Toronto Blue Jays moving on up in MLB power rankings

Three teams have clinched playoff spots, meaning there are nine left to fill with 11 days remaining in the 2025 regular season.

The Blue Jays have moved up the MLB power rankings from the fifth spot to the third spot since last week.

It's just a matter of time before the Blue Jays and Dodgers clinch, but others still have a lot to play for.

Here are the top ten teams ranked by ESPN MLB experts Buster Olney, Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield.

The Brewers were the first team to clinch a postseason slot this season, but they have no time to rest on their laurels.

Topping the remaining to-do list is the quest to hold off the Phillies for the NL's top seed, which could be key if the teams meet in the NLCS given how dominant they've both been at home.

If Milwaukee does that, it'll also tick off its other major remaining items: breaking the franchise mark for wins in a season (96, set in 2011 and tied in 2018) and clinching the NL Central title over the pesky Cubs. -- Doolittle

The Phillies clinched their second straight NL East title with a 10-inning win at Dodger Stadium on Monday.

Kyle Schwarber hit his 53rd home run and Harrison Bader stole third base in the 10th, setting up the go-ahead sacrifice fly.

That led to a raucous postgame celebration. Bryce Harper drank apple juice while his teammates had some stronger refreshments.

Then they rallied for another dramatic win on Tuesday as backup catcher Rafael Marchan hit a two-out, three-run home run in the ninth following an intentional walk to Bryson Stott. The Phillies look ready for October. -- Schoenfield

Toronto's chances of winning the American League East stand at an overwhelming 95.6%, per FanGraphs, leaving manager John Schneider to deliberate over how to arrange his playoff rotation.

Kevin Gausman seems to be the most logical choice to start in Game 1, and after that, Schneider has a wealth of options:

Shane Bieber, Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, Eric Lauer and now rookie Trey Yesavage, who was dominant in his MLB debut on Monday. Other teams should be jealous of the Jays' depth. -- Olney

It's easy to focus on what Shohei Ohtani is doing in the regular season and what role he might fill in the playoffs.

But the Dodgers have the serious business of winning the NL West again to still take care of.

The stakes are huge. Barring collapses elsewhere in the circuit, the winner of the West is going to be a 3-seed and the second-place team is going to be No. 5.

Thus the Dodgers will either get to host the struggling Mets (probably), or they'll find themselves playing the first round at Wrigley Field against a hungry Cubs team that has been playing well. -- Doolittle

The Cubs aren't out of the NL Central race just yet, but even if that pursuit comes up short, they are in solid position to be the league's top wild card, and secured a playoff berth Wednesday with a win over Pittsburgh.

The offense has been ticking up a little over the past couple of weeks, though the improvement hasn't included first-half standout Pete Crow-Armstrong.

He has been better than he was in August, but given his .446 OPS that month, the bar was low.

Overall, his second-half OPS sits at .625. When the Cubs were roiling the scoreboard earlier this season, it was PCA leading the charge. North Siders would feel a lot better about the coming postseason if he is able to heat up over the last few days of the season. -- Doolittle

The Tigers' rotation struggles behind Tarik Skubal have been a little surprising, given the veterans on the roster.

But that doesn't mean manager A.J. Hinch will be without weapons in the playoffs. «You know how A.J. is, he's going to mix and match from game to game,» said one evaluator.

And the Tigers have developed or acquired a lot of bullpen options, including Troy Melton, Jose Urquidy (who pitched 1⅓ innings Sunday) and, they hope, Kyle Finnegan and Paul Sewald, who are working their way back from injury and are expected back soon. -- Olney

Jose Caballero had started six consecutive games at shortstop for the Yankees before Anthony Volpe started Tuesday's game, notching two hits.

It appears there is effectively an open competition at the position: Whoever plays better will play. With Volpe eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter, and with prospect George Lombard climbing (and thriving) through the farm system, it's unclear who the Yankees' shortstop will be in 2026. -- Olney

You may have heard that Cal Raleigh is having quite the season.

He hit his 55th and 56th home runs in the same game Tuesday, passing Mickey Mantle for the most home runs in a season by a switch-hitter and tying Ken Griffey Jr.'s club record with No. 56.

Suddenly, Aaron Judge's AL record of 62 home runs is back in play if Raleigh can mount a furious finish.

Oh, and the win in Kansas City, which has been a house of horrors for Seattle in recent seasons, was also the Mariners' 10th in a row.

Dominic Canzone went 5-for-5 with three home runs in the same game, becoming the fourth player in 2025 to reach those totals and just the 45th player to do it in the majors since 1901. (No player has done it twice.)

The only other Mariner to do it was Mickey Brantley in 1987. (Mike Cameron didn't have five hits in his four-homer game.) -- Schoenfield

Will the Padres' vaunted bullpen hold up over the stretch run and into the playoffs?

Their rotation has been hit or miss for a month now, which only increases the load for a stacked bullpen fortified by the trade deadline acquisition of Mason Miller.

Miller has been phenomenal as a Padre and it's a good thing, since Jason Adam went down with an injury, Jeremiah Estrada has had a rough month in the gopher ball department and Adrian Morejon has struggled in September.

Can the unit that so many viewed as the Padres' October trump card regain its menace? -- Doolittle

When the Red Sox took the first three games of a four-game series against the Yankees in late August, New York manager Aaron Boone was asked how Boston had improved during the season. «Roman Anthony is pretty good,» he replied, noting the difference the lefty-hitting rookie made.

Since Anthony has been out of the lineup with an oblique injury, Boston is now feeling his absence in a significant way. In 35 games before he got hurt, he had a .326 average, and the Red Sox were 22-13. Since his injury, the Red Sox have gone 5-7, averaging less than 4.0 runs per game. -- Olney