As we approach the postseason, I wanted to start doing deep dives on each team in their rotations, bullpens, and lineups. Starting with this piece, I will be doing a power ranking for all postseason-eligible teams based on that day’s standings.
Pitching is the most critical asset a team has when it comes to the playoffs. I believe the expression goes “Offense wins games, defense wins championships”. That being the case, let’s start with the arms!
12) Cubs
I had to do it to the Cubs. They are the worst rotation out of the projected playoff field. For starters (no pun intended), Matthew Boyd is the ace in the rotation. He is a great pitcher, but not who I want as my number one heading into the postseason. Obviously, he would not be the #1, had Steele not gone down, but he is injured, so here we are. Cade Horton is making a real case for National League Rookie of the Year. Would love to see Horton continue his run in the postseason. I just don’t trust this staff as a whole to be able to contain playoff offenses.
ACE - Matthew Boyd
ERA - 3.86 (9th MLB)
WHIP - 1.19 (2nd MLB)
X-Factor - Cade Horton
Concern - Lack of star power
11) Mets
New York might be a year or two away from putting it all together. The rotation has dealt with injuries all year, and they have a ton of youth going on right now. Don’t get me wrong, McLean, Tong, and Sproat look awesome so far, but we are talking playoffs. If the young guns can deliver, I may be kicking some rocks at the end of the playoffs.
ACE - David Peterson
ERA - 4.02 (17th MLB)
WHIP - 1.33 (24th MLB)
X-Factor - Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat
Concern - Inexperience
10) Blue Jays
Toronto could have gone so many ways. I am sure I will hear from Blue Jays fans saying that I am biased. I am not trying to be with one. Scherzer is not getting any younger. Gausman is nasty, but is he a feared #1? Bassit and Berrios can absolutely win you a game, I just have more faith in them doing in against lesser talent than a playoff roster. Shane Bieber is the wild card in this one. If he pitches like his first game back, Toronto has a solid rotation to face anyone in the league.
ACE - Kevin Gausman
ERA - 4.19 (19th MLB)
WHIP - 1.26 (13th MLB)
X-Factor - Shane Bieber
Concern - Age
9) Yankees
One of the more polarizing rotations heading into the playoffs. If this team has a healthy Gerrit Cole, I am all in! But they do not, so I am hesitant to trust the staff. I think people are making a bigger deal of Fried’s slump than it needs to be. Just look at his numbers, and you will see a career 3.06 ERA across 1060 ⅓ career innings. Need I say more to defend Fried? Rodon has had an excellent year; he just needs to not give up the long ball. It is the remaining four that keep me up at night. There are pros and cons to Warren, Schlittler, Yarbrough, and Gil’s game. If they can be a net positive come playoff time, this team can take home a title; if not, they will be heading home early…again.
ACE - Max Fried
ERA - 4.01 (16th MLB)
WHIP - 1.27 (14th MLB)
X-Factor - Cam Schlittler
Concern - Managerial Usage
8) Padres
San Diego has a sneaky good rotation. Obviously, the numbers show that this team’s pitching is not sneaky good; they are just good-good. Ranking top-3 in both team ERA & WHIP this late in the season is no fluke. The Padres are not a team that I would want to play early in the playoffs, as they can throw out three starters that I am comfortable with in Michael King (3.16 ERA), Nick Pivetta (4.47 ERA), and Dylan Cease (3.89 ERA). All three have had excellent careers and earned my trust. Is Cease having a “down year”? Sure. But he would be my #3 in the rotation at this point, on top of the Padres bullpen, and he has the horses to bail him out of a jam!
ACE - Nick Pivetta
ERA - 3.62 (2nd MLB)
WHIP - 1.20 (3rd MLB)
X-Factor - Dylan Cease
Concern - Depth
7) Detroit
Detroit has the number one weapon of any playoff-bound team, and his name is Tarik Skubal. On the verge of winning back-to-back unanimous Cy Young Awards, the people have spoken. He is arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball right now. That sentiment does include Paul Skenes, but we can have that debate another day. The Tigers have a good staff, but there are question marks on the back end. What Charlie Morton are we going to see in October? Do we see the 18-year veteran flip the switch in the playoffs? Owning a career 3.60 ERA in the playoffs gives me some hope for Detroit that they can rely on Morton even at age 41.
ACE - Tarik Skubal
ERA - 3.90 (13th MLB)
WHIP - 1.24 (10th MLB)
X-Factor - Charlie Morton
Concern - Top Heavy
6) Red Sox
Boston went out and acquired Crochet, knowing he was going to be their howitzer at the front of the rotation. Behind Crochet, Boston has Bello (3.12 ERA), Lucas Giolito (3.38 ERA), and now Connelly Early (0.00 ERA) have a formidable front three, possibly four! If Early does anything to resemble his first start down the stretch, Boston will be very tough to beat. The question looms as Early is brand new to the roster and needs more MLB innings to figure out how he will be as a full-time major leaguer. Boston needs to hope no one figures him out before the playoffs, where an adjustment will be needed.
ACE - Garrett Crochet
ERA - 3.74 (5th MLB)
WHIP - 1.29 (17th MLB)
X-Factor - Connelly Early
Concern - Consistency
5) Houston
I am terrified of Houston, yet I am not terrified of Houston. As a fan of a team that lands in the American League, one can only continue to envision the Houston Astros of the late 2010s and early 2020s. Although we are not that far removed from that roster, this is a new roster, and I need to remember that when I talk about the Astros. Their number 5 & 6 starters are dealing with elbow issues at the moment, which is a nightmare scenario given the fact that it’s September. Framber has been a model of consistency. Hunter Brown has been sensational in 2025. If Cristian Javier can put it all together, as he is still getting back from the injured list with the way Jason Alexander has been pitching, Houston has a nasty 1-4.
ACE - Framber Valdez
ERA - 3.84 (8th MLB)
WHIP - 1.22 (5th MLB)
X-Factor - Cristian Javier
Concern - Health
4) Phillies
Wheeler out indefinitely is an actual buzz kill. This team has so much talent across all facets of the game. Starting pitching, bullpen, lineup, star power, you name it. Wheeler is arguably the best postseason pitcher we have ever seen by the numbers. Not having him available for October is a massive blow, I’d go as far as to say fatal for this team, unfortunately. Maybe I am being an enormous pessimist with this one, but this is how I truly feel at this time. Don’t get me wrong, Philadelphia’s rotation is still excellent, amongst the best in the game. It is just a completely different landscape without Zach Wheeler.
ACE - Cristopher Sanchez
ERA - 3.78 (7th MLB)
WHIP - 1.24 (8th MLB)
X-Factor - Jesus Luzardo
Concern - No Replacement for Zach Wheeler
3) Brewers
Milwaukee is a pitching factory, plain and simple. I have faith in every arm that Chris Hook & Jim Henderson have been working with this season. Peralta, Woodruff, Quintana, Priester, Misiorowski, Fedde, Henderson (when he returns from the IL), this rotation is loaded. The Brewers do not have the “star power” or “name brand” pitchers of the Dodgers, but what they lack in payroll, they make up for in results!
ACE - Freddy Peralta
ERA - 3.63 (3rd MLB)
WHIP - 1.23 (7th MLB)
X-Factor - Jacob Misiorowski/Logan Henderson
Concern - Playoff Experience
2) Seattle
Seattle could easily be looked upon as the best rotation in baseball. There is not one starter that I do not trust to give me a good outing. Bryan Woo is a walking Quality Start. Logan Gilbert is a fantastic pitcher who is now healthy. The veteran of the group, Luis Castillo, is actually the one who has me worried right now. Castillo is having one of his worst seasons by the numbers. That being said, he still delivered 161 ⅓ IP to a 3.85 ERA so far in 2025. If he is the “worst” pitcher in this rotation, sign me up.
ACE - Logan Gilbert
ERA - 3.95 (15th MLB)
WHIP - 1.25 (12th MLB)
X-Factor - Depth
Concern - Playoff Inexperience
1) Dodgers
I mean, it’s the Dodgers. Los Angeles has dealt with injuries to the rotation all season long. Right on the brink of the playoffs, they are starting to all look healthy! With a clean bill of health and productive rotation that looks like Yamamoto, Shohei, Glasnow, Snell, and Kershaw, the Dodgers have to be the favorite in terms of playoff rotations. Add in that Roki Sasaki is towards the end of his rehab and will be back soon. This team simply has more weapons than everyone else.
ACE - Yoshinobu Yamamoto
ERA - 4.03 (18th MLB)
WHIP - 1.27 (15th MLB)
X-Factor - Blake Snell
Concern - Health