MLB Power Rankings of the one reason why each of the 30 teams won't win the 2023 World Series.
Thirty teams enter. One team leaves victorious. It's how every MLB season goes. Twenty-nine ball clubs will fall short. This week's MLB Power Rankings takes a direct look at why each club will fail.
How are they ranked? It's based on how big of a problem they have on their hands. The lower the number the teams received, the more of a roadblock they have on their way to becoming a champion.
30) MLB Power Rankings: Texas Rangers need to suffer a little more first
The idea that a team needs to sip from the playoff cup of coffee before getting a championship caffeine hit is very true. Teams don't suddenly break a playoff drought and win a championship.
This way of thinking could have the Texas Rangers falling short. They haven't made the playoffs since 2016. Even the 2005 Chicago White Sox had a shorter drought before winning it all. The Los Angeles Angels managed to pull it off with a 2002 World Series after missing the postseason every year from 1986 onward. The Rangers need to be outside the norm.
29) MLB Power Rankings: Tampa Bay Rays will outsmart themselves
The Tampa Bay Rays can outsmart everyone, even themselves. What will stop them from winning a World Series is how intelligent they believe they are. By not making some more traditional moves at the trade deadline, they can catch themselves without enough firepower to get them through the final weeks and the playoffs. They've been smart in the past about at least trying to find appropriate short-term rentals even if guys like Nelson Cruz haven't performed.
Stick with it. Stay smart but rely a bit more on your brawn than your brain.
28) MLB Power Rankings: Los Angeles Dodgers will face a team that's cheating if they make it
Ain't that a stinker? The Los Angeles Dodgers had the unfortunate task of taking on the 2017 Houston Astros and then the 2018 Boston Red Sox whose cheating scandals might have cost them some banners.
They did win it all in 2020 but that can get an asterisk with it as well due to the shortened season. If the Dodgers make it to the World Series, there's no doubt whoever they face will have some sort of scandal revealed years later.
27) MLB Power Rankings: Atlanta Braves rule the regular season, not the playoffs
Kings of the regular season, the Atlanta Braves rarely actually come out on top. Their most recent championships came in 2021, 1995, and 1957. That's a lot of distance between parades. The Braves should have little issue with capturing the National League East title again this season. What will get in their way is a red-hot team.
26) MLB Power Rankings: Toronto Blue Jays will have too big of a postseason gauntlet
The Toronto Blue Jays aren't going to win the American League East which means they have a gauntlet to face in the postseason. They'll have to win three series just to get there. And when they do, unless they're the ones using black magic against the Los Angeles Dodgers, they will fall short.
Teams who have to play the Wild Card round have an even greater uphill battle than ever before with an additional win needed to snatch a championship. The Blue Jays won't be able to fly high enough this season to get there.
25) MLB Power Rankings: Milwaukee Brewers will collapse again
Is it so bold to expect the Milwaukee Brewers to collapse again? It seems like the process may have already begun. The Brewers fell apart in the second half of the 2022 season and let the St. Louis Cardinals run away with the division. It's going to happen again this year except maybe it's the Pittsburgh Pirates who take advantage.
The Brewers may manage to stay alive and overtake the other four teams in the National League Central. Going up against anyone from the other two divisions in the playoffs would be a bloodbath.
24) MLB Power Rankings: New York Yankees choke in the postseason
Cold bats, unexpectedly bad outings from aces, and everything else the New York Yankees pay their players not to be are all themes of the postseason for this ball club.
Choking, specifically in the ALCS, is what this era of Yankees baseball does. It might not be the Houston Astros who eliminate them this year. A fiery Tampa Bay Rays club will probably sweep them instead; that's if the Yankees can make it past the first round.
23) MLB Power Rankings: Houston Astros think they're more unstoppable than they are
The New York Yankees have problems but so do the Houston Astros. They're not as mighty as they used to be. This has been a year with some big injuries.
While they've maintained a playoff spot, they might have to settle for a wild card. This team isn't as unstoppable as they've been in the past. Their young pitching looks great yet the lack of a true ace right now is hard to ignore. Also, teams don't repeat as champions in this league.
22) MLB Power Rankings: Arizona Diamondbacks won't have a perfect trade deadline
The Arizona Diamondbacks are going to make it to the postseason one way or another. What will stop them from winning a championship is an imperfect trade deadline. They need a really good number three pitcher behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. They could even use an upgrade to the starting lineup. They'll have at least one major miss and that's what will end up costing them.
21) MLB Power Rankings: San Diego Padres are powered by stars yet incomplete
Can you buy a championship? The San Diego Padres are trying to do it. We all know championships are won on the field and not with the press conference. The Padres are one of several high-priced ball clubs fighting to get back to .500 let alone into playoff positioning. Their World Series hopes and dreams will fall short because of how much they invested in only a couple of players. With guys like Manny Machado and Yu Darvish performing poorly among others, this is an expensive team powered by stars with a lot of missing parts.
20) MLB Power Rankings: Philadelphia Phillies can't repeat history and actually win it
The Philadelphia Phillies are only going to the World Series again this year if they have a little bit of history repeated.
Three of the last four National League representatives came out of the NL East with a torrid summer of winning. Only the 2022 Phillies didn't win it. Luck won't be on their side this year. They might be as good, better, or slightly worse. They have yet to decide their true identity. One thing that's definite: There isn't enough luck for them.
19) MLB Power Rankings: Minnesota Twins will exhaust themselves winning 83 games
The AL Central is a joke. The Minnesota Twins are the frontrunners in the division and even they don't look like a playoff team. Someone will have to get there to the dismay of whatever AL East or AL West club wins 88 games and falls short. The Twins aren't winning a World Series because they're going to use up all of their gas on winning 83 games to take the division.
18) MLB Power Rankings: Baltimore Orioles need to get to the postseason before winning
The Baltimore Orioles had a chance to remain in contention last season and maybe sneak into the playoffs. They chose not to. It's the big reason why they'll fall short in 2023. If they had kept Trey Mancini, Jorge Lopez, and everyone else they dealt away, maybe a third wild card spot was in their future. It would've given the players they still have a taste of the playoffs. They'll get their first sips this year and after coming up short, all bets are off for 2024.
17) MLB Power Rankings: Chicago White Sox will be reasonable and sell
Continuing to perplex us all is how the Chicago White Sox can have such a good team and come well short of expectations. The White Sox can charge toward winning the American League Central or concede they have no shot against the better teams. Waving the white flag is the smarter move and the acceptance of their fate is what will prevent them from winning a World Series.
16) MLB Power Rankings: Cincinnati Reds aren't ready
Stop sleeping on the Cincinnati Reds. They have a shot at both the National League Central and a wild card spot. A laughing stock no more, the excitement of Elly De La Cruz alone is enough to start rooting for this ball club; as long as you don't have an investment in any of their rivals. A World Series isn't in their immediate future, though. They just aren't ready to carry the trophy.
15) MLB Power Rankings: Seattle Mariners are all out of trades to make
The Seattle Mariners need to get better if they're going to have any chance of making it to the postseason. The easiest way to get better midyear is to make some trades. Unfortunately, they don't have too many more to make without subtracting from the MLB roster. They are the fourth-best team in their division and quite possibly worse than every club in the American League East. Let the next playoff drought begin this fall because they used up so much ammunition last summer.
14) MLB Power Rankings: Cleveland Guardians don't believe in offense
The Cleveland Guardians are built in a very frustrating way. They have the supposed ace, Shane Bieber. On offense, there's perennial MVP candidate Jose Ramirez. Let's not forget about Emmanuel Clase who is a closer who is both on the rise and has already arrived. Their lack of offense around Ramirez is what's most infuriating. Working with a lower budget than some other ball clubs, the only advantage they have is the division they play in. With the more balanced MLB schedule in 2023, we're seeing how average they truly are.
13) MLB Power Rankings: San Francisco Giants are relying on a mediocre roster
The playoffs are a possibility for the San Francisco Giants this year. A march to the World Series and a parade at the end, on the other hand, is a pipe dream.
Their roster is mediocre. The pitching might be World Series-caliber but that offense leaves way too much to be desired. They are not in the same class as the Los Angeles Dodgers or Arizona Diamondbacks this year. They blew their chance at a World Series when Aaron Judge chose the New York Yankees.
12) MLB Power Rankings: Boston Red Sox have no starting pitching they can trust
It could be an interesting July for the Boston Red Sox who have to decide between buying and selling. Their stance in the American League should have them within striking distance. Logic tells us they are much more middle of the pack than that. Their lack of trustworthy starting pitching is what will prevent them from winning a championship. Recent Red Sox teams that went all the way had some incredible rosters. The 2023 team isn't one of those clubs. It starts on the mound.
11) MLB Power Rankings: New York Mets starting pitcher duds
Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander were supposed to help the New York Mets get through the season and win a championship. As it turns out, the Mets need some big help from all areas because of how poorly those two have pitched. There has been some good and some dreadful out of these two future Hall of Famers. In the end, the Mets might not even make the postseason at all. And if they do, too much faith in Scherzer and Verlander will be the reason they come up short.
10) MLB Power Rankings: St. Louis Cardinals dug an early grave
Inconceivable is the way to describe how the St. Louis Cardinals have performed so poorly this year. The names and faces are, for the most part, the same. Willson Contreras looks like a bust behind the plate and at it if we're going to be completely honest.
The Cardinals are well on their way to being the biggest surprise seller at this year's trade deadline. The early grave they dug for themselves is too deep to climb out of.
9) MLB Power Rankings: Los Angeles Angels winning a World Series is too awesome for reality
Why can't the Los Angeles Angels win a World Series? Reality cannot handle the awesomeness of this. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout leading this team to victory is too great of a storyline. For it to happen right before Ohtani hits free agency is even more perfect. He'd have to choose between money and loyalty. The Angels would have to do the same. Think of all of those amazing storylines. The baseball world isn't lucky enough to get the drama.
8) MLB Power Rankings: Pittsburgh Pirates are a good story but not a championship team
Anyone who likes to cheer on the underdog loves to see the Pittsburgh Pirates actually doing more than compete this year. The team has a serious shot at actually making the postseason with a division victory. Sadly, that's about all they'll get. A hot wild card club or one of the stronger teams like the Atlanta Braves or Los Angeles Dodgers will knock them off. At least the Pirates are proving they can win with the kind or roster they already have. Wait until more of the kids come up to the majors.
7) MLB Power Rankings: Miami Marlins are the Miami Marlins
The Miami Heat came up short in the NBA Finals. A day later, the Florida Panthers did the same in the Stanley Cup. The Miami Marlins won't follow the pattern. They won't even get to the World Series because the Miami Marlins are who they are. An inexplicable start to the year, their pitching might be good enough to help them grab a postseason spot. Showing up is the easy part. Actually winning a bunch of games is where the challenge takes place.
6) MLB Power Rankings: Chicago Cubs didn't go the extra mile in the offseason
If you believe the Chicago Cubs can turn their season around you're not insane. So, even if they do win the National League Central, why can't they win a World Series? The problem is what they did in the offseason. They settled for the kinds of moves an intended seller would make. Dansby Swanson and Jameson Taillon got a lot of money. The rest of their moves were primarily focused on short-term rentals. What if they had gone a little harder over the winter at improving the ball club? They might look like a real contender.
5) MLB Power Rankings: Detroit Tigers can't make Miguel Cabrera work overtime
How cruel can the Detroit Tigers possibly be to their soon-to-retire star, Miguel Cabrera? End the year with some mercy. They will. One of the greatest hitters of his generation is going to end his year after game 162 because the Tigers are one of the worst teams in the league and making him work any overtime is sinful. They also can't hit very well. That's pretty important.
4) MLB Power Rankings: Colorado Rockies ownership doesn't care about winning
The Colorado Rockies remain a perplexing franchise that will sign a player, trade him, and then sign a lesser player to replace him. This season hasn't gone well for them and a massive fire sale at the trade deadline is approaching. Ownership hasn't shown signs of having the desire to win at all in recent years. They draw good numbers with the attendance so as long as the seats are filled we shouldn't expect much to change.
3) MLB Power Rankings: Washington Nationals are still paying for their 2019 championship
The weakest link in the National League East continues to pay for their 2019 World Series win. Both in terms of physical money and physical ailments. Deferred money continues to go into Max Scherzer's direct deposit. Sadder is how Stephen Strasburg has never been the same since. The Nationals had no intentions of winning the World Series this year and that's okay. You can't win them all.
2) MLB Power Rankings: Kansas City Royals were sellers in the preseason
Who are the Kansas City Royals kidding? Quite possibly baseball's worst team, they were sellers before the first pitch. Michael A. Taylor was traded to the division rival Minnesota Twins when they probably should've kept him and flipped the outfielder at the trade deadline outside of the American League Central. Their free agent signing of Jordan Lyles is well on its way to becoming one of the worst uses of money in the history of mankind. You think your backyard Gazebo your family never uses was a waste? Check out Lyles.
1) MLB Power Rankings: Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher
Sell the team. That's all there is to say about Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher. He has run this organization into the ground. It's hard to believe only a few years ago they were major contenders. In fact, until last season, they had been to the playoffs in three straight years. If not for the Houston Astros in 2018 and 2019 they would've won the division. They had to settle for second place with 97 wins both times. This franchise isn't winning a World Series in Oakland ever again. It's all Fisher's fault. Let him hear it.