Sep 7, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Washington Nationals pinch-hitter Josh Bell (19) gestures after hitting a three-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. David Banks-Imagn Images

Red-Hot Nationals Stay Put Near Basement of MLB in Latest Power Rankings

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Kyle Morton | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 4:50 PM ET

The Washington Nationals do not have anything left to play for in the remainder of the MLB season aside from pride and the opportunity to spoil whatever playoff hopes remain for their opponents.

Despite a phenomenal month of May that briefly vaulted the Nationals into the periphery of the National League wild card race, 2025 will go down in the books as another non-competitive building block of a year as the club looks to build back toward World Series contention.

At the very least, fans can take pride in the fact that the club is playing hard down the stretch. Washington went 5-1 last week, sweeping the Miami Marlins in a series between two non-playoff teams in the NL East division before going to Chicago and taking two games out of three from the Chicago Cubs, effectively ending any hope the Cubs had of coming back to beat out the Milwaukee Brewers to win the NL Central.

Great Week Does Not Boost Nationals in MLB.com Power Rankings

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

MLB.com analyst Will Leitch released the latest edition of the website's league-wide power rankings on Monday, and even after a successful week, the Nationals still check in where they did the week prior at No. 28.

"There’s nothing the Nationals would like to see more than young pitchers stepping up and securing their place in the rotation both present and future, which was why Brad Lord’s outing on Saturday was so satisfying," Leitch wrote. "He was terrific against the Cubs, giving up just one run on two hits across 5 2/3 innings, after two very difficult starts since returning to the rotation."

The point about starting pitching is a crucial one, as the rotation is the single biggest opportunity for growth the club has. It's more impactful than the bullpen, and the lineup is close to the level it needs to be already.

Lord has flashed this year at times. Cade Cavalli turned in an encouraging outing last Tuesday, and Andrew Alvarez has been solid in his recent opportunities as well.

Barring something unforeseen, the Nationals are safe from falling into the bottom two spots of any honest accounting of the MLB landscape. Washington is comfortably better than both the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies.

As the Nationals look to build up more positive energy and momentum to close out the season, they're set to take on the Marlins again this week before wrapping up their calendar with series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, the Braves again and the White Sox at home to close things out.

This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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