Two months into the season, there isn't a single tight division race in the National League. That's a surprise. We also didn't expect the American League Central to have three legitimate top-10 teams, or the AL West to have none.
But the AL East being the most competitive division in baseball and featuring the two best clubs in the entire league? Well, that's exactly what I figured would happen.
So, without further ado, here are the top 10 teams right now, with odds from FanDuel Sportsbook!
10. San Diego Padres (32-30, last week unranked)
World Series odds: +3500
The Padres rebounded from a slow start to the season and have crept back into the playoff picture in the National League, thanks in no small part to adding Luis Arráez via a trade with the Miami Marlins last month. Arráez's consistency makes him the perfect fit in San Diego's talented but boom-or-bust lineup, especially amid the relative lack of consistency from Fernando Tatís Jr. and Manny Machado. The Padres are not where they are right now without trading for Arráez and Dylan Cease.
9. Atlanta Braves (33-24, LW 7)
World Series odds: +800
It's been a brutal season for the Braves, and that's been the case even more so lately given Ronald Acuña Jr.'s torn ACL. The Braves are still good, still deep, and still a playoff team. But this is the worst I remember Atlanta playing since we started "Flippin' Bats" in 2021.
8. Minnesota Twins (33-26, LW 9)
World Series odds: +2500
The Twins move up a spot after taking two out of three in a solid, hard-fought series against the Astros in Houston this past weekend following a similarly competitive yet victorious series versus the Royals. Minnesota is playing like the team we expected it to be before the season.
7. Kansas City Royals (36-25, LW 6)
World Series odds: +5000
The Royals are still really good. They have flaws, mainly with their lack of offensive depth, but they're still exceeding even my rosy prediction about this 2024 team. The only reason they dropped a spot this week is because of who I have just ahead of them.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (36-23, LW 8)
World Series odds: +3500
The Brewers are on a five-game win streak that has increased their stranglehold over the NL Central: seven games ahead of the second-place Cardinals in the division. What Milwaukee has done this year is simply stunning.
This is a team whose biggest headlines last offseason came from trading its ace Corbin Burnes — one of the best pitchers in baseball — and losing its extremely respected manager to a division rival. Oh, and the Brewers' current No. 2 starter Brandon Woodruff and All-Star closer Devin Williams are both on the injured list, as well. Our preseason idea of what the NL Central would be like has been turned on its head, and the Brewers deserve a lot of credit for their part in that.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (38-23, LW 5)
World Series odds: +260
The Dodgers did enough to hold serve after their slide down these rankings last week, sweeping the Mets and taking two out of three from the Rockies at home. L.A. still needs some offensive depth yet demonstrated that its slump last week was more of a blip than a troubling trend.
4. Cleveland Guardians (39-20, LW 4)
World Series odds: +2500
The Guardians are one win away from joining the Phillies and Yankees as the third team to reach 40 wins this season. Few outside of Stephen Vogt probably saw that coming. What an impressive managerial debut for the longtime MLB catcher.
3. Baltimore Orioles (37-20, LW 3)
World Series odds: +1000
The Orioles are getting overshadowed by their AL East rivals up the coast, but they're on a tear of their own, winning eight of their past 10 games. Baltimore probably needs some reinforcements in the bullpen and the outfield at the trade deadline, and maybe some rotation depth. But general manager Mike Elias has still assembled a very, very good team and has earned the right for fans to trust him as he starts working the phones over the next two months.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (41-19, LW 2)
World Series odds: +700
The Phillies continue to ascend into superteam status. Their pitching has come a long way, and their loaded lineup is performing as expected. Now, can Philadelphia win the division and continue its recent October success? That's all that matters for this franchise — and remains to be seen.
1. New York Yankees (42-19, LW 1)
World Series odds: +500
Aaron Judge was the best player in baseball in May. Juan Soto might have been the second-best. What those two are doing is exceeding even the wildest imaginations of Yankees fans. Judge and Soto occupy the top two spots in several offensive metrics among all MLB hitters, including wRC+, OPS and slugging percentage. They have become the best star duo in baseball, even in a world where Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani hit back-to-back every day.
[2024 MLB MVP odds: Aaron Judge, Juan Soto wrestling for AL MVP lead]
But the Yankees are also far more than their superstars. New York's starting rotation has been amazing despite defending AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole still yet to throw a pitch this season. Anthony Volpe is fresh off a 21-game hit streak and entrenching himself as the team's first franchise shortstop since my current colleague Derek Jeter retired 10 years ago. MLB's top tier is crowded, but the Yankees have to remain No. 1 in my rankings as long as they're playing like this.
Out: Chicago Cubs (10; WS odds: +5000)
Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him at @BenVerlander.
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