MLB Power Rankings Week 18: Where all 30 teams stand as playoff races heat up

Players are settling in with their new teams in the weeks after the trade deadline, and in several circumstances, they could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs.

Can the Red Sox hold off long enough for the return of Chris Sale and Kyle Schwarber? Are the Dodgers' new additions enough to give them the NL West? Who's No. 1 in the chaotic NL East?

Here is what our eight-voter expert panel decided based on what they have learned in the first four and a half months of the 2021 season. We also asked ESPN baseball experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle, Joon Lee, Jesse Rogers and Alden Gonzalez to weigh in with one Week 18 observation based on what they have seen recently for all 30 teams.

Previous rankings: Week 17 |