MLB Power Rankings: Who Is No. 1 As Season Nears?

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By , Audacy

A lot has happened since the last time we talked.

The Los Angeles Dodgers - who won 106 regular season games a season ago - completed a trade that allowed them to acquire right fielder Mookie Betts and lefty David Price. It's now entirely possible that reigning National League MVP Cody Bellinger won't even have the best season among Dodgers' outfielders, reinforcing their place as a legitimate World Series contender.

Meanwhile, the New York Yankees have been crushed by injuries. We'll have to wait until 2021 to see Luis Severino pitch in the same rotation as Gerrit Cole. Earlier this week, general manager Brian Cashman said that oft-injured star outfielders Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are unlikely to be ready for Opening Day.

With the landscape of baseball having changed since our first assessment, here's a look at the latest RADIO.COM Sports MLB Power Rankings:

Niko Goodrum
Niko Goodrum is one of the few bright pieces in the Tigers lineup. Photo credit (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

There Are a Lot of *Really* Bad Teams

30. Detroit Tigers
29. Baltimore Orioles
28. Kansas City Royals
27. Pittsburgh Pirates
26. Seattle Mariners

If you're wondering how there were so many 100-win teams in 2019, there was a flip side - the Tigers, Orioles, Royals, Pirates and Mariners combined to go 297-512 (.367) a season ago. Perhaps there needs to be a discussion about why baseball's worst teams are were so bad a season ago, but teams like the Tigers and Pirates are in such a rough place organizationally for entirely different reasons. The bad news (depending on your perspective) is that all five of these teams figure to compete for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, meaning they are in for long 2020 seasons.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is part of an exciting young Blue Jays team. Photo credit (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

How Much of a Step Can the Blue Jays Take in 2020?

25. San Francisco Giants
24. Miami Marlins
23. Colorado Rockies
22. Toronto Blue Jays
21. Chicago Cubs

The Blue Jays are probably a year or two away from bringing seriously competitive baseball back to Canada, but that doesn't mean there isn't reason to be excited about the 2020 season in The Six. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio and Bo Bichette are all entering their first full seasons at the major league level. That trio is part of an exciting lineup that also includes Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Rowdy Telez and Teoscar Hernandez. What's more, the Blue Jays upgraded their starting rotation this offseason by inking veterans Hyun-jin Ryu and Tanner Roark to lucrative free-agent deals. Considering they only won 67 games a season ago, if Toronto pushes towards a .500 season in 2020, that would be a massive success.

Mike Trout
Can Mike Trout finally return to the playoffs? Photo credit (David Maxwell/Getty Images)

With Rendon in Fold, Trout Looks to Return to Postseason

20. Texas Rangers
19. Boston Red Sox
18. Los Angeles Angels
17. San Diego Padres
16. Arizona Diamondbacks

Three-time American League MVP Mike Trout has had such a dominant first eight-and-a-half seasons of his career that he could literally retire today and feel pretty good about his chances to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Fortunately, the 28-year-old isn't going away anytime soon, and will get to hit in what should be a stellar lineup in 2020 after the offseason signing of former Washington Nationals' star Anthony Rendon. Whether they have enough pitching to realistically compete in a division where the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics have World Series aspirations - and the Rangers should be competitive, for that matter - is less clear.

J.T. Realmuto, Nick Senzel
Both the Phillies and Reds hope to take steps forward in 2020. Photo credit (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Can Phillies and/or Reds Return to the Postseason?

15. Chicago White Sox
14. Milwaukee Brewers
13. Cincinnati Reds
12. Philadelphia Phillies
11. St. Louis Cardinals

Since the Phillies and Reds met in the 2010 NLDS, the two franchises have combined for just three postseason appearances - and zero series wins. Both were active this offseason in hopes of ending long postseason droughts. A year after signing Bryce Harper as part of a spending spree, the Phillies were again busy in free agency, signing RHP Zack Wheeler and shortstop Didi Gregorius. The Reds were aggressive this offseason as well, signing both infielder Mike Moustakas and outfielder Nick Castellanos in free agency, adding them to what should be a very strong offense. The problem that both of these teams face is that they are in divisions with four teams with playoff aspirations, especially in the case of the Phillies in the National League East. Last season, the Phillies won 81 games and the Reds won 75 contests. For either team to return to the playoffs in 2020, they'll likely need to win 90 or more games.

Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer
Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer are part of the defending World Series Champion Nationals. Photo credit (Brad Mills/USA Today)

Are Nationals Set For Disappointing Season?

10. Washington Nationals
9. Cleveland Indians
8. New York Mets
7. Oakland Athletics
6. Minnesota Twins

We're not saying the Nationals are going to fall off a cliff in 2020, but they may struggle to defend their World Series title this season. Anthony Rendon, the team's best overall player a season ago, departed in free agency. When you factor in the postseason, Stephen Strasburg threw 115.1 more innings in 2020 than he did in 2019, and innings jumps like that usually don't bode well for what's to come the year after. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer also had two injury list stints after the All-Star Break and had to be scratched from his scheduled start in Game 5 of the World Series. Strasburg and Scherzer are still likely to be very good when they pitch and the Nationals do employ Juan Soto, Victor Robles and Patrick Corbin, which gives you some hope they can return to the postseason for a second consecutive year. However, in a crowded National League East, the guess here is they'll be on the outside looking in on the postseason.

Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton
Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are among the Yankees expected to miss the start of the season. Photo credit (Nick Turchiaro/USA Today)

After Rash of Injures, Yankees Fall

5. Houston Astros
4. Atlanta Braves
3. New York Yankees
2. Tampa Bay Rays
1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The biggest story about the Yankees' fall out of the top spot in our rankings isn't that the Dodgers have seized the top spot. Instead, the Yankees have fallen to No. 3 because of the injury big hitting them in Spring Training, meaning they are no longer the top team in the sport, the American League or even the American League East. The Rays won 96 games a season ago, despite the fact that Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow - who both checked in our top 20 pitchers for the 2020 season countdown - were limited to just 35 combined starts. If those two are healthy, and added to Charlie Morton, the Rays have a chance to win 100 plus games in 2020 and seize the American League East crown.

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