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.

When you enter the final week of the baseball season, there are two very disparate feelings you may have. If your team is heading to the postseason, you cannot imagine the season ending this soon — that some teams are literally packing their things and heading home while you’re preparing for the real part of the season. Or, if your team is out of the race, you cannot imagine that this is not the end of the season for other teams around the league — that for two teams out there, there is still more than a month of baseball to be played.

This is the week where we diverge. We will bid farewell to 18 teams that have been along for the journey and honor the players who best represented them over 162 games. And we will get to know the 12 teams better as they move on to the most meaningful, fun, and memorable time of the year. We’ll honor the players most responsible for their survival through this season and for the opportunity to keep going into another month.

As for these power rankings, this is where we end. We, too, were capable of surprises this year. As everyone remembers, we knew right away that Atlanta wasn’t bouncing back from 0-7. We pegged Milwaukee to climb weeks before it happened. We had Toronto as our best team in the East way before everyone else, and we’ve ranked Cleveland ahead of Detroit literally every week of the season. The comments reflected our season-long infallibility, and so we thank you for the ride.

Record: 95-62
Last Power Ranking: 1

Team MVP: Freddy Peralta

The rules of this exercise prohibit me from writing “everyone,” which would be accurate in the case of the Brewers, who have relied on every member of their 26-man roster, plus coaching staff. So instead, we’ll hand it to Peralta.

The 29-year-old right-hander has been an absolute force at the top of the rotation, going 17-6 over 31 starts (169 2/3 innings) for a 2.65 ERA. His 3.6 fWAR leads all Milwaukee pitchers, and he should finish the season with a new career high in innings pitched, as well as the second-most starts by any pitcher in 2025. That 2.65 ERA should be enough to get him some Cy Young Award votes, too. With Brandon Woodruff’s and José Quintana’s October status in the air, having Peralta available for a hypothetical Game 1, 4 and 7 will be massive. — Johnny Flores Jr.

Record: 92-64
Last Power Ranking: 2

Team MVP: Kyle Schwarber

Let’s go against what WAR says and take Schwarber over Trea Turner because of what his prodigious power has meant to the Philadelphia lineup. As the other veterans around him have endured ups, downs and injuries, Schwarber has been the Phillies’ constant. His 53 home runs and 129 RBIs are both easily career highs. Only Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto have been better offensive players than Schwarber in the National League. — Tim Britton

Record: 88-68
Last Power Ranking: 4

Team MVP: Shohei Ohtani

He enters every season as the MVP favorite. And then, pretty much every season, he demonstrates just why. Ohtani followed up his 50-50 campaign in 2024 with a 53-homer, 141-run season. He is the best hitter in the National League by a comfortable margin, second only to Juan Soto in on-base percentage and first in slugging. And, as perhaps you have heard, he is also pitching again — he has posted a 3.29 ERA in 13 appearances. Depending on how the Dodgers set up their postseason rotation, he could make his October pitching debut in the Wild Card round. The stage offers him another chance to add to his legend. — Andy McCullough

Record: 90-66
Last Power Ranking: 3

Team MVP: George Springer

The Blue Jays are where they are largely thanks to the depth of contributions they’ve received, with two-win seasons from the likes of Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, Tyler Heineman and an in-and-out-of-the-lineup Daulton Varsho. But Springer’s resurgence after two rough seasons has transformed the lineup, whether he’s batting cleanup or leadoff. With a week to go, Springer’s OPS+ is actually the best of his career — a remarkable turnaround for the 35-year-old. — Britton

Record: 88-68
Last Power Ranking: 5

Team MVP: Cade Horton

When you have Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker on your team, you’d have to do something seriously special to be named Team MVP over them, and that’s exactly what Horton has done, particularly post-All-Star break. Since July 20, a period of 11 starts (58 1/3 innings), Horton has gone 8-1 with a 0.93 ERA, having allowed just six earned runs (no more than two in any start). For a team that has had to navigate without Justin Steele and some inconsistency from Shota Imanaga, Horton has been absolute nails. There’s no question he should start Game 1 of a playoff series, not only this season but in the years to come as well. — Flores

Record: 87-69
Last Power Ranking: 8

Team MVP: Cal Raleigh

Raleigh bashed his 57th and 58th homers over the weekend as the Mariners pretty much slammed the door on the Astros and claimed first place in the American League West. He has put together an excellent case to snatch the actual American League MVP trophy from Aaron Judge when the voting is tabulated this winter. He has set new records for homers by a catcher and by a switch-hitter, all while playing the sport’s most taxing position. There will be plenty of time to debate between the two. For now, Raleigh is probably just focused on seeing how far these Mariners can go in October. — McCullough

Record: 88-68
Last Power Ranking: 7

Team MVP: Aaron Judge

Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Trent Grisham and Ben Rice all have had nice seasons: Each has been about 25 percent better than the league average, and they’ve combined to hit 117 home runs. And if you add up their offensive value (according to FanGraphs), that collective quartet gets you almost — almost — to what Aaron Judge does by himself. Judge has been so good that Cal Raleigh’s historic season in Seattle might not be enough to dethrone the reigning MVP. He should win the batting title, and given the league-wide dip in average over recent years, if you contextualize Judge’s .326 mark with the league average, it roughly equates to Tony Gwynn’s .372 in 1997. Imagine if Tony Gwynn hit 50 home runs in one year. — Britton

Record: 86-71
Last Power Ranking: 9

Team MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr.

It’s been another strong season for Tatis, who entered Monday’s games rated the best defensive right fielder in baseball by FanGraphs. He has adjusted well since moving to the position and has become one of the sport’s most prolific wall climbers. He also set a new career high for stolen bases, with 32 so far. Add to that his usual .800 OPS, and you have an excellent player who still, at 26, has several seasons left in his prime. — McCullough

Record: 85-71
Last Power Ranking: 10

Team MVP: Garrett Crochet

Crochet has answered just about every question you may have had about him entering the season. Could he be as good on a rate basis as he was early last season over a longer stretch? Yep. The ERA is better and the FIP and strikeout rates are in the same arena. Could he stay healthy and take on a full inning load? You bet. He leads the league in innings. Could he handle the stage in Boston? More than anyone else, he’s the reason the Red Sox have returned to relevance this season, and he’s the reason they’re a scary team to face in October. — Britton

Record: 85-71
Last Power Ranking: 6

Team MVP: Tarik Skubal

It might be hard to believe, but Skubal’s 2025 season is arguably better than his 2024 campaign, one that saw him win the AL Cy Young Award unanimously after posting the most wins (18), lowest ERA (2.39) and highest number of strikeouts (228) in the league. While his 13 wins won’t lead the league, Skubal’s 2.23 ERA is an AL-best, and his 0.882 WHIP is comfortably an MLB-best, as is his 7.77 strikeout-to-walk ratio. If that wasn’t enough of a case, his 6.5 bWAR and 6.4 fWAR are both better than his 2024 marks. Point being, Skubal is as ace as ace gets, and at 28 years old, he’s just getting started. — Flores

Record: 84-72
Last Power Ranking: 13

Team MVP: José Ramírez

Could it be anyone else? The heartbeat of this Guardians team and certified comedian is a major reason Cleveland is still in this race. Ramírez should once again finish as a Top-10 AL MVP candidate, though stiff competition at third base could keep him from claiming his sixth Silver Slugger. On Saturday, Ramírez added his third 30/30 season to his resume, and his back-to-back seasons of 40 stolen bases are the first since Kenny Lofton did it from 1992-96. That’s a lot of words to say that the JRam statue, ideally playing Mario Kart, will look mighty fine at Progressive Field. — Flores

Record: 84-72
Last Power Ranking: 11

Team MVP: Hunter Brown

A solid effort from Brown — six innings of two-run baseball with nine strikeouts — was not enough to overcome the Mariners on Friday, as the Astros and Brown lost the first game of a potentially season-defining series at Daikin Park this past weekend. Swept by Seattle, the Astros are on the verge of not winning the American League West for the first time in a full season since 2016. The team might miss the postseason altogether, having played below .500 baseball in the second half. Don’t blame Brown: His 2.30 ERA is the lowest among every starter in the sport, save for the two Cy Young award favorites, Tarik Skubal (2.23) and Paul Skenes (2.03). — McCullough

Record: 80-76
Last Power Ranking: 17

Team MVP: Hunter Greene

Desperately needing a win to keep their postseason hopes alive, Greene took the mound on Sept. 18 and fired a complete game one-hitter against the Chicago Cubs. His first pitch clocked in at 99.9 mph, and his 104th pitch at 101.5 mph. It was everything Cincinnati needed, and the perfect representation of everything evaluators were hopeful Greene could be when he was the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft out of high school. Entering Monday, the Reds have positioned themselves as the NL’s third wild-card team, and should Cincinnati make it to October, it will look back at that start by Greene as a key reason why. — Flores

Record: 80-76
Last Power Ranking: 14

Team MVP: Juan Soto

It’s been a bizarro season in Queens: In May, while the team was performing as well as any other one in baseball, Soto was getting booed for the worst slump of his career. In September, while the Mets are collapsing around him, Soto is getting “M-V-P!” cheers. There are a lot of ways to divvy up the blame for the Mets’ plummet in the standings, but Soto isn’t part of it. He’s a few homers shy of going 20/20 since Aug. 1. He’s a few steals shy of 40/40 for the season, all while his on-base percentage has climbed back toward its usual perch at .400. Soto is second in baseball in win probability added, behind only Shohei Ohtani. — Britton

Record: 79-77
Last Power Ranking: 16

Team MVP: Geraldo Perdomo

Perdomo has always been a sure-handed defender at shortstop. His glove was the main reason Arizona inked him to a four-year, $45 million extension before the season began. If he can hit like he did in 2025, the team may have struck one of the best bargains in recent memory. Perdomo experienced a significant power surge this year. After entering the season with 14 career homers, he has hit 19 this season, which is a major part of the reason he has been the most valuable hitter in the National League, according to Baseball-Reference (6.8 bWAR). — McCullough

Record: 79-77
Last Power Ranking: 12

Team MVP: Corey Seager

What a strange, aggravating season for the Rangers. The team stumbled out of the starting blocks. The offense struggled to ignite. The injuries piled up. In late August, as the club was trying to re-insert itself into the postseason race, Seager required an appendectomy, from which he has not returned. The ailment likely ended a typical season for Seager, who has dealt with injuries throughout his career. When he’s on the field, though, few players are better. Across the past three seasons, he has appeared in an average of 115 games while posting a 159 OPS+ and generating 18.1 bWAR. — McCullough

Record: 76-80
Last Power Ranking: 18

Team MVP: Junior Caminero

Caminero can make some home run history this week. He sits at 44 long balls entering Monday, two shy of Carlos Peña’s franchise record of 46. Even more impressive, he’s just three shy of the 47 homers Eddie Mathews hit in 1953 — the most ever for a player in his age-21 season or younger. Mathews never hit more than 47, but you know, he ended up with 512 for his career. Want to make that an unreasonable over/under for Caminero? — Britton

Record: 77-80
Last Power Ranking: 15

Team MVP: Logan Webb

Webb has led the sport in innings since 2022. If he secures an out in the fourth inning of his final start, he’ll notch 200 innings for the third consecutive season. In this era, that’s quite the achievement. He upped his slider usage, which improved his strikeout rate. For the most part, though, he did his usual best to generate soft contact on the ground and gobble up outs. They really don’t make ’em like Webb anymore — except for Framber Valdez, a mirror image of Webb, down to being left-handed. — McCullough

Record: 78-78
Last Power Ranking: 19

Team MVP: Vinnie Pasquantino

Yes, Bobby Witt Jr. exists. And yes, he’s primed to finish with another 8.0-plus fWAR season, but it’s Pasquantino who earns the nod in this exercise. In 57 post-All-Star break games, Pasquantino is slashing .269/.331/.562 with 16 home runs, 16 doubles, 51 RBIs and 32 strikeouts against 20 walks. In all, his 31 home runs are a career-high, as is his 119 wRC+. It’s the exact type of performance that the Royals have been banking on since they fast-tracked him through the minors. Entering Monday, the Royals’ team-wide .753 OPS is the eighth best in baseball since the All-Star break, up from being the 26th best in the first half — due in no small part to Pasquantino’s contributions. — Flores

Record: 77-80
Last Power Ranking: 20

Team MVP: Masyn Winn

Do you know who has the highest full-season fielding percentage by a shortstop in St. Louis Cardinals history? Hint: it’s not Ozzie Smith. Nope. It’s Winn, who, despite having been shut down with a torn meniscus in mid-September, finished the season with a .994 fielding percentage. Smith’s best season finished with a .987 fielding percentage. The 23-year-old Winn should earn his first of what could be multiple Gold Glove awards. Even without appearing in an MLB game since Sept. 8, Winn will likely end up as the NL’s Outs Above Average leader (22) and within a few outs of MLB’s leader (Bobby Witt Jr., 24). In a trying season that never saw St. Louis commit to rebuilding or contending, Winn was a bright spot. — Flores

Record: 74-83
Last Power Ranking: 24

Team MVP: Matt Olson

It isn’t quite the 2023 version of Olson, and he may not mash 54 homers again anytime soon. But Olson has delivered a season much more in line with his career norms than he did last season, and it’s always refreshing when your slugging 31-year-old first baseman suggests that first sign of possible decline was just a blip. Olson’s been just about impossible to get out over the last month, during which he’s hit nine homers with an OPS over 1.200. — Britton

Record: 76-80
Last Power Ranking: 23

Team MVP: Kyle Stowers

It’s the final week of the season and the Marlins still have a mathematical chance at making the postseason. In fact, they still have a mathematical chance at finishing second in the NL East, which might have been an even longer shot back on Opening Day. Which does leave them room to wonder: What if Stowers had stayed healthy for the stretch run? The 27-year-old outfielder produced a four-win season in 117 games, and Miami can start to salivate over pairing him in the outfield with its other breakthrough performer, Jakob Marsee. — Britton

Record: 73-83
Last Power Ranking: 21

Team MVP: Nick Kurtz

Here is where, as of Monday morning, Kurtz ranked among all hitters with 400 plate appearances this season:

Third in slugging (.613)
Third in wOBA(.418)
Third in wRC+ (168)

That’s right: He’s been the best hitter in the sport besides perennial MVP contenders Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Those two, of course, have been doing this for many years. Kurtz has played 110 games. It will be fascinating to see how the league adjusts to him in 2026. For now, though, he can be satisfied with a tremendous rookie campaign. — McCullough

Record: 73-83
Last Power Ranking: 22

Team MVP: Trevor Rogers

Should Rogers get Cy Young votes? Despite not joining the big-league rotation until the second half of June, Rogers enters this week tied for fifth among AL starters in wins above replacement. His dominance has been persistent and undeniable: He’s gone 15 consecutive starts without allowing more than two runs, and he’s averaging more than 6 1/2 innings per start in that time. It’s not quite Jake Arrieta in 2015, but it’s about as close a finishing kick as we’ve seen since, and how nice for Baltimore to be on the receiving end of it this time. — Britton

Record: 67-89
Last Power Ranking: 27

Team MVP: Paul Skenes

C’mon, let’s not overthink this. It was Skenes on Game 1 and it’s Skenes as we near Game 162. After winning the NL Rookie of the Year last season, Skenes is in line for his first NL Cy Young Award with another standout season, one that saw him repeat as the National League’s starter at the All-Star Game. With an MLB-leading 2.03 ERA, 212 ERA+ and 7.3 bWAR, along with top 10 marks in strikeouts, games started, batting average against and WHIP, Skenes has been every bit the No. 1 overall pick he was expected to be. — Flores

Record: 67-89
Last Power Ranking: 26

Team MVP: Luke Keaschall

After Minnesota elected to have a fire sale at the trade deadline and sent away 10 players, including most of its bullpen, no one would’ve blamed Twins fans for refusing to watch the rest of the 2025 season. In fact, many of them didn’t watch, as attendance at Target Field sank to a 25-year low. But for those who kept the TV on, Keaschall, who returned from a forearm fracture just days after the deadline, provided a small bright spot. Entering Monday, in 40 games beginning Aug. 5, Keaschall is slashing .297/.360/.437 with four homers, 10 doubles and eight stolen bases. While he tapered off a bit in September, the 22-year-old has shown that he can more than handle second base. As Minnesota embarks on a new era, one that could see some further strife, Keaschall represents someone to be hopeful for. — Flores

Record: 70-86
Last Power Ranking: 25

Team MVP: Zach Neto

The WAR formula at Baseball-Reference (5.0) favors Neto over the formula at FanGraphs (3.2), but by either metric, he has been the best position player on another underwhelming Angels team. He will miss the final few weeks of the season as he recovers from a hand strain. Neto might as well enjoy the time off. Next year will probably look a lot similar in Anaheim. — McCullough

Record: 64-93
Last Power Ranking: T-28

Team MVP: James Wood

It’s been a brutal second half for the first-time All-Star, but he still gets the nod here over C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore because of the hope he represents for the future. At 22, Wood is delivering the best offensive season for a National since Soto in 2021. With Abrams and Gore already nearing free agency, Wood is the central piece for the new front office in Washington, whatever form it takes, to build around. — Britton

Record: 58-98
Last Power Ranking: T-28

Team MVP: Will Venable

OK, Venable is not a player, at least he hasn’t been since 2016, but the first-year manager was given the impossible task of leading a club that lost a record 121 games. This year, the White Sox have been marginally better, winning 58 games entering Monday. And while he likely won’t be receiving any AL Manager of the Year votes, Venable deserves some credit for that turnaround. Also, the club’s leader in bWAR, Adrian Houser, has since been traded, so there wasn’t much choice. — Flores

Record: 43-113
Last Power Ranking: 30

Team MVP: Hunter Goodman

Congrats to the Rockies, who have narrowly avoided making history. The 2024 Chicago White Sox can now do whatever the opposite of what the 1972 Miami Dolphins did for all those years. Now, for Colorado, comes the actual hard part: Figuring out how to pull this franchise back from the abyss. Goodman, a 25-year-old catcher who swatted 30 homers this season, is one of the precious few players on the current roster who could garner playing time on a contender. The future still looks bleak, even if the present looks less embarrassing. — McCullough

(Top photo: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)