MLB Power Rankings: Contenders and Pretenders for the 2024 Season
With Spring Training games fast approaching, the 2024 MLB season is not far away and it's a good time to look at the power rankings for the league. While some teams are rebuilding, others have reloaded and are primed to make a push for the coveted World Series. Meanwhile, there are a few teams whose fanbases seems to be in for a tough ride this year.
Let's take a look at the power rankings for the 2024 MLB season and sort the contenders from the pretenders.
MLB Power Rankings for the 2024 season
#30, Oakland Athletics
It feels unfair to call the Athletics pretenders as realistically, expectations are very low and morale around the fanbase is rock bottom. Gien the A's were the worst team in the MLB in 2023 with a 50-112 record and are amid a lengthy and unpopular relocation, this could be another year of empty bleachers and extended losing streaks.
#29, Colorado Rockies
The Rockies were bad last year, going 59-103 and it has been a long time since there weren't doubts about the direction the franchise is heading. With this in mind, Colorado could have a similarly poor campaign in 2024 and there is little reason to expect anything better.
#28, Washington Nationals
The Nationals had a 71-91 2023 campaign and while they could see some improvement in 2024, there isn't a great deal of expectation that they will. The 2019 World Series win has never felt further away and Washington will probably be one of the worst teams in the MLB.
#27, Chicago White Sox
The White Sox are a team that is not expected to compete and the ongoing Dylan Cease negotiations show that they have low expectations in 2024. If Cease stays he is not expected to lead the team far and if he goes, this just cements the notion that the White Sox are looking ahead.
#26, Kansas City Royals
After a 56-106 MLB season, you'd be forgiven for expecting the Royals to be closer to number 30 than they are, but this is due to some decent offseason moves. Yes, they appear far away from the best teams in the MLB, but signing Bobby Witt Jr. to a long extension highlighted a positive winter and there should be improvement.
#25, LA Angels
While the LA Dodgers will be missing Shohei Ohtani's pitching skills in 2024, the LA Angels will be missing his entire two-way skillset. Ohtani is irreplaceable and the Angels are expected to regress significantly in his absence. There are some very talented players on their roster, so perhaps the doom and gloom is a little hyperbolic, but expectations are very low.
#24, Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians are expected to trade Shane Bieber at some point this season, with this being the last year of his deal. This will help them look to the future, but it won't help them in 2024.
#23, Detroit Tigers
The Tigers finished second in the AL Central last season with a 78-84 record. While they have enough about them to be a surprise package, they are looking further ahead than the upcoming campaign.
#22, Miami Marlins
The Marlins are expected to regress from their 84-78 MLB season and the question of how far that will be remains to be seen. The negativity may be proved wrong, but the consensus is that Miami will see a disappointing campaign.
#21, San Francisco Giants
The Giants were in on the majority of big names in free agency but were unable to land the megastars. They did, however, sign South Korean center fielder Jung Hoo Lee, but a lot of people think $113 million was too much. We shall see about that in good time.
#20, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates could be in for brighter days, and a lot of that depends on Paul Skenes. The 2023 MLB draft's first-overall pick is expected to break into the MLB this season and as the top-rated pitching prospect in the league, it will be interesting to see how he does.
#19, Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers could spring a surprise or two but they appear to be in rebuild mode. A good start to the campaign might change the narrative, but a bad one might mean a few players depart.
#18, New York Mets
Watching the Dodgers sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto was a bitter blow for the Mets, who made him their number-one priority of the offseason. The Mets had a disappointing MLB season in 2023 and are a team that appears to be in limbo.
#17, Boston Red Sox
A relatively quiet offseason was juxtapositioned with a noisy fanbase and expectations are low in Boston. While the Red Sox do have some underrated players, the lack of big spending is expected to show down the stretch, especially in a tough division.
#16, St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals' rotation is still somewhat questionable and whether or not their offseason moves were enough will be a point of interest. This will likely determine St. Louis' season, but all things considered, they are around the middle of the MLB pack.
#15, Cincinnati Reds
With some very talented youngsters, the Reds have a high ceiling and a low floor. This team could go far or nowhere in 2024, so is a tough one to place. After an 82-80 MLB season, we could see some development, but it's hard to expect big things.
#14, San Diego Padres
The Padres will struggle to replace Juan Soto, whose move to the Yankees was one of the biggest trades of the offseason. While the Padres are a good team, they are unlikely to be much better than they were in 2023, which saw them go 82-80.
#13, Chicago Cubs
The Cubs could be an interesting team in 2024 and their division is wide open. Signing Cody Bellinger should be the priority for the Cubs, as he was a standout last campaign. Their ability to gain his signature could prove decisive, and Bellinger is being looked at by a host of teams.
#12, Toronto Blue Jays
Blue Jays fans have been through a lot this offseason, and everyone thought they were getting Shohei Ohtani. That proved not to be the case and as such, it is hard not to think what could have been. The Blue Jays are a very good side, however, and cannot be discounted, but their playoff woes count against them.
#11, Tampa Bay Rays
Rays fans must have had a hard time reading the headlines this offseason, as Tyler Glasnow was traded to LA and Wander Franco, well the less said the better. The Rays are a decent team but with all the distractions, they might have a tough time in 2024.
#10, Seattle Mariners
Seattle turned a corner in 2023 and the feeling is they are trending in the right direction. There's a lot to like about the Mariners and they could be a dark horse in the 2024 MLB season.
#9, Minnesota Twins
The Twins look primed to win the AL Central in 2024 and thus could go far. There's a lot of positivity in Minnesota and the question is whether they can take the next step in 2024.
#8, Arizona Diamondbacks
Inconsistency has been an issue in Arizona, but the Diamondbacks are a tough team and could well go all the way. Improvements to their rotation and the development of NL ROTY-winner Corbin Carroll could be the difference in 2024.
#7, Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies were a very good team last season and while they didn't make a lot of noise this winter, they should be a great team again. Sometimes sticking rather than twisting is rewarded and that could be the case in Philadelphia.
#6, Texas Rangers
The reigning World Series winners will obviously find repeating a tall task, but it is far from impossible. Texas will aim to make the postseason and from there scrap with the best of them, as they did in 2023.
#5, New York Yankees
Adding Juan Soto was a great move and a healthy Aaron Judge could mean a lot of these close losses become close wins. The Yankees are expected to make the playoffs and realistically have a great shot at a World Series in 2024.
#4, Baltimore Orioles
After a lights-out 2023 campaign featuring 101 wins, the Orioles are ready to make the next step and be very noisy in the postseason. Whether they can do it remains to be seen, but they are one of the best teams in the MLB.
#3, Houston Astros
Adding closer Josh Hader was a great piece of business and the Astros deserve their number three spot on this list. The question of whether their reluctance to overspend will hurt them down the stretch will be answered this season.
#2, Los Angeles Dodgers
The favorites this year for most are the LA Dodgers and for good reason. An uber-talented roster has been built with no expenses spared. However, the pressure of expectations, the media spotlight, Ohtani not being able to pitch in 2024 and Yamamoto being something of an unknown MLB quantity count against them. A World Series is certainly in the post for the Dodgers, but possibly not in 2024
#1, Atlanta Braves
A team with tremendous depth is punctuated with star power. The Braves will enjoy the spotlight shining on the Dodgers and could be the best team in 2024. Don't be surprised if the Braves win the World Series, as this is certainly their goal.