2025 MLB power rankings: Cubs lead Central surge; 2nd-half questions for every team

The small-market Brewers traveled to Los Angeles to start the second half and greeted the free-spending Dodgers the same way they did before the break in Milwaukee, once again pulverizing the club with the sport’s highest payroll.

The Brewers have now won 10 straight games, including all six of their matchups against the Dodgers in that span, and are suddenly tied with the division-rival Cubs for the best record in the National League. 

At a time when competitive balance is being called into question, the Brewers continue to serve as a beacon and blueprint for the thrifty at at ime when many of Major League Baseball’s top clubs have hit a snag. 

The Dodgers have lost 10 of their last 12 games, the TIgers have dropped six of seven, and the Astros have lost seven of nine.

So, where does that leave them all? 

Below are the latest MLB power rankings, including one looming second-half question for every squad. 

Are we about to see back-to-back seasons of MLB infamy? The Rockies have been more competitive of late, but they’re on pace to win just 39 games, which is two fewer than the 2024 White Sox’s record-setting mark of ineptitude.

Is this the year Luis Robert Jr. finds a new team? He has looked a lot better in July, and outfield-needy teams might choose to focus on the upside rather than what they saw from the 27-year-old through the first three months of the year. 

The skipper’s already out…how much further does the teardown go? Paul Skenes could be the first starting pitcher to win a full-season Cy Young Award with fewer than 10 wins and a losing record. The Pirates and their futile offense have now lost 11 of their last 12 games. 

The Juan Soto trade gave this team a strong base of young talent. Can anyone else emerge as