MLB Power Rankings: Week 21 Update

Numerous divisional clashes began Friday, setting the stage for the twilight of the 2025 regular season.

The Mets went to Atlanta and got a massive 12-7 win to stave off the Reds in the National League wild card chase, the Red Sox stole a win 1-0 in the Bronx against the Yankees to solidify second place in the American League East, and the Padres finally defeated the Dodgers 2-1 to pull into a tie for first place in the NL West. Plus, the Nationals upset the Phillies 5-4 against Jhoan Duran in the ninth to play spoiler in an NL East race that sees the Mets holding on to by their pinkie.

It was an exciting day. And the last week smoothed out some edges in all the division races around the league. Buckle up everybody, we’re almost into September.

1. Brewers

Milwaukee wasn’t a team caught in a division game Friday. But there were fireworks.

Facing the spiraling Giants, William Contreras launched a walk-off shot with two outs in the ninth to secure the 81st win of the season for the Brewers. It was a nice bounce back after Shelby Miller and Aaron Ashby blew their 4-2 lead over the seventh and eighth inning, and marked their second win in a row after they went just 2-3 against the Cubs the last week.

The Brewers are now 25-8 in the second half and are the only team with 80 wins or more. They continue to look like the best team in baseball, and will play a key role in the AL and NL East divisional races, as they face the Blue Jays and Phillies from August 29 to September 4.

2. Dodgers

The Dodgers snapped out of their funk last week with a massive series against the Padres.

In LA, the Dodgers took three of four from their division rivals, providing extra space in the division heading into Monday. Mookie Betts has helped with his recent resurgence, as the former MVP has hit .344 and slugged .475 in his last 15 games. Clayton Kershaw has also been an added bonus to the rotation, pitching the Dodgers to four wins in his last four starts, going at least 5 2/3 innings in each outing.

The only issue? The Dodgers split a series in Colorado against the Rockies, and there’s been some drama with Teoscar Hernández‘s defense in right field. It hasn’t been good, and cost the Dodgers a win. Betts reportedly went to Dave Roberts to talk about the defensive alignment, but a change is uncertain. Now, after Friday’s 2-1 loss in San Diego, the Dodgers and Padres are knotted up atop the NL West. We’ll see how the other two games go, as the Dodgers are 8-3 against the Padres.

3. Phillies

Philadelphia got horrid news last week. Zack Wheeler had a blood clot in his shoulder, requiring surgery to remove with no timetable for return. Usually losing an ace is detrimental to a team with World Series aspirations, but fortunately for the Phillies, they’ve got about two more.

Cristopher Sánchez has been absolutely brilliant this season, pitching to a 2.46 ERA with 169 strikeouts in 25 starts. He’s third in the NL in ERA, and had a stellar outing Tuesday against the Mariners (6 1/3 IP, 12 SO, 2 BB, 2 ER).

Pair that with Jesús Luzardo (2.32 in last five starts) and Ranger Suarez, plus the return of Aaron Nola, and Philadelphia can survive the loss of Wheeler. It also helps that the offense is getting a vintage J.T. Realmuto, who’s slashing .311/.360/.515 with five homers (only five homers in first half) in the second half.

4. Padres

The Friars squeaked by with a 2-1 win over the Dodgers Friday. It tied them for first in the NL West, but a series against the Dodgers earlier in the week prevented them from asserting themselves.

They went 1-3 in LA against the Dodgers in the beginning of the week, preventing them from taking control in the division. Actually, their entire 2025 season against the Dodgers has prevented them from being a top team in the NL. Both teams are 73-56, yet the Padres are 3-8 against their rivals.

If they played .500 ball, or for the argument one game under, the Padres would hold a two-game lead over the Dodgers. But hindsight is always 20/20, and the Padres are doing just fine.

The bullpen is still elite. Yu Darvish turned back the clock to 2013 Friday in their 2-1 win. The only thing missing from the Padres game is the long ball. Especially from Fernando Tatis Jr. He’s gone 120 plate appearances without a homer (July 24).

5. Tigers

Detroit went back to their winning ways last week.

They swept the Astros at home, took three of four against the Twins, and before that won a series against the White Sox. The real series to dissect was the Astros series, where Detroit pitching held Houston to two runs over three games.

Jack Flaherty was dominant in the series opener, striking out nine over seven scoreless innings. And then Tarik Skubal continued his brilliance with 10 punchouts over seven scoreless the next day, which saw the Tigers win 1-0 in extras.

6. Cubs

The Cubs are just 17-16 in the second half, and a lot can be attributed to the offense regressing.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker are the biggest proponents of the offense stalling. PCA is slashing .224/.280/.411 with just five walks in his last 30 games, and Tucker just .232/.348/.373 since his newly disclosed hand injury suffered on June 1 against the Reds.

Still, a 3-2 record against the Brewers last week helped the Cubs climb to seven back in the division and to the first NL wild card spot. With no games left against the Brewers, the Cubs might be finished in the NL Central, but there’s a lot of baseball left. And the postseason seems likely barring a major collapse.

7. Blue Jays

There’s been no team as consistent as the Blue Jays all season.

Outside their 11-4 month, the Jays have gone above .500 every month of the season. August is no different, as they’re 11-8, and picked up two series wins last week over the Cubs and Rangers.

The real difference maker continues to be George Springer. He’s thrived in the DH spot, posting a .965 OPS with 17 homers in 57 games. It’s been a stark difference from his 33 games in RF this season, where he posted a .788 OPS with only three homers. Anthony Santander could return this season, but it may be best to leave the 35-year-old Springer as the DH.

8. Yankees

The Yanks have gotten some serious juice from the return of Giancarlo Stanton.

The former MVP has produced video game numbers, slugging .943 over his last 15 games, and .747 over his last 30 with 12 homers. He, along with Aaron Judge (who is the 2025 AL MVP, I don’t want to hear Big Dumper) and Cody Bellinger (.270/.323/.492 with 24 homers), have finally formed a dangerous trio atop the Yankee lineup.

The offense was still number one in most offensive categories before Staton’s return from injury, but now it is at the level of World Series contender. The only issue has been the bullpen blowing leads. Jake Bird was optioned to Triple-A, Camilo Doval has a 7.36 ERA, and David Bednar has blown multiple leads in the ninth.

9. Red Sox

Boston this low on the list every week feels criminal.

They’re 70-59, in second place in the AL East, and have a series with the Blue Jays in September to possibly take the division, which they currently trail by only five games.

They took the first two games against the Yankees in the Bronx Thursday and Friday, and have the potential to win the series with Garrett Crochet on the mound Saturday. Roman Anthony was a big culprit in Friday’s win, providing insurance in the ninth with a two-run homer. The kid has 17 doubles in only 60 games, and could turn those two baggers into four with some more time in the majors.

10. Astros

Houston really struggled last week, dropping a series to the Orioles at home, followed by a road sweep in Detroit, where they scored only two runs.

So why are they No. 10 0n the list? Well, for one, they’re still in first place in the AL West. And secondly, they bounced back Thursday and Friday with wins over the Orioles in Baltimore.

The offense also won’t be a problem for too long. We’ve said it all year, but Yordan Alvarez is on his way back. The DH picked up three hits in his second rehab start, and looks to add even more juice to a team that added Jesús Sánchez and Carlos Correa at the deadline.

Rest of the Field

11. Mariners
12. Mets
13. Reds
14. Guardians
15. Royals
16. Cardinals
17. Diamondbacks
18. Rangers
19. Giants
20. Rays
21. Orioles
22. Marlins
23. Braves
24. Angels
25. Pirates
26. Twins
27. Nationals
28. Athletics
29. White Sox
30. Rockies

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