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COVID-19 affects people differently, in terms of infection with the virus SARS-CoV-2 and mortality rates. In this Special Feature, we focus on some of the sex differences that characterize this pandemic. Share on Pinterest The data that are available so far indicate that there are significant differences between how the sexes respond to the new coronavirus.

All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication. Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub for the most recent information on COVID-19.Was this helpful?

There are many ways in which the pandemic itself affects peoples day-to-day lives, and gender understood as the ensemble of social expectations, norms, and roles we associate with being a man, woman, trans- or nonbinary person plays a massive part.

On a societal level, COVID-19 has affected cis- and transwomen, for example, differently to how it has cismen, transmen, and nonbinary people. Reproductive rights, decision making around the pandemic, and domestic violence are just some key areas where the pandemic has negatively impacted women.

However, sex differences understood as the biological characteristics we associate with the sex that one is assigned at birth also play an undeniable role in an epidemic or pandemic.

While sex and gender are, arguably, inextricably linked in healthcare, as in every other area of our lives, in this Special Feature, we will focus primarily on the infection rates of SARS-CoV-2 and the mortality rates that COVID-19 causes, broken down by sex.

In specialized literature, these effects fall under the umbrella term of primary effects of the pandemic, while the secondary impact of the pandemic has deeper social and political implications.

Throughout this feature, we use the binary terms man and woman to accurately reflect the studies and the data they use. Sex-disaggregated data lacking

Before delving deeper into the subject of sex differences in COVID-19, it is worth noting that the picture is bound to be incomplete, as not all countries have released their sex-disaggregated data.

A report appearing on the blog of the journal BMJ Global Health on March 24, 2020, reviewed data from 20 countries that had the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the time.

Of these 20 countries, Belgium, Malaysia, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States of America did not provide data that was disaggregated, or broken down, by sex.

At the time, the authors of the BMJ report appealed to these countries and others to provide sex specific data.

Anna Purdie, from the University College London, United Kingdom, and her colleagues, noted: We applaud the decision by the Italian government to publish data that are fully sex- and age-disaggregated. Other countries [] are still not publishing national data in this way. We understand but regret this oversight.
At a minimum, we urgently call on countries to publicly report the numbers of diagnosed infections and deaths by sex. Ideally, countries would also disaggregate their data on testing by sex.

Anna Purdie et al.

Since then, countries that include Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain have made their data available.

The U.K. have made only a part of the sex-disaggregated data available for England and Wales, without covering Scotland and Northern Ireland while Malaysia and the U.S. have not made their sex-disaggregated data available at all.

At the time of writing this article, the U.S. still have not released their sex-disaggregated data despite the country having the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world.

For more research-backed information and resources for mens health, please visit our dedicated hub.Was this helpful? Men more than twice as likely to die

Global Health 5050, an organization that promotes gender equality in healthcare, has rounded up the total and partial data that is available from the countries with the highest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

According to their data gathering, the highest ratio of male to female deaths, as a result of COVID-19, is in Denmark and Greece: 2.1 to 1.

In these countries, men are more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as women. In Denmark, 5.7% of the total number of cases confirmed among men have resulted in death, whereas 2.7% of women with confirmed COVID-19 have died.

In the Republic of Ireland, the male to female mortality ratio is 2 to 1, while Italy and Switzerland have a 1.9 to 1 ratio each.

The greatest parity between the genders from countries that have submitted a full set of data are Iran, with 1.1 to 1, and Norway, with 1.2 to 1.

In Iran, 5.4% of the women patients have died, compared with 5.9% of the men. In Norway, these numbers stand at 1.3% and 1.1%, respectively.

China has a ratio of 1.7, with 2.8% of women having died, compared with 4.7% of men.
Infection rates in womenand men

A side-by-side comparison of infection rates between the sexes does not explain the higher death rates in men, nor is there enough data available to draw a conclusion about infection rates broken down by sexes.

However, it is worth noting that in Denmark, where men are more than twice as likely to die of COVID-19 as women, the proportion of women who contracted the virus was 54%, while that of men was 46%.

By contrast, in Iran, where the ratio of deaths between men and women is less different (1.1 to 1), just 43% of cases are female compared with 57% cases in men.

Until we know the proportion of people from each sex that healthcare professionals are testing, it will be difficult to fully interpret these figures.

What we do know so far is that, overall, nine of the 18 countries that have provided complete sex-disaggregated data have more COVID-19 cases among women than they do among men. Six of the 18 countries have more cases among men than they do among women.

Norway, Sweden, and Germany have a 5050% case ratio.

Other countries where more women have developed COVID-19 include:
Switzerland (53% of women to 47% of men)Spain (51% to 49%)The Netherlands (53% to 47%)Belgium (55% to 45%)South Korea (60% to 40%)Portugal (57% to 43%)Canada (52% to 48%)Republic of Ireland (52% to 45%)

Greece, Italy, Peru, China, and Australia all have a higher number of confirmed cases among men than women.Why are men more likely to die?

Part of the explanation for why the new coronavirus seems to cause more severe illness in men is down to biological sex differences.

Womens innate immune response plays a role. Experts agree that there are sex differences, such as sex chromosomes and sex hormones, that influence how a persons immunity responds to a pathogen.

As a result, women are in general able to mount a more vigorous immune response to infections [and] vaccinations. With previous coronaviruses, specifically, some studies in mice have suggested that the hormone estrogen may have a protective role.

For instance, in the study above, the authors note that in male mice there was an exuberant but ineffective cytokine response. Cytokines are responsible for tissue damage within the lungs and leakage from pulmonary blood vessels.

Estrogens suppress the escalation phase of the immune response that leads to increased cytokine release. The authors showed that female mice treated with an estrogen receptor antagonist died at close to the same rate as the male mice.

As some researchers have noted, lifestyle factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, which tend to occur more among men, may also explain the overall higher mortality rates among men.

Science has long linked such behaviors with conditions that we now know are likely to negatively influence the outcome of patients with COVID-19 cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and chronic lung conditions. Why women might be more at risk

On the other hand, the fact that societies have traditionally placed women in the role of caregivers a role which they continue to fulfill predominantly and the fact that the vast majority of healthcare workers are women could place the at a higher risk of contracting the virus and might explain the higher infection rates in some countries.

An analysis of 104 countries by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that Women represent around 70% of the health workforce. In China, women make up more than 90% of healthcare workers in Hubei province.

These data emphasize the gendered nature of the health workforce and the risk that predominantly female health workers incur, write the authors of a report on the gendered impacts of the pandemic that appears in The Lancet.

Although we cannot yet draw definitive conclusions because sex-disaggregated data is not yet available from all the countries affected, The Lancet report looks at previous epidemics for clues.

During the 201416 west African outbreak of Ebola virus disease, the authors write, gendered norms meant that women were more likely to be infected by the virus, given their predominant roles as caregivers within families and as frontline healthcare workers.

The authors also call out for governments and health institutions to offer and analyze data on sex and gender differences in the pandemic.
Why sex-disaggregated data are urgent

The report in The Lancet reads, Recognising the extent to which disease outbreaks affect women and men differently is a fundamental step to understanding the primary and secondary effects of a health emergency on different individuals and communities, and for creating effective, equitable policies and interventions.

For instance, identifying the key difference that makes women more resilient to the infection could help create drugs that also strengthen mens immune response to the virus.

Devising policies and intervention strategies that consider the needs of women who work as frontline healthcare workers could help prevent the higher infection rates that we see among women.

Finally, men and women tend to react differently to potential vaccines and treatments, so having access to sex-disaggregated data is crucial for conducting safe clinical trials.

As Anna Purdie who also works for Global Health 5050 and her colleagues summarize in their article, Sex-disaggregated data are essential for understanding the distributions of risk, infection, and disease in the population, and the extent to which sex and gender affect clinical outcomes.
Understanding sex and gender in relation to global health should not be seen as an optional add-on but as a core component of ensuring effective and equitable national and global health systems that work for everyone. National governments and global health organizations must urgently face up to this reality.

Anna Purdie et al

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Ranking all 30 MLB cores: Which teams have the most talent locked in?

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September 8, 2025

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Ranking all 30 MLB cores: Which teams have the most talent locked in?

  • Kiley McDanielSep 5, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

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    • ESPN MLB Insider
    • Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency.
    • Has worked for three MLB teams.
      • Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’

As we head toward the home stretch of the 2025 season, it’s time for my annual ranking of the core talent of all 30 MLB teams. This judges teams based on which players they have under contract through the next two full seasons — and you’ll find many clubs at the top of this list are in the thick of the playoff races over the final month.

For this exercise, salaries don’t matter and age isn’t a factor — but I’ll round up on projecting young players (and down on older players) because I’m projecting/ranking teams for a two-plus-year period. Very few players in either level of A-Ball are listed because they likely will contribute only at the end of 2027, if at all, even if they’re a top prospect.

To make it easier to see which team has more talent, I split players into three tiers: elite (5ish WAR talent, or perennial All-Stars with MVP chances), plus (3-5ish WAR types) and solid (1.5-3ish WAR, or lower-end starters and valuable role players). I included players who have easy-to-hit vesting options or club/player options that are likely to be picked up, but left out players with likely-to-be-exercised opt-outs. There’s some subjectivity in this area; star players who don’t qualify are called out below.

Players are listed in general order of my preference within each tier, so you can argue for a player who’s on the top/bottom of a tier to move up or down or flip two players who are back-to-back in the same tier. And the overall ranking isn’t coming from an algorithm that judges the teams or their players in each tier — I’m still comparing each list one by one. It’s often hard to compare the next 2½ years of value of a prospect in Double-A versus a proven veteran having a down season.

Jump to a team:

AL East: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
AL Central: CHW | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
AL West: ATH | HOU | LAA | SEA | TEX

NL East: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
NL Central: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
NL West: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF

2024 rank: 1
2023 rank: 2
2022 rank: 3

Elite: Shohei Ohtani/DH+RHP

Plus: Will Smith/C, Yoshinobu Yamamoto/RHS, Freddie Freeman/1B, Mookie Betts/SS, Andy Pages/CF, Blake Snell/LHS, Tyler Glasnow/RHS

Solid: Tommy Edman/2B, Emmet Sheehan/RHS, Teoscar Hernandez/RF, Hyeseong Kim/2B, Tanner Scott/LHR, Brock Stewart/RHR, Justin Wrobleski/LHR, Dalton Rushing/C, Alex Freeland/SS, Roki Sasaki/RHS, Edgardo Henriquez/RHR, Josue De Paula/LF, Jack Dreyer/LHR, Zyhir Hope/RF, Mike Sirota/CF, Jackson Ferris/LHS, River Ryan/RHS, James Tibbs/RF

The Dodgers stay at the top, but some cracks have been forming since last year’s ranking. Betts and Freeman moved down a tier, Max Muncy fell off the list because he is under team control through next season, Bobby Miller and Roki Sasaki are among the young players who took a step backward, and several core players are in their 30s.

But the Dodgers still have the best mix of high-end hitting and pitching talent in the big leagues, with the biggest contributors under team control for at least a few more years, and they have the second-best farm system in baseball. They’re very likely to be in this area of the list next year.

2024 rank: 4
2023 rank: 3
2022 rank: 10

Elite: Cal Raleigh/C, Julio Rodriguez/CF

Plus: Logan Gilbert/RHS, George Kirby/RHS, Bryan Woo/RHS, Andres Munoz/RHR

Solid: Colt Emerson/SS, Kade Anderson/LHS, Luis Castillo/RHS, Gabe Speier/LHR, Cole Young/2B, Ryan Sloan/RHS, Matt Brash/RHR, Harry Ford/C, Michael Arroyo/2B, Lazaro Montes/RF, Luke Raley/RF, Victor Robles/CF, Bryce Miller/RHS, Dominic Canzone/RF, Jurrangelo Cijntje/SHP, Jonny Farmelo/CF, Ryan Bliss/2B

Raleigh and Woo have taken big steps forward this season while the rest of Seattle’s top-end big league talent has, at least, held strong, if not improved a bit.

Similar to the Dodgers, the Mariners also have one of the top farm systems, ranking third. Seattle has eight top 100 prospects, and most of them will be in Double-A or Triple-A to start next season. That next wave of talent looks impactful and could affect the major league level in 2026. That would be timely, as J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena are set to hit free agency after 2026, while Gilbert’s team control ends after 2027.

2024 rank: 5
2023 rank: 15
2022 rank: 8

Elite: Trea Turner/SS, Zack Wheeler/RHS, Cristopher Sanchez/LHS

Plus: Bryce Harper/1B, Jhoan Duran/RHR

Solid: Aaron Nola/RHS, Bryson Stott/2B, Brandon Marsh/CF, Aidan Miller/SS, Andrew Painter/RHS, Justin Crawford/CF, Orion Kerkering/RHR, Tanner Banks/RHR, Johan Rojas/CF, Gage Wood/RHR

Philadelphia has much less depth than Seattle because the Phillies have a few good big leaguers whose contracts end after this year or next: J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suarez, Alec Bohm, Jesus Luzardo, Matt Strahm, and Jose Alvarado.

The farm system isn’t as deep either, ranking 21st out of 30 teams, because the Phillies pushed their chips in for these next few seasons. But the top of the Phillies’ roster is really good, and it’s basically a coin flip with the Mariners for the second spot, depending on what kind of core you prefer. Wheeler’s injury and Nola’s down season made the difference for me.

2024 rank: 9
2023 rank: 10
2022 rank: 7

Elite: Francisco Lindor/SS, Juan Soto/RF

Plus: Brandon Nimmo/LF, Edwin Diaz/RHR

Solid: Nolan McLean/RHS, Jonah Tong/RHS, Francisco Alvarez/C, Jeff McNeil/2B, Brett Baty/3B, Jett Williams/SS, Carson Benge/CF, Sean Manaea/LHS, Tylor Megill/RHS, Kodai Senga/RHS, Mark Vientos/3B, Ronny Mauricio/3B, Christian Scott/RHS, Brandon Sproat/RHS, A.J. Ewing/CF, Jacob Reimer/3B, Ryan Clifford/1B, Reed Garrett/RHR, Jonathan Santucci/LHS, Will Watson/RHS

The Mets have one of the healthiest organizations in baseball, combining the top farm system in the game and a playoff-caliber major league club, with Pete Alonso the only key player who will likely test free agency.

I put Diaz in the plus tier and left off McLean and Tong because of their lack of longevity performing at that level, but in a month, those two prospect starters might move up a tier. Similar to the Mariners, the Mets have a wave of young talent that will open in the upper minors or big leagues next season and could define the next five years of the team.

2024 rank: 2
2023 rank: 1
2022 rank: 1

Elite: Ronald Acuna Jr./RF

Plus: Matt Olson/1B, Austin Riley/3B, Spencer Strider/RHS, Drake Baldwin/C, Spencer Schwellenbach/RHS, Sean Murphy/C

Solid: Michael Harris II/CF, Jurickson Profar/LF, Ozzie Albies/2B, Reynaldo Lopez/RHS, Hurston Waldrep/RHS, Didier Fuentes/RHS, JR Ritchie/RHS, AJ Smith-Shawver/RHS, Nacho Alvarez Jr./3B, Owen Murphy/RHS

It has been a down year for the Braves on numerous fronts. Chris Sale no longer qualifies for this exercise, Spencer Strider hasn’t been himself, and Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies moved down a tier. Injuries impacted Riley’s and Schwellenbach’s seasons, and Profar’s PED suspension limited his campaign.

This core has been so good for years, as you can see by the organization’s past ranks, that the Braves’ poor 2025 season still can’t knock them out of the top five. Waldrep, Fuentes, and Ritchie could all be answers to starting pitching needs in 2026, while Smith-Shawver, Murphy, and Cam Caminiti could be answers in 2027.

2024 rank: 14
2023 rank: 13
2022 rank: 20

Elite: Corbin Carroll/RF, Ketel Marte/2B

Plus: Geraldo Perdomo/SS, Gabriel Moreno/C, Corbin Burnes/RHS

Solid: Lourdes Gurriel Jr./LF, Brandon Pfaadt/RHS, Jordan Lawlar/SS, Ryne Nelson/RHS, Slade Caldwell/CF, Adrian Del Castillo/C, Tyler Locklear/1B, Ryan Waldschmidt/LF, Kohl Drake/LHS, Blaze Alexander/3B, Tommy Troy/2B, Eduardo Rodriguez/LHS, Justin Martinez/RHR, Alek Thomas/CF, Jake McCarthy/LF, Cristian Mena/RHS, Brandyn Garcia/LHR

Carroll, Marte and Perdomo have grown into an elite group of position players and Moreno isn’t that far behind. Burnes is an ace but might not pitch again until 2027, so the D-backs need to see this next group of young players continue to progress and supplement that core. Locklear, Drake and Garcia were acquired at the deadline, and Caldwell and Waldschmidt were their first two picks in the 2024 draft.

2024 rank: 13
2023 rank: 24
2022 rank: 24

Elite: Garrett Crochet/LHS

Plus: Roman Anthony/RF, Jarren Duran/LF, Ceddanne Rafaela/CF, Wilyer Abreu/RF

Solid: Trevor Story/SS, Brayan Bello/RHS, Marcelo Mayer/SS, Payton Tolle/LHS, Kristian Campbell/2B, Carlos Narvaez/C, Triston Casas/1B, Garrett Whitlock/RHR, Jhostynxon Garcia/CF, Tanner Houck/RHS, Kutter Crawford/RHS, Justin Slaten/RHR, Connelly Early/LHS, Luis Perales/RHS, Kyson Witherspoon/RHS

Very few players (mostly, those acquired at the deadline) aren’t under team control for multiple years, so the Sox set up well for this exercise.

Anthony could jump into the elite tier next season, with Mayer, Toll and Campbell all strong candidates to be in the plus tier next year or the year after. The end of the solid tier contains a lot of pitching depth to add to next year’s big league team, as do a few pitching prospects I didn’t list who could join the list next year.

2024 rank: 7
2023 rank: 5
2022 rank: 3

Elite: Jeremy Pena/SS, Hunter Brown/RHS

Plus: Yordan Alvarez/DH, Carlos Correa/SS, Isaac Paredes/3B, Josh Hader/LHR

Solid: Jose Altuve/2B, Jake Meyers/CF, Yainer Diaz/C, Cam Smith/RF, Christian Walker/1B, Brice Matthews/2B, Cristian Javier/RHS, Jesus Sanchez/RF, Ronel Blanco/RHS, Jacob Melton/CF

The Astros consistently rank high on this list and are akin to the Phillies because they both don’t have a highly ranked farm system, mainly due to their top-heavy big league roster.

Pena and Brown are recent farm system success stories to help supplement the older core, while Matthews and Melton debuted this year and are Houston’s top two current prospects.

2024 rank: 3
2023 rank: 6
2022 rank: 13

Elite: Gunnar Henderson/SS

Plus: Adley Rutschman/C, Samuel Basallo/C, Jordan Westburg/3B

Solid: Jackson Holliday/2B, Kyle Bradish/RHS, Dean Kremer/RHS, Colton Cowser/LF, Grayson Rodriguez/RHS, Felix Bautista/RHR, Dylan Beavers/RF, Tyler O’Neill/RF, Tyler Wells/RHS, Trey Gibson/RHS, Enrique Bradfield Jr./CF, Ike Irish/RF, Coby Mayo/3B, Cade Povich/LHS, Albert Suarez/RHS, Michael Forret/RHS

The O’s blitzed up this list, then came back to Earth as they joined the Braves in having a somewhat surprising down year in a few phases.

Rutschman/Basallo isn’t a problem, as they can easily coexist on a big league roster, but getting Rutschman right at the plate will be a big priority for 2026. Beavers, Mayo and Gibson could all play their way into big league roles in 2026, with Holliday, Cowser, and Rodriguez all solid bets to move into the plus tier.

2024 rank: 6
2023 rank: 9
2022 rank: 9

Elite: Jose Ramirez/3B

Plus: Steven Kwan/LF, Tanner Bibee/RHS, Cade Smith/RHR

Solid: Travis Bazzana/2B, Emmanuel Clase/RHR, Kyle Manzardo/1B, Chase DeLauter/RF, Gavin Williams/RHS, Parker Messick/LHS, Khal Stephen/RHS, Daniel Schneemann/2B, Angel Genao/SS, C.J. Kayfus/1B, Ben Lively/RHS, Luis L. Ortiz/RHS, Logan Allen/LHS, Gabriel Arias/SS, Ralphy Velazquez/1B

Cleveland continues to stay in the top 10 thanks to a heavily homegrown and cost-effective bunch, with only Ramirez making over $8 million this year. Clase’s future is unclear, but the first five players listed are strong figures for the organization. DeLauter, Messick, Stephen, and Velazquez could all be making a big league impact as soon as 2026 to push the Guardians back into the playoff race.

2024 rank: 12
2023 rank: 12
2022 rank: 12

Elite: Aaron Judge/RF

Plus: Max Fried/LHS, Gerrit Cole/RHS, Carlos Rodon/LHS

Solid: Austin Wells/C, George Lombard Jr./SS, Cam Schlittler/RHS, Ben Rice/1B, Clarke Schmidt/RHS, Will Warren/RHS, Spencer Jones/CF, Ryan McMahon/3B, Carlos Lagrange/RHS, Jose Caballero/SS, Luis Gil/RHS, Giancarlo Stanton/DH, Anthony Volpe/SS, Jasson Dominguez/CF, Camilo Doval/RHR

The Yankees have a slew of good players who don’t qualify for this list because they’re not under contractual control through 2027: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, David Bednar, and Trent Grisham.

Of those who qualify, there’s still plenty of star power and depth, with a nice group of young players in the upper minors or just getting to the big leagues. But the top four players are between 31 and 35 years old, so keeping those key veterans productive while shuffling in young players (or getting Volpe and Dominguez back on track) and shuffling out aging role players will be difficult.

2024 rank: 10
2023 rank: 11
2022 rank: 6

Elite: Fernando Tatis Jr./RF

Plus: Jackson Merrill/CF, Manny Machado/3B, Xander Bogaerts/SS, Mason Miller/RHR

Solid: Jeremiah Estrada/RHR, Jake Cronenworth/2B, Joe Musgrove/RHS, Yu Darvish/RHS, JP Sears/LHS, Freddy Fermin/C

The Padres continue to bet big in hopes of getting a title with this core, but the upper minors of the farm system and multiyear outlook for the depth of the big league team keep getting thinner.

After this season, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Ryan O’Hearn, Nestor Cortes, and Luis Arraez are set to hit free agency, and after next season, they’ll be joined by Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon, and Ramon Laureano.

With very little minor league help to fill those holes, the Padres will have to pick their spots and continue to excel at finding overlooked players to plug holes once the big money has been spent. If they do that, and the key players listed above remain impactful, it could be enough to win a title; it’s just a little harder to imagine.

2024 rank: 17
2023 rank: 21
2022 rank: 12

Elite: None

Plus: William Contreras/C, Jackson Chourio/CF, Jacob Misiorowski/RHS, Brice Turang/2B, Christian Yelich/LF

Solid: Trevor Megill/RHR, Andrew Vaughn/1B, Sal Frelick/RF, Isaac Collins/LF, Abner Uribe/RHR, Caleb Durbin/3B, Jesus Made/SS, Joey Ortiz/SS, Luis Pena/SS, Logan Henderson/RHS, Quinn Priester/RHS, Cooper Pratt/SS, Aaron Ashby/LHR, Garrett Mitchell/CF, Luke Adams/1B, Jeferson Quero/C, Brock Wilken/3B, Luis Lara/CF, Jared Koenig/RHR, Tobias Myers/RHS, DL Hall/LHR

The Brewers have two organizational competencies that they balance very well: helping young players reach big league success and optimizing big leaguers to reach their potential. Making those two things work involves basically every department of a baseball team, so that’s why so few teams do both well year after year.

The Brewers might not have anyone in the elite category, but they have a few homegrown players who might make that jump next year, and their solid tier is one of the deeper ones in terms of players who could jump into plus next year. This organization’s top decision-makers will likely be targets for GM and team president searches over the next few years.

2024 rank: 15
2023 rank: 4
2022 rank: 14

Elite: Corey Seager/SS, Wyatt Langford/LF

Plus: Jacob deGrom/RHS, Marcus Semien/2B, Nathan Eovaldi/RHS

Solid: Evan Carter/CF, Josh Jung/3B, Josh Smith/SS, Sebastian Walcott/SS, Cody Bradford/LHS, Jack Leiter/RHS, Kumar Rocker/RHS, Jake Burger/1B, David Davalillo/RHS, Winston Santos/RHS, Alejandro Osuna/LF

It is deceptively difficult to spend big money in free agency and have those players hold their spots in the top two tiers for years. With that in mind, the Rangers deserve kudos on the non-Langford players in their top two tiers. Of course, Langford is also a development success story, as are the top few players in the solid tier.

This team has a few players set to hit free agency over the next two seasons. The best parts of the farm system are largely in the low minors (and thus not listed here) as Leiter, Rocker and Osuna graduated in the past year, and other minor leaguers were traded at the deadline for players on expiring deals. Walcott still has star potential but has some work over the next few years to realize it.

2024 rank: 22
2023 rank: 22
2022 rank: 28

Elite: None

Plus: Logan Webb/RHS, Matt Chapman/3B, Willy Adames/SS, Rafael Devers/1B, Patrick Bailey/C

Solid: Jung Hoo Lee/CF, Bryce Eldridge/1B, Randy Rodriguez/RHR, Ryan Walker/RHR, Drew Gilbert/CF, Landen Roupp/RHS, Carson Whisenhunt/LHS, Heliot Ramos/LF, Casey Schmitt/3B, Bo Davidson/CF, Jesus Rodriguez/C, Kai-Wei Teng/RHR

I like what president of baseball operations Buster Posey has done in remaking this big league team. He’s investing in star players (re-signing Chapman, signing Adames, trading for Devers), and at the deadline, he moved nonessential players or those on expiring deals to beef up the farm system.

The Giants aren’t quite where they need to be, but they’re getting close, and Eldridge should be showing up next year. Unfortunately, two of their top prospects are at the lower levels of the minors and don’t qualify for this list. With some money to spend this offseason, I could see this team being a contender next season.

2024 rank: 20
2023 rank: 20
2022 rank: 19

Elite: Elly De La Cruz/SS

Plus: Hunter Greene/RHS, Chase Burns/RHS, Andrew Abbott/LHS

Solid: Nick Lodolo/LHS, Matt McLain/2B, Sal Stewart/3B, Rhett Lowder/RHS, TJ Friedl/CF, Ke’Bryan Hayes/3B, Noelvi Marte/3B, Cam Collier/1B, Chase Petty/RHS, Spencer Steer/1B, Edwin Arroyo/SS, Hector Rodriguez/LF

The Reds have a nice young core of players, and the best players who don’t qualify for this list are under contract for next season: Gavin Lux, Tyler Stephenson, and Brady Singer. They’re competitive now and should be better next year, with real strengths in the infield and rotation. The challenge will be filling the holes around those key players and working in Stewart, Lowder, and Petty next season.

2024 rank: 8
2023 rank: 16
2022 rank: 22

Elite: Pete Crow Armstrong/CF

Plus: Dansby Swanson/SS, Michael Busch/1B

Solid: Matt Shaw/3B, Cade Horton/RHS, Justin Steele/LHS, Moises Ballesteros/C, Owen Caissie/RF, Daniel Palencia/RHR, Jefferson Rojas/SS, Ben Brown/RHS, Jaxon Wiggins/RHS, Kevin Alcantara/CF, Miguel Amaya/C, Jonathan Long/1B, Brandon Birdsell/RHS

The Cubs are having a solid season at the big league level, but the rules of this exercise mean the organization is having a slight down year. Since last year’s rankings, they traded Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith for Kyle Tucker (who doesn’t qualify) and have a big group of players who become free agents after 2026 and thus also don’t qualify: Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Jameson Taillon, and Nico Hoerner.

Matthew Boyd has a mutual option after 2026 that seems unlikely to keep him from free agency, and I think Shota Imanaga will also need a raise or an extension (his contract options are quite complicated) after this season to keep him from free agency, so he also doesn’t qualify.

But the team is good and has a strong core of young players in the big leagues and upper minors (the top of the solid tier has upward mobility), but gets hurt by the rules of these rankings. The Cubs also need to re-sign a lot of players the next two winters to keep this group together.

2024 rank: 11
2023 rank: 19
2022 rank: 17

Elite: Byron Buxton/CF

Plus: Joe Ryan/RHS, Pablo Lopez/RHS

Solid: Walker Jenkins/CF, Luke Keaschall/2B, Royce Lewis/3B, Taj Bradley/RHS, Zebby Matthews/RHS, Matt Wallner/RF, Emmanuel Rodriguez/CF, Connor Prielipp/LHS, Kaelen Culpepper/SS, Mick Abel/RHS, Kendry Rojas/LHS, Gabriel Gonzalez/RF, Bailey Ober/RHS, Brooks Lee/SS, Trevor Larnach/RF, Kody Clemens/2B, Edouard Julien/2B, Simeon Woods-Richardson/RHS, Alan Roden/LF

The Twins stay in the middle third of the list, but after their moves at the trade deadline, this group is overwhelmingly made up of prospects and young players who haven’t proven themselves at the big league level, along with three standout holdovers. That’s a strong group to build around, with the first five players in the solid tier all having the potential to move up a grouping in next year’s rankings.

2024 rank: 16
2023 rank: 26
2022 rank: 27

Elite: Bobby Witt Jr./SS

Plus: Cole Ragans/LHS, Maikel Garcia/3B

Solid: Michael Wacha/RHS, Noah Cameron/LHS, Seth Lugo/RHS, Vinnie Pasquantino/1B, Jac Caglianone/RF, Carter Jensen/C, Carlos Estevez/RHR, Kyle Isbel/CF, Lucas Erceg/RHR, Ryan Bergert/RHS, Stephen Kolek/RHS, Ben Kudrna/RHS, Luinder Avila/RHS, Alec Marsh/RHS

Maikel Garcia’s emergence helps cover for Ragans’ injury while Witt continues to be one of the best players in the majors. You could argue to move Wacha up a tier, but I’m projecting over the next two seasons primarily, so I rounded down a bit. Cameron’s emergence helps with Caglianone’s surface-stat problems, but his underlying numbers are about what was expected, so I’m continuing to buy stock in him.

Similar to the Pirates below, this is a team without a ton of payroll that is carried mostly by a star player. But the Royals’ supporting cast is a bit better (for now) and their star is a position player rather than a pitcher — and they’ve been willing to open their wallets a bit in free agency to surround their star with talent.

20. Athletics

2024 rank: 26
2023 rank: 29
2022 rank: 26

Elite: None

Plus: Nick Kurtz/1B, Brent Rooker/DH, Tyler Soderstrom/LF, Jacob Wilson/SS

Solid: Shea Langeliers/C, Lawrence Butler/RF, Luis Severino/RHS, Jeffrey Springs/LHS, J.T. Ginn/RHS, Gage Jump/LHS, Luis Morales/RHS, Denzel Clarke/CF, Leo De Vries/SS, Darell Hernaiz/SS, Jacob Lopez/LHS, Zack Gelof/2B, Jack Perkins/RHS, Jamie Arnold/LHS, Max Muncy/SS, Colby Thomas/RF, Tommy White/3B, Mason Barnett/RHS, Gunnar Hoglund/RHS, Braden Nett/RHS

The A’s record hasn’t been great this year, but development-wise, they’ve taken a step forward.

Kurtz has gone from controversial early-first-round pick last summer to potential star by this summer, Rooker has performed despite being a primary DH in his 30s, my longtime prospect favorite Soderstrom has come back to life and Wilson continues to defy the odds by performing despite little raw power.

Langeliers and Butler could jump a tier by next year’s rankings, and De Vries could be a franchise cornerstone. And there’s probably an impact arm and a solid third/fourth starter among Ginn, Jump, Morales and Arnold.

There are some signs that with a strong winter and continued progression, this team could be competitive in 2026.

2024 rank: 21
2023 rank: 17
2022 rank: 22

Elite: Paul Skenes/RHS

Plus: Oneil Cruz/CF, Konnor Griffin/SS

Solid: Bubba Chandler/RHS, Mitch Keller/RHS, Bryan Reynolds/RF, Johan Oviedo/RHS, Spencer Horwitz/1B, Jared Triolo/SS, Jared Jones/RHS, Braxton Ashcraft/RHS, Mike Burrows/RHS, Termarr Johnson/2B, Hunter Barco/LHS, Isaac Mattson/RHR, Nick Gonzales/2B, Rafael Flores/C, Joey Bart/C, Henry Davis/C, Nick Yorke/2B

Skenes and Griffin are recent first-round selections who look to be home run picks. Cruz and Chandler look like solid players, and the rest is a nice group of players but doesn’t have much star potential.

Combine that with the lack of payroll and the Pirates will need to get creative to add to the clearly strong four-player core, or get very efficient at filling out the rest of the roster, similar to the Tigers.

2024 rank: 18
2023 rank: 25
2022 rank: 25

Elite: None

Plus: Riley Greene/LF, Kevin McGonigle/SS, Dillon Dingler/C

Solid: Max Clark/CF, Will Vest/RHR, Troy Melton/RHS, Parker Meadows/CF, Spencer Torkelson/1B, Colt Keith/2B, Josue Briceno/C, Zach McKinstry/3B, Kerry Carpenter/RF, Reese Olson/RHS, Jackson Jobe/RHS, Thayron Liranzo/C, Max Anderson/2B, Javier Baez/SS, Wenceel Perez/RF, Matt Vierling/CF, Jace Jung/3B, Sawyer Gipson-Long/RHS

McGonigle is one of the few true prospects listed in the plus tier because he’ll likely be big league-ready at some point next year, is putting up absurd surface numbers at every level, and is in the top five prospects while playing a premium position.

Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Gleyber Torres and all of the players Detroit acquired at the deadline aren’t eligible for this exercise, so it’s mostly just the homegrown young players. But by this time next year, there might be three to five of those players in the plus or elite category, so I see solid win-loss records and a better showing in next year’s ranking.

2024 rank: 24

2023 rank: 14

2022 rank: 5

Elite: Vladimir Guerrero Jr./1B

Plus: Alejandro Kirk/C

Solid: Andres Gimenez/2B, Trey Yesavage/RHS, Addison Barger/3B, Jose Berrios/RHS, Anthony Santander/RF, Arjun Nimmala/SS, Ricky Tiedemann/LHS, Ernie Clement/3B, Jeff Hoffman/RHR, Nathan Lukes/RF, Myles Straw/CF, Jake Bloss/RHS, Brendon Little/LHR, Davis Schneider/LF, Alek Manoah/RHS, Eric Lauer/LHS

Lots of notable players are not eligible for this list: George Springer, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, Bo Bichette, and Daulton Varsho. So, this doesn’t represent what the team will be this season and next, but reflects more what’s nailed down for that next version of the team. There’s solid depth, but there’s some reliance on Yesavage, Tiedemann and Nimmala turning into standout players, particularly if some of the aforementioned players aren’t re-signed and Santander can’t get back on the right track.

2024 rank: 23
2023 rank: 8
2022 rank: 4

Elite: None

Plus: Masyn Winn/SS, Sonny Gray/RHS

Solid: JJ Wetherholt/SS, Brendan Donovan/2B, Willson Contreras/1B, Ivan Herrera/C, Lars Nootbaar/LF, Liam Doyle/LHS, Tink Hence/RHS, Victor Scott/CF, Leonardo Bernal/C, Alec Burleson/RF, Matthew Liberatore/LHS, Michael McGreevy/RHS, Nolan Gorman/3B, Jesus Baez/3B, Quinn Mathews/LHS, Nolan Arenado/3B, Joshua Baez/RF, Blaze Jordan/3B, Pedro Pages/C, Jimmy Crooks/C, Cooper Hjerpe/LHS, Matt Svanson/RHR

All of the key players are eligible for this exercise, thanks, in large part, to the deadline trades that helped to beef up the farm system. There are a few catchers (not including the top prospect in the system, Rainiel Rodriguez, who is in Low-A) and starting pitchers (including some who just missed), though there isn’t a ton of frontline potential.

Gray’s mutual option for 2027 is priced just right to get him on here, but it was a close call. Wetherholt and Doyle clicking would be huge for the organization because there’s a ton of upper-minors prospects and somewhat unproven young big leaguers, to the point where the Cardinals could run out of room for all of them to play — but they also need some stars to emerge to build around.

2024 rank: 19
2023 rank: 7
2022 rank: 11

Elite: None

Plus: Junior Caminero/3B

Solid: Yandy Diaz/1B, Ryan Pepiot/RHS, Shane Baz/RHS, Carson Williams/SS, Jonathan Aranda/1B, Josh Lowe/RF, Ian Seymour/LHS, Griffin Jax/RHR, Chandler Simpson/CF, Jake Mangum/LF, Hunter Feduccia/C, Garrett Cleavinger/LHR, Shane McClanahan/LHS, Xavier Isaac/1B, Aidan Smith/CF, Brody Hopkins/RHS, Jonny DeLuca/CF, Yoniel Curet/RHS, Joe Boyle/RHS

Only a few big league players don’t qualify for this list, but some higher upside prospects don’t qualify because they’re too far from contributing in the majors. The middle tiers of the minor leagues are down a bit, as most of the best young talent in the organization is in Low-A or lower or in the big leagues.

I could see the Rays making a lot of trades this offseason because they don’t have much money coming off the books or players leaving via free agency, but they also don’t have many standout players, aside from Caminero (who may be in the elite tier by the middle of next year). This list isn’t deceptive like it is for some contending teams. It reflects a team that’s around .500. There’s a lot of depth of interesting talent in the upper minors and in the big leagues, as is usual for the Rays, so making trades is more sensible to help the team be more competitive while it waits to see if the lower minors can deliver a few Top 100-caliber prospects and maybe a star.

2024 rank: 25
2023 rank: 28
2022 rank: 29

Elite: None

Plus: James Wood/LF, CJ Abrams/SS, MacKenzie Gore/LHS

Solid: Luis Garcia Jr./2B, Dylan Crews/CF, Travis Sykora/RHS, Jarlin Susana/RHS, Brady House/3B, Jacob Young/CF, DJ Herz/LHS, Cade Cavalli/RHS, Jose Ferrer/RHR, Daylen Lile/RF, Drew Millas/C, Mitchell Parker/LHS, Brad Lord/RHS

Wood, Abrams and Gore are success stories who continue to progress and are the faces of the franchise at this point. Garcia’s underlying stats are still solid, so you can mostly disregard his down season. Crews is a little more worrisome, but he also has been unlucky on ball-in-play luck. Sykora can’t stay healthy, and House has had some big league struggles, but Susana might be turning the corner in terms of throwing strikes and has had ace potential.

No. 1 pick SS Eli Willits and other players taken in the past two drafts are a bit too far away to include here, but there are a few candidates to make this list next year.

2024 rank: 27
2023 rank: 23
2022 rank: 18

Elite: None

Plus: Kyle Stowers/LF

Solid: Eury Perez/RHS, Sandy Alcantara/RHS, Edward Cabrera/RHS, Thomas White/LHS, Jakob Marsee/CF, Robby Snelling/LHS, Otto Lopez/SS, Ryan Weathers/LHS, Agustin Ramirez/C, Xavier Edwards/2B, Joe Mack/C, Connor Norby/3B, Janson Junk/RHS, Aiva Arquette/SS, Maximo Acosta/SS, Ronny Henriquez/RHR, Liam Hicks/C, Max Meyer/RHS, Dax Fulton/LHS

Every player in the organization qualifies because they’re all under contractual control for at least two more seasons after this one. The problem is that only Stowers has broken through into the upper tiers, but a few young players could make that jump next season — mostly at the top of the solid tier and a very pitching-heavy group. Miami’s rebuild has turned around and is about to add more propulsion.

2024 rank: 28
2023 rank: 27
2022 rank: 21

Elite: None

Plus: Zach Neto/SS, Jose Soriano/RHS

Solid: Mike Trout/RF, Yusei Kikuchi/LHS, Jo Adell/CF, Reid Detmers/LHR, Nolan Schanuel/1B, Christian Moore/2B, Logan O’Hoppe/C, Tyler Bremner/RHS, George Klassen/RHS, Kyren Paris/SS, Caden Dana/RHS, Nelson Rada/CF, Denzer Guzman/SS

Soriano, Detmers, Bremner, Klassen, and Dana are five solid pitchers to build around, along with veteran Kikuchi, but it’s unlikely all of them pitch on the same staff.

Trout unfortunately has to be moved down a tier as he has posted 2.2 WAR over the past two seasons combined. Taylor Ward’s under contract through next year so he falls off the list. Neto is a clear keeper, and Adell is starting to put it together, but there aren’t a ton of position players right behind them in the system, so the Angels need to find more impact players without clear avenues to do so.

2024 rank: 29
2023 rank: 15
2022 rank: 18

Elite: None

Plus: None

Solid: Colson Montgomery/SS, Kyle Teel/C, Shane Smith/RHS, Grant Taylor/RHR, Noah Schultz/LHS, Hagen Smith/LHS, Chase Meidroth/SS, Edgar Quero/C, Lenyn Sosa/2B, Braden Montgomery/RF, Miguel Vargas/3B, Drew Thorpe/RHS, Jordan Leasure/RHR, Peyton Pallette/RHS, Tanner McDougal/RHS

Montgomery started the season ice cold (.626 OPS through 48 games in Triple-A) but then caught fire in the big leagues, hitting 16 homers in 49 games. He and Teel are the clear best long-term players of this core, with a lot of questions below them.

Luis Robert Jr. isn’t listed because it’s unlikely that both of his club options get picked up, and the two top pitching prospects (Schultz and Hagen Smith) had trouble throwing strikes this year. Shane Smith was a revelation, and Taylor is a potential long-term closer, but this organization needs some stars and they haven’t shown up.

2024 rank: 30
2023 rank: 30
2022 rank: 30

Elite: None

Plus: None

Solid: Ezequiel Tovar/SS, Brenton Doyle/CF, Hunter Goodman/C, Chase Dollander/RHS, Kyle Karros/3B, Charlie Condon/3B, Jordan Beck/LF, Jimmy Herget/RHR, Juan Mejia/RHR, Roc Riggio/2B, Jaden Hill/RHR, Seth Halvorsen/RHR, Ryan Feltner/RHS, Yanquiel Fernandez/RF, Brody Brecht/RHS, McCade Brown/RHS, Victor Vodnik/RHR, Jared Thomas/CF, Sterlin Thompson/LF, Griffin Herring/LHS

The tradition continues. It’s not like the amateur scouting staffs aren’t finding good players. I continue to have no faith and very little evidence that the development and big league team-building decision-makers know how to create value where it doesn’t exist.

I like some of the players they acquired at the deadline when they were finally as active as they should’ve been, but all four of the highest-paid players (Kris Bryant, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, German Marquez) are in their 30s and either weren’t good enough or don’t have enough contractual control to be listed above.

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Politics

New home secretary to host talks on people smuggling as small-boat crossings hits 30,000

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September 8, 2025

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New home secretary to host talks on people smuggling as small-boat crossings hits 30,000

The new home secretary will host talks on how to stop people smuggling in her first major engagement in the role.

Shabana Mahmood will host the so-called Five Eyes security alliance, holding talks between counterparts from the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The security alliance discussion comes after an estimated 1,000 people arrived by small boat in Britain over the course of a single day, with French authorities saying 24 people were rescued while trying to cross the English Channel.

Ms Mahmood said the numbers, which take the yearly total to more than 30,000 in record time, were “utterly unacceptable” and that she expected migrant returns under a deal agreed last month with France to begin “imminently”.

She was promoted into the role Friday during a dramatic reshuffle of Keir Starmer’s top team, which followed in the wake of Angela Rayner’s resignation over her tax affairs.

Politics latest: ‘One of the worst PMs in history’

Sir Keir will now be hoping to draw a line under the fallout of his former deputy’s departure, as well as a summer dominated by criticism of his government’s handling of the small boats crisis.

Ms Mahmood said the Five Eyes intelligence sharing pact would “agree new measures to protect our border”. The group will also discuss new measures to tackle child sexual abuse online, as well as the spread of deadly synthetic opioids, the Home Office said.

Ms Mahmood said: “Rebuilding our reputation on the world stage is how we tackle serious organised crime and secure our borders.”

Read more from Sky News:
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Rayner’s rise to deputy PM

“The Five Eyes might be drawn from different corners of the globe, but we are united by our alliance,” she added.

“As the security threats we all face become more complex and span continents, we are stronger and safer together.”

She will be joined at the talks by US secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem, Canadian public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree, Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke and New Zealand minister Judith Collins.

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What PM’s reshuffle reveals about his priorities

The Prime Minister has told his new ministers to “go up a gear” in delivering on Labour’s agenda, part of which now involves a toughened immigration policy as he faces pressure in the polls from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

In Ms Mahmood’s first full day in the job, she met the head of Scotland Yard to receive a briefing on the policing operation in response to protests in London.

“Supporting Palestine and supporting a proscribed terrorist group are not the same thing,” she said.

“An honour to visit Sir Mark (Rowley) and the Metropolitan Police to see them at work policing protests yesterday.”

Almost 900 people were arrested in central London at a protest against the banning of Palestine Action.

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World

Trump says he’s ready to move to second stage of Russia sanctions after Moscow launches large aerial attack

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September 8, 2025

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Trump says he's ready to move to second stage of Russia sanctions after Moscow launches large aerial attack

Donald Trump has said he is ready to move to a second stage of sanctioning Russia, just hours after Moscow launched the largest arial attack of the war so far.

At least four people have been killed, including a mother and a three-month-old baby, with more than 40 others injured, after Russia launched a bombardment of drones overnight.

While on his way to the final of the US Open tennis tournament, the president was asked if he was ready to move to the second stage of punishment for Moscow, to which he replied, “Yes”.

It echoes US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said additional economic pressure by the United States and Europe could prompt Putin to enter peace talks with Ukraine.

“We are prepared to increase pressure on Russia, but we need our European partners to follow us,” Treasury Secretary Scott told NBC News’ Meet the Press.

Sir Keir Starmer said the latest attack shows Vladimir Putin is “not serious about peace” as he joined other allies in condemning Russia’s actions.

The prime minister said the “brutal” and “cowardly” assault on Kyiv – which resulted in a government building catching fire – proved the Russian leader feels he can “act with impunity”.

Russia attacked Kyiv with 805 drones and decoys, officials said, and Ukraine shot down and neutralised 747 drones and four missiles, the country’s air force has said.

The attack caused a fire to break out at a key government building, with the sky above Kyiv covered in smoke.

Appeasement makes ‘no sense’

Polish premier Donald Tusk said the latest military onslaught showed any “attempts to appease” Putin make “no sense”.

“The US and Europe must together force Russia to accept an immediate ceasefire. We have all the instruments,” Mr Tusk said on Saturday.

Read more:
Putin’s warning to Western allies
Why fears of an attack on Europe are not ‘hysteria’

Meanwhile the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the Kremlin was “mocking diplomacy”.

Vladimir Putin reportedly wants control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine – known as the Donbas – as a condition for ending the war.

Russia occupies around 19% of Ukraine, including Crimea and the parts of the Donbas region it seized before the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

But this attack comes after European nations pressed the Russian leader to work to end the war at a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing” – a group of countries led by France and Britain seeking to help protect Kyiv in the event of a ceasefire.

Some 26 of Ukraine’s allies pledged to provide security guarantees as part of a “reassurance force” for the war-torn country once the fighting ends, Mr Macron has said.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to meet Mr Putin to negotiate a peace agreement, and has urged US president Donald Trump to put punishing sanctions on Russia to push it to end the war.

Pic: State Emergency Service of Ukraine
Image:
Pic: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

“The world can force the Kremlin criminals to stop the killings – all that is needed is political will,” he said on Sunday.

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