We’ve arrived at the quarter-pole mark of the 2016 MLB season, as we’re now just a month-and-a-half away from the conclusion of the regular season and the start of another exciting slate of postseason baseball.
However, before the playoffs begin, there’s still an awful lot to be sorted out.
The top teams took care of business last week, and the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians once again fill the top five spots in our rankings.
There was a good deal of shuffling in the spots below them, though.
The Seattle Mariners are making a strong push on the American League side of things, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are on their way back up after looking all but out of it a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the offensively challenged New York Mets are heading in the wrong direction, and the Miami Marlins will be without slugger Giancarlo Stanton the rest of the way, per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
It might not take more than 85 wins to claim the final National League wild-card spot, though, so those two teams are still in the hunt.
As always, one thing remains true: These rankings are a fluid process, with teams moving up or down based on where they ranked the previous week. If a club keeps winning, it will keep climbing—it’s as simple as that.