By Grant Brisbee, 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.
Every baseball season is full of butterfly-effect decisions and subsequent consequences. A micro-movement in a muscle influences a pitch, which influences a swing. Now another round of decisions: the read of the defender, the speed of a runner, the structural integrity of an ankle. An inning is born from the collective dance of a hundred moves.
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The innings grow into games, inviting more decisions: pitcher rest, a day off for an outfielder. A week, and the scope broadens: a lineup shuffle, a demotion, a trade, a “Dad grew up in New York because Grandpa got DFA’d by the Braves.”
We’ve had over a month of decisions now. Which in-season move has been the most important for each team? Or, to avoid existential overwhelm, we’ll limit it to: “consequential to this year’s baseball season.”
Record: 24-11
Last Power Ranking: 2
Most impactful in-season move: Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell to the IL with shoulder inflammation
Back on top, where they should probably stay for the rest of the season … unless their annual rash of pitcher injuries catches up with them. They have a better pitching staff on the IL, including in the bullpen, than most teams have had on their active rosters in a decade.
The good news for them is that they’re still hitting. They’ve won eight out of their past nine games, and they did it in games where they scored 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 15 runs. They could win those games with Blake Snell throwing with his right arm or 43-year-old Ian Snell making a few starts.
If the hits stop, the wins might stop, but it certainly hasn’t happened yet. — Grant Brisbee
Record: 23-13
Last Power Ranking: 1
Most impactful in-season move: Optioning Brett Baty to Triple A
Baty wasn’t off to a great start — 65 wRC+ but still a positive fWAR — but his demotion was more significant for what it meant for Luisangel Acuña, who went from splitting time at second base to taking over the position as a true everyday player. He has the fourth-highest WAR in the lineup behind only Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. The Mets have overperformed expectations, in part, by taking uncertainty and making it stable. That’s most obvious in the rotation, where opening the season with Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas on the IL has opened the door to Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning helping to form one of the best rotations in baseball. — Chad Jennings
Record: 23-11
Last Power Ranking: 5
Most impactful in-season move: Sending Jackson Merrill on a rehab assignment to El Paso
Here’s how well this season has been going for the Padres: They lost their franchise center fielder to an injury, but their production didn’t suffer at all. Tyler Wade kept the seat warm and made a convincing argument that he should keep getting starts when Merrill returns, sliding over to left and taking at-bats from Jason Heyward.
The Padres haven’t lost a game since the last edition of the power rankings, which is a great way to move up the charts. They’ll only get better when Merrill gets back, even if they didn’t get worse when he was gone, if that makes sense. — Brisbee
Record: 22-13
Last Power Ranking: 7
Most impactful in-season move: Javy Báez, center fielder
I dare you to find an article from 2024 about Javy Báez that wasn’t some version of “WTF are the Tigers gonna do about this guy?”
The answer, apparently: “Move him to center field and watch him thrive.”
As of Monday night, Báez was tied with reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal for the most bWAR on the team. More than the resurgent Spencer Torkelson, All-Star Riley Greene, or any other position player on the squad. He’s hitting over .300, and has more than acquitted himself on defense at a new position — and not a “I dunno, man, maybe he can play there” corner-outfield spot, either.
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I miss the “El Mago” tags at second base, but if he can keep this up, it will be a massive benefit to a Tigers team that already ranks higher than any other AL team. — Levi Weaver
Record: 19-15
Last Power Ranking: 9
Most impactful in-season move: Taijuan Walker to the bullpen
The Phillies have been relatively healthy out of the gate. Outfielder Brandon Marsh missed a little bit of time, but their regulars have otherwise played 30-plus games and their pitching staff got through April using just 13 pitchers. This weekend, Ranger Suárez came off the IL, and things were going so well that Walker was moved to the bullpen despite a 2.54 ERA in six starts. There are some inconsistencies with this team — Jordan Romano lost the closer job, and there’s room for the offense to be more consistent — but the fact that Walker is now in the bullpen is a sign of first-world problems in Philly. Too many good starters? Gosh, what’s that like? — Jennings
Record: 22-14
Last Power Ranking: 6
Most impactful in-season move: Sending Matt Shaw to Triple A
I think the Justin Steele injury is more consequential (double it up if Shota Imanaga ends up missing significant time), but I’m trying not to use an injury if an actual capital-M Move is available. In this case, it is: the Cubs broke camp hoping that Shaw could lay claim to the third-base job for the foreseeable future. He didn’t (.535 OPS), so rather than let him work it out at the big-league level, they shipped him back to Triple A to let him work it out there.
The hope is that he’ll be back sooner, rather than later, but it was certainly a sign of how serious the Cubs are about making the postseason. This year is a skate-or-die year for the Cubbies; there’s no time for tinkering right now. — Weaver
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Record: 22-14
Last Power Ranking: 3
Most impactful in-season move: Designating Lou Trivino for assignment
If that seems like a move that isn’t very noteworthy, that’s the point. Trivino was the first player on the active roster to lose his spot for performance reasons. Before Sunday, the Giants’ biggest transactions were Casey Schmitt and Tyler Fitzgerald going to the IL. Besides those injuries, the Giants’ roster has been remarkably static, a huge difference from the DFA carousel and minor-league yo-yoing of previous seasons.
In his place will be Kyle Harrison, who had a 99 percent chance of being the fifth starter when pitchers and catchers reported and a zero percent chance by the end of spring training. He went to Triple A, where he fixed whatever was wrong, and now he’s back in the bullpen for now. They’re not going to keep him there, though, so we’ll see how they make room in the rotation. — Brisbee
Record: 19-16
Last Power Ranking: 4
Most impactful in-season move: Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the IL
We’ll see just how much this one actually impacts the Yankees. They have remained one of the best teams in the AL despite Gerrit Cole’s spring training injury and Devin Williams’s brutal start that cost him the closer’s role, but they lost three of their first four games after Chisholm got hurt. Their infield is notoriously thin, and Chisholm had been productive despite his .181 batting average. The Yankees have thrived in part by giving larger-than-expected roles to Trent Grisham and Ben Rice, getting a bounce-back from Paul Goldschmidt, and because of typically getting elite production from Aaron Judge and Max Fried. Being without their regular second baseman, this would be a fine time for the back of the rotation to step up and ease the burden on the lineup. — Jennings
Record: 20-14
Last Power Ranking: 11
Most impactful in-season move: Logan Gilbert to the IL
There’s so much going right in the Mariners Cinematic Universe that it almost seems spiteful to focus on a negative development, but this one is too big to ignore. The whole idea behind the 2025 Mariners was that they had a rotation of the gods, and if they could just find a few hitters, they’d steamroll the league. Now, they have Jorge Polanco doing a Barry Bonds impression, and Cal Raleigh is leading the AL in homers, but their best pitcher is hurt.
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It’s a minor injury, and Gilbert is throwing on the side, so there will be no need for scalpels or gloom. But even with so many things going the Mariners’ way, this is the move to watch so far. The early news is positive, at least. — Brisbee
Record: 18-17
Last Power Ranking: 8
Most impactful in-season move: Not calling Jordan Lawler up (yet)
Ketel Marte’s IL stint was actually the most important move, but the Lawler conundrum is more interesting. The shortstop prospect is hitting .357/.441/.643 in Triple A. Current shortstop Geraldo Perdomo is in the middle of a transition from “nice player” to “franchise cornerstone.” When it comes to second base, Marte already is a cornerstone, with the contract extension to prove it. There’s no room.
Eventually, the Diamondbacks will have to figure something out because Lawler’s production in Triple A has been too good to ignore. A move to third base doesn’t seem likely in the short or long term. A move to the outfield seems like a waste of a potential All-Star shortstop. I sure don’t have any suggestions. If you have answers, please mail them to:
Arizona Diamondbacks
2001 Ssssssssssssss Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
If that’s not their actual address, well, it should be. — Brisbee
Record: 16-18
Last Power Ranking: 12
Most impactful in-season move: Spencer Strider on the IL (again)
Our preseason Power Rankings had the Braves No. 2 in part because they seemed to be on the mend after a 2024 season devastated by injuries. Among the key players coming back was Strider, a co-ace alongside Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale. But Strider’s return lasted just one start before he went right back on the IL with a strained hamstring. The Braves still don’t have Ronald Acuña Jr. back, Jurickson Profar has been suspended, Reynaldo López had surgery, and they’ve underperformed in a big way. Late free-agent addition Alex Verdugo has helped. Getting catcher Sean Murphy off the IL has helped, too. And Austin Riley has gotten hot. The Braves have been better lately, but we’re still waiting to see them at anything close to full strength. — Jennings
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Record: 18-18
Last Power Ranking: 10
Most impactful in-season move: Triston Casas out for the year
Honestly, Casas had not been very good. Negative WAR. Below-average offensive numbers. Just a brutal start to the season. But last week’s knee injury left the Red Sox with a glaring hole at first base, a position at which they have no obvious replacement. Getting Bryan Bello and Lucas Giolito off the IL should stabilize the rotation — Bello has been great through three starts — but the Red Sox now face a curious decision at first, and they seem hesitant or unwilling to move Rafael Devers to the position. Is there a way to get creative with top prospects Roman Anthony or Marcelo Mayer (neither of whom plays first)? Will they add someone? The Red Sox clearly were banking on Casas turning things around, but injuries continue to plague him, and an uneven Red Sox season is now left with a fresh dose of uncertainty. — Jennings
Record: 17-17
Last Power Ranking: 15
Most impactful in-season move: Activating Lance McCullers Jr. from the IL
The last time we saw McCullers, it was the 2022 World Series, and he was almost like a trade-deadline acquisition for the Astros and something of a secret weapon for them in the postseason. Though he didn’t pitch that well in the World Series, the Astros might not have gotten there without him. He earned his ring, and he paid for it with his right elbow.
He’s returning to a much different Astros team, though. Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker are gone. Jose Altuve is now a left fielder, and he’s not hitting much. Yordan Alvarez’s OPS+ from last year has been cut almost exactly in half, going from 171 to 86, and now he’s on the IL. The Astros need more than a starting pitcher, but they’ll happily take any help they can get. We’ll see if the McCurve still has that golden arch to it. — Brisbee
Record: 20-14
Last Power Ranking: 14
Most impactful in-season move: Designating Triston McKenzie for assignment
The Guardians have the third-best record in the AL, so it sucks to say their biggest move has been giving up on a guy. But Triston McKenzie wasn’t just “a guy” — he was, not so very long ago, a dark-horse AL Cy Young Award candidate.
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But about every good move in Cleveland happened before the season started, so here we are.
In 2023, McKenzie opted to avoid Tommy John surgery, hoping that rest and rehab would do the trick. The irony: He would have been fully recovered by now. Instead, he had a bad 2024 that bled into a bad 2025.
Adding insult to injury, McKenzie’s salary this year was $1.95 million — less than they’re paying Trevor Stephan, who hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2023 due to … Tommy John surgery. Even at that discount, no other teams took a waiver flyer on McKenzie, so he’s off the 40-man roster, optioned first to Triple A, and then to the ever-mysterious “Development List.”
A development, indeed. Just not a fun one. — Weaver
Record: 18-18
Last Power Ranking: T-16
Most impactful in-season move: … Batting eighth, Noelvi Marte
When Noelvi Marte went to bed on April 19, his batting average was .083, his OPS an abysmal .237. He had already been optioned to the minor leagues once (albeit briefly) and his third season in the big leagues seemed on the brink of being even more disappointing than his second — a difficult challenge, since last year featured an 80-game suspension for a positive test for Boldenone. OK, so maybe not more disappointing, but look: It was not going great for our pal Noelvi.
Twenty-four hours, five hits and 10 total bases later, his plummet had hit a trampoline. His batting average jumped to .316, his OPS to .929, and his five-hit game was part of a wild 24-2 win over the Orioles. Since then, Marte’s big comeback has been a load-bearing wall for a Reds offense that hasn’t otherwise been great.
It also more or less corresponded with a benching of Jeimer Candelario, whose numbers this year were basically pre-breakout Marte-esque before he hit the IL with a back strain. — Weaver
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Record: 20-16
Last Power Ranking: 24
Most impactful in-season move: Activating Mark Canha from the IL
Despite a slow start, it’s been a relatively stable season in Kansas City thus far, from a roster-construction standpoint. It took a little digging, but I think I found something: The Royals were 4-3 with Canha in the lineup before he went on the IL. By the time he got back, they were 8-14 and utterly languishing near the bottom of the AL Central standings. Then on April 19, Canha returned, and lo and behold: The Royals are now 20-16.
Canha has been worth 0.0 bWAR for the season in 15 games played. I don’t fully understand how WAR is calculated, but I think I have some pretty convincing circumstantial evidence here (the best kind) to indicate that the calculations are wrong.
Being a good hitter and a better luck charm has to be worth something. — Weaver
Record: 16-18
Last Power Ranking: T-16
Most impactful in-season move: Promoting prospect Chandler Simpson
Because he was recalled from Triple A just before Opening Day, outfielder Kameron Misner doesn’t count as an in-season move, but he’s been huge in filling a void and keeping the Rays’ lineup afloat. Shane McClanahan’s latest injury also doesn’t count, because it, too, happened at the end of spring training. Simpson, though, was called up in mid-April and he’s been the primary center fielder and leadoff hitter (the Rays have four outfielders on the IL). The Rays have a winning record since Simpson showed up, and they’ve moved to the middle of our rankings. — Jennings
Record: 18-18
Last Power Ranking: 18
Most impactful in-season move: Sending Brandon Woodruff on rehab assignments
The Brewers have made two trades already, but neither one has been all that interesting. You could make the case for the Quinn Priester trade (from Boston) as the move here, since he was really great in his first three starts with the Brewers, but he has given up 12 runs in 9 1/3 innings in his two starts since. Daz Cameron is hitting .167 (and it has only been six at-bats).
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So we’re going with Woodruff’s rehab assignments, as they’re at least an indication that a (real) roster move of consequence is nigh. — Weaver
Record: 20-16
Last Power Ranking: 22
Most impactful in-season move: Calling up Gunnar Hoglund
I’m currently in the middle of a re-read of Robert Coover’s 1968 novel, “The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.,” which might be my favorite baseball novel ever. Not only is Gunnar Hoglund the perfect name for a starting pitcher on the ol’ Haymakers, but now I’m thinking about what kind of dice roll it would take on the Extraordinary Occurrences Chart to move an entire franchise to a placeholder city. That’s gotta be six triple-threes in a row.
Anyway, Hoglund is up because he’s one of baseball’s best pitching prospects and the contending A’s can use the arm. His debut was scintillating (6 IP, 1 R, 0 BB, 7K), even if you have to adjust for him pitching against the Marlins. The beautiful dream of a World Series in a Triple-A ballpark is still alive, and Hoglund should only help. — Brisbee
Record: 17-18
Last Power Ranking: 13
Most impactful in-season move: President of baseball operations Chris Young losing his patience
It will take some time before we know if it’s the most consequential move, but certainly the most shocking one came in a series of moves within the last week. With the Rangers’ offense at or near the bottom of the league in most categories, the team demoted first baseman Jake Burger to Triple-A, fired offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker and put center fielder Leody Taveras on outright waivers.
If nothing else, it’s a message that this level of stink will not be tolerated.
So, what’s next? The club announced Monday that it had hired Bret Boone as the new hitting coach. Blaine Crim is getting his first big-league action at first, and reports indicate that Evan Carter will join the team in Boston (either to play center field or to play left field and shift Wyatt Langford to center). — Weaver
Record: 15-20
Last Power Ranking: 20
Most impactful in-season move: Activating Royce Lewis from the IL?
For all the shortcomings on the field this year, it isn’t as if the Twins haven’t been making moves. Go on, check out this list of transactions from April. If Luke Keaschall hadn’t fractured his forearm, he might have been the answer here, since he went 7-for-19 with five stolen bases in his seven games.
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So maybe, hopefully, it’s the return of Lewis, who was activated from the IL Monday. When he’s been healthy, there haven’t been many more exciting players in the league. But before this week, he had played a total of 152 games in 2022-24.
So yeah, there’s a chance this ends up not being the biggest move of the year. But we’re crossing our fingers — the sport is a better place with Lewis in it. — Weaver
Record: 16-18
Last Power Ranking: 19
Most impactful in-season move: Dropping Andrés Giménez in the lineup
Now that Daulton Varsho is back, the Blue Jays do not have a single hitter on the IL. Their offense is healthy, it’s just not very good (24th in the majors in OPS). Among their problems: Giménez was the Opening Day cleanup hitter, but he’s been dropped to the bottom of the order with brutal offensive numbers. Opening Day DH Will Wagner has been optioned to Triple A with even worse numbers, and offseason addition Anthony Santander has remained in the No. 3 hole despite well below-average production (little choice but to hope he turns it around, especially when there aren’t many viable alternatives). — Jennings
Record: 17-19
Last Power Ranking: 25
Most impactful in-season move: Getting Masyn Winn off the IL
The Cardinals are currently a ham sandwich with untoasted wheat bread, two slices of ham and no condiments. If you’re bullish on them, you can use deli ham instead of the prepackaged stuff, but you’re never going to make it exciting. Not without cloning Brendan Donovan.
Winn is a dab of mustard, then. He might even be a little spicy, with a horseradish kick. Getting him back from a short IL stint can only help the Cardinals on both sides of the ball. He’s their most exciting player now, and there’s a decent chance that he’ll still be their most exciting player in 2028, so the more time they’re together, the better it is for everyone involved. The important thing to remember is that I need to stop writing these at lunchtime. — Brisbee
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Record: 13-20
Last Power Ranking: 21
Most impactful in-season move: Charlie Morton to the bullpen
The Orioles’ rotation was a potential weakness from the beginning, and it’s become an actual problem. Morton, one of the veterans signed to somewhat make up for the loss of free agent Corbin Burnes, was dumped to the bullpen after going 0-6 with a 10.36 ERA in his first six starts (one of them was technically a relief appearance after an opener). The Orioles haven’t hit as expected, either, but their disappointing start to the season can be largely attributed to having the highest rotation ERA in the American League (better than only the Marlins and Rockies in all of baseball). Grayson Rodriguez has been out all year, and Zach Eflin got hurt after three starts, and those two are on the IL with Trevor Rogers, Albert Suárez and Kyle Bradish among others. — Jennings
Record: 16-19
Last Power Ranking: 23
Most impactful in-season move: Designating Colin Poche for assignment
The Nationals have an interesting young core, and they made a bunch of small signings this winter intended to help with their short-term competitiveness. But almost none have worked. Michael Soroka went on the IL after one start. Paul DeJong broke his nose in mid-April. Josh Bell is on pace for the worst offensive season of his career. Amed Rosario has a negative fWAR. Lucas Sims has a 10.32 ERA. And Poche was bad enough to get designated for assignment and clear waivers. Bringing back closer Kyle Finnegan has helped, but the Nats still have the second-worst bullpen ERA in baseball. — Jennings
Record: 12-24
Last Power Ranking: 27
Most impactful in-season move: Putting the Roberto Clemente signage back up in right field?
It’s hard to say which of the almost-zero moves has been the biggest one. Sure, it’s interesting that the Pirates have, at various points this season, sent David Bednar (87 career saves, two-time All-Star) and Jack Suwinski (338 games with the Pirates from 2022-24) to the minor leagues, but has it really made any difference?
Was it “calling up (first overall pick in the 2021 draft) Henry Davis”? Eh. They’ve done that before, both in 2023 and 2024 (Davis is hitting .143 this time around; lower than his career .188 batting average).
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So sure, let’s go with the signage. At least they listened when everyone got mad about that. The lesson to Pirates fans: Be madder about free agents this winter; see if that helps. — Weaver
Record: 13-21
Last Power Ranking: 28
Most impactful in-season move: Griffin Conine out for the year
Every Marlins starter except Max Meyer has been awful — including Sandy Alcantara and Cal Quantrill — and as long as that’s the case, it’s basically impossible to imagine this team being remotely competitive. But it certainly hasn’t helped that the team’s young left fielder — son of franchise icon Jeff Conine, coming off a strong 2024 debut, off to a fine start this season — had season-ending shoulder surgery after an ill-fated headfirst slide. Now second baseman Otto Lopez is on the IL, too. The Marlins always faced a steep climb from the bottom of our Power Rankings, and it hasn’t gotten easier. — Jennings
Record: 13-20
Last Power Ranking: 26
Most impactful in-season move: Putting Mike Trout on the IL
The last time I did these, the Angels were off to a fast start. It’s been a while since I’ve checked in on them, but I’m sure everything is just fine in Angels land, and … oh, dear. That regress-calated quickly.
The Angels’ biggest move of note in this early season is both unsurprising and cruel. Mike Trout, future first-ballot Hall of Famer, was placed on the 10-day IL with a left knee bone bruise, and while he wasn’t exactly powering the lineup — he was hitting .179 with a .264 OBP — he was one of the most reliable sources of power for a team that’s been struggling to score runs. Even at this stage in his career, the Angels are usually much better with him than without him. — Brisbee
Record: 10-25
Last Power Ranking: 29
Most impactful in-season move: Calling up Edgar Quero
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The biggest move of 2025 has its roots in 2023, back when the Angels traded Quero and Ky Bush to the White Sox for like … five minutes of Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López (before letting both go to Cleveland on waivers).
By the start of this year, Quero was ranked No. 53 on Keith Law’s list of the top 100 prospects in baseball. He got the call in mid-April and has hit in a very un-White-Sox manner, with a slashline of .340/.446/.404. And hey, look at this: an actual White Sox entry in the Power Rankings instead of firing off some cheap jokes to match the team’s effort (if that’s what you came for, just scroll on down to the Rockies).
A little side note: The only catcher who has gotten more playing time for Chicago this year has been Matt Thaiss, another Angels castoff who they let go for no players in return. Anyway, this is not an Angels section, but if the White Sox end up ⬆️ in the coming weeks, at least one former Angel seems likely to be a big reason why. — Weaver
Record: 6-28
Last Power Ranking: 30
Most impactful in-season move: Recalling and then demoting Zac Veen
Last season, the Chicago White Sox went 41-121, which was the worst season in modern baseball history. This year, they’re 10-25, which means they’re on pace for a 46-116 season. That’s still historically awful. Yet every week, our intrepid writers start their power-ranking ballot by putting the Rockies 30th. They’re one of the only teams in baseball history with the potential to keep the White Sox out of last place, and they’re doing it so convincingly that they’re getting every single 30th-place vote.
Anyway, the Rockies’ most important move was calling up top prospect Veen, then sending him down after 34 lackluster at-bats. That’s what a team without a plan does. They aren’t just throwing spaghetti to the wall and seeing if it sticks; they’re throwing uncooked spaghetti to the wall and seeing if it sticks. It does not. — Brisbee
(Top photo of Detroit’s Kerry Carpenter: Nicole Vasquez / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
