By Louis Friedl 
These 15 teams are the ones who still have playoff hopes and are battling it out. They are ranked 1 to 15:
1. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have completely taken the league by storm over the past couple of months. They lead the league in wins and are doing it with great pitching, hitting, defense, and base running. They do everything well.
2. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies have a deep lineup, have solidified their bullpen recently and do have a great rotation. The loss of Zack Wheeler might come into play though. Even if it doesn’t affect them the rest of the season, it could be a huge loss come playoff time.
3. Detroit Tigers
The Tigers have moved up this list over the past week. They have Skubal who leads a solid rotation, and their lineup has been steady and consistent since April. They are looking like they will be the number one or two seed in the American League.
4. Chicago Cubs
Since the start of the season, the Cubs have consistently been one of the best teams in MLB. The offense is amazing, the starting pitching has been solid and they have the star power needed to win in the playoffs.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers haven’t played well for months, but because of their excellent start, they are nearly a lock to be in the postseason, and they are in a position to win the NL West once again.
6. Toronto Blue Jays
They were the hottest team in the league through June and July but have come back down to the rest of the pack in August. They are still leading the AL East, but both the Red Sox and even the inconsistent Yankees can catch them.
7. San Diego Padres
Have been playing solid baseball all year, just play in a tough division. They have caught the Dodgers over the past couple of weeks. They are a dangerous team the rest of the way, and into the postseason because of their elite bullpen.
8. Houston Astros
Although they are in a playoff spot, and still leading the AL West, the Astros haven’t been playing well and they are looking over their shoulders at the Mariners. At this point, it looks like they will either be the 3 seed, or the 5th/6th seed in the AL playoffs.
9. Boston Red Sox
They might be the most dangerous of all the non division leaders in the AL right now. They have gotten much better starting pitching than anyone could have predicted, Aroldis Chapman has been great closing out games and their lineup has somehow been much better since their shocking mid season trade of Rafael Devers.
10. Seattle Mariners
Their starting pitching is solid, they have one of the best closers in baseball with Andres Munoz and their lineup is much better than last year. Cal Raleigh has already set the single season MLB record for HR by a catcher and the moves they made at the deadline bolstered their lineup as well.
11. New York Yankees
They have played better lately, but still have their struggles against quality opponents. The starting pitching has been pretty steady, the lineup can be extremely dangerous, but they are too reliant on the HR ball. Their bullpen has also been a mess for a while now, and could be their achillies heel.
12. New York Mets
The roster is incredibly talented, but their inconsistencies have led to them dropping in the standings. They still do have a chance to win the East, but their biggest possible issue right now is that their lead for the final NL Wild Card spot is small. They need to get things together quickly.
13. Kansas City Royals
The Royals have been playing better baseball lately and have climbed their way back into the AL Wild Card race. Although they still appear to be a long shot, a strong finish could shake things up.
14. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds have solid starting pitching, a solid closer and some great hitters. They are a good team, but overall, they come up short when comparing them to the current teams that hold down playoff spots in the NL.
15. Cleveland Guardians
They have played inconsitent baseball all season long, but remain in the race for an AL Wild Card spot. Their lineup isn’t deep though and their bullpen isn’t as dominant as it was a year ago.
Angel Atienza-Romero