MLB Power Rankings: A tight race for the No. 1 spot
The race for baseball’s best record continues to be incredibly close — with six teams separated by just two games and no team on pace for more than 96 wins. The last time that happened in a full season was 2007.
As MLB’s best clubs — the Dodgers, Yankees, Orioles, Guardians, Phillies and Brewers — fight for the top spot, a number of squads are already looking towards 2025 while the rest of the league is battling for the remaining playoff spots.
With so much change from week to week, it’s impossible to know how these races will play out, but it makes for exciting baseball!
Our expert panel has combined to rank every team based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle, Jesse Rogers, Alden Gonzalez and Jorge Castillo to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Week 20 | Second-half preview | Preseason rankings
Record: 76-52
Previous ranking: 1
Mookie Betts made a surprising return to right field upon being activated off the injured list, partly because the Dodgers are a better defensive team with Miguel Rojas or Tommy Edman at shortstop and partly because second base was no longer an option. Gavin Lux’s offensive transformation prompted that. Lux is slashing .356/.421/.663 since the All-Star break. His OPS has jumped 148 points since then, from .562 to .710. And now, with Edman and Max Muncy getting activated earlier this week, the Dodgers’ lineup has some serious length to it again. They’ve followed a sub-.500 July by winning 13 of their first 19 games this month, holding off the hard-charging Padres and D-backs in the National League West. — Gonzalez
Record: 74-53
Previous ranking: 2
Clay Holmes didn’t allow an earned run over his first 20 appearances this season. He was, for seven weeks, the best closer in baseball. Three months later, he might not be a closer at all for much longer. Yankees manager Aaron Boone, previously staunch in his commitment to Holmes as his closer, opened the door for other options this week after the All-Star recorded his major league-leading 10th blown save in Sunday’s loss to the Tigers at the Little League Classic. After a scoreless inning Tuesday, he has a 4.65 ERA in 32 appearances since those first 20 outings. His 2.86 FIP during the stretch suggests luck hasn’t been on his side, but, as a ground ball pitcher, he’s more susceptible to misfortune than most closers. — Castillo
Record: 74-52
Previous ranking: 4
Should the Phillies be concerned about their bullpen? Jose Alvarado continues to struggle, walking four batters in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to the Braves, and has a 6.87 ERA and .884 OPS allowed since late June. All-Star Jeff Hoffman has been scored on in almost half of his August appearances. Orion Kerkering has allowed a .317 average and .894 OPS over his past 17 appearances. Carlos Estevez is presumably the new closer, but he’s allowed runs in four of his seven August appearances and blown one of three save opportunities. It’s probably just a blip and this could still be as good as any bullpen in the game, but it hasn’t pitched at that level lately. — Schoenfield
Record: 74-54
Previous ranking: 3
Zach Eflin‘s fast start with the Orioles skidded to a halt Tuesday when, in another blow to Baltimore’s rotation, he was placed on the 15-day IL with shoulder soreness. The Orioles acquired him from the Rays and Trevor Rogers from the Marlins at the trade deadline to fortify a starting rotation already depleted by injuries. Eflin then went 4-0 with a 2.13 ERA in four outings before becoming the fifth Orioles starter on the IL, joining John Means, Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells and Grayson Rodriguez. Manager Brandon Hydge said the team expects Eflin back in September, but any setback at this point in the calendar is alarming. — Castillo
Record: 73-53
Previous ranking: 7
Forget about just the NL Central. The Brewers have a first-round bye on their minds as they continue to impress despite the loss of Christian Yelich and a rotation void of stars outside of Freddy Peralta. The pitching staff had a heck of a run last week, giving up just 12 runs over the course of a five-game winning streak — against the Dodgers and Guardians, no less. The Brewers’ weekend sweep of first-place Cleveland was especially impressive as their pitching gave up just four runs in three games. Colin Rea‘s seven shutout innings in Sunday’s 2-0 win was a thing of beauty. He gave up just two hits without issuing a walk, helping to pull the Brewers within a fraction of the top spot in the NL. It’s been the Jackson Chourio show in Milwaukee. He has a .900 OPS since Yelich went down. — Rogers
Record: 73-53
Previous ranking: 5
It’s been a series of streaks of late: that seven-game losing skid followed by a five-game winning streak followed by a three-game sweep to the Brewers over the weekend, in which the Guardians scored just four runs in the three games. They responded with a big 12-inning win over the Yankees on Tuesday, exploding for six runs in the 12th after Emmanuel Clase and Tim Herrin kept the game going. With Clase lowering his ERA to 0.61, talk about him as a Cy Young candidate has emerged, but he remains a long shot. Eric Gagne was the last reliever to win, back in 2003. Plus, you have Tarik Skubal, who might win the pitching Triple Crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts). — Schoenfield
Record: 72-56
Previous ranking: 8
Perhaps nobody embodies the spirit of this year’s Padres better than Jurickson Profar, who was signed off the proverbial scrap heap for a mere $1 million, made his first All-Star team and is currently having the season of his life, slashing .290/.387/.474 with 20 home runs and 76 RBIs in 126 games. In Tuesday’s eighth inning, with the Padres trailing by two, he squared to bunt, pulled back, then delivered the three-run homer that put his team ahead for good. It was the Padres’ 32nd come-from-behind victory and their 22nd win in a span of 27 games. Unlikely contributions have made this a more complete Padres team than last year’s group — and Profar is the face of that. — Gonzalez
Record: 72-56
Previous ranking: 6
The D-backs are currently without three key hitters in Gabriel Moreno, Christian Walker and Ketel Marte, and yet they boast a major league-best .853 OPS since the All-Star break. One of the biggest reasons is Jake McCarthy, the 27-year-old outfielder who is slashing .356/.400/.604 during that same stretch. In a year when Corbin Carroll has struggled, Alek Thomas has been limited to 37 games and a wave of injuries have popped up of late, McCarthy — a victim of the proverbial sophomore slump in 2023 — has been one of the Diamondbacks’ most important contributors. He’s a big reason why they’ve won 23 of their past 31 games and look primed for a return to the postseason. — Gonzalez
Record: 68-58
Previous ranking: 10
The Astros’ recent blistering pace has been led by the usual suspects, but the hottest of them all has been catcher Yainer Diaz. Diaz beat the Red Sox with his first game-ending homer on Monday, the second of three straight games in which he went deep. Since the All-Star break, Diaz has hit .358/.388/.617 with eight homers and 22 RBIs over 30 games. That’s quite a leap from a player whose pre-break OPS was .717 and more than justifies manager Joe Espada’s use of him, which has been to deploy Diaz at DH or, on occasion, first base on days he’s not behind the plate. — Doolittle
Record: 71-56
Previous ranking: 11
The resilient Royals are fresh off one of their most explosive weeks of the season. The spree featured a five-game winning streak during which they outscored the Twins, Reds and Angels by a combined 37-7. Leading the offensive charge of late has been first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who drove in 28 runs over a 19-game span beginning July 30 behind an OPS of .957. Pasquantino ranks third in the majors in RBIs (95) despite modest figures of 18 homers and a .773 OPS. His average with runners in scoring position (.377) explains this and ranks second in baseball among qualified players. Of interest: The top player in this measure is superstar Bobby Witt Jr. (.400) and third, just behind Pasquantino, is franchise stalwart Salvador Perez (.364). — Doolittle
Record: 71-56
Previous ranking: 9
The Twins remaining in the AL Central title hunt is a testament to their talent because their injury luck this season is astonishing. Once again, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa are on the IL. And once again, Minnesota is staying afloat in possession of a wild-card berth. Buxton was one of the hottest hitters in baseball in the two months before landing on the IL for the second time this season on Aug. 15 with right hip inflammation. The dynamic outfielder slashed .329/.391/.707 with 12 home runs in 41 games before the injury. The good news for the Twins is he could return as soon as Friday. The bad news is Correa, one of the team’s two All-Stars, still doesn’t have a timetable for his return after the shortstop went on the IL for the second time this season on July 20 with plantar fasciitis. — Castillo
Record: 67-59
Previous ranking: 14
Triston Casas returned to Boston’s lineup Friday after missing nearly four months with a rib injury — and he didn’t waste any time making an impact. The first baseman is 8-for-23 with four walks in six games. He delivered a two-run home run in Tuesday’s 6-5 win over the Astros that included a four-hit effort from All-Star Jarren Duran. Dom Smith, who became expendable with Casas’s reinstatement, was a serviceable fill-in at first base, but Casas is a potential game changer. A healthy Casas gives the Red Sox another elite power source alongside Rafael Devers. It’s the kind of jolt that could make the difference down the stretch as they try to chase down the Royals for the final AL wild-card spot. — Castillo
Record: 67-59
Previous ranking: 13
Austin Riley suffered a fractured hand after getting hit by a pitch on Sunday, an injury that could sideline him the rest of the regular season. The offense has been hitting well in August, with its highest OPS of any month of 2024, although that includes three games of 11, 11 and 13 runs (the Braves have also been shut out three times in August, so the inconsistency remains). Gio Urshela, just released by the Tigers, was signed to fill in for Riley. He was hitting .243/.286/.333 for the Tigers, so he’s not going to help much. The pitching will have to carry Atlanta to the postseason. — Schoenfield
Record: 66-61
Previous ranking: 15
Back when Francisco Lindor hit .197 in April, it was hard to envision him joining the MVP discussion, but he’s moved comfortably into a top-five position in the NL with 5.4 WAR, trailing only Shohei Ohtani, Ketel Marte (who is on the IL) and Matt Chapman in bWAR. With a big stretch run, Lindor could challenge his career high WAR of 7.2, set with Cleveland in 2018, and surpass his career-best fifth-place finish in MVP voting (in 2017). Lindor is already eighth among shortstops in career WAR through his age-30 season. Six of the seven ahead of him are Hall of Famers (and Alex Rodriguez is the eighth). — Schoenfield
Record: 64-64
Previous ranking: 12
Another skid has the Mariners staring at the reality that a sub-.500 record has become a more likely outcome for their 2024 season than a postseason appearance. As has been the case all season, the culprit continues to be an offense that wallowed in ineptitude all year and has not really improved much despite Seattle’s work at the trade deadline. Say what you will about batting average, but this can’t be good: Seattle’s team mark dipped to .216, which, if the season ended today, would be tied for the fifth worst of the modern era. The lowest of the low was .211 by the 1910 White Sox. — Doolittle
Record: 65-64
Previous ranking: 16
Before Wednesday’s ninth-inning blowup against the lowly White Sox, only two teams held a better bullpen ERA than the Giants this month — the Rays and Astros. And though some of the periphery stats are not quite as favorable, it’s nonetheless impressive for a unit that is without its most talented arm in Camilo Doval. Doval, an All-Star closer who led the NL with 39 saves last season, was optioned to the minor leagues on Aug. 9 with his ERA at 4.70. He is expected to rejoin the team on its upcoming road trip, though his role is still to be determined. If he can recapture his dominance, perhaps he can help the Giants remain in contention down the stretch. — Gonzalez
Record: 64-62
Previous ranking: 20
Christopher Morel, who was part of the haul from the Cubs for Isaac Paredes, was the flashier deadline acquisition, but Dylan Carlson has been a revelation thus far in Tampa Bay. It’s very early — just 15 games — but the switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .267/.353/.489 with three home runs in 51 plate appearances. That’s after he batted .198 with a .515 OPS and zero (0!) home runs in 138 plate appearances for St. Louis this season. Carlson, once a consensus top-30 prospect across baseball, is under contract through 2026. The Rays got him for reliever Shawn Armstrong, a free agent this winter. It could prove to be just a nice first month — or another shrewd long-term move for an organization that has thrived off them. — Castillo
Record: 62-64
Previous ranking: 17
Playoff hopes are beginning to fade in St. Louis, as the Cardinals went 12-18 over a 30-game stretch ending on Tuesday. (While they did lose that night, as well, Wednesday’s walk-off extra-innings win was a needed jolt of energy). Over that time frame, their offense was bottom third in several categories, including home runs and stolen bases. In fact, St. Louis swiped just six bases in 26 games. The result of it all was just 93 runs scored, fifth least in MLB over that month. It helped drop the Cardinals under .500 and far off the wild-card race. Add the third toughest remaining schedule of any team down the stretch and a second consecutive year missing the playoffs might just be in the cards for this storied franchise. — Rogers
Record: 62-65
Previous ranking: 19
The move to designate closer Hector Neris for assignment before his option turns into a player one saves the Cubs $9 million for next season. How will they spend it? It probably won’t be on the bullpen, which has righted the ship after a tough start to the year. For better or worse, the Cubs believe in developing relievers, including closers. That hasn’t always worked out for them. Either way, they need to find a superstar on offense. If Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is on the market this winter, Chicago should pounce and be willing to pay him the going rate for players who can produce a .900-plus OPS. — Rogers
Record: 62-65
Previous ranking: 18
Questions abound for the Reds as they head down the stretch of a disappointing season. Do they run it all back again next year, hoping for better health? Is manager David Bell on the hot seat? Where do the fixes come from if not from within? Their problems have mostly come at the plate, where they’re league average in scoring. The heart of their order — outside of Elly De La Cruz — simply hasn’t performed up to expectations, but it’s still a young team that could take that proverbial next step one year later than expected. It’s not unheard of. The Reds have a very promising starting staff, anchored by Hunter Greene. He just went on the IL as did Jeimer Candelario. It’s been that kind of year in Cincinnati. — Rogers
Record: 62-65
Previous ranking: 23
Javier Baez was welcomed with a personalized nameplate atop his locker when he returned to Wrigley Field earlier this week, his first stop there since being traded in the summer of 2021. A standing ovation greeted him later when he came to bat. Baez’s numbers have fallen off dramatically in recent years, but he is still clearly adored in Chicago. When the Cubs series concludes, the plan is for Baez to take a step back from his role as the Tigers’ everyday shortstop. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the team wants to see what it has in its younger players down the stretch — particularly Trey Sweeney, who came over from the Dodgers in the Jack Flaherty trade. Complicating matters, of course, is the fact that Baez is still signed through 2027. — Gonzalez
Record: 59-69
Previous ranking: 21
The Rangers may get a glimpse at Jacob deGrom in a big league uniform before the end of the season, though the dream scenario of the ace righty joining a late-season push is not going to come to pass. Still, it might be reassuring for the club, not to mention its fans, to see the two-time Cy Young winner in action as everyone in Arlington starts to look forward to 2025. DeGrom is slated to make his first rehab outing on Thursday for Double-A Frisco. Ironically, Max Scherzer (shoulder) is reportedly scheduled to follow deGrom with a rehab outing for Frisco on Friday. That would mean the RoughRiders will have gotten a look at a one-two deGrom-Scherzer rotation before the Rangers, as Scherzer joined Texas last year after deGrom had already hit the IL. — Doolittle
Record: 59-68
Previous ranking: 24
Remember when Toronto tried convincing Shohei Ohtani to sign north of the border? That seems like forever ago, but Chris Bassitt hasn’t forgotten. The veteran starting pitcher shared on “The Chris Rose Rotation” podcast this week that he believes the front office’s inability to “pivot” to sign another “elite player” in free agency once Ohtani chose the Dodgers is a significant reason for the Blue Jays’ struggles this season. He lamented the lack of lineup protection for Vladimir Guerrero Jr — the Blue Jays’ only All-Star this season — while pointing to contenders featuring “three or four” stars. He later clarified that his candid comments weren’t “a knock” on the Blue Jays. He also wasn’t necessarily wrong. — Castillo
Record: 59-67
Previous ranking: 22
A recent 10-game losing streak sunk any chance the Pirates had of stealing a wild-card berth, or perhaps even just finishing out of the cellar in the NL Central. Getting swept twice by the Padres in the span of eight days hurt as much as anything. The Pirates didn’t particularly pitch or hit well, alternating between giving up too many runs — when they themselves scored enough to win — in some games and not scoring enough in the lower-scoring losses. Five of the 10 defeats were by a single run, adding heartbreak to their worst stretch of the season. Pittsburgh says it has no plans to shut Paul Skenes down, but that could change the further from the race the team lands. — Rogers
Record: 57-70
Previous ranking: 25
James Wood continues to impress in his first month-plus in the majors — and he finally pulled a fly ball, hitting a 417-foot home run off the Phillies’ Jeff Hoffman into right-center off a fastball. The one double he pulled was a soft line drive into right-center field, so his inability so far to pull the ball in the air is certainly … interesting. In general, he’s still learning to lift the ball (average launch angle of just three degrees), which will hopefully come with experience so he can tap into his raw power. He has above-average bat speed and excellent plate discipline, so the tools are clearly there, but he’ll have to learn to pull the ball to become an elite slugger. — Schoenfield
Record: 54-73
Previous ranking: 26
Oakland’s post-trade deadline rotation has featured a couple of better-than-average Joes lately. Rookies Joe Boyle and Joey Estes have both posted sterling outings for a club whose run prevention has improved markedly during the second half of the season. Boyle tossed six shutout innings against the Rays on Monday, the best outing of his fledgling career. Boyle’s four-seamer averaged 98.9 mph in that contest and touched 100.7. Meanwhile, Estes followed Boyle against Tampa Bay the next night and threw 7⅔ innings, allowing only a solo homer to Jose Siri that proved to be the game’s only run. — Doolittle
Record: 54-73
Previous ranking: 27
The Angels own a lone World Series title during their 64 seasons but the franchise has rarely bottomed out. The franchise record for losses is a not-so-horrible 95, set in 1968 and tied in 1980. It is the only active franchise without a 100-loss season and it really hasn’t come that close. That shouldn’t change in 2024 but … you never know. With the Angels remaining steadily cold over the second half of the season, a late collapse could put the franchise into uncharted (and unwanted) territory. It really would have to be a collapse: The Angels only need to go 9-27 to avoid 100 losses. However, they also need to go 14-22 to avoid at least matching the club record for defeats, which would be set with a doable 12-24 finish. It’s been a long season. — Doolittle
Record: 47-80
Previous ranking: 29
It was a mere 13 months ago that Elias Diaz was named MVP of the All-Star Game. Last week, the Rockies placed their catcher on outright waivers, ridding themselves of him in his lead-up to free agency. Diaz was recently seen as one of few bright spots for the Rockies. But he’s 33 years old and his power numbers are way down this season. Having slipped through waivers, Diaz is now a free agent. A team like the Giants, who recently lost Patrick Bailey to an oblique injury, could make sense for him. With Diaz out, the Rockies will spend these next few weeks seeing what they have in Drew Romo, the 35th overall pick out of high school in 2020. — Gonzalez
Record: 46-81
Previous ranking: 28
The Marlins’ rotation is on pace for its fourth month with an ERA over 5.00 — only in May (4.30) did it get under that mark. Not surprisingly, Miami ranks last in the majors in FanGraphs rotation WAR (after ranking ninth in 2023). Not only that but this also has a chance to be the worst Marlins rotation in franchise history. This year’s group sits at 2.4 fWAR, just below the 2.8 from the 1998 team, which dealt most of its notable players and lost 108 games a year after winning the World Series. Obviously, injuries are the main reason for the 2024 disaster, but it would also be nice to get some results from Edward Cabrera and Max Meyer down the stretch. — Schoenfield
Record: 31-97
Previous ranking: 30
The record pace is alive! Chicago is trending toward breaking the all-time record for losses in a 162-game season, but an upcoming 10-game homestand might be the tonic it needs. Having said that, the Tigers, Rangers and Mets aren’t exactly pushovers despite the first two teams being under .500. No one is a pushover when it comes to the White Sox, who are 3-8 under interim manager Grady Sizemore. September is a brutal month for them schedule-wise, so if they don’t pick up a bunch wins in those 10 games, the White Sox could be staring at history — and not the good kind. — Rogers
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Ryan S. Clark
DALLAS — Imagine having a career that’s so strong that you’re not even aware that your next goal further enhances your Hall of Fame résumé.
That’s Corey Perry at the moment — and here’s why. His five goals during the 2025 playoffs have placed him in a tie for the second-most goals among the Edmonton Oilers. It further reinforces the narrative that the Oilers might be the deepest of the four remaining teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
It does something else too. Although each of his five goals has come with its own sense of significance, Perry’s next playoff goal will be even more special, because he’ll be tied with the legendary Jean Béliveau for the most postseason goals by a player in their age-39 season, according to QuantHockey.
“I think it’s just a love for the game. That’s why I want to play the game for as long as I can,” Perry said. “Once this game passes you by, it’s over, it’s done. There’s no coming back and I’ll move onto something else. That’s why what I want to do is play hockey, have fun and just be part of something.”
Postseasons create champions, challengers — and those who wish they could be either one. They create nostalgia for those who have won a title and are seeking another, and yearning for those who have yet to lift a Stanley Cup.
This particular postseason has provided Perry with the opportunity to grab one more before he eventually calls it a career. He is one of just 30 players that is part of the Triple Gold Club: winning a Stanley Cup, an Olympic Gold medal and the IIHF Men’s World Championship.
While this is still technically his age-39 season, he did turn 40 back on May 16. That makes him the second-oldest player still remaining in the playoffs, behind Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns.
Perry made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005. He scored his first career goal five days later against the Oilers. He has since gone on to score 447 more, register more than 900 points and added a Hart Trophy as regular-season MVP, in a career that is either the same age or older than current young NHL stars such as Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
The notion that Perry’s career is now old enough to play in the NHL adds to the discussion about how and why he is able to perform at such a high level at a time in which more teams are trying to get younger.
“He’s been around so long that he understands that you need to find a role,” Oilers defenseman Troy Stecher said. “He won a Hart Trophy when he was in Anaheim, and he was the best player in the league then. Anyone coming here understands that [Connor McDavid] and [Leon Draisaitl] are probably going to get the majority of power-play time and offensive draws.
“I think with being the player he is and being around for so long, he’s done such a good job of finding a role and excelling in that role. Not just accepting it, but thriving in it.”
OPTIONS ARE EVERYTHING in the postseason. Possessing as many of them as possible enhances a team’s chances of winning.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch explained that the veteran winger provides the team with additional line combinations because of his versatility. He can be used on the fourth line or the top line, which is a prime example of how the Oilers have tapped into their depth to reach consecutive conference finals.
That’s when something else becomes clear: Playing Perry alongside Draisaitl and McDavid gives the Oilers three Hart Trophy winners on a single line.
It’s a distinction that no other active lineup in the NHL can claim.
“Throughout the playoffs, we’ve moved him around the lineup with Leon and Connor or just with Leon or with [Mattias] Janmark,” Knoblauch said. “Whatever position he’s been in, whether it’s the first or fourth line, he’s been able to give us quality minutes.”
0:20
Corey Perry gives Oilers 2-0 lead with his second goal
Corey Perry scores his second goal of the first period to give the Oilers a 2-0 lead over the Golden Knights.
A player doesn’t get to be an eight-time 30-goal scorer without talent for finishing scoring chances. At 30 years old, he had 34 goals in 82 games in the 2015-16 season, but he scored a combined 36 goals in the next two seasons — which signaled that he might need to reconfigure how he gets those goals going forward.
Perry started to operate more in a bottom-six role in which he was asked to provide more secondary and tertiary goals than that of a primary scorer. A sign that he was gaining comfort in that new role was when he reached double figures twice with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2021-22 and 2022-23).
It’s why the Oilers acquired him last season as they sought to add more depth in their eventual run to the Stanley Cup final with the idea he could return in 2024-25.
QuantHockey’s data shows that there have been 136 players who have had an age-39 season in NHL history. Perry’s 19 goals this season is the same amount that Jaromir Jagr scored in his age-39 campaign in 2011-12. Perry played 81 games this season, which ties him for 10th place with Brett Hull (2003-04).
Of the 27 players who have scored more goals in their age-39 season than Perry, 12 scored more than nine power-play goals. In Perry’s case, he did the majority of his work away from the power play, with 13 of them coming in 5-on-5 play. Perry is tied with Patrick Marleau and Gary Roberts, as they all had four goals with the extra-skater advantage.
“He’s reliable because he’s smart. He can read the play,” Knoblauch said. “Obviously, the speed isn’t there like other players. But he thinks at it so much better than others. One [thing] Corey is really good at is scoring goals. This year being pretty much in a fourth-line role to score 19 goals. I’m not sure how many he had on the power play in the regular season, but it was very low. For him to do that in his role says a lot.”
STARTING HIS CAREER with the Anaheim Ducks gave Perry the platform to become one of the best players of his generation, win a Stanley Cup and become someone whom Oilers teammate Evander Kane said is a future Hall of Famer.
It also gave him a front-row seat to study how future Hall of Famers such as Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Teemu Selanne prolonged their careers.
Niedermayer played until he was 36. Pronger made it to 37, whereas Selanne became one of 12 players in NHL history to play until he was 43.
“When you’re 22 years old, you’re sitting back and just watching. You don’t really do any of it but you might do some of it,” Perry said. “But when you see them do it everyday and continue to do it and when you get to a certain age, you’ve got to put in the work. If you don’t, these young guys coming in are bigger, faster and stronger, and you’ve got to keep up and do it at a high level.”
Every generation of players has its life cycle. Perry was part of the famed 2003 NHL draft class that gave the league future stars such as Patrice Bergeron, Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter, Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Getzlaf, Joe Pavelski, Zach Parise, Brent Seabrook, Eric Staal, Ryan Suter and Burns.
At one point, each of those aforementioned players were franchise cornerstones, and many won Stanley Cups. For the reverence they earned, they also understood what came with aging in a way previous generations didn’t quite encounter in the same way.
The group entered the NHL at a time in which younger players didn’t receive the most minutes, nor were they paid the most money. It’s a complete contrast to the contemporary landscape in which teams place a premium on younger players being trusted in key roles early, which then translates to signing bigger contracts.
A byproduct of that shift was that it heightened the expectations for players of a certain age to meet a physical threshold by placing a premium on body maintenance. It’s why many of them were able to play beyond age 35 by taking on various roles on their respective teams — and not necessarily on the top line or pairing.
Even then, there are limits. Parise and Pavelski retired at the end of last season not having won a Stanley Cup. Fleury, who won three Cups, announced his retirement this season. Burns, Perry and Suter are still active. So what’s the secret?
“It’s the off-ice work. It’s dietary. It’s everything,” Perry said. “It’s just about doing those different things that you can to keep your body in the best shape.”
0:46
Corey Perry tips in power-play goal for the Oilers
Corey Perry gets the Oilers on the board with a power-play goal in the second period.
Kane, who turns 34 in August, said that as someone on the back half of his career, he’s starting to understand that age is just a number. But, there are advantages to having older players in a dressing room because of their range of experiences.
Over the past two years, the Oilers have been the oldest team in the NHL. Elite Prospects lists them as having an average age of 30, while last season’s team averaged 29.2 years. Possessing that much experience has fed into a blueprint in which 11 of the players that the Oilers dressed in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals have more than 70 games of playoff experience.
Four Oilers — Darnell Nurse, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl and McDavid — have combined to appear in 342 playoff games. Perry has 227 games of postseason experience.
Another detail that the 6-foot-3 and 205-pound Perry provides to the Oilers is size. The Oilers are the fifth-tallest and fifth-heaviest team in the NHL. The team that was tallest and heaviest this season was the Vegas Golden Knights — a club that the Oilers beat in five games in order to advance to the Western Conference finals.
“With Pears, he’s been really good and really good in front of the net,” Kane said. “He’s been scoring some big, key goals at key moments for us which is obviously huge. He’s a guy that’s going to be in the Hall of Fame someday, right? He’s been a superstar player in the league for some time.
“When you have that type of pedigree and you’ve been in the league that long, you understand how to play the game and when you have different skill sets, not just one, you’re able to contribute in different ways and he’s able to do that.”
We’ve got a series, folks! The Edmonton Oilers rallied back from a 6-3 loss in Game 1 in dominant fashion, winning Game 2 over the Dallas Stars 3-0.
That sets up a pivotal Game 3 in the Western Conference finals Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+), as both teams look to gain an edge.
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
Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers
Game 3 | 3 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN+
With the series tied 1-1, the series winner odds on ESPN BET have flipped: The Oilers are now -140 favorites (previously +160), and the Stars are +120 (previously -190). The Oilers’ Cup winner odds are now +200 (+350 after Game 1), while the Stars’ are now +325 (+200 after Game 1). Connor McDavid (+300) has the second-shortest odds to win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky tops that table at +250.
The Oilers are 9-2 in their past 11 games this postseason after beginning the playoffs 0-2 and have run their record to 3-2 in Games 2 of a conference finals/Stanley Cup semifinals after losing the series opener. The other wins were in 1987 and 1991.
The Stars were shut out for the fourth time this postseason. No team has ever been shut out four times prior to reaching the Stanley Cup Final. The most was three, done by the 1950 Detroit Red Wings, 1997 Red Wings, 2012 New Jersey Devils … and 2020 Stars.
By blanking the Stars in Game 2, Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner recorded a shutout in his first three wins of a postseason, the ninth goaltender to pull off that feat. The previous eight: Marty Turco in (2007, Stars), Nikolai Khabibulin (2004, Tampa Bay Lightning), Ed Belfour (2004, Toronto Maple Leafs), Patrick Lalime (2002, Ottawa Senators), Brent Johnson (2002, St. Louis Blues), Martin Brodeur (1995, Devils), Turk Broda (1950, Maple Leafs), Dave Kerr (1940, New York Rangers)
Leon Draisaitl and McDavid are the fourth set of teammates in the past 25 years with 20 points in consecutive postseasons, joining Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins, 2008-09), Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel (Penguins, 2017-18) as well as Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point (Lightning, 2020-2021). The Penguins won the Cup in two of those seasons (2009, 2017), while the Lightning won in both 2020 and 2021.
Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard registered his 23rd career multipoint playoff game, all in the last four seasons. This is the most in a four-postseason span by a defenseman in Stanley Cup playoffs history — the old record was 22, by current Oilers assistant coach Paul Coffey.
Stars winger Mikko Rantanen failed to score a goal for the fifth consecutive game after scoring nine in a previous six-game span this postseason. The five-game goalless drought is Rantanen’s second-longest streak in his tenure with Dallas, behind a seven-game streak from March 14-26. Rantanen has one goal in seven games vs. the Oilers this season (two with Colorado, one with Carolina, four with Dallas).
Heading into Game 3, Miro Heiskanen has 13 career multipoint games in the playoffs, tied with Sergei Zubov for the most by a defenseman in North Stars/Stars franchise history.
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger is climbing the leaderboard for playoff wins by a U.S.-born netminder. His 32 are tied for fourth with Jon Casey and Frank Brimsek, behind Tom Barrasso (61), Jonathan Quick (49) and Mike Richter (41).
Scoring leaders
GP: 13 | G: 6 | A: 14
GP: 15 | G: 9 | A: 11
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Jorge Castillo
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Jorge Castillo
ESPN Staff Writer
- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
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Alden Gonzalez
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Alden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff Writer
- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are about to see a whole lot of each other.
The defending World Series champions and the team they beat to win the National League pennant last fall play three games this weekend at Citi Field and four games at Dodger Stadium starting June 2. For those of you scoring at home, that’s seven matchups in a span of 14 days.
Both teams enter Friday’s opener in back-and-forth battles for first place in their respective divisions. How will their head-to-head play dictate the state of the NL East and West? Will they clash again come October? And who has the edge — both for now and if/when they cross paths in the playoffs?
ESPN MLB writers Jorge Castillo (based in New York) and Alden Gonzalez (based in Los Angeles) answer a few key questions about the Mets and Dodgers.
What has stood out most to you about each team’s strong start to the season?
Castillo: The starting rotation was identified as the Mets’ weakness before the season, especially after Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas sustained injuries during spring training. That has not been the case so far. Instead, the Mets own the best rotation ERA in the majors with a quintet of Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning toeing the rubber. The group has stumbled recently, and its innings total ranks in the bottom half of the majors. But the collective performance has allowed the Mets to overcome slow starts from various position players — most notably, Juan Soto.
Gonzalez: The emergence of three young players in particular: Dalton Rushing, Hyeseong Kim and Andy Pages. Rushing, the team’s most promising prospect outside of Roki Sasaki, torched Triple-A and prompted the Dodgers to cut ties with their longtime backup catcher, Austin Barnes. Kim, signed out of South Korea last offseason, did the same, then performed so well in the majors the Dodgers swallowed the remaining $13 million or so in Chris Taylor’s contract. Pages, meanwhile, went from being uncertain if he’d crack the Opening Day roster to establishing himself as an everyday player.
Their success underscores what has made the Dodgers the Dodgers: No matter how bloated their payroll, how poor their draft position or how often they trade prospects for veterans, they always seem to have that next wave coming.
Despite all the positives so far, what is your biggest concern about each team?
Castillo: Regression seems inevitable for the Mets’ starting rotation (unless it’s going to maintain an ERA under 3 all season). Add that to the recent bullpen injuries — namely losing A.J. Minter for the season — and the defense’s troubles, and run prevention could become a bigger issue for the Mets as the season progresses. Defensive lapses were apparent during last weekend’s Subway Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, when Mark Vientos made two errors that cost runs and Pete Alonso’s errant throw allowed the go-ahead run to score in the finale. Francisco Lindor, a perennial Gold Glove contender, hasn’t been himself at shortstop, and the corner outfield spots are below average. It’s a recipe that would call for more offense.
Gonzalez: When the Dodgers concluded their fourth homestand of the season earlier this week, 14 pitchers resided on their injured list — seven in the rotation, seven in the bullpen. Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Sasaki are all nursing shoulder injuries with nebulous timetables, severely compromising the rotation and forcing the bullpen to lead the majors in innings. That bullpen, meanwhile, is without four critical high-leverage options in Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen and Kirby Yates, leaving Dodgers manager Dave Roberts with few, if any, trusted right-handed options to hold leads late. Dodgers pitchers continue to get hurt at an alarming rate. And not even this team can overcome that rate of injury.
Who is one x-factor who could make or break each team’s season?
Castillo: Soto, by most standards, is not having a bad season at the plate. Many players would gladly take an OPS over .800. But he signed a $765 million contract to be one of the best hitters in the sport, and he’s been far from one of those. If Soto can unlock his usual form, and there’s nothing in his track record to suggest he won’t, the Mets’ lineup becomes a different animal. Soto, at his best, makes hitters around him better. He works pitchers. He shuffles and he swaggers. The Mets haven’t seen that version yet. The body language isn’t quite right and the production isn’t there. That’ll need to change for them to become legitimate pennant contenders in a loaded National League.
Gonzalez: Shohei Ohtani has been just as much an offensive force as he was last year, when he became the first full-time designated hitter to collect an MVP Award. But there’s a whole other half waiting to be unlocked. Ohtani is going through his pitching progression slowly. At this point it doesn’t seem as if he’ll join the rotation until sometime in July at the earliest — 22 months after his second UCL repair. The Dodgers backed him off his progression ahead of the season opener, they say, in hopes of not wearing him out and providing him with the best chance of being a factor in October. If he looks anything like he did on the mound from 2021 to 2023, he will be.
Who has tougher competition to win their division: The Mets in the NL East or the Dodgers in the NL West?
Castillo: The NL West has more playoff contenders (four to three), but the quality of competition in the NL East is better. The Philadelphia Phillies, the defending division champs, arguably have the best starting rotation in the majors with an experienced lineup that has been through it all. And the Atlanta Braves are back on track, reaching .500 after their ugly 0-7 start to the season, without much contribution from their two best players. Spencer Strider, activated from the injured list this week, has made only two starts. Ronald Acuna Jr. hasn’t played in a game yet. All three teams are real October threats.
Gonzalez: It’s the NL West, because that fourth legitimate playoff contender could end up making a big difference in a tight race. The Mets still have a combined 16 games remaining against the rebuilding Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins. The Dodgers can only beat up on the Colorado Rockies, who they’ll face 10 more times. And while the Phillies are great and the Braves are more dangerous than their record indicates, one can make a case for the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants all being just as good, if not better. Of even more relevance is what the Dodgers will face in the ensuing weeks — 26 straight games against teams with a winning record, with the last 10 coming against division rivals.
These teams play seven times in the next 14 days. Give us your prediction for the series and the stars.
Castillo: This is shaping up to be a battle between a struggling pitching staff (Dodgers) and a struggling offense (Mets). Let’s go with Dodgers 4, Mets 3, because the Dodgers have one more home game. The Dodgers’ big three of Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman will power them to a season series victory.
Gonzalez: Betts got off to a slow start offensively, but he recently unlocked something in his swing and has started to round back into form of late. He’ll put his imprint on these matchups, but the Mets will win most of the games for a simple reason: On days when Yoshinobu Yamamoto does not pitch, the Dodgers don’t really know what they’ll get from their starting pitchers.
Which pitching rotation will be better come October: The Dodgers’ star-studded but oft-injured group or the Mets’ currently producing but lesser-known starters?
Castillo: It’s not even Memorial Day. These rotations could look completely different come October. But, for now, I’ll take the Dodgers. They’re bound to have at least a few of those star pitchers healthy for the postseason. If not, something went terribly, terribly wrong.
Gonzalez: The Dodgers’ priority this offseason wasn’t Soto. It was Snell. They chased him early and lavished him with $182 million because they knew pairing Snell with Glasnow and Yamamoto would give them a devastating trio for October. If those three are available then, I’m taking the Dodgers. But there’s no telling if that will be the case.
If these teams earn a rematch of the 2024 NLCS this October, who are you taking and why?
Castillo: Assuming health, the Dodgers because they’re better in every department.
Gonzalez: The Mets played the Dodgers tough last year, then signed the new Ted Williams. The Dodgers beat them despite a shorthanded rotation, then added arguably the two most coveted starting pitchers in Snell and Sasaki. Now the Mets and Dodgers are separated by one game, with near-identical run differentials. More than four months of the regular season remain. I plead the Fifth.
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