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The Rangers have done it! They’ve won their first World Series in franchise history, beating the Diamondbacks in five games in what was one of the most surprising Series matchups ever.

Now that the Fall Classic is over, it’s time to turn our attention to 2024 — and we’re kicking that off with some way-WAY-too-early power rankings.

Where do Texas and Arizona rank after their exhilarating World Series runs? Were the Braves and Dodgers hurt by their division-round knockouts? And where did the Orioles and Astros land? Let’s get right into it!

Final 2023 regular-season Power Rankings | Grades for every team


2023 record: 104-58

2023 final ranking: 1

After losing to the Phillies in the division series for a second straight season, there was a lot made in Atlanta about the Braves lacking the necessary intestinal fortitude required to win in October. It can’t be a coincidence. Changes need to be made. The one player Braves fans seemed to defend the most was Spencer Strider, even though he’s 0-3 against the Phillies in those two series.

Let’s not forget that many of these same players were part of a World Series roster just two years ago. What, you want to trade Ronald Acuna Jr.? Dump Ozzie Albies and his $7 million-per-year contract? Look, no doubt the rotation was a bit of a mess by the end of the season, with Charlie Morton injured, Max Fried pitching through a blister issue and Bryce Elder struggling. Alex Anthopoulos will no doubt address the bullpen and perhaps add a veteran starter, but the lineup that became the first ever to slug .500 remains intact, and that will make the Braves the team to beat.


2023 record: 90-72

2023 final ranking: 5

Well, that was quite the ride … and there are reasons to expect the Rangers will be even better in 2024. An offense that led the AL in runs will now be adding Evan Carter for a full season, and 2023 first-round pick Wyatt Langford looks like a potential superstar after hitting .360/.480/.677 and reaching Triple-A in his pro debut. All the starting pitching options will be back except for free agent Jordan Montgomery, and given his postseason success you wonder if the Rangers will make a hard pitch to bring him back. You can never have too much starting pitching, especially given the various health concerns with Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray and Jacob deGrom. You can also never have too much relief pitching either, and that will be the offseason priority. How about signing free agent Josh Hader as the new closer?


2023 record: 101-61

2023 final ranking: 2

When the Rangers swept Baltimore in the ALDS the general reaction seemed to be, “Oh, the Orioles weren’t really that good anyway,” which felt like an in-the-moment dismissal of a team that won 101 games. Perhaps that win-loss record did overrate the Orioles’ true talent level — their Pythagorean record was 94-68 — but the good news is there is more young talent on the way to join Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez, including Jackson Holliday who emerged as the game’s top prospect — plus Heston Kjerstad, Coby Mayo and catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo, who hit .313/.402/.551 while reaching Double-A at 19.

The question: How will Mike Elias reinforce the pitching staff? Starting pitching is the strength of an otherwise weak free agent class: Nola, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Sonny Gray and Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is expected to be posted after a sensational season (1.16 ERA, just two home runs allowed in 171 innings), top the list. Whether the Orioles fork over a nine-figure contract remains to be seen, maybe they’ll trade from their prospect depth instead. Either way, it’s time for the organization to make a big move for the rotation.


2023 record: 90-72

2023 final ranking: 6

There are two ways to view the Phillies: (1) They’ve defeated the Braves two years in a row in the postseason; (2) They’ve finished 14 games behind the Braves in the NL East each of the past two seasons. That’s aside from the shocking loss to the Diamondbacks in the NLCS, which did expose a few weaknesses: The lineup, even with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, doesn’t draw a lot of walks; they also strike out a lot. In other words, some of these guys can be pitched to, and Arizona exploited those holes. The other problem, of course, was Craig Kimbrel. He’s a free agent, and the team will need a new closer — either from within or perhaps Philadelphia will be among the teams chasing Hader.

Still, few can match the Phillies’ frontline talent, and they return all their key players except longtime starter Aaron Nola, who heads into free agency. Re-signing him — or replacing him — will be an offseason priority (with an eye towards Zack Wheeler’s free agency after 2024 as well). Maybe they’ll count on top prospect Mick Abel (fellow prospect Andrew Painter underwent Tommy John surgery in July), but Nola’s durability is a big plus, and you have to think Dave Dombrowski will make a run at bringing him back.


2023 record: 90-72

2023 final ranking: 9

Losing all four home games in the ALCS was the exclamation point on a weird season for the Astros, one in which they battled injuries and had a losing record at home and then ended with Dusty Baker announcing his retirement.

Was winning 16 fewer games than they did in 2022 a sign that the Astros are finally getting old? Not really. Alex Bregman is entering his age-30 season, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker will be 27 and Jeremy Pena 26. Yainer Diaz should take over as the regular catcher after hitting 23 home runs as a rookie, and that will improve the offense. Jose Altuve is 34 but coming off a .311/.393/.522 season. Depth remains an issue for Houston offensively, but not star power. In the rotation, the Astros will have Justin Verlander for a full season but need Cristian Javier to show up more often in the regular season and Framber Valdez to rediscover his sinker.

Overall, the Astros will be loaded with hopes of another championship run. Indeed, the biggest issue may simply be mentally gearing up for another 162-game regular season. At some point they’ll have to rebuild — Bregman and Altuve are entering the final years of their deals — but that time has yet to arrive.


2023 record: 99-63

2023 final ranking: 4

The Rays are a tough team to evaluate. They’re coming off an impressive 99-win season with the third-highest run differential in the majors, but the injuries to the starting rotation had piled up by the end of the season, and they’ll be without Shane McClanahan in 2024 after Tommy John surgery. Tyler Glasnow’s salary also jumps from $5.35 million to $25 million, which might put him on the trade block. Plus, there’s the uncertainty of the Wander Franco investigation.

Still, the offense was terrific. Top prospects Junior Caminero and Curtis Mead should be ready to play major roles, and Shane Baz should be back from Tommy John surgery. And they’ll probably find three relievers off the waiver wire and turn them into dominant arms.


2023 record: 100-62

2023 final ranking: 3

Deep breaths here. The Dodgers aren’t facing an impending organizational collapse. Yes, that playoff loss to the Diamondbacks was embarrassing and all kinds of awful, and the rotation at season’s end was messier than a 4-year-old eating a chocolate ice cream cone. Clayton Kershaw is a free agent with an unknown future, and Julio Urias will not be back. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May will miss 2024 after Tommy John surgeries. That leaves Bobby Miller, a returning Walker Buehler, Emmet Sheehan and Ryan Pepiot as the rotation heading into the offseason — plus a group of interesting starting pitching prospects in the upper minors, including Gavin Stone, Nick Frasso, River Ryan and Landon Knack. The cupboard isn’t exactly barren here.

Plus, you know … there’s Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. And Will Smith. And Max Muncy. And James Outman had a nice rookie season. They’ll have Gavin Lux back. Oh … and they have plenty of payroll room to spend over the winter. Rumor is they may be looking at getting a certain superstar to make a 31.4-mile trip up I-5. Look, there are real concerns here: An unproven rotation, a lineup that was mostly a bunch of 30-somethings in 2023. But bet against the Dodgers at your own peril.


2023 record: 88-74

2023 final ranking: 11

In an all-time foot-in-his-mouth moment, Mariners baseball operations head Jerry Dipoto told reporters during his end-of-season news conference that “We’re actually doing the fan base a favor in asking their patience to win the World Series.” He then explained his theory that winning 54% of games over a decade is the team’s aspiration. The Mariners won 54% of their games in 2023 — and missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Mariners have seen the Rangers leapfrog right over them in the AL West.

The rotation gives Seattle a high floor — although I think that group is a little overrated. The Mariners were just 12th in the majors in rotation ERA on the road. Still, it’s a strong foundation with Bryce Miller lining up behind Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert. They’ll hope to get Marco Gonzales back and Robbie Ray could return from Tommy John surgery later in the season. The offense finished eighth in the majors in runs on the road, but strikeouts were a problem — second most in the majors. That’s just too many whiffs to make a deep playoff run — if they get in. What do they need to win, oh, 56% of their games? A left-handed, power-hitting DH would be nice. Know anybody who fits the bill?


2023 record: 83-79

2023 final ranking: 13

The Cubs ended up missing the postseason by one win after losing five of their final six games, which head of baseball operations Jed Hoyer described as “Painfully, we did not finish the race. And you can’t call something that falls short of your goals a success.” Still, after posting a plus-96 run differential that ranked 10th in the majors, the Cubs are headed in the right direction, including having a slew of young players such as September call-ups Jordan Wicks and Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cade Horton, Ben Brown, Kevin Alcantara and even 2023 first-round pick Matt Shaw who could impact the major league roster in 2024.

They’ll have to decide whether to pursue re-signing Cody Bellinger, and Marcus Stroman has an opt-out, so that could mean there are two big holes to fill. With Crow-Armstrong ready to take over in center field, maybe they let Bellinger walk, although that opens up a hole at first base where Matt Mervis may or not be the answer. Still, with so much promising young talent on the way, the Cubs have the flexibility to pursue free agents to plug some gaps.


2023 record: 89-73

2023 final ranking: 8

Is there more in the tank here? After seasons of 92 and 89 wins that both ended in two-game sweeps in the AL Wild Card Series, the Jays are kind of stuck between contender and pretender with no clear path to improvement. On the positive side, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi all return after making 30-plus starts with ERAs under 4.00. If Alek Manoah can figure out what went wrong, the rotation should again be one of the best in the majors. On offense, Matt Chapman, Brandon Belt and Kevin Kiermaier are all free agents so this lineup could look different in 2024. After ranking eighth in the AL in runs, they’ll need to fill those holes. John Schneider is back as manager after his dubious decision to pull Berrios in the playoff game that was questioned by his own players and front office. I’m not sure he’s a strength here — given the health of the rotation in 2023, it’s hard to say he got the most out of this club.


2023 record: 84-78

2023 final ranking: 12

The Diamondbacks squeaked into the postseason for the first time since 2017 and then had a memorable playoff run in beating the Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies to reach the World Series. It will be interesting to see what kind of offseason the front office pursues. After all, this was a team that was outscored during the regular season and relied on a red-hot bullpen in the postseason. There is an exciting young core here that should keep the D-backs in contention in upcoming years: Corbin Carroll will be 23, Gabriel Moreno 24, Alek Thomas 24, Geraldo Perdomo 24, with top prospect Jordan Lawlar ready to break into the lineup as well.

They’ll have to improve the back of the rotation — beginning with improvement from playoff hero Brandon Pfaadt, who had a 5.72 ERA in the regular season but showed in October that he has potential to be much improved in 2024. Ryne Nelson (5.31 ERA) will be given another opportunity in the rotation, and it makes sense to go after a veteran starter — even an innings-eater like Kyle Gibson would help — but the Diamondbacks should sense some weakness in the Dodgers and Padres and aim higher.


2023 record: 82-80

2023 final ranking: 17

I hate to use the term luck since you make your own luck, but the Padres were one of the unluckiest teams in MLB history, finishing 10 wins worse than their Pythagorean record. That came courtesy of a 9-23 record in one-run games, including 2-12 in extra innings. By FanGraphs’ “clutch” factor, they were also the least clutch offensive team in the majors (they hit .210 in high-leverage situations).

They do have two premier free agents to replace in likely Cy Young winner Blake Snell and closer Josh Hader and will need yet another new manager with Bob Melvin leaving for the Giants. The frontline talent is here to compete for a division title, and given how much the Padres have invested in this roster it seems unlikely they’ll back off now. That’s not to dismiss the possibility they trade Juan Soto as he enters his walk year and A.J. Preller hasn’t exactly proven he can build the depth around his stars. Still, I think the Padres will be more competitive in 2024.


2023 record: 87-75

2023 final ranking: 10

Ahh, the benefits of playing in a division where two teams are a mess, one is rebuilding and one is too cheap to improve its roster. OK, maybe saying that much of their success is simply the AL Central is a bit unfair to the Twins, who were six games over .500 outside the division (frankly, they should have done better within the division). Most importantly, the Twins ended that horrific 18-game postseason losing streak with a wild-card series win over the Blue Jays.

The strength of the team in 2023 was a starting rotation that led the majors in strikeout rate, but Cy Young contender Sonny Gray is a free agent, as are Kenta Maeda and (the often injured) Tyler Mahle, so that’s 57 starts to fill. The offense was fifth in the AL in runs scored as Edouard Julien looks like he’ll be an on-base machine, and Royce Lewis showed signs of potential stardom if he can stay healthy. If Lewis, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton can all post and produce, the offense could be really good, but they are three big ifs given their health history. The offseason focus will likely center on adding a starting pitcher to replace Gray and perhaps a corner outfield bat (Joey Gallo was not a solution).


2023 record: 82-80

2023 final ranking: 16

No team has more on the line this offseason than the Yankees, who are coming off their worst winning percentage since 1992 (although they avoided a losing season) and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Is Brian Cashman getting an unfair rap? After all, the Yankees won 99 games in 2022 and 100 and 103 in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Maybe, but the World Series drought is now at 14 years and the lack of left-handed power in recent years has been a strange approach to lineup construction given their home park.

The Yankees’ best solutions have always been to just spend money (although not enough in recent years, according to Yankees fans), but the free agent market won’t be too helpful here unless they can lure Shohei Ohtani to the Bronx (and they’re kind of stuck with Giancarlo Stanton at DH already). This feels like a spot where they could overpay Cody Bellinger for his big 2023. Still, the pitching might be very good-to-dominant if Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes bounce back from injuries and with Michael King looking like a nice starter based on his late-season performance in the rotation. For now, we’ll put them in the middle of the pack and note that there is upside here with the right tweaks and better health.


2023 record: 78-84

2023 final ranking: 19

Chaim Bloom is out after four years as chief baseball officer, and former Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow, who has been in the Cubs’ front office since 2019, takes over. No doubt owner John Henry has given him the mantra to win now, replacing Bloom’s more cautious approach.

Luckily for Breslow, the Red Sox have a nice offensive foundation and Bloom did a nice job rebuilding what had been a weak farm system. On top of breakout seasons from Triston Casas and Jarren Duran, prospects like Ceddanne Rafaela, Marcelo Mayer and Nick Yorke might be ready to contribute in 2024, with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel perhaps a year away.

The problem is the rotation ranked 22nd in the majors in ERA. If ownership wants to win now that will mean purchasing some arms in free agency or trading away some of that young position player talent.


2023 record: 92-70

2023 final ranking: 7

Of the six division winners, the Brewers feel like the team most likely to fall. First off, manager Craig Counsell — arguably the best in the game — is unsigned. Maybe he ends up going back to Milwaukee, or maybe David Stearns, his former boss, lures him to manage the Mets. We already know they’ll be without Brandon Woodruff for all of 2024. The bullpen, which led the majors in win probability added, is likely to regress at least a little. Then there’s the status of Corbin Burnes, with one season left until he’s a free agent. Trading him might be an opportunity to add a young bat or two to a lineup that ranked 14th in the NL in slugging and OPS, with only Willy Adames cracking the 20-homer barrier.


2023 record: 75-87

2023 final ranking: 22

Hey, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer did end up reaching the LCS — just not with the Mets, after the club gave up on 2023 at the trade deadline. What we know: Buck Showalter and Billy Eppler are out, and former Brewers GM Stearns takes over the baseball operations department. What we don’t know: Are the Mets all-in for 2024? At his introductory news conference, Stearns played it down the middle: “We are going to do our best to put together a team in 2024 that is competitive. And we’re going to do it in a way that does not detract from our competitiveness in the future years.”

Stearns did more with less in Milwaukee, but now he’ll have to prove he can do more with more. That didn’t work for the Mets in 2023 and we’re left to wonder if perhaps 2022, when the Mets won 101 games, was just a fluke season spliced between what remains a mediocre base of talent. Perhaps the best way to “thread the needle” — as Stearns put it — is to simply use owner Steve Cohen’s money to go after Ohtani and Yamamoto, two players who will help in 2024 … and beyond.


2023 record: 78-84

2023 final ranking: 21

The Tigers appear to finally be moving in the right direction. They had a winning record in the second half, when the rotation had the seventh-best ERA in the majors. Tarik Skubal was a beast when he returned in July, with a 2.80 ERA in 15 starts and terrific peripherals. Reese Olson had a promising rookie season. If they can keep Matt Manning healthy (he had two separate IL stints after getting hit twice in the right foot), get Casey Mize back from Tommy John surgery and have Eduardo Rodriguez stick around (he has an opt-out clause), this could be a really good rotation.

That leaves the offense, which was better — Spencer Torkelson finally broke out in the second half and finished with 31 home runs — but still needs a lot of help. Colt Keith should plug the hole at third base after hitting .306 with 27 home runs in the minors. Getting Miguel Cabrera’s $32 million off the books will be nice and, frankly, the Tigers have a lot of payroll room here. I’m not sure this is the year president of baseball ops Scott Harris decides to ramp up the payroll, especially given the weak market for free agents, but even some second-tier free agents would help the lineup depth.


2023 record: 82-80

2023 final ranking: 15

Look, there’s no doubt the Reds were one of the fun stories of 2023, hanging in the wild-card race until the final few days of the season. Maybe I’m underrating them here; after all, there is the exciting class of rookie position players in Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Noelvi Marte to build upon (plus starters Andrew Abbott and Brandon Williamson). De La Cruz became an instant highlight sensation, but he’s more hype than production right now (144 strikeouts and a .300 OBP in 98 games). I can’t get past the rotation questions: a 5.43 ERA, 28th in the majors, and it didn’t really improve over the course of the season. Cincinnati will have to upgrade the pitching — perhaps dealing from that excess of young infielders — to look like anything more than a .500 team.


2023 record: 76-86

2023 final ranking: 20

There are reasons to be optimistic about what Cleveland might do in 2024: The AL Central remains soft, and rookie starters Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen and Gavin Williams all impressed, combining for a 3.35 ERA across 65 starts. Hopefully, Triston McKenzie will be at full strength after injuries limited him to four starts, and Shane Bieber is still here — although he’s in his final year of arbitration, which means a trade is possible. The Guardians have to replace Terry Francona, however, and while it’s impossible to give an exact number on wins a manager can add, we may just find out how valuable Francona has been. More problematic: fixing the offense, which ranked last in the majors in home runs, including at pathetic 18 from its outfielders.


2023 record: 76-86

2023 final ranking: 23

Are the Pirates making progress? Manager Derek Shelton thought so by the end of the season, saying he was encouraged by the team’s final two months. “We’re playing better baseball but we’re also — and this may sound a little different — we’re getting things out of the way,” he said. I’m not sure exactly what Shelton meant, but it sounds like a nice way of saying this is no longer the atrocious 100-loss teams of 2021 and 2022. GM Ben Cherington even said the team would “have the resources we need to get better and to compete and contend” in 2024.

Of course, given owner Bob Nutting’s history, what does that mean? Increasing payroll from $71 million to $100 million? Bottom line: The Pirates still have a long way to go. They were 24th in the majors in rotation ERA and 13th in the NL in runs. Top prospects Endy Rodriguez and Henry David hardly looked like impact players, and Davis had to play out of position in right field. It will help if No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes is ready to jump into the rotation, but they need to upgrade the infield.


2023 record: 84-78

2023 final ranking: 14

It was an exciting season for the Marlins: Their first winning season in a full schedule since 2009, their first playoff appearance in a full season since 2003, Luis Arraez winning the batting title, young starters Jesus Luzardo and Braxton Garrett making 30 starts for the first time and Eury Perez flashing signs of future stardom. So why the low ranking? The season ended with the controversial departure of GM Kim Ng and the stability of the organization once again teeters on the ledge.

I just don’t think Miami enters the offseason in a strong position. The Marlins were minus-57 in run differential, with their record propped up by a 33-14 record in one-run games (and it’s not like the bullpen was especially effective). They were last in the NL in runs scored. Ace Sandy Alcantara will miss the season with Tommy John surgery and the farm system is weak. The owner may be a problem. Good luck to the GM.


2023 record: 71-91

2023 final ranking: 25

The Cardinals suffered their first losing season since 2007 and their first 90-loss season since 1990, so the front office will be tested more than it has been in decades in reshaping the club for 2024. There’s certainly more talent here than your typical 91-loss team, but it’s also important to remember that Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado produced an estimated 67 fewer runs than in 2022 — and they’re not getting any younger. Of course, the biggest challenge is fixing a rotation that ranked 26th in the majors with a 5.08 ERA — and that could put president of baseball ops John Mozeliak in the uncomfortable position of spending some money on free agents.


2023 record: 79-83

2023 final ranking: 18

The Giants lost 83 games and fired manager Gabe Kapler — and they may have overachieved just to do that well (at least in the first half, when they were eight games over .500). Bob Melvin takes over at manager, and perhaps some of the thinking there is hiring the understated Melvin will help bring free agents to San Francisco. The second half exposed the team’s lack of star talent, which is why Vegas oddsmakers have made the Giants one of the favorites to land Ohtani and why baseball operations president Farhan Zaidi made a recent trip to Japan to scout Yamamoto. GM Pete Putila was also in South Korea scouting center fielder Jung-hoo Lee. They’ll also need to replace Brandon Crawford, the team’s long-time shortstop. Marco Luciano was once the heir apparent, but his prospect hype has faded, and he may not be the answer.


2023 record: 73-89

2023 final ranking: 24

Take away Ohtani’s 10.0 WAR and what are you left with? Let’s do some quick math. With Ohtani, the Angels ranked 21st in the majors in WAR. Subtract 10 and they fall to 26th. Which is about where I’m putting them here. There’s a non-zero chance they trade Mike Trout — but given Trout played just 82 games and had the worst OPS of his career while turning 32 in August and is owed a ton of money through 2030, that feels unlikely. Obviously, their offseason hinges on re-signing Ohtani, but you do wonder what their Plan B might look like.


2023 record: 71-91

2023 final ranking: 26

The Nationals were last in this space a season ago and finished with a more respectable record than anticipated, avoiding the 100 losses many believed were coming. They worked in some young guys, with mixed results. The underlying talent here is still thin: They were last in the NL in home runs while allowing the most home runs, and that’s not going to work. The rotation was also healthy with the top five starters combining for 143 starts — that probably won’t happen again. If Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore make a leap forward and James Wood and Dylan Crews can impact the offense in the second half, Washington will at least be interesting, but it wouldn’t shock me to see regression back to 100 losses (unless additions are made in the offseason).


2023 record: 50-112

2023 final ranking: 30

Wait, not last? The franchise more interested in promoting architectural renderings of a new ballpark in Las Vegas than winning games in Oakland? The franchise with an owner in John Fisher who is so disliked that pitcher Trevor May retired and deplored him to sell the team to “someone who actually takes pride in things they own”? The franchise that just lost 112 games? Well, the A’s will certainly be bad in 2024, but they did improve in the second half, dropping their run differential from minus-248 to minus-91. After a nightmare first half, the rotation lowered its ERA from 6.32 to 4.97 — which isn’t anything to brag about but is a small indicator that the team won’t be quite so awful again.


2023 record: 56-106

2023 final ranking: 29

The Royals have two starters rostered who made more than 12 starts in 2023 — and both had ERAs over five and a half. They don’t have a single reliever returning who pitched at least 20 innings and had an ERA under 4.00. They do have Bobby Witt Jr. and Cole Ragans, who had a breakout performance the final two months and looks like a potential top-of-the-rotation starter. A healthy Vinnie Pasquantino will help, and maybe Nelson Velazquez will show up, but the pitching staff basically needs to be completely re-constructed — with a farm system that has little to offer.


2023 record: 59-103

2023 final ranking: 28

The worst offensive team in the majors via wRC+ (weighted runs created), Colorado has to find some hitters. Just once, wouldn’t it be fun for the Rockies to bring in some superstar sluggers? They have some hitting prospects of interest down on the farm, although I’m lukewarm about most of them. Guys like Jordan Beck, Yanquiel Fernandez and Zac Veen all scuffled when they reached Double-A, so I don’t see any impact in 2024 from that group. The Rockies are coming off 103 losses. Hopefully that will be rock bottom, but this is an organization wandering in the baseball desert without any grand plan.


2023 record: 61-101

2023 final ranking: 27

That was a disaster. The White Sox lost 101 games, their most since 1970 (a team so bad it averaged fewer than 6,000 fans per game). Longtime executives Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn were fired in August with farm director Chris Getz taking over as general manager, even though the farm system hasn’t exactly been pumping out quality prospects. Pedro Grifol will get another chance as manager even though the team fell apart in the second half (23-47, minus-133 run differential). Maybe they’ll spend some money in the offseason, and maybe some of the better players will rebound, but the White Sox enter the offseason as the most dysfunctional organization of 2023.

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Inside the numbers: Where Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl rank as an all-time playoff duo

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Inside the numbers: Where Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl rank as an all-time playoff duo

EDMONTON, Alberta — Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky are the two highest-scoring players in Stanley Cup playoffs history. But Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl just passed the Edmonton Oilers‘ dynastic duo in the NHL record books for one particular achievement.

“They’re the best players of their generation,” said Messier, who is second (295 points in 236 games) to Gretzky (382 points in 208 games) in all-time postseason scoring.

Gretzky and Messier had 28 playoff games in which they both scored multiple points. Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Friday against the Florida Panthers was the 29th game in which McDavid (three assists) and Draisaitl (goal, assist) both had multiple points in a postseason game, passing Messier and The Great One.

They trail Gretzky and Glenn Anderson by one game for second all time in this category but will need some time to match Gretzky and linemate Jari Kurri, who had 44 multipoint games together with Edmonton and Los Angeles.

“It’s actually unbelievable for a franchise like Edmonton to have had the teams and the players that have come through there, Messier said. “There are NHL teams that have been around forever and never had a Bobby Orr or Mario Lemieux. For a team that had Gretzky to now have McDavid and Draisaitl is unbelievable.”

Of course, Messier was no slouch either. The Hockey Hall of Fame center is third in NHL history with 1,887 career points. He and Gretzky won four Stanley Cups together in Edmonton, before Messier won another with the Oilers after The Great One was traded to Los Angeles. They were the engine for those teams, with Gretzky (252 points) and Messier (215 points) as the first and second playoff scorers in Edmonton history. McDavid (148 points in 92 games) is fifth, while Draisaitl (137 in 92 games) is sixth.

McDavid and Draisaitl eclipsing an achievement by Gretzky and Messier is poetic. Both sets of stars were the first- and second-line centers on the Oilers. All of them have been NHL MVPs. The current Edmonton standard-bearers are trying to bring the first Stanley Cup to the city since the Oilers’ dynasty ended in 1990.

“They’ve been in this organization for a long time now. Two of the best players in the world. Everyone knows how much they mean to the Oilers,” said their goalie, Stuart Skinner, who grew up in Edmonton as an Oilers fan.

Draisaitl was drafted third in 2014 by Edmonton behind defenseman Aaron Ekblad and center Sam Reinhart, both of whom are now on the Panthers. McDavid was the coveted first pick in 2015 whom Edmonton drafted after winning the lottery and moving up from No. 3.

McDavid and Draisaitl led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final last season and nearly rallied them from a 3-0 series deficit to the Panthers before losing in Game 7. McDavid finished with 42 points in 25 games. Draisaitl had 31 points in the same span.

This postseason, McDavid leads the playoffs with 31 points, while Draisaitl is second with 29 points.

Draisaitl has scored at least 10 goals in three straight postseasons, joining New York Islanders legend Mike Bossy (four from 1980 to 1993) and Gretzky (three from 1983 to 1985) as the only players to have done so.

This is McDavid’s third 30-point postseason, tying him with Messer for second-most all time behind Gretzky, who had six. Assuming Draisaitl gets to 30 points, it will also be his third 30-point postseason. Draisaitl’s next point will also set a new NHL record for him and McDavid: No other teammates in Stanley Cup playoffs history have had back-to-back 30-point postseasons.

Not even Gretzky and Messier.

“I think Oilers fans appreciate it because of the 1980s and then the long drought and now what they have with McDavid and Draisaitl,” Messier said. “There’s appreciation of their drive, work ethic, talent and determination to be the best. They’ve shown every one of those attributes.”


AT THE END of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, as the Dallas Stars were celebrating a miraculous third-period comeback win, Draisaitl and McDavid simultaneously turned their heads to glance at each other on the Oilers bench.

This became known on social media as “The Look.”

Fans marked time as everything that happened before “The Look” and everything that followed it. Namely that the Oilers won the next four games against Dallas, outscoring the Stars 19-5, and then won Game 1 of the Final.

While the internet bestowed gravitas to this brief but smoldering gaze, McDavid said he didn’t recall the moment. But he did confirm that, over the years, he and Draisaitl have developed some kind of telepathic communication.

“I think we’ve definitely developed a sense of understanding what the other one’s thinking in any given moment,” he said. “Sometimes, yeah, all it takes is a look to know what’s going on.”

The offense created when McDavid and Draisaitl are on the ice does speak to something extra sensory between them.

Heading into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night, McDavid and Draisaitl have now factored on the same goal 73 times in the playoffs. There are only three duos in NHL history that have factored in on the same goal more often:

In 43 games over the past two postseasons, Edmonton has scored 21 goals with McDavid and Draisaitl on the ice at 5-on-5, a rate of 4.4 goals per 60 minutes. When neither of them are on the ice, the Oilers have a 2.03 goals per 60 minutes rate at 5-on-5 in their past 43 games — although it should be noted that this season’s supporting cast has that rate up to 2.71 goals per 60 in the team’s past 18 games.

This postseason, McDavid and Draisaitl have an expected goals rate of 66.4%; when neither of them are on the ice at 5-on-5, the rest of the Oilers earn 49.6% of the expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. When Messier and Gretzky were teammates, the Oilers rarely put them on the same line.

“No, we played on separate lines for the most part. The power play, at times, but not all the time,” Messier said. “I centered the second line, and it was one of the reasons why we became so hard to play against.”

McDavid and Draisaitl have played 167:04 together at 5-on-5 in 18 games, more than McDavid (158:43) and Draisaitl (150:06) have played away from the other. Which is to say that coach Kris Knoblauch has not hesitated to unleash the “nuclear option” on opponents this postseason, uniting his two offensive wizards on the same line.

“We’ve done it throughout the playoffs, and they have just gone off and scored at a tremendous, tremendous rate,” Knoblauch said.

But the coach said he’s cognizant of the ripple effects caused by Draisaitl moving to McDavid’s wing.

“Leon playing center just spreads out our scoring a little bit. It also gets him in the game a little bit more. He’s skating and involved,” Knoblauch said. “I think it also allows the rest of our team knowing that they’ve got a role, they’ve got to play well and we’re not just relying on this one line that it’s going to do all the work.”

Of course, the Oilers are more than happy to rely on McDavid and Draisaitl as linemates on the power play. In 43 games over the past two postseasons, Edmonton has scored 34 goals with both of them on the ice for a power play. The Oilers have scored just once on the power play without McDavid and Draisaitl on the ice over the past two postseasons.

Draisaitl has 22 career power-play goals in 92 games, tying him for 29th all time. Only Hockey Hall of Fame winger Cam Neely (25 in 93 games) had more goals having played fewer than 100 career postseason games. Draisaitl enters Game 3 needing one power-play goal to tie Gretzky (23) for the most in Oilers history — and it took The Great One 120 games to amass that total.

Alex Ovechkin has the “Ovi Spot” on the power play. Leon has “Drai Island”: Draisaitl now has 73 power-play goals from the right circle on a one-timer in the regular season and the playoffs since the shot was first tracked in 2016-17. The next-highest player? Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov, way back at 44 goals.

McDavid remains Draisaitl’s biggest fan.

“You can’t put a number on it. He’s invaluable. There’s so many good things he does. You name it, he does it. And he doesn’t get enough credit for his defensive abilities,” McDavid said last week. “There’s not many — maybe nobody — better.”

Draisaitl has 10 power-play goals over the past two Oilers playoff runs. McDavid had the primary assist on seven of them. That includes his cross-ice feed to Draisaitl for the overtime winner in Game 1 and that highlight-reel individual effort to feed him for a goal in Game 2 when McDavid deked Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad out of their respective skates:

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McDavid wizardry sets up Draisaitl for Oilers goal

The Oilers take the lead for the second time after Connor McDavid’s sensational assist to Leon Draisaitl.

Those power-play helpers are one reason McDavid has moved up the ranks of the most multi-assist games in NHL postseason history. Heading into Game 3, he has 33 career multi-assist playoff games, the third-most behind Oilers legends Gretzky (72) and Messier (40).

“They’re the best at almost all aspects of the game,” Oilers winger Jeff Skinner said. “They are dominant every night, and that gives them the confidence to keep doing it.”

Which is to say that opponents, such as the Panthers, can only hope to mitigate the damage that McDavid and Draisaitl will inevitably do.


IN GAME 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Florida iced the puck 21 times. Occasionally, it was its fourth line that was guilty of the infraction. When that would happen and the Panthers were forced to take a faceoff back in their own zone, Knoblauch wouldn’t hesitate to put McDavid and Draisaitl out there together to prey on them.

When that happened, Panthers fourth-line winger Jonah Gadjovich knew what to do — let someone else handle them as quickly as possible.

“Play hard. Get off the ice as quick as you can. Get the puck out and get off. That’s what we’re trying to do,” he said.

Defending McDavid is hard. Defending McDavid and Draisaitl is terrifying, even for Barkov, considered the best defensive forward in the NHL.

“You just have to know that they’re on the ice. You have to be aware of them all the times. You have to know a little bit of their tendencies as well,” said Barkov, a three-time winner of the Selke Trophy, including this season. “But at the same time, it’s five guys on ice. It’s not just one. So five guys need to know you need to know where they are and take the time and space away from it.”

That’s something Panthers defenseman Seth Jones echoed.

“When they play together, they’re obviously very creative players and they make everyone around them better. They like to look for each other, especially when they play together. Little give-and-goes, things like that,” he said. “Whether they’re playing together or apart, it’s a five-man unit, defending holdups, little things like that, just being physical on them is going to help us at the end of the day.”

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Draisaitl comes up big with OT winner in Game 1

Leon Draisaitl nets the winning goal late in overtime to help the Oilers take Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

But the Panthers aren’t playing the same McDavid and Draisaitl from last postseason. Both players were far from 100% in 2024, having played 13 playoff games in the last two rounds before the Stanley Cup Final. This time, they’re healthy and rested, having played 10 games in those rounds in two straight five-game series wins.

Both players have talked about how the postseason journey in 2024 changed them, in particular with their mental approach to this season’s Final. McDavid has talked about being more “comfortable” than last time, with the second time around feeling more normal.

Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has been a linemate for both McDavid and Draisaitl in his career, praised their mental toughness.

“It speaks to their level of competitiveness, which is so impressive on a day-to-day basis that it pushes you,” he said. “They’re two of the most talented players that we’ve probably ever seen in the game, but there has to be more than that, and these guys have that. They’re so competitive. They want to win so bad.”

The numbers certainly back that up.

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Panthers-Oilers Game 3 preview: Who will take a 2-1 lead?

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Panthers-Oilers Game 3 preview: Who will take a 2-1 lead?

After two games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are knotted at one game apiece — essentially turning this series into a best-of-five.

With Game 3 on the horizon Monday night (8 p.m. ET, TNT/Max), which team will inch ahead two games to one?

Here are notes on the matchup from ESPN Research, as well as betting intel from ESPN BET:

More from Game 2: Recap | Grades

Matchup notes

Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers
Game 3 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT/Max

With the series tied 1-1, the Panthers are now slight favorites to win the Cup according to ESPN BET; their odds are now -115, compared to -105 for the Oilers. Connor McDavid remains atop the Conn Smythe Trophy odds board at +105, followed by Sergei Bobrovsky (+350), Sam Bennett (+400) and Leon Draisaitl (+650).

The Panthers’ win in Game 2 was their ninth on the road this postseason, setting a franchise mark for road wins in a single playoff run. They are now one road win shy of tying the NHL record, which has been done six times before, most recently by the 2019 St. Louis Blues.

This is the third time the Oilers have been tied 1-1 through two games of a Stanley Cup Final. They won Game 3 and the Cup Final on both previous occasions (1984 vs. the New York Islanders, 1985 vs. the Philadelphia Flyers).

Brad Marchand‘s overtime winner in Game 2 was his fifth career OT goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs, which ties him with Edmonton’s Corey Perry, teammate Carter Verhaeghe, Patrick Kane and Glenn Anderson for third all time. Only Maurice Richard (six) and Joe Sakic (eight) have more.

Florida’s Bennett scored the opening goal in Game 2 on the power play, his 12th road goal this postseason, which sets a new NHL record.

Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 42 saves for the second straight game, becoming the fifth goalie in NHL history to have 40 or more saves in back-to-back Stanley Cup Final games; the others are Henrik Lundqvist in 2014, Ed Belfour in 2000, Rogie Vachon in 1967 and Don Simmons in 1958.

Draisaitl scored his 22nd career power-play goal in the playoffs, moving him into a tie with Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson for the second most in Oilers history behind Wayne Gretzky (23). Draisaitl’s goal was his 10th of the postseason, making him the third player in NHL history with at least 10 goals in three consecutive postseasons — joining Mike Bossy (four from 1980 to 1983) and Gretzky (three from 1983 to 1985).

Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard scored his 20th career playoff goal in his 71st playoff game, tying Cale Makar for the fastest defenseman to 20 career playoff goals among active blueliners. Only six defensemen have scored 20 playoff goals faster: Paul Coffey (48), Brian Leetch (49), Bobby Orr (50), Denis Potvin (52), Al MacInnis (70) and Paul Reinhart (70).

McDavid assisted on Draisaitl’s and Bouchard’s goals in the first period of Game 2, giving him his 33rd career multi-assist playoff game, breaking a tie with Sidney Crosby, Doug Gilmour and Ray Bourque for the third most multi-assist playoff games in NHL history, behind Gretzky (72) and Mark Messier (40).


Scoring leaders

GP: 19 | G: 13 | A: 6

GP: 18 | G: 6 | A: 25


Best bets for Game 3

Niko Mikkola total blocked shots; over 1.5 (+145): Already having spent almost half an hour on the ice against Connor McDavid in the first two games and currently winning the all-strengths goals differential head-to-head at 3-2 against him, Mikkola and Seth Jones should continue to see a healthy dose of McDavid now that the Panthers have last change on home ice.

Eetu Luostarinen total goals; over 0.5 (+600): If anyone is due for a tally, it’s the third member of the Panthers’ third line. Per NaturalStatTrick, Luostarinen is second to Sam Reinhart in overall scoring chances and leads the team in high-danger scoring chances across the first two games.

Connor McDavid total goals; over 0.5 (+135): Speaking of being due for a goal, McDavid and Evan Bouchard have combined for 26 shots on goal across 66:19 of total ice time in the first two games of the series. Bouchard has 15 of those shots and a goal to show for it, but McDavid is primed for a tally of his own.

Panthers to win by shutout (10-1): Though McDavid feels due to score, the Panthers playing their smothering defensive game on home ice does have a shutout feel to it. Sergei Bobrovsky has a shutout in each of the previous three rounds, after all. — Sean Allen

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Oilers shrug off ‘what-ifs,’ turn page after OT loss

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Oilers shrug off 'what-ifs,' turn page after OT loss

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Edmonton Oilers were one shot away from taking a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final against Florida.

Instead, it was one shot against them — in Friday’s Game 2 double-overtime thriller — that gave the Panthers a 5-4 win and evened the series as it shifts to the Sunshine State.

Taking the split at home was a tough pill to swallow for Edmonton. But the Oilers are determined not to dwell on what could have been.

“Right after the game, there’s frustration and the what-ifs start going through your head a little bit,” Leon Draisaitl said following the Oilers’ practice Sunday. “But the next day you move on. You have no choice. We’ve got to get ready for [Game 3] tomorrow, coming in here, looking to play our best game.”

The Cup Final has highlighted dominant stretches for both sides — making the margins for error wafer thin. Edmonton rallied to edge Florida 4-3 in Game 1 thanks to Draisaitl’s overtime marker, a dramatic start to the rematch of last year’s final that saw Florida down the Oilers in seven games. The uptick of intensity in Game 2 further cemented how tight the series projects to be from here.

Edmonton has learned from experience, carrying it over to help manage the inevitable emotions that come with vying for hockey’s holy grail.

“Especially at this point, the magnitude of the series, you just get more comfortable with [the emotions]” defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “There’s going to be highs and lows. There are two really good teams playing against each other. There’s close to zero chance there’s going to be a sweep. So, you’re going to face some challenges at some point. For us in Game 2, losing in double OT, you were coming off an emotional high [from Game 1], and then you hit an emotional low. But now we come back and just know the importance of this Game 3 and playing hard.”

Getting back on the road can help, too. Edmonton has dropped just one game in enemy territory over its past two playoff series. It’s a little different now being back in Florida — considering that’s where Edmonton lost Game 7 of the Cup Final last year — but the Oilers expect to feel at home in Sunrise.

“We’ve got a good mentality on the road — sticking together, that’s been a big one,” forward Connor Brown said. “Just the belief in our group and a belief in one another, it’s huge. It’s the name of the game here, when you get deep in the playoffs, is finding that balancing act of not getting too high or low. It was an emotional win in Game 1. Both teams have kind of felt that.”

Coach Kris Knoblauch got his team together for Sunday’s on-ice session knowing the Oilers’ biggest names — including Draisaitl and Connor McDavid — would lead by example in helping Edmonton turn the page to what’s ahead in their next crack at the Panthers.

“I’ve seen it firsthand, no matter where we are after a big win or loss, they really set the tone and a work mentality of ‘This is business,'” Knoblauch said of the team’s top skaters. “Today was a little practice day, almost a formality, but they’re getting out on the ice and there’s repetition and drills and they’re focused. Everyone knows what’s at stake right now, and it’s nothing to take lightly, [so] let’s make sure we get prepared for our next game.”

For Knoblauch, that included making a few lineup changes at practice. He mixed up the Oilers’ defense pairings, putting Nurse with Evan Bouchard, Brett Kulak beside Jake Walman and Mattias Ekholm with John Klingberg. Edmonton was also missing top-line forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, whom Knoblauch characterized as a “game-time decision” for Monday. Jeff Skinner skated in Nugent-Hopkins place with McDavid and Corey Perry.

“We’re always making adjustments and countering what the other team is doing, [and assessing] who’s playing well,” Knoblauch said. “Our lines and D-pairs might switch up a little bit, whether it’s in the first period or is later in the game, whatever it is. Our players are comfortable with any of the changes we do make just because of how much we’ve fluctuated our lines and pairings all season.”

Anything to gain an advantage. It has been a series quickly defined by high scores and little leeway. Edmonton isn’t expecting much to change in Game 3 — or beyond.

“You’re not going to face very many teams where you’re just running over them for 60 minutes,” Draisaitl said. “Both games have been very tight and gone the distance and extra [time], so you have two really good teams going at it. [We] have to stay detailed and know all those little bounces matter.”

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