David Lennon's MLB power rankings three months into the season

(Note: Statistics prior to Friday’s games; last month's ranking in parentheses)

1. Dodgers (2)

Once again, the Dodgers are looking inevitable as LA continues to build on history’s most compelling case that money can indeed buy championships. The two-time defending champs currently have $112 million of their $400 million payroll on the injured list —  including Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Edwin Diaz and Will Smith — yet still have MLB’s best record (57-31) and a 13-game lead in the NL West.

2. Brewers (3)

David Stearns was lauded for Milwaukee’s small-market magic, but the Brewers have continued to roll since his absence. They’re on track for their fourth straight 90-win season and NL Central title since Stearns stepped down as Milwaukee’s president of baseball operations while the Mets have steadily deteriorated since his arrival in Flushing.

3. Rays (4)

There’s always reluctance to put the Rays up here because their success defies baseball’s conventional wisdom. How can a team with MLB’s third-lowest payroll ($108M) and a plus-37 run differential have the sport’s third-best record (51-33)? The rotation’s second-best ERA (3.24) helps, but the Rays don’t dazzle in much else, other than a small-ball ability to consistently outperform their statistics.

4. Atlanta (1)

For those fixated on the recent Bronx bonfire, the past month was actually worse in Atlanta, where the NL East leader ranked at the bottom in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.213), OPS (.600) and runs (87). Ronald Acuna Jr. (hamstring) can’t get back soon enough, and probably won’t be until late July.

5. Yankees (5)

No one said life was going to be easy without Aaron Judge, but the Yankees better get used to it for a while, and they’re far more capable than this recent June swoon indicated. Historically, the Yankees were 15 games under .500 (73-88) with him on the IL, but Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger and a still solid rotation will wake up sooner rather than later.

6. Phillies (8)

One overlooked key to the Mattingly Era in Philly was the timing of Zack Wheeler’s return, as he rejoined the rotation only days before Rob Thomson was fired. Since then, Wheeler is right on the heels of ace Cristopher Sanchez, going 8-1 with a 2.36 ERA in 13 starts coming back from thoracic outlet syndrome. The rotation has MLB’s third-best ERA (3.51) since Mattingly was hired.

7. Cubs (11)

Maybe the Mets didn’t fix the Cubs, but last week’s four-game sweep in Flushing definitely served as a springboard to their strong June finish and a 15-5 surge that carried them into July. The Cubs not only ended Carlos Mendoza’s tenure, but the previously slumping Dansby Swanson batted .438 (7-for-16) in that series with three homers and 15 RBIs.

8. White Sox (13)

The surprising White Sox find themselves in the unfamiliar position of being buyers at this year’s trade deadline and they’ll be looking for rotation help to stay atop the AL Central. The starters’ 5.45 ERA for June ranked 24th in the majors, and slugging their way out those holes isn’t a formula for sustained success with a 10-10 record in the past 20 games.

9. Mariners (7)

Among Seattle’s stellar rotation, Bryce Miller has shined the brightest lately, with a 1.71 ERA over eight starts and one relief appearance. He has 62 strikeouts over 52 2/3 innings and only five walks to go with a 0.665 WHIP. Last Thursday, Miller carried a no-hitter into the seventh in a 1-0 win over the Angels, completing the Mariners first sweep since the end of May.

10. Rangers (17)

The Texas resurgence (18-12) hit a snag this week with Corey Seager (back inflammation) returning to the IL and Wyatt Langford (hamstring) going back on the shelf as well. Also, Brandon Nimmo’s status remains up in the air as he’s being treated for an AC sprain in his shoulder suffered by colliding with the outfield wall.

11. Marlins (26)

Didn’t anticipate seeing the Marlins up this high at any point this season, but you can’t ignore what the Flying Fish did the past month, with an MLB-best 20-6 record in June. Miami’s rotation ranked second in ERA (3.18) during that span, led by Max Meyer, who didn’t suffer his first loss (9-1, 2.53 ERA) until the first day of July.

12. Cardinals (14)

The Cardinals slipped from their top wild-card perch, losing ground to the division rival Cubs and rebounding Phillies, and the start of July will test their staying power as a contender. St. Louis, which was 26-26 vs. teams above .500, opened with a brutal stretch of 13 games (in 12 days) against Atlanta, the Cubs, the Brewers and finishing the first half with Atlanta again.

13. Guardians (6)

Cleveland had a bumpy June, going 10-15, and had one of the most embarrassing snapshots from the month, when rookie outfielder  Cooper In gle caught a fly ball for the second out and then tossed the baseball into the stands, allowing the go-ahead run to score on the mishap in the eventual 4-2 loss to the Rangers.

14. Pirates (9)

Shortstop phenom Konnor Griffin isn’t the only rookie making a loud impact for Pittsburgh’s turnaround this season. Esmerlyn Valdez, 22, became the first Pirate to homer in four straight games since Corey Dickerson in 2018 and was hitting .542 (13-24) with a 1.795 OPS over a seven-game stretch since that streak began.

15. Padres (10)

The Padres keep being the Wile E. Coyote to the Dodgers’ Road Runner. Despite posing as an April threat, San Diego spiraled back to .500 (43-43) with a recent 11-19 skid, and a run differential that’s plunged to minus-41, thanks to a 23-3 loss to the Cubs on July 1. Their .677 OPS is the second-worst in baseball, better than only the Mets (.672).

16. Astros (21)

Houston is getting healthier, and the difference is profound, starting July on a 17-13 rebound that has placed them squarely back in the playoff hunt. A big part of that has been closer Josh Hader, who missed the first two months with biceps Tendinitis and now has a 0.69 ERA in 13 appearances (21 Ks in 13 IP) since his June 2 return.

17. Nationals (20)

The Nats’ feel-good season got a black eye this past week when starter Cade Cavalli sparked a benches-clearing brawl with the Red Sox over his “sit down boy” comment directed at Willson Contreras after a strikeout. The apologetic Cavalli was suspended for seven games and rotation-mate Miles Mikolas got a five-game ban for his actions.

18. Diamondbacks (12)

With Corbin Burnes (shoulder strain) not expected back until September, can the D-Backs get enough from the rest of their rotation to stay in the race? Zac Gallen has made 18 starts but is 3-8 with a 6.36 ERA. Merrill Kelly — signed to a two-year, $18 million deal last offseason — is 5-8 with a 5.84 ERA. That’s not a lot of veteran help for Eduardo Rodriguez (7-2, 2.21 ERA).

19. Blue Jays (15)

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (4 HRs, .698 OPS) not playing to his usual MVP level, the Blue Jays fast-tracked Centerport’s Sean Keys to the majors last week after playing just 18 games at Triple-A Buffalo this season. The former Harborfields High star, who had 21 homers and a 1.028 OPS in 67 minor-league games this year, smacked a three-run homer Wednesday in Toronto’s 9-3 rout of the Mets.

20. Red Sox (22)

Left for dead in the AL East, the Red Sox humbled the Yankees with a four-game sweep at Fenway Park, flexing a young rotation that shows promise for the future, if not the long-shot chance of pitching them into wild-card contention. But they’ll probably have to do it without Sonny Gray (9-1, 2.69 ERA), who is Boston’s best trade chip in what will be a competitive deadline market.

21. Twins (24)

Every year, Byron Buxton’s name comes up in trade discussions, and each time, the Twins’ centerfielder reiterates his desire to stay despite the team going nowhere. Buxton has a no-trade clause and his $100 million deal runs through 2028, but he’s a very attractive commodity, hitting .268 with 25 homers (second in the AL) and an .898 OPS.

22. Athletics (16)

After flirting with the AL West lead for much of the season, the Athletics have steadily been falling off the pace, which isn’t easy to do in a weak division that could be won with a .500 record. Offense won’t be a problem in hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park, but the A’s have to pitch better than their 6.20 ERA for June, which was worst in the AL.

23. Reds (18)

With Hunter Greene scheduled to make his 2026 debut over the weekend, that eases some of the pressure on Chase Burns, who has shouldered the ace role for a depleted rotation to this point. Burns (10-1) ranks sixth in ERA (2.40) for a last-place Reds team that should be sellers at the deadline, unless Green’s return can provide a boost.

24. Orioles (19)

The Orioles’ promising winter is turning into a summer bummer. At 13 games out, the AL East is beyond reach, and Baltimore (minus-33 run differential) hasn’t shown much under first-year manager Craig Albernaz to be considered a factor in the league’s weak wild-card race. The only drama left could be Pete Alonso’s September return to Citi Field.

25. Mets (23)

And speaking of Flushing, the Mets finally fired manager Carlos Mendoza — or announced his “departure,” according to the team’s official statement. But owner Steve Cohen insists that president of baseball operations David Stearns will “live out” the remainder of his five-year contract, which runs through 2028. That could be miserable — for both Stearns and the team’s frustrated fan base.

26. Tigers (25)

Detroit didn’t look like an AL bottom-dweller during its Bronx three-game sweep of the Yankees, but that probably had more to do with their host’s malaise than any Tigers recovery. Still, it’s hard to believe AJ Hinch & Co. were 12 games under .500 despite being one of only five AL teams with a positive run differential (plus-5).

27. Giants (23)

Not much has been good about Bay Area baseball this season, with one exception: Logan Webb, who rose above his team’s malfunction in June to claim NL Pitcher of the Month honors, outshining Cy Young favorites Jacob Misiorowski and Cristopher Sanchez. Webb went 3-1 with a 0.71 ERA in five starts, striking out 29 with four walks in 38 innings.

28. Angels (30)

Firing GM Perry Minasian isn’t going to reverse the Angels’ nosedive to oblivion this season, but the sport’s most irrelevant franchise had to start somewhere, and maybe John Mozeliak — the former Cardinals exec — will be an upgrade. He can’t do any worse. The Angels (36-52) are heading for an 11th straight losing season as Mike Trout’s career sinks right along with them.

29. Royals (27)

Cole Ragans, who finished fourth in the Cy Young voting in 2024, underwent what the team described as a UCL repair this past week — on top of already having two Tommy John surgeries earlier in his career. Ragans, 28, was the Royals’ Opening Day starter for a third straight year, but made only eight starts (4.84 ERA) before being sidelined with elbow issues.

30. Rockies (29)

Congrats to the Rockies, who owned MLB’s worst run-differential (minus-90) through Thursday’s games, along with being tied with the Royals for the fewest wins (35). And how’s this for an indictment of the terrible AL? The Rockies actually have a winning record (13-11) in interleague play.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.