Final MLB power rankings

As expected, the Astros claimed a second consecutive AL West title, doing so by again topping 100 wins. In reaching the century mark in victories, the 'Stros became one of five defending champions in the last 50 years to follow up a World Series winning season with as many victories. Much of that fuel has come from a historically significant talent for missing bats. Astros pitchers set a new MLB record for team strikeouts, paced by Justin Verlander (280) and Gerrit Cole (272) sitting No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, atop the AL leaderboard, and the Astros have raked up an astronomical 1,652 Ks on the year. The champs look primed and ready to defend their crown.

After sitting atop the leaderboard for months on end, the Red Sox slide down to No. 2 in the final installment of the year. Despite the victory lap around MVP candidacy by Mookie Betts (who joined the 30-30 club on Wednesday) and the club-record 107 wins, there are some concerning and familiar cracks emerging. Aside from Craig Kimbrel and Steven Wright, the Red Sox bullpen ERA crept above 5.00 in September, while the durability of Chris Sale (who has not gone longer than five innings since July 27) is anybody’s guess as well.

It has been all hands on deck for the Yankees, who are closing in on the all-time home run record as the final weekend of the regular season draws near. They sit on 260 with three games left, four shy of the 1997 Mariners single-season team record. While Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius have predictably done their part, it has been the contributions of Aaron Hicks (26), Miguel Andujar (26) and even Luke Voit, who has crushed 11 since joining the club in August. If that’s not enough, imagine where this total would be if Judge and Sanchez had not missed over 130 games combined?

The A’s have been playing with house money all year and it paid off big, completing their Cinderella run back to the postseason for the first time since 2014. They made a bit of financial history in the process, becoming the first team to make the postseason while carrying the game’s lowest payroll. Coming in just north of $66 million, the totality of the A’s roster makes 49 percent of the average yearly amount of Giancarlo Stanton’s current salary.

Shortly after locking up the year’s least dramatic division title, the Indians starting staff took an appropriate place in history, given the growing propensity for strikeouts. When Mike Clevinger recorded his 200 ^th  strikeout last Saturday against Boston, it made the Indians the first team in history with four pitchers with as many Ks in the same year. Clevinger, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer all place within the AL top 10 in strikeouts on the year.

The cherry on top of the coming of age story that is the 2018 Braves was placed when they clinched their first AL East title since 2013. While they have soared again of late, with a second six-game winning streak in September, it was also sandwiched around a four-game losing streak. That pesky penchant for turning suddenly cold is a concerning trait for a team that will have many of its most vital parts participating in their first postseason. At the same time, the hot hand at the right time could carry them far in a wide-open National League.

Earlier in the month, there was a wide-open field of MVP contenders. Since that time, Christian Yelich has done everything in his power to center that conversation around only himself. He has twice hit for the cycle in September (both times coming against the Reds), is on the verge of capturing the NL batting title and topped 30 home runs and 100 RBI for the first time. It is a surge that has given the Brewers a chance to overtake the NL Central lead in the season's final weekend.

The Dodgers are playing as good as they have at any point in the year, going 10-5 since Sept. 12. Nonetheless, they have ceded control of the NL West due to the Rockies' blitzkrieg over the last week. They can still pull themselves into the postseason, though, due to the return to form of some familiar faces. Yasiel Puig has cracked seven September home runs, and Chris Taylor (.354), Justin Turner (.333) and Clayton Kershaw (3-0, 27 Ks) have found their way as well.

The Cubs are both closing in on the NL’s best record...and clinging to life atop the Central at the same time. An outright NL Central crown and home-field advantage is at risk with both the Dodgers and Brewers creeping up on the Cubbies, who have been up and down of late. The Chicago offense has sputtered far too often recently, scoring one run or fewer in three losses over the last week while allowing five or more runs in each.

Just a week ago, it appeared as if the Rockies would come up short of reaching October. But after spending the week absolutely obliterating the Phillies (outscoring them 34-4 over the first three games of a four-game series), Colorado is riding a seven-game win streak that has literally saved its season. The Rockies now hold a slight edge for the lead of the NL West heading into the final week of the season.

The youthful enthusiasm that has allowed the Cardinals to resurrect their season in the second half may be coming up short. A dreadful sweep at the hands of the Brewers in their final home series launched Milwaukee into the postseason while putting the Cardinals season on life support. Over the last week, the club’s most dependable bats have abandoned it far too often, with Matt Carpenter, Yadier Molina and Marcell Ozuna combining to hit .191 (13-for-68).

If 2018 was anything for the Rays, it ultimately became a case of being in the wrong place at the right time. Behind Blake Snell’s 21-win breakout campaign, the Rays posted a .629 winning percentage in the second half. It is a record that would put them squarely in the running in the AL Central, NL West and wild card races. Instead, they will finish as a distant third for postseason rights behind Oakland but with a season to be proud of all the same.

The steady fall from contention bottomed out of late, as the Mariners have fallen from the heart of the wild card race to 10 games back of the final, already clinched postseason spot. It extends pro sports' longest postseason dry spell to 17 years and further drives the organization into a purgatory-like state it seems unable to shake.

Sometimes the numbers don’t tell the complete truth because at face value, the Diamondbacks bullpen had the third best ERA in the National League. But a further dive into the situational impact of those figures shows that the bullpen is exactly where things went off the rails for the Snakes this month. Arizona’s bullpen ERA in September tanked to 30^th in the MLB and has prevented the team from keeping pace with the Dodgers and Rockies.

After a season that has gone as badly as imaginable, perhaps the final week has provided some optimism for the winter ahead. After months of refusing to acknowledge the pink elephant in the room that is looming free agency, Bryce Harper was wistful in reminiscing on his time in D.C. ahead of Wednesday's final home game of the season. Maybe that bodes well for the Nats' chances of holding on to the superstar, despite spending the summer in an undeniable tailspin and fight to finish .500.

The Phillies are limping (at best) to the finish line, having been resoundingly drummed out of postseason contention over the last month. But there are plenty of things to still be excited about this year: the emergence of Aaron Nola as a frontline ace, the showings of promising youngsters throughout the everyday lineup and a front office that seems eager to add on as well. Speaking of which, they will be among the most discussed teams of the winter, as they are anticipated to be at the heart of both the Bryce Harper and Manny Machado sagas.

There are a handful of things to be encouraged about in Pittsburgh. After seeing the Pirates' win total drop in each of the last two seasons, they have reached and could top 80 wins again this year. Between Trevor Williams, Jameson Taillon and Chris Archer, they also have the makings of a strong young rotation going ahead. However, already knowing they will be without Gregory Polanco for a chunk of 2019 due to injury is a major bummer, as are the regressions from key cogs in Josh Bell and Josh Harrison.

After a second straight underwhelming year, it comes as no surprise that John Gibbons is out in Toronto — for the second time. His second tenure, while having higher highs than lows, still ends with the organization at a crossroads. With a new era set to start next spring around Vladimir Guerrero Jr, it is hard to argue that it was the right time to pull the trigger.

Could this be the end of the Mike Scioscia era in Anaheim? Baseball’s longest tenured skipper has said he would like to return for a 20 ^th  season, but it is unclear if the feeling is mutual for the organization. The Angels will miss the playoffs for a third straight year, and with the best of Mike Trout and at least half of Shohei Ohtani’s full potential at their beck and call for at least the next two years, the time to shake things up could be imminent — if not overdue.

Amid another lost season — aside from the heroic efforts of Jacob deGrom — the Mets 2018 version will get a chance to end on a nostalgic note. On Saturday, David Wright will make a one-game return to Citi Field before hanging up his spikes. Wright will take the field for the first time since June 2016 for a few last at-bats before finishing his career as the club’s all-time leader in over 10 offensive categories, including RBI (970) and total bases (2,945).

A year ago, the Twins were the toast of the American League after completing a last-to-first place turnaround and heading into the AL Wild Card Game. Forward to today, and they are the game’s most consequential second-place team, with a 73-84 record that would put them closer to fourth place in other than the wasteland of the AL Central.

The state of the Giants’ offense is offensive. Unless Evan Longoria goes on an absolute bender this weekend, the Giants will finish without a player reaching 20 home runs for the third straight season. Meanwhile, Brandon Crawford’s .255 average is the best among everyday players. Add in the uncertain situation regarding Buster Posey’s post-hip surgery availability and the wasteland that is the remaining $77.4 million due to Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and Mark Melancon combined, and there are plenty more hurdles ahead of a turnaround by the Bay.

After starting off his Texas tenure with a bang, manager Jeff Banister was given his walking papers earlier in the week. It is not surprising considering the rudderless situation the club has been in of late. But given the prospect cost they paid in ill-fated attempts to return to the World Series the last few years, somebody had to be the fall guy. (Although that seems more like a Jon Daniels problem than anyone else's.)

After helping the Reds pull out of the worst start in club history, Jim Riggleman seemed to be a lock to get the opportunity to stay on as Reds manager. However after the club trended back downward to a fourth straight 90-loss finish, they are prepared to open up a full search this winter.

As a cringe-worthy year in the D comes to a close, it also brings the end of the road for the team’s longtime DH Victor Martinez. After struggling with both a series of heart issues and other injuries, Martinez is calling it quits. Runner-up for 2014 AL MVP when he hit .335 with 32 home runs, V-Mart can count 2,153 hits to his credit alongside a .295 batting average and five All-Star nods.

It was supposed to a year of learning and growing on the South Side of the Chi. Instead the White Sox head into the winter with a completely new set of concerns and still no answers on whether or not their collection of big-ticket prospects can deliver the goods. Lucas Giolito was among the worst pitchers in all of baseball, while Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Matt Davidson and Yolmer Sanchez combined for a .701 OPS and 654 strikeouts.

The Padres used much of the second half to clear the way for the upcoming full-blast unleashing of their strong line of prospects a year from now. But as the year comes to close, the commitment to Eric Hosmer continues to age like an avocado. With three games left to go in his baffling eight-year pact, Hosmer has contributed a paltry .5 win to the Padres on the year, via a .249/.316/.392 split line with 17 homers.

By some measures, 2018 is somewhat of a success for the Marlins, as at the very least it did not see them race to the triple-digit loss level it was thought they would amid their purge of last winter. However, there could be further striping of the parts to come in the second Jeter-led offseason, with J.T. Realmuto, Wei-Yin Chen and Derek Dietrich remaining among those who could have a ticket to ride.

The "Good Soldier" of the year award should go to Whit Merrifield, hands down. Despite a season in KC that has long been lost at sea, Merrifield has appeared in 154 games and become only the second player in the last decade to hit 40 doubles and steal 40 bases in the same season. Add in the fact that he publicly pushed for an extension as well, and he soon might be the most beloved man left in Royals blue.

Make it stop already. Having run away with the record for the worst season in Baltimore baseball history, the 2018 O’s turned their attention to more comprehensive ways to secure a notorious place in franchise history. With an appropriately lopsided 19-3 loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday — a team they are 60.5 games behind in the standings — they were bagged up for 112^th time on the year, passing the 1939 St. Louis Browns for the most losses in franchise history. Only the 1962 Mets (an expansion team) have lost more games than this year’s Orioles in the last 60 years.