Power Ranking All 30 MLB Franchises Over the Last 5 Seasons

If it feels like the 2020s are going really fast, well, that is because they are. All of us are already halfway through the decade.

Since this is also the case for Major League Baseball, there's only one thing to do: Rank the best franchises of the 2020s so far.

The window here starts with 2020 and ends with 2024. How teams have set themselves up for 2025 is worth mentioning [gestures toward the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets] in some cases, but this is more about what clubs have to show for the decade so far.

Regular-season records matter. Naturally, so do postseason accomplishments. And just for kicks, let's throw wins above replacement into the mix as well.

Ultimately, though, these rankings are about vibes. The more fondly fans can look back on their team's last five seasons, the better.

Let's get to it.

30. Colorado Rockies

Regular Season: 288-419, .407 W/L%

Playoffs: 0 appearances

Wins Above Replacement: 77.1

Even relative to the franchise's eminently low bar, the last five years have been a real drag for the Rockies.

Only one team has sustained more defeats since 2020. And after not suffering any between 1993 and 2022, the franchise has felt the pain of a 100-loss campaign two years in a row.

As if all the Ls weren't bad enough, it's still hard to make sense of the baffling things the Rockies have done. Most particularly, trading Nolan Arenado only to sign Kris Bryant a year later is one for the "That Don't Make No Sense!" Hall of Fame.

29. Pittsburgh Pirates

Regular Season: 294-414, .415 W/L%

Playoffs: 0 appearances

Wins Above Replacement: 66.6

The Pirates may have "only" the third-most losses this decade, but they're last in WAR by a good margin. That more so captures the blah-ness of the experience for Bucs fans.

It's only recently that hope has been kindled. Paul Skenes already has a case as the best pitcher in MLB after his NL Rookie of the Year win in 2024, and you have to hand it to the club for locking up Bryan Reynolds, Mitch Keller and Ke'Bryan Hayes.

Still, even a relatively hopeful Bucs team landed in the NL Central cellar last year. The next step should have been to invest in veteran talent, but Pirates fans clearly know better than to count on such things from Bob Nutting.

28. Washington Nationals

Regular Season: 288-420, .407 W/L%

Playoffs: 0 appearances

Wins Above Replacement: 99.1

The Nationals entered the 2020s on the highest of highs after winning their first World Series in 2019. And, dang it, Nats fans should still be beaming with pride about that one.

As for what has happened since then, well, not so much. Those 420 losses are the most of any team over the last five years, and it wasn't exactly A Good Time to say farewell to Juan Soto, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, much less to watch Stephen Strasburg wither away.

However, the Nationals are not last because of their recent vibe shift. Their return in the Soto trade is a big reason why they have a strong core coming together, for which No. 2-ranked prospect Dylan Crews figures to be the next major piece.

27. Athletics

Regular Season: 301-407, .425 W/L%

Playoffs: 1 appearance, 3 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 98.8

The A's not only made the playoffs in 2020, but actually won a series. Ancient history, perhaps, but part of the historical record all the same.

Alas, what has happened to the A's since 2020 is just...sad. It would frankly take too long to list all the star players who have departed from the franchise, which is to say nothing of the franchise's own painful departure from Oakland.

Weirdly, though, the arrow is pointing up for the A's. Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler and Mason Miller each made a big mark on 2024, and rarely have revenue-sharing dollars been put to better use than what the A's have done with theirs this winter.

26. Los Angeles Angels

Regular Season: 312-396, .441 W/L%

Playoffs: 0 appearances

Wins Above Replacement: 107.2

Lest anyone forget, the Angels were actually worth watching in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The second of those three years was the last great season we're likely to get out of Mike Trout. It was otherwise, of course, The Shohei Ohtani Show. That he wore Angels red as he won two MVPs and rewrote the rules for what's possible in baseball is forever.

Granted, all this only does so much to redeem five straight losing seasons and owner Arte Moreno's failures to cash in on and ultimately retain Ohtani. These were embarrassing self-owns for a franchise that is in itself one of MLB's biggest embarrassments right now.

25. Miami Marlins

Regular Season: 313-395, .442 W/L%

Playoffs: 2 appearances, 2 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 115.5

Let's give the Marlins this much credit: They have as many playoff appearances in the last five years as they had in the first 27 of their existence.

However, asterisks abound. The Marlins were barely better than a .500 team prior to their playoff trips in 2020 and 2023, and it's hard to imagine any scenario in which they could have achieved more in those seasons. Neither team was "good," necessarily.

Derek Jeter and Kim Ng wanted better things for the franchise, but they're gone now. And concerning Bruce Sherman, the only logical explanation for why he bought the Marlins in 2017 is that he was and still is determined to use the team to experiment with stagnation.

24. Chicago White Sox

Regular Season: 311-397, .439 W/L%

Playoffs: 2 appearances, 2 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 113.3

Let us not give in to recency bias and overly punish the White Sox for their history-making 121-loss season from last year. It is tempting, but let us not do it.

The Pale Hose were indeed a playoff team in 2020 and 2021, and a competitive one as recently as 2023. They had plenty of star turns along the way, including José Abreu's MVP-winning year in 2020 and Dylan Cease's Cy Young Award runner-up season in 2022.

Unfortunately, even those good White Sox teams couldn't waft away the stink left over by Tony La Russa's hiring. And after back-to-back 100-loss seasons, there is perhaps no stinkier thing in MLB than Jerry Reinsdorf's stewardship of this franchise.

23. Detroit Tigers

Regular Season: 330-376, .467 W/L%

Playoffs: 1 appearance, 4 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 96.0

It finally happened for the Tigers in 2024. At last, they broke free from a seemingly endless rebuild and snapped a nine-year streak without a playoff berth.

More good things should be on the horizon. Tarik Skubal is firmly in the Best Pitcher in Baseball conversation, and on their way to join the core in 2025 are Jackson Jobe and Jace Jung. And all this is amid the most winnable division in the American League.

And yet, hyping the Tigers right now somewhat amounts to sweeping recent history under the rug. They were a bad team in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and it was only in the final weeks of 2024 that they ascended to respectability.

22. Kansas City Royals

Regular Season: 307-401, .434 W/L%

Playoffs: 1 appearance, 3 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 110.7

The Royals are No. 5 on the loss leaderboard for the 2020s, and it was just two years ago that they tied their all-time low with 106 defeats.

But if ever it was appropriate to dish out bonus points, it's now for the Royals turning Bobby Witt Jr. into A Big Deal. They developed him in 2020 and 2021, debuted him in 2022, extended him in 2023 and watched him turn into a superstar to the tune of 9.4 WAR last year.

Further, the season the Royals had in 2024 is one of the pleasant surprises of the decade. Their 30-win improvement and return to the playoffs happened in large part because they invested in making it happen. Presently moribund teams should take note.

21. Cincinnati Reds

Regular Season: 335-373, .473 W/L%

Playoffs: 1 appearance, 0 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 121.7

To the Reds' credit, that 121.7 WAR up there is a solid number. Solid enough, even, to rank ahead of one of the World Series champions from this decade.

This reflects how the 2020s have mostly been a competitive decade for the ol' Redlegs. And with a transcendent star (Elly De La Cruz), budding ace (Hunter Greene) and legendary manager (Terry Francona) in their midst, the needle should be pointed up.

Truthfully, though, the needle doesn't seem pointed anywhere in particular. The Reds are another franchise that is a good ownership group away from breaking through, but theirs unfortunately seems determined to stick around and make fans miserable.

20. Chicago Cubs

Regular Season: 345-363, .487 W/L%

Playoffs: 1 appearance, 0 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 134.6

Nobody was happy to see the final remnants of the Cubs' 2016 core drift away in 2021, not least of which because of the nagging feeling that it ultimately underachieved.

All the same, the Cubs made the playoffs in 2020, avoided disaster in 2021 and 2022 and were competitive in 2023 and 2024. And with Kyle Tucker aboard and one of MLB's best farm systems ready to bear fruit, better things should await in 2025.

The Cubs nonetheless give off underwhelming vibes because better things (i.e., Shohei Ohtani) just seem perpetually out of reach. I'm not saying that is because the owners are cheap, but I'm not not saying that either.

19. Boston Red Sox

Regular Season: 353-355, .499 W/L%

Playoffs: 1 appearance, 6 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 159.4

If nothing else, the Red Sox of the 2020s have 2021. That was the year that a Mookie Betts-less roster shook off low expectations to come within two wins of the World Series.

But for the most part, it's been a frustrating half-decade for Red Sox fans. Though the club hasn't been a disaster at any point, that it hasn't been better is not some cruel twist of fate. Despite what owner John Henry says, investment in the roster has been sorely lacking.

The future, at least, looks bright. The Red Sox have an enviable core of young hitters, with still more (including No. 1 prospect Roman Anthony) on the way. And in Garrett Crochet, Boston has an ace the likes of which it hasn't had since Chris Sale's heyday.

18. Minnesota Twins

Regular Season: 356-352, .503 W/L%

Playoffs: 2 appearances, 3 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 152.3

The Twins have two postseason berths and three winning seasons to show for the 2020s, and let's not forget the times they dared to flex their muscles.

It was a surprise when they did a nine-figure deal with Byron Buxton in 2021, and it's hard to know whether their first or second deal with Carlos Correa was the bigger shocker. In any case, the effort culminated with the Twins winning their first playoff series in 21 years in 2023.

Yet the overall narrative here is of a franchise that hasn't been more than a secondary contender since a 101-win season in 2019. It's also one in between a payroll cut and a sale, a status that brings to mind the phrase "hurry up and wait."

17. St. Louis Cardinals

Regular Season: 367-339, .520 W/L%

Playoffs: 3 appearances, 1 win

Wins Above Replacement: 147.1

When I fact-checked that the Cardinals have made the playoffs three times in the 2020s, I found that A) it's true and B) that much fun was had along the way.

The Cardinals' 2022 season, in particular, had a magical energy. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado were arguably the best duo in baseball that year, and the last hurrah for Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina was a memorable experience for at least one of them.

But since then? Oof. Beyond just the losses, there's the feeling that the Cardinals have fallen behind the times, notably to the detriment of should-be stars like Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. They'll have to dig up to get themselves out of this hole.

16. San Francisco Giants

Regular Season: 368-340, .531 W/L%

Playoffs: 1 appearance, 2 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 153.7

It's because of the Giants that the Dodgers haven't won the NL West annually since 2013. The exception is 2021, when the Giants won 107 games to claim the division crown.

Of course, that season is also an exception for the Giants themselves. They've been lost in the .500 wilderness ever since 2021, which is no great surprise given that the core of that year's team was already past its expiration date.

It's now up to the key piece of that core to rebuild the franchise's aura from the top down. Buster Posey has his work cut out for him in this regard, though it helps that he already has a better track record of securing stars than his predecessor.

15. Baltimore Orioles

Regular Season: 352-356, .497 W/L%

Playoffs: 2 appearances, 0 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 150.3

The Orioles don't rank higher on this list in part because they lost 110 games as recently as 2021, though it was fortunately the last gasp of a five-year rebuild.

The Orioles are the winning-est team in the AL since Adley Rutschman debuted in 2022, and he's but one part of arguably the best core of young hitters in MLB today. And not even the best, as that distinction belongs to wunderkind shortstop Gunnar Henderson.

But then there's the other reason the O's are not higher. They still haven't won a playoff game since 2014 and, as good as they are, they seem to have a pathological block against getting better. Not even a new owner has resulted in a sudden flow of dollars.

14. Toronto Blue Jays

Regular Season: 378-330, .534 W/L%

Playoffs: 3 appearances, 0 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 185.4

By all rights, the Blue Jays should be one of the more successful teams of the 2020s.

It's all there in that 185.4 WAR. That ranks sixth out of all teams, and the main contributors to that number include mainstays like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Kevin Gausman and José Berríos, the latter two of whom loom large in the club's run prevention ethos.

And yet, it is not a coincidence that the Blue Jays' last playoff win is still all the way back in 2016. They have a knack for underachieving and, Anthony Santander notwithstanding, for missing out on players they want. Hence why this feels like a franchise on the brink.

13. Seattle Mariners

Regular Season: 380-328, .537 W/L%

Playoffs: 1 appearance, 2 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 151.5

The Mariners have a lot to be proud of when they look back on the first half of the 2020s.

That 21-year playoff drought? Yeah, that's over. And in the Mariners' wake are four straight winning seasons, mainly courtesy of a once-in-a-generation homegrown star in Julio Rodríguez and the nastiest pitching staff in the American League.

Frustration with the Mariners nonetheless began to set in last year, and firing Scott Servais unsurprisingly didn't prove to be a quick fix. This is yet another franchise that should be making more aggressive plays to add to its roster.

12. Arizona Diamondbacks

Regular Season: 324-384, .458 W/L%

Playoffs: 1 appearance, 10 wins, NL Champions in 2023

Wins Above Replacement: 122.4

The Diamondbacks are another team that lost 110 games in 2021, but they've redeemed themselves quite a bit since then.

Their fate began to change for the better when they debuted Corbin Carroll in 2022 and subsequently extended him. Nobody had them going to the World Series immediately after in 2023 but, hey, it happened and it was a wild ride even if it fizzled out at the end.

Though the Snakes have the rotten luck of sharing the NL West with the Dodgers and Padres, their contention window is nowhere near closed. Not after an 89-win season in 2024, and especially not after a $210 million deal with Corbin Burnes.

11. Texas Rangers

Regular Season: 318-390, .449 W/L%

Playoffs: 1 appearance, 13 wins, AL and World Series Champions in 2023

Wins Above Replacement: 121.3

It's amazing how much one season can stand out from an otherwise unspectacular set of five.

The Rangers refused to be denied in 2023, shaking off a disappointing end to the regular season to lay waste to the postseason. It was a start-to-finish display of power hitting and starting pitching, culminating in one of the more dominant World Series efforts in recent memory.

It's a bummer that the Rangers otherwise have four losing seasons so far this decade. It's likewise a bummer that the money flow that fueled their championship run in '23 has been pinched out of fear of the luxury tax.

10. Cleveland Guardians

Regular Season: 375-332, .530 W/L%

Playoffs: 3 appearances, 8 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 154.3

It's not for lack of trying that the Guardians are 75 years removed from their last World Series victory.

They've been holding strong in the win column for over a decade, and the only frustrating thing about it is that there's no single explanation as to why. An amazing front office is one. José Ramírez is another. But beyond that, they're basically a revolving door of heroes and role players.

It's therefore an odd thing to feel sympathy for Guardians fans, but it is appropriate. Three-quarters of a century is a long time to go without a World Series trophy, and the club's revenue constraints pretty much make annual roster churn a fact of life.

9. Milwaukee Brewers

Regular Season: 395-313, .558 W/L%

Playoffs: 4 appearances, 2 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 163.9

Alas, what are the Brewers if not the National League's answer to the Guardians?

They have been so good at keeping the wins coming that they've made the playoffs six times in seven seasons. They have a similar knack for digging up talent on the margins, though Jackson Chourio is positioned to be for Milwaukee what Ramírez is for Cleveland.

Yet the franchise's meter for years without a World Series title is at 56 years and counting. This is likewise related to roster churn-via-low-revenue, which has forced the Brewers to compete despite parting with stars like Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes and now Willy Adames.

8. New York Mets

Regular Season: 368-340, .520 W/L%

Playoffs: 2 appearances, 8 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 160.3

The Mets aren't so tough. They have a losing record for their entire existence, for which losing seasons in 2020, 2021 and 2023 didn't help.

It is nonetheless plain as day that we have yet to see the best of the modern Mets. That in and of itself is saying something, as they won 101 games in 2022 and fell just two wins shy of the World Series last year.

While we don't yet know about the on-field impact of the move, the Mets' $765 million deal with Juan Soto certainly feels seismic. It is Steve Cohen's most forceful announcement yet that he means for the Mets to be the biggest, baddest team in New York.

7. San Diego Padres

Regular Season: 380-328, .537 W/L%

Playoffs: 3 appearances, 12 wins

Wins Above Replacement: 184.0

The Padres are still in search of their first World Series title, but it's hard to look back on their last five years as anything other than the best stretch in their history.

They certainly haven't been hurting for star players, for which credit must go to A.J. Preller for how often he's connected on his biggest swings. Heck, even last winter's trade of Juan Soto is looking pretty good in retrospect.

It's therefore too bad that disappointment and uncertainty cloud the Padres. The former, because of missed opportunities in the playoffs in 2022 and 2024. The latter, because of payroll cuts and sudden infighting among the ownership group.

6. Tampa Bay Rays

Regular Season: 405-303, .572 W/L%

Playoffs: 4 appearances, 12 wins, AL Champions in 2020

Wins Above Replacement: 199.9

After what befell them in 2024, it's OK if you had forgotten that the Rays are having a better decade than most.

They rank fourth in both wins and WAR for the 2020s, and this is despite their customary standing in the bottom five of the league for payroll. This front office is that good, specifically at finding arms for a consistently outstanding pitching staff.

A deluge of broken pitchers unfortunately took some shine off of said staff in 2024, and Hurricane Milton's destruction of Tropicana Field was the proverbial insult to injury. All the same, it should surprise nobody if the 2025 Rays go out and win 90-plus games.

5. Philadelphia Phillies

Regular Season: 382-326, .540 W/L%

Playoffs: 3 appearances, 20 wins, NL Champions in 2022

Wins Above Replacement: 183.2

It is wild to think that as recently as 2021, the Phillies looked like a wannabe superpower that was never going to make good.

They've since won more playoff games than any other team since 2022, all while their regular season records have trended up. And thanks to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and owner John Middleton, Bryce Harper isn't exactly a lonely star.

Phillies fans can nonetheless be forgiven if they're feeling a little uneasy. Even Dombrowski is feeling the weight of diminishing returns in the playoffs, and those look even worse when juxtaposed with the advancing ages of Harper and the club's other core pieces.

4. New York Yankees

Regular Season: 400-308, .565 W/L%

Playoffs: 4 appearances, 15 wins, AL Champions in 2024

Wins Above Replacement: 189.2

The Yankees are one of five teams with 400 wins since 2020, and last year saw them reset their counter for years without a World Series appearance from 14 to zero.

In the middle of all of it has been Aaron Judge, who made memories left and right with his 62-homer onslaught in 2022 and his somehow superior season in 2024. He's now among the top 10 Yankees of all-time for home runs and WAR.

If all this is the good news, the bad news is twofold. Getting utterly pantsed by a better team in the World Series hurt. And as Juan Soto's departure made clear, even the best thing the Yankees have going for them (hint: money) doesn't count for as much as it used to.

3. Houston Astros

Regular Season: 408-299, .577 W/L%

Playoffs: 5 appearances, 34 wins, AL Champions in 2021 and 2022, World Series Champions in 2022

Wins Above Replacement: 206.3

If you're still salty about the sign-stealing scandal that engulfed the Astros at the outset of the 2020s, it ought to be clear by now that it's not why they're a dynasty.

Especially in 2022, it helped to have a core offensive foursome of Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker. The Astros also just plain understand run prevention, as their 3.66 ERA since 2020 is the best in the American League.

With Tucker in Chicago and Bregman likely to also be elsewhere in the near future, how much longer the good times can last is a fair question. But for now, let's just agree that it only matters that they've lasted this long.

2. Atlanta Braves

Regular Season: 417-290, .590 W/L%

Playoffs: 5 appearances, 21 wins, NL and World Series Champions in 2021

Wins Above Replacement: 211.5

It says a lot that the Braves could win 89 games and notch a seventh straight playoff appearance last year, and that it could still be the low point of their decade.

There are frankly too many Braves stars of recent vintage who deserve mentions. Freddie Freeman, Dansby Swanson and Max Fried made good before leaving town, and Braves fans have otherwise gotten to enjoy an MVP-winning season by Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2023 and a Cy Young Award-winning campaign by Chris Sale last year.

Should the Braves have played deeper into October in 2022 and 2023? Probably, yeah. But those missed opportunities need not haunt the franchise going forward, precisely because of how certain they've made it that further opportunities will indeed come.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Regular Season: 458-250, .647 W/L%

Playoffs: 5 appearances, 31 wins, NL and World Series Champions in 2020 and 2024

Wins Above Replacement: 233.3

The Dodgers being No. 1 on this list was an unavoidable outcome. They are, after all, No. 1 in wins, WAR and World Series championships in the 2020s.

You could make the case that simply because of their MVP trio of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers are also No. 1 in MLB for headline-making stars. And now, they're heading into the second half of the decade with momentum.

The Dodgers were already renowned for their front office ingenuity and, by extension, knack for identifying talent. But this decade has also seen them become increasingly willing to leverage their ample resources, to a point where they now feel like MLB's resident bully.

Thus have the Dodgers positioned themselves for two things in the latter half of the 2020s: An avalanche of hate and a whole bunch of Ws to drown it all out.

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.