Power Rankings: Who's on top entering the season?

There is a baseball game on Wednesday. Wednesday! Sure, the 28 Major League Baseball teams that aren’t in South Korea right now don’t get to play for another 10 days or so, but nevertheless: The Dodgers and Padres are playing some baseball on Wednesday. Which means it’s time for Power Rankings.

Spring Training has changed quite a bit, from injuries to Gerrit Cole and Devin Williams, to (another) position change for Mookie Betts, to a cavalcade of young stars emerging at just the right moment. Some teams have fallen; some have risen. Imagine what’s going to happen when we actually start playing games. Which -- I repeat -- is happening on Wednesday.

Some news, by the way: We’re changing up the format of the Power Rankings a bit this year. We’ll have blurbs on every team, from No. 1 down to 30. If you’ve clicked on this, you deserve to have something said about your team. Also, I -- Will Leitch, hi, that’s my picture atop the page, it’s kind of an old picture, I’m about 3 feet taller now -- will be writing up the team comments all season.

The rankings themselves are decided by a group of MLB.com voters whose names you can find at the bottom of this (and every) piece, but the words are mine. If you dislike the rankings, yell at all of us. But if you dislike the words, feel free to yell at me.

The next Power Rankings won’t be out until we’re a fortnight into the season. So heading into Opening Day … here’s how all 30 teams stack up. (Note: Teams’ previous rankings are from Jan. 1.)

1. Braves (previously: 1)
This is increasingly looking like the most stable organization in baseball, further evidenced by the recent extension of president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos. The Braves had the best record in the Majors last year, they’ve finished first in their division six years in a row, they won the World Series three years ago, and all their stars are wrapped up for years to come. I hope you like the Braves, or can at least tolerate them, because this is what they’re going to look like for the foreseeable future: one of the best teams in baseball. The spring has been smooth sailing for them, and now they have Chris Sale. And on and on they go.

2. Dodgers (2)
For all the offseason maneuvering the Dodgers did to put together their best possible roster -- and “maneuvering” is certainly one way to describe spending like the Dodgers just spent -- it should probably be noted that “suddenly switching one of their prized MVPs to an incredibly difficult defensive position that he hasn’t played regularly in more than a decade” midway through Spring Training is not your traditional “team that has everything aligned” move. Ostensibly, the move was made because of Gavin Lux’s throwing issues, but moving Betts just to help out Lux (who is fine but is not Mookie Betts) feels a little bit like using the jaws of life on a splinter. We’ll see how it works out. But it’s a little more chaos than you might expect from the supposed juggernaut.

3. Orioles (4)
I’m not sure there’s a better way to describe what it’s like to be an Orioles fan right now -- it’s like they’re at an all-you-can-eat buffet but only have so much collective stomach lining to go around.

“We have a lot of guys that probably aren’t going to make the team that are going to be good players,” manager Brandon Hyde said last week.

It sure looks like Jackson Holliday is going to be the Opening Day second baseman, but unless they figure out a way to have a fourth or fifth outfielder on the field, Little League-style, someone who would be the jewel of another team’s farm system is going to begin the year in the Minors. The grind of the regular season has a tendency to resolve these roster redundancy issues, but isn’t it wonderful to have such First World problems all of a sudden, Orioles fans?

4. Phillies (5)
The biggest thing that happened with the Phillies this spring has nothing to do with this season at all: The extension they gave to Zack Wheeler, which will make his bank account $42 million richer for each of the three seasons after this one. That solidified the overall vibe in Philadelphia right now, which is: This is the team that’s going to win it all, let’s all go out now and win it all. As old (sorry, “veteran”) as the Phillies are now, it would seem each season of the next four would be a little harder to win (the inexorable nature of time being what it is and all), but what you and I call “aging,” the Phillies call “getting more postseason seasoning.” The Phils probably should have made the World Series for the second consecutive year in 2023. They clearly plan on being back again -- and soon -- and are spending accordingly. There’s not much more you could ask of your team.

5. Rangers (3)
The defending champs dropping two spots seems less about any of their own deficiencies -- though you can certainly understand why their fans would love to see Jordan Montgomery back to help keep their rotation afloat until Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom return -- and more about the warmth wafting off the Orioles and Phillies camps all spring. The two big questions for Texas until then, other than how the rotation holds up, are whether Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter are ready to be everyday stars and whether that bullpen, which lost some of its main pieces (and wasn’t exactly a shutdown unit in the first place), is going to look in August anything like the way it does right now. If there’s a rocky start in Arlington, which looks like a real possibility actually, I recommend Rangers fans stare at that 2023 World Series Champion flag in the outfield; trust me, it’s immensely satisfying.

6. Astros (6)
The Astros are reportedly in “serious pursuit” of Blake Snell, which makes a lot of sense. One wonders what this could mean for a potential Kyle Tucker extension, but that’s a question for 2025.

7. Yankees (8)
Yes, the Yankees did go up in our rankings from Jan. 1 despite losing Gerrit Cole for a while, I’m glad you noticed that. Please direct any inquiries to the names at the bottom of this list -- I’m just the typist here. Still: Aaron Judge is working to be ready for Opening Day, and Juan Soto is still playing for a new contract, so the idea that they’re going to implode in the Bronx seems awfully premature.

8. Blue Jays (10)
Kevin Gausman isn’t going to be ready for Opening Day, but at least he isn’t having the phalanges problems of poor Danny Jansen, sheesh.

9. Rays (7)
So four of the top nine teams in MLB heading into the season, according to our voters, are in the American League East. (Sorry, Red Sox.) The Rays look like they have a lot of holes to fill, but this ranking is a reflection of the fact that they have always found ways to fill them.

10. D-backs (9)
The most exciting thing about the D-backs' offseason is that they looked at the team they had during the regular season (one that was outscored), rather than the one that stunned everyone in the postseason, and made the appropriate, almost surgical, improvements. It’s nice when you make the World Series but are still clearly better the next year.

11. Mariners (11)
Fun fact: You know all those young Orioles outfield phenoms fighting for a roster spot we talked about above? Julio Rodríguez is younger than all of them.

12. Cubs (13)
Bringing back Cody Bellinger was a capper to a very pleasant spring for the Cubs, one that seems to have established them as the consensus NL Central favorites.

13. Twins (17)
It’s a bit surprising to see the Twins jump this much in the standings, but their relatively injury-free spring may have something to do with it. It’s nice to see this team getting some injury luck for once. (For now, at least.)

14. Padres (16)
You know what the most shocking thing is about the Dylan Cease trade? It assures what may have been the case already: After losing a reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, the Padres’ rotation is deeper, and probably stronger, than it was last year.

15. Reds (15)
Losing Noelvi Marte is a buzzkill, no question, but it does help clarify some position battles we saw in camp. Everybody knows where they stand now, for better or worse.

16. Mets (12)
Everything with the Mets is always so dramatic that it’s kind of soothing, even relieving, to see them smack in the middle of these rankings. Maybe the Mets can just be normal for a year! (Probably not.)

17. Giants (22)
The Giants never got the top-shelf superstar they’ve been seeking, but they sure have compiled their fair share of next-shelf-down guys. Do they have enough? Too many?

18. Cardinals (18)
The Cardinals surprised many by signing manager Oliver Marmol to a contract extension last week, but he knows as well as anyone that shouldn’t ease any pressure on him, or this entire franchise. Last year cannot happen again.

19. Brewers (14)
The Cole news overshadowed Williams’ even-more-severe injury, one that will keep him out longer and makes you wonder what exactly this roster is going to look like by the time he comes back.

20. Tigers (20)
The Tigers certainly have their fair share of questions, particularly with their bullpen. Still, with all of those young position players at last reaching the Majors, combined with the pitching reinforcements they added, they look like the Twins’ top challengers in the AL Central.

21. Guardians (23)
Though the Guardians might have something to say about that. The upside, as always, is their young pitching, which features four guys under 30 and, potentially, their old pal Carlos Carrasco.

22. Red Sox (19)
The Lucas Giolito injury was obviously a massive blow, but it does allow any fans looking for optimism -- or at least a good reason to watch all summer -- to direct their attention to the young outfielders. Ceddanne Rafaela is having the sort of spring that could allow him to storm his way into the Opening Day starting lineup.

23. Marlins (21)
You know what would be really nice in 2024? To see a full, healthy season from Jazz Chisholm Jr. He was one of the most exciting players in baseball just 12 months ago -- the guy on the cover of MLB The Show, for crying out loud. Too many people have forgotten how joyous it can be to watch him play.

24. Royals (25)
Quiet optimism is building throughout baseball for the Royals, who have some pleasant momentum building with the extension of Bobby Witt Jr. and their young players emerging. The division gives them a fighting chance as well; let’s hope the first month doesn’t stifle that.

25. Pirates (26)
It is difficult not to just type “Paul Skenes! Paul Skenes! PAUL SKENES!” over and over in this blurb. Instead, I’ll note that Michael A. Taylor was the sort of addition a lot of teams should have made this offseason, and it’s to the Pirates’ credit that they did so. Also: Paul Skenes!

26. Angels (24)
It has been, fair to say, a bummer of an offseason for the Angels. But let’s not look past some of the just plain wonderful news: Mike Trout looks healthy and ready to re-establish himself as, well, Mike Trout.

27. Nationals (28)
The Nationals are their usual motley mix of young up-and-comers (CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, soon James Wood) and hey-that-guy-is-still-around (Joey Gallo, Jesse Winker). Patrick Corbin will forever be here, for all of it.

28. White Sox (27)
Cease has finally been shipped off, after months of rumors, but Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jiménez and Yoán Moncada are all still here ... for now?

29. Rockies (29)
On a team that seems, as usual, a little stuck between stations, Nolan Jones is a high-upside play: Can he elevate himself to be the sort of young star the Rockies so desperately need?

30. A’s (30)
Sure, they’re Spring Training numbers, but have you seen what Zack Gelof is doing? He’s hitting for more power than he did last year, and he may just be a 20-20 player (or more) in the making. He was a find in 2023. He might be a star in '24.

Voters: David Adler, Nathalie Alonso, Anthony Castrovince, Mark Feinsand, Alyson Footer, Doug Gausepohl, Sarah Langs, Will Leitch, Travis Miller, Arturo Pardavila, Mike Petriello, Manny Randhawa, Andrew Simon, David Venn