Who has the best rotation in all of MLB? All 30 ranked

The Rangers' rotation is off to a blazing start, with their "Big Three" of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Tyler Mahle dominating with sub-3 ERAs, respectively. Jack Leiter, while inconsistent, has also been a positive, and Patrick Corbin has rode some good fortune to a 3.71 ERA through 10 starts. Kumar Rocker got out of the gate slowly before injury, but the team also has high hopes for the former first-round pick.

Led by ace Zack Wheeler, the Phils have one of the deepest rotations in baseball again. He's pitched as expected, and the team is also getting ace-like contributions from Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, and Ranger Suarez. Aaron Nola had an ERA above 6.00 before going on the IL, a concern given his declining velocity. The ace in the hole is top prospect Andrew Painter, who could be up to help in the second half of the season.

Health has been an obstacle, but the upside of the Braves rotation might be unmatched. Chris Sale continues to be a strong Cy Young candidate, and Spencer Schwellenbach is continuing his breakout rookie performance. Spencer Strider is now back from multiple injuries and could be the most talented of all. Grant Holmes continues to be effective with the transition from relief to starter. The team took a big hit when rookie AJ Smith-Shawver suffered a season-ending elbow injury, but the Braves have experience to lean on with Bryce Elder replacing him.

Starters Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, and Paul Blackburn didn't pitch in the first two months for New York, yet the rotation has been just fine. The return of Kodai Senga from injury has been key, leading the league in ERA through 11 starts. David Peterson and Clay Holmes have been nearly as impressive, with the latter having no trouble transitioning from relief to starter with a 2.98 ERA through 11 starts. Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning have managed sub-4.00 ERAs on the backend of the rotation, with Megill particularly impressive posting a 12.1 K/9 through 11 starts.

The Royals rotation continues to keep the team in contention, with some new contributors this year. Surprisingly, Cole Ragans has the worst ERA of the bunch despite a dominant 5.54 K/BB ratio, but Kris Bubic (1.45 ERA) and rookie Noah Cameron have picked up the slack. Veterans Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, and Michael Lorenzen are also off to strong starts, though they haven't missed bats at a high rate.

Reigning AL Cy Young Tarik Skubal is the clear frontrunner for the award again this season, with a tremendous start to the season (99/7 K/BB in 75.2 innings), and the rest of the rotation has been better than expected. Jack Flaherty is showing that last year's strong pitching wasn't a fluke, and former first-round pick Casey Mize is finally having his breakout year with a sub-3.00 ERA. Reese Olson also had a sub-3.00 ERA before suffering an injury. The back of the rotation is being tested, with Keider Montero filling in for the injured Jackson Jobe.

No Gerrit Cole or Luis Gil, no problem for the Yankees. They've leaned on offseason addition Max Fried, who appears to be a Cy Young candidate with a sub-2.00 ERA in 12 starts. Carlos Rodon has been nearly as good, and Clarke Schmidt has a sub-4.00 ERA after returning from injury. Will Warren is showing flashes, with a FIP more than two runs lower than his 5.19 ERA through 12 starts. Veteran lefty Ryan Yarbrough has done a fine job as a fifth starter fill-in while the team waits for Gil to get healthy.

Minnesota's rotation is both highly talented and deep, putting them back into playoff contention after a slow start to the season. Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez have led the way with sub-3.00 ERAs, but Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack have been nearly as effective despite less-than-stellar strikeout rates. Hard-throwing Zebby Matthews has replaced Simeon Woods Richardson as the fifth starter, showing flashes of brilliance when keeping the ball down.

Veteran aces Logan Webb and Robbie Ray have been as expected to open the season, with sub-3.00 ERAs, and there's a lot of promise behind them. Justin Verlander showed flashes with a 4.33 ERA in 10 starts before going on the IL, and the young trio of Landen Roupp, Hayden Birdsong, and Kyle Harrison have been highly effective in somewhat limited opportunities after Jordan Hicks was ousted from the starting five.

The Reds' lineup has struggled at times, but the team's rotation has been better than expected. Hunter Greene has emerged as the clear ace, with a 2.63 ERA and 6.00 K/BB ratio in 10 starts. Behind him, Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, and Andrew Abbott have each posted sub-4.00 ERAs, with Abbott making the biggest impression so far. Veteran Brady Singer has struggled with his command, but has given the team consistent innings after coming over from KC.

You can't do better than Paul Skenes at the top of the rotation, as he's off to another great start with a 2.15 ERA in 12 outings. Experienced starters Mitch Keller and Andrew Heaney have also been strong, with sub-4.00 ERAs, and soft-tossing lefty Bailey Falter has managed to be effective pitching to contact. The fifth spot in the rotation has been a merry-go-round of young starters, including Carmen Mlodzinski and Mike Burrows, but it seems they're just buying time for top prospect Bubba Chandler.

While the Dodgers' rotation has elite talent, the injury bug has bitten them again. Each of Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, and Blake Snell have missed significant time. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been the only true ace, with a 1.97 ERA in 11 starts. Dustin May has also pitched well back from injury. The Dodgers won't care about the injuries if they're healthy going into October, especially with the possibility of Shohei Ohtani returning to the mound.

Seattle's young rotation showed remarkable health last season, a trend that predictably ended. George Kirby went down in Spring Training, and Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller have missed time more recently. Bryan Woo has still pitched like an ace, and the old standby, Luis Castillo, has an ERA of nearly 3.00 despite deteriorating strikeout numbers. Logan Evans has been a great fill-in despite poor peripherals.

Milwaukee has faced some dire circumstances with their rotation in the first two months, but are finally coming out on the other side. Freddy Peralta has been the clear ace again, but the team has also seen surprise performances from rookies Chad Patrick and Logan Henderson. Jose Quintana pitched well before suffering an injury, and Aaron Civale is now back from an injury of his own. The pending return of former ace Brandon Woodruff could vault the Brew Crew to one of the top rotations in baseball again while they still wait for Nestor Cortes to return from his own injury.

The Padres' rotation has been somewhat inconsistent, but still flashes upside. Michael King and Nick Pivetta had led the way with ERAs below 3.00, while Dylan Cease has far better peripherals than his 4.66 ERA in 12 starts would suggest. Randy Vasquez has been a surprise, though his terrible command is a red flag. The team is waiting on Yu Darvish to rotation from the IL, as he should provide a major boost.

The Rays have yet to see former ace Shane McClanahan has he recovers from arm issues, but they've managed in the first two months. Drew Rasmussen's return to the rotation has been the big difference maker, with a 2.33 ERA in 11 starts. The team has also seen strong performances out of Zack Littell and Ryan Pepiot. Taj Bradley and Shane Baz have blue-chip arms, but have struggled to keep the ball down early in the year.

It's no surprise that veteran Sonny Gray has been effective as the Cardinals ace, but the rest of the rotation has done an excellent job keeping the team in games. Miles Mikolas has experienced better luck as he pitches to contact, and groundball specialist Andre Pallante is keeping the ball down. Former first-round pick Matthew Liberatore is having a breakout season with elite control, keeping his ERA near 3.00. Erick Fedde continues to be effective (3.90 ERA in 11 starts), but his peripherals (1.50 K/BB) show some more difficult days could be in store.

The Red Sox expected big things from their rotation in 2025, but only Garrett Crochet has been able to hold up his end of the bargain. The lefty is a Cy Young candidate with a 2.04 ERA in 12 starts, but the rest of the rotation has been inconsistent. Walker Buehler and Lucas Giolito have been league-average, while Brayan Bello has struggled with command since missing time with a shoulder injury. Tanner Houck was arguably the worst pitcher in baseball before going on the IL (8.04 ERA), and Richard Fitts has missed time with a pectoral injury.

Houston is getting their money's worth from aces Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, but it's the pitchers behind them that should concern Astros fans. Oft-injured Lance McCullers Jr. is showing flashes of his old form, but Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski are out for the year and Spencer Arrighetti also remains sidelined. The backend of the rotation will need to be pieced together with young pitchers, unless the Astros make a significant trade.

Chicago's depth has been tested early this season, with injuries to Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga. The Cubs have been able to lean on veterans Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd, while rookie Cade Horton has been a revelation. Ben Brown also shows big upside, and Colin Rea has been fine in his role as a swingman. The team could need to add at the deadline, with Steele out for the year.

Cleveland's rotation has been uncharacteristically mediocre early this season, yet the starters have kept them in games. Tanner Bibee continues to be the ace in spite of struggles missing bats, while Luis Ortiz, Gavin Williams, and Logan Allen have compiled league-average ERAs. The loss of Ben Lively has allowed young Slade Cecconi an opportunity, but the team is waiting on Shane Bieber to return from elbow surgery later this summer.

The addition of Yusei Kikuchi provided a spark to the Angels mediocre rotation, even as he's struggled with walks. He's paired well with groundball specialist Jose Soriano, while crafty lefty Tyler Anderson continues to get outs. Groundball pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Jack Kochanowicz have struggled on the backend of the rotation with ERAs below 5.00, keeping the team in the basement of the AL West.

Toronto's rotation is headlined by a trio of veteran innings eaters, with Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassitt off to strong starts. Early injury for future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer has put the Jays rotation in a hole, struggling to fill the last two spots. Bowden Francis is hanging by a thread with an ERA above 5.00, while a host of other starters have struggled to fill the other void.

Arizona has been significant resources on their rotation, most recently signing Corbin Burnes, yet they've been one of the worst rotations in the game behind him. Veteran Merrill Kelly (3.78 ERA in 12 starts) has been effective, but Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt, and Eduardo Rodriguez are off to very disappointing starts. Ryne Nelson has been a rare bright spot in his short time as a starter.

Miami's rotation has immense talent on paper, but it couldn't be performing much worse. Sandy Alcantara has been pounded in his return from elbow surgery, and Max Meyer has shown the inconsistency of a young pitcher. Edward Cabrera has been similarly inconsistent, and Ryan Weathers has missed most of the first two months. Cal Quantrill has an ERA above 5.00, but has eaten innings. The team is excited about the pending return of Eury Perez, and some strong talent in the upper minors.

Injuries to Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish have proven too much for the O's, but they still expected better than this. While offseason addition Tomoyuki Sugano has been effective (3.23 ERA in 11 starts), the rest of the rotation has been a nightmare. Charlie Morton and Zach Eflin have been ineffective early, while Dean Kremer and Cade Povich have been far worse than league average.

After trading Erick Fedde and Garrett Crochet from last year's roster, the White Sox have still barely missed a beat. Rookie Shane Smith is an award candidate with a 2.68 ERA over 11 starts, while fellow young pitchers Davis Martin, Jonathan Cannon, and Sean Burke have exceeded their expected ERA metrics. The team added veteran groundball pitcher Adrian Houser to give the team innings following Martin Perez's arm injury.

Pitching continues to be a problem for Washington, even as MacKenzie Gore flashes ace upside as the first pitcher in 2025 to reach 100 strikeouts. Jake Irvin has also been effective, even as he's struggled to miss bats. Mitchell Parker, Trevor Williams, and Michael Soroka have all been very inconsistent, though the team hopes young pitchers like Cade Cavalli can provide a boost in the second half.

The move from Oakland to Sacramento wasn't friendly for pitchers, as the A's rotation has shown. Luis Severino has been as advertised with a sub-4.00 ERA, but former Ray Jeffrey Springs has struggled. It's been a rough go behind that veteran duo as the Athletics try to find any form of consistency, with JP Sears, Gunnar Hoglund, Osvaldo Bido, and a host of others posting ERAs above 5.00.

Even by Colorado's low standards, the starting rotation has been atrocious to start 2025. Kyle Freeland has regressed after a slow start, while German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela have ERAs above 7.00 in their returns from elbow surgery. Former first-round pick Chase Dollander has suffered an elbow injury of his own, and struggled to keep the ball down since being promoted.