sustainable. Detroit has had contributions from up and down the lineup, and from some hidden heroes, like Jahmai Jones and his first pitch, first homer as a Tiger, along with some truly standout pitching (see Tarik Skubal's Baseball Reference page). It's been enough to carve out a seven-game lead in the AL Central, and the Tigers just took the weekend series against one of the NL's best in the Chicago Cubs. If the Tigers can hold steady, they'll have enough to claim home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, which could bode well for a deep October run — Detroit's 23-9 home record is the best in the AL. Precedent suggests not to count these Tigers out. — Johnny Flores Jr. Record: 42-24 Last Power Ranking: T-2 One big question: How will the top of the rotation shake out? Hey, when you win more games as a team than the rest of your division does over a seven-day span, things are breaking right. Juan Soto got on base Sunday more than he did over like the last three weeks of May, Pete Alonso is hot, and the Mets' rotation keeps posting zeroes well beyond the usual time for regression. That rotation should be getting Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea back before the All-Star break, and while the preliminary concern is who gets bumped from the back end, the longer-term one for a team thinking into October is how it shapes the front part. It's great when Paul Blackburn tosses five scoreless at Dodger Stadium; who are the guys the Mets think can do that in an NLCS? Will Manaea and Montas be up to that task? Will Kodai Senga survive his eventual regression? Can Clay Holmes start for seven months? — Tim Britton Advertisement Record: 40-27 Last Power Ranking: 1 One big question: Will the pitchers ever get healthy? On the same day the Dodgers activated relievers Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech this past weekend, the team placed starter Tony Gonsolin on the injured list with elbow discomfort. Gonsolin became the 14th Dodger pitcher on the list, a group that includes Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki. The team had hoped its overflow of talent could carry it through the regular season. Upstart campaigns from San Diego and San Francisco are making that challenging. The Dodgers are embarking on a 10-game stretch facing only the Padres and the Giants. These next two weeks could be clarifying about how easily the club can coast into October without its best arms available. — Andy McCullough Record: 39-25 Last Power Ranking: 4 One big question: Can the bullpen get by without its closer? Sure, Aaron Judge makes the headlines, but for years, the most impressive aspect of the Yankees as an organization may have been how reliable their bullpen was year after year — how they slotted in bigger acquisitions while also nailing all the smaller ones that become big ones. Luke Weaver is as big a success story as any, and now New York has to navigate the next several weeks without its bullpen linchpin. We'll be honest: This question basically boils down to what Devin Williams can provide. His first save chance after the Weaver injury was dicey, the second one on Friday more sure. If Williams finds his footing, then the Weaver injury can be a blessing in disguise. If not, the Yankees' need to supplement the 'pen come late July will be clear. — Britton Record: 40-26 Last Power Ranking: 5 One big question: Will Jed Hoyer's front office be given clearance to go all-in? After back-to-back 83-win seasons, the Cubs are primed to join in on the October festivities for the first time in a full season since 2018. What's more, there's a legitimate shot that the team could finish as the NL's No. 1 seed. To this point, the club's hitting (.774 OPS, 3rd) and pitching (3.67 ERA, 10th) have been among the league's best, but Chicago could still use another frontline starter and perhaps an extra bat for the stretch run. So will Hoyer, who is in a contract year, be given the chance to get the Cubs to where they need to be for a potential deep postseason run? Cubs fans surely hope so, and we all know how much manager Craig Counsell loves 'out getters.' — Flores Record: 38-28 Last Power Ranking: 8 One big question: Will Buster Posey's big shakeup boost the offense? Tired of watching a stagnant offense, Posey executed a flurry of roster moves last week, headlined by jettisoning first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. in favor of new acquisition Dominic Smith. The team responded with five consecutive victories, including a sweep of the floundering Atlanta Braves that included a walk-off homer from Matt Chapman. The offense hasn't exactly caught fire yet, and in five games, Smith hasn't been much better than Wade had been for the Giants. But Giants fans are unlikely to care about the difference between causation and correlation. What matters is that the club remains competitive in the NL West and is a game and a half behind the Dodgers. — McCullough Advertisement Record: 38-28 Last Power Ranking: 6 One big question: Can the bullpen be salvaged on the fly? The undercurrent of Philadelphia's bullpen struggles — and what helped cause them — boiled over in a simple part of Wednesday's box score. Win: Jeff Hoffman. Loss: Jordan Romano. What broke down into an offseason 'trade' of Hoffman for Romano hasn't worked especially well for either side. But the Phillies have been left to lament a key strength of 2024 in their bullpen returning to a justifiably maligned weakness in 2025. Romano has not been a sufficient substitute for what Hoffman provided. A less straightforward exchange of Carlos Estévez for Carlos Hernández has also not been fruitful for Philadelphia. All this has been exacerbated by the suspension of José Alvarado. Bullpens can be the easiest element of a team to fix in-season; there are dozens of relievers available come July. But the unpredictability of their performance — see: the 2025 NLDS — makes that task unpleasant anyway. — Britton Record: 37-28 Last Power Ranking: 7 One big question: Can the rotation hold up without Michael King and Yu Darvish? The Padres are entering a crucial stretch of the season, with seven games scheduled against the Dodgers across the next two weeks. San Diego will enter this crucible without King, who is nursing an injured shoulder, and Darvish, who is dealing with elbow trouble. The team can line up its two best remaining starters, Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease, for the first two games of this week's Dodgers series, but will still rely heavily on the trio of Randy Vasquez, Stephen Kolek and rookie Ryan Berget, a group that lacks experience and tends not to miss bats. The trio has pitched well thus far, but the underlying metrics suggest regression could come soon. — McCullough Record: 36-29 Last Power Ranking: 11 One big question: When will Yordan Alvarez return? As The Athletic's Chandler Rome outlined earlier this month, updated imaging of Alvarez's injured right hand discovered a new fracture, which complicated his recovery timetable. The Astros have not disclosed when they expect Alvarez — who has not played since May 2 — to return. He is the most dynamic hitter on a team that has still surged into first place in the AL West despite his absence. The infield duo of Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes has helped offset the loss of Alvarez and a substandard season from Jose Altuve. It might be enough to win a weak division. But if Houston wants to do damage in October, the club needs its best slugger doing what he does best. — McCullough Record: 36-30 Last Power Ranking: 11 One big question: What do you do at the deadline? For a team that emphasized development above all in 2025, the Cardinals are certainly playing well. Sitting just one game back in the NL Wild Card standings, the Cardinals have as good a shot as any to make the postseason. So what do the Cardinals do at the deadline? Any one of Erick Fedde, Ryan Hesley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz could fetch a pretty nice return, especially with how the pitching market has shaped up. They could also help the Cardinals complete a surprise postseason run. Whether it's a full fire sale, a deep October run or something down the middle, the Cardinals have some tough decisions to make in the coming weeks. — Flores Advertisement Record: 33-32 Last Power Ranking: 9 One big question: Can Bryce Miller right the ship? Logan Gilbert and George Kirby tend to receive the most praise among Mariners starters, but it was Miller who posted the rotation's lowest ERA (2.94) in 2024. Seattle is still waiting to see that version of the pitcher in 2025. Miller's ERA bloated to 5.73 after he gave up five runs in five innings to the Angels last weekend. He missed a good chunk of May as he dealt with a bone spur in his elbow. He's been getting punished for pitches over the plate at a time when the Mariners have lost a first-place foothold in the AL West. When Gilbert returns from the injured list, Miller's spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy. — McCullough Record: 36-30 Last Power Ranking: 14 One big question: How will they handle the road trips? Thanks to some last-minute schedule changes, Tampa Bay has played 20 more home games than road games so far, and its 59 remaining road games are eight more than anyone else in the American League. That includes 19 of 22 on the road during one stretch bridging July and August. So how will a roster accustomed to overcoming inherent disadvantages conquer that one? The Rays have been good on the road so far, with series wins in Phoenix, San Diego and the Bronx. But those series do get tougher when they're stacked one after the other after the other later in the season. The challenge will be present this week, at Fenway and at Citi Field. — Britton Record: 35-30 Last Power Ranking: 13 One big question: Can Carlos Correa continue to heat up? At some point in the early part of the season, there was some legitimate worry that Correa — Minnesota's $200 million man — was 'cooked,' as the kids like to say. Between March and April, Correa's combined .579 OPS was a sight for sore eyes, but in the time since then, Correa has steadily gotten back to his typical self at the plate. In May, he posted an .875 OPS, and he tallied two hits to help the Twins avoid a sweep against the Blue Jays after being held out with back tightness for three games earlier in the week. Over his last 15 games, he has an .842 OPS, and only figures to see those numbers rise over the summer. A return to form for Correa can help take the Twins from middle-of-the-pack offensively (.701 OPS, 16th) to among MLB's best. — Flores Record: 36-30 Last Power Ranking: 15 One big question: How can they stabilize the back end of the rotation? There was a stretch late last season when Bowden Francis was as intriguing a starter as any in the sport, one who flirted with a no-hitter — and we mean got down on a knee and proposed to one on multiple occasions — just about every other time he took the hill. It hasn't worked that way in 2025 for Francis, and the back end of the Toronto rotation has suffered as a result. The Jays are seven games over .500 when one of their three best starters (José Berríos, Kevin Gausman or Chris Bassitt) is on the bump. They're under .500 the rest of the time. Which means their chances of continuing their current surge into playoff position in the American League may reside on different kinds of recoveries from Francis and Max Scherzer. — Britton Record: 35-32 Last Power Ranking: 16 One big question: Can Joey Ortiz salvage his sophomore season? A key piece of the deal that sent Corbin Burnes to Baltimore a season ago, Ortiz has not been the same player since returning from a neck injury in mid-2024 (.817 OPS through July 1 vs. a .637 OPS after July 14). This year, his .497 OPS has not been the stuff expected of an everyday player, and his underlying stats (barrel rate, hard-hit rate, average exit velocity, etc.) all rank in the bottom of the league. Among qualified shortstops, his -0.4 fWAR is 87th in the league … there are 91 qualified players. Advertisement His defense has been good, but it's certainly not enough to keep him in an everyday role. Can he turn things around, or do the Brewers need to give him a break at Triple A to refine his mechanics? — Flores Record: 28-37 Last Power Ranking: 10 One big question: What happened to the offense? The window for offensive firepower can be frustratingly brief. In 2023, Atlanta's lineup was relentless: more than 300 home runs and just under six runs per game from a lineup mostly comprised of 20-somethings. Poor health relegated that offense to a league-average outfit last season, and the offense has fallen into the bottom third in baseball in runs per game this season, even as a healthier unit. Yes, overall the offense should produce better moving forward as Ronald Acuña Jr. plays in a larger percentage of its games. But the entire infield and Michael Harris II in center field have all taken steps backward over the last two years, some of them significant. Most of those guys are signed through the end of this decade. — Britton Record: 34-32 Last Power Ranking: 18 One big question: Is Jac Caglianone enough to lift the offense? That question is quite the burden to place on a 22-year-old rookie, but it's almost assuredly the exact kind of question that the Kansas City front office hoped to answer when it called up the 2024 first-round pick to the big leagues. The Royals have become a pitching factory of sorts (3.31 team ERA, fifth in MLB), which are probably not the words anyone thought they'd be typing in 2025, but the offense continues to struggle. Caglianone, who absolutely demolished minor league pitching (.982 OPS in 199 at-bats in Triple A and Double A), could be the answer, or his K-rate could be an easy exploit for pitchers to take advantage of. It's the exact kind of gamut a team runs when it calls up a prospect, but the Royals believe it's a risk worth taking. — Flores Record: 34-31 Last Power Ranking: 19 One big question: What if Shane Bieber doesn't return? OK, that's a rough question to propose, but it's a legitimate possibility. Earlier this week, Bieber, who is coming off Tommy John surgery and inked a two-year, $26 million deal in the offseason, was shut down from throwing after experiencing elbow soreness following a bullpen session. He'll be re-examined in a week, at which point the Guardians will hope it's a minor scare and they can continue to ramp up Bieber for a midseason return. But what if it's more than that? Would Cleveland entertain the possibility of adding a starter at the deadline to boost its rotation (4.09 ERA, 20th) and playoff odds? Can Bieber, who has a $16 million player option for next season that he would almost certainly exercise barring a banner finish to this season, get healthy enough to show he's still a Cy Young-caliber starter? There's a lot riding on Bieber's return for both sides. — Flores Advertisement Record: 32-34 Last Power Ranking: 17 One big question: Will the Diamondbacks sell at the deadline? That certainly wasn't the plan coming into 2025, not after adding Corbin Burnes to supplement one of the best offenses in baseball in 2024. But the team had been sputtering for weeks, even before Burnes injured his elbow and saw his season ended by Tommy John surgery. Arizona is several games under .500 and plays in perhaps the sport's best division. The club could push for a Wild Card spot. Or it could attempt to take advantage of a seller's market and try to flip pending free agents such as third baseman Eugenio Suárez, outfielder Randal Grichuk, starting pitcher Merrill Kelly or reliever Shelby Miller. — McCullough Record: 32-36 Last Power Ranking: 22 One big question: How should all the pieces fit? Years ago when reading David Halberstam's 'The Breaks of the Game,' I was struck by how rigid NBA teams of the 1970s viewed positional fit. If a team had two good players at one position, inevitably, one needed to be traded to fill a need somewhere else. This doesn't really happen in the NBA anymore, and in baseball, it's been a while since the Phillies needed to trade Jim Thome to make room for Ryan Howard. The collection of talent the Red Sox have amassed — with Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony now in the bigs — is enviable, and figuring out how it should all fit together is what executives and managers will doubtlessly tell you is 'a good problem to have.' It is still a problem, which encompasses good and bad solutions, and Boston's approach to similar problems this year has not engendered optimism it will nail the landing in finding time for all of its young, left-handed-hitting potential stars. For now, Anthony replaces the injured Wilyer Abreu and Mayer has been filling in for Alex Bregman. But what happens when Abreu and Bregman return? — Britton Record: 34-33 Last Power Ranking: 20 One big question: Can TJ Friedl make the All-Star team? The 29-year-old lefty has flown under the radar this season, but the fact is he's been one of the NL's best outfielders. Among qualified NL outfielders, Friedl is eighth in fWAR (1.5), 11th in OPS (.800), third in batting average (.292) and fourth in hits (69). Those are all marks for becoming an All-Star, but Friedl faces an unfortunate challenge in that Pete Crow-Armstrong, Corbin Carroll, Kyle Tucker and James Wood all have been phenomenal, that Juan Soto is now in the NL and that Kyle Stowers (left field) might be the Marlins' only representative. That makes his chances of showing up in Atlanta all the more distant. — Flores Record: 31-35 Last Power Ranking: 21 One big question: Can Bret Boone wake up the offense? Can anyone? When the Rangers fired hitting coach Donnie Ecker on May 4, the offense ranked 29th in runs, 28th in on-base percentage (.284) and 25th in slugging percentage (.358). Under Boone, who returned to the game as Ecker's replacement, the group has been just as ineffective: 26th in runs, 30th in OBP (.282) and 28th in slugging (.353). The lack of production has been exasperating for a team playing in a winnable division and receiving stalwart efforts from its starting rotation. The Rangers took two of three from Washington this weekend, and Marcus Semien's bat is beginning to defrost. It's not too late to make up ground in the West. — McCullough Record: 30-35 Last Power Ranking: 23 One big question: Who else can be part of the core? Pull up Washington's page on Baseball-Reference and you get a good feel for how the Juan Soto trade has helped the Nationals: On the line of top 12 performers for the 2025 squad, the first three all came from San Diego in that 2022 deal. Now it's a matter of supplementing that group, be it from the remaining piece of the trade (Robert Hassell III) or from within (Dylan Crews, Brady House, Cade Cavalli, etc.). It's a nice start of a core, but a start of a core isn't enough to compete in this division yet. — Britton Advertisement Record: 26-38 Last Power Ranking: 24 One big question: Can they do enough by July 31 to encourage the front office? When I covered the 2023 Mets, one player looked at his stats in September and remarked how they were about where they should be — how over 162 games the stats eventually evened out. Problem was, he said, you actually don't have 162 games. You have until the deadline to give your front office a reason to trust you for the last two months. The Orioles are trying to provide that encouragement now. They're 10-4 in their last 14 games as their starting rotation has stabilized — hey, Charlie Morton wasn't totally cooked, after all — and they have some vitally important series coming up. The American League is not a juggernaut, and its competitive flatness has provided Baltimore with an opportunity to get off the mat here and now. — Britton Record: 31-34 Last Power Ranking: 25 One big question: Is this the real Nolan Schanuel? As bleak as recent seasons have been, at least the Angels appear to have found long-term answers at shortstop (Zach Neto) and catcher (Logan O'Hoppe). The hope was that Schanuel, a 2023 first-round pick, could provide the same stability at first base. He held his own as a rookie in 2024, and in recent weeks has offered glimpses of a brighter future. He may not provide the power of a classic slugger, but if Schanuel can keep getting on base at a .402 clip, as he did in May, the Angels will take it. — McCullough Record: 27-40 Last Power Ranking: 26 One big question: What do you do with Paul Skenes? They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome. If there's one person who's experiencing it right now, it's Paul Skenes. Case in point: last week, Skenes took the loss on Tuesday after pitching eight innings of one-run ball against the Astros, and took a no-decision on Saturday after 7 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball. It's the exact kind of thing Skenes experienced in May, April and March. If the team has no intention of building around him, then perhaps fielding some trade offers isn't the worst thing in the world. If these past few seasons, and especially this week, tell us anything, it's that Tommy John or some variation of an elbow injury comes for us all, meaning Skenes' value has never been higher than it currently is. — Flores Record: 26-42 Last Power Ranking: T-27 One big question: Can the pitchers adjust to Sutter Health Park? This temporary home in West Sacramento has been hellish for the Athletics, who are 12-23 there this season, even after winning a series against Baltimore over the weekend. Only Colorado has won fewer games at home than the Athletics. The team understood the conditions would not be ideal in the Triple-A ballpark. But it has been brutal for the pitching staff. The A's entered Monday's games with the worst collective ERA (5.68 overall and 5.85 at home) and worst home run rate (1.53 per nine innings) in the sport. No team had allowed more runs, and that included the Rockies. It will be years before the team moves to Las Vegas. The group will have to learn to adjust, or risk more years in the basement of the AL West. — McCullough Record: 24-40 Last Power Ranking: T-27 One big question: Can Sandy Alcantara be salvaged? Look, we acknowledge it is probably not any fun for a Marlins fan to Ctrl+F for their team, only to read more about the drop in trade value for what was once its best player. We'd have been happier writing about Ryan Weathers' improved repertoire, too, until he got hit in the head by a warmup throw down to second base and landed on the 60-day IL with a lat strain suffered later in the game. But the best thing that could have happened for Miami's 2025 season, more so than a breakout by Weathers or Kyle Stowers or Edward Cabrera, was a return to form by Alcantara and a trade for a boatload of prospects in a trade market that favors sellers. Instead, Alcantara's ERA entering his start Tuesday night is a grade-school riddle: Why is six afraid of his ERA? Because 7.89. — Britton Advertisement Record: 22-44 Last Power Ranking: 29 One big question: Is it time to lower the asking price on Luis Robert Jr.? At this point, Robert is who he is. That player who bashed 38 homers en route to an All-Star selection and Silver Slugger award in 2023 isn't coming back. Up until now, the White Sox have seemingly held firm on his potential, as well as his desirable contract in trade negotiations. However, it seems high time that they lower that asking price just a bit. It's highly unlikely that the White Sox will pick up the club options in his current deal ($20 million in 2026 and 2027), meaning that any return is a good return for a player they're likely to DFA at season's end. Robert is still valuable (league-leading 21 steals and is a true centerfielder), just in a different light, which requires the Sox to view him in a different light (less future Mike Trout and more Harrison Bader — sorry, Harrison). — Flores Record: 12-53 Last Power Ranking: 30 One big question: Can the Rockies avoid breaking the White Sox's record? After getting swept by the Mets over the weekend, the Rockies entered Monday on pace for a 30-132 record, a mark that would demolish the recent mark of 121 defeats set last year by the White Sox. To avoid that ugly piece of history, the Rockies will need to play at a .309 clip over the next 97 games. That feels . . . doable? But considering Colorado has played at a .185 pace thus far, it will require a serious burst of winning. Hard to foresee. — McCullough
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tampa Bay Rays Improve Stock After Climbing Back to .500
The Tampa Bay Rays came out of the game hot with a 4-2 record through their first two series of the year. That all came crashing down soon after, however, with two separate four-game losing streaks. Those struggles may be a thing of the past for the Rays, who enter Tuesday on a five-game winning streak, riding high after sweeping the San Diego Padres over the weekend. The recent run of success has seen the team's stock steadily rise. Now back at .500 with a 14-14 record, the Athletic ranked Tampa Bay as the 16th best team in MLB, after placing only 20th last week. Advertisement "The one player in baseball putting his barrel on the ball at a higher rate than Judge?" writes Tim Britton. "That would be Morel, whose ability to square the ball up has kept him a viable big-league hitter despite a strikeout rate above 40 percent. While Morel needs to keep hitting the ball this hard when he does make contact, the rewards for doing so should increase. Just three of his 11 barrels have left the yard; over the past two seasons, more than half of his barrels went for homers." The Rays' third baseman does not lack for power, it has just not shown up as expected to this point in the season. Christopher Morel has 66 career home runs across 1,552 plate appearances and has hit them at a 4.3 percent clip throughout his career. This year, that home run rate sits at "only" 3.4 percent. For what it is worth, this is the same home run rate he finished the 2024 campaign with across his time with the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays. But with his ability to put the barrel on the ball with ease, you still expect many more home runs to come from Morel. Once the balls Morel barrels begin to leave the yard at a higher rate than they have to this point, the Rays could be off to the races. The American League East is more open for the taking than people think, and the climb back to .500 could be just the beginning for this young squad.
