"As we head toward the home stretch of the 2025 season, it's time for my annual ranking of the core talent of all 30 MLB teams. This judges teams based on which players they have under contract through the next two full seasons -- and you'll find many clubs at the top of this list are in the thick of the playoff races over the final month."
"For this exercise, salaries don't matter and age isn't a factor -- but I'll round up on projecting young players (and down on older players) because I'm projecting/ranking teams for a two-plus-year period. Very few players in either level of A-Ball are listed because they likely will contribute only at the end of 2027, if at all, even if they're a top prospect."
"To make it easier to see which team has more talent, I split players into three tiers: elite (5ish WAR talent, or perennial All-Stars with MVP chances), plus (3-5ish WAR types) and solid (1.5-3ish WAR, or lower-end starters and valuable role players). I included players who have easy-to-hit vesting options or club/player options that are likely to be picked up, but left out players with likely-to-be-exercised opt-outs."
Ranking assesses teams based on players under contract through the next two full seasons, excluding likely opt-outs and including easy-to-hit vesting or club/player options. Salaries and age are ignored for evaluation, with projections rounded up for younger players and down for older ones to reflect a two-plus-year window. Very few low-A and high-A prospects are listed because their contributions are unlikely before late 2027. Players are grouped into three tiers—elite, plus, and solid—based on projected WAR ranges, and ordered by preference within tiers, acknowledging subjective judgments when comparing prospects versus veterans.
Read at ESPN.com
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