As September approaches, MLB teams are mostly split into three categories: those preparing for October, those chasing playoff contention, and those already looking toward 2027. The clubs in comfortable playoff positions are battling for postseason seeding, with first-round byes and wild-card races still up for grabs. In the American League, mediocrity has kept as many as eight teams in the hunt for two playoff spots, while the National League has fewer contenders remaining.

ESPN's expert panel, including Bradford Doolittle, Jorge Castillo, Buster Olney and Alden Gonzalez, ranked all 30 teams based on performance over the 162-game season. The Milwaukee Brewers (82-51) hold the top spot, powered by Jake Bauers, who at 30 is enjoying a career-best season leading the team in home runs and RBIs after a mental shift in 2025. The Los Angeles Dodgers (80-53) are close behind as their rotation gets healthy, with Tyler Glasnow debuting and Shohei Ohtani nearing a return alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell.

The Chicago Cubs (76-58) set a franchise record with 30 unanswered runs, fueled by a torrid stretch since June. The Atlanta Braves (78-55) have turned to Mauricio Dubon as their everyday shortstop under manager Walt Weiss, while the Tampa Bay Rays (79-54) round out the top five heading into the season's final month.