Who’s Got the Power? These 7 MLB Teams Are Ready to Make Their Voices Heard in October

We’re in the final weeks of the 2024 MLB season, with the postseason in sight. Rosters have been set as teams make their final push into October with a shot at a World Series on the line.

Several teams are well within sight of the playoffs, and others are already knocking on the door with three weeks to go, but who is playing their best baseball with everything on the line? Who has good vibes and positive momentum heading into the biggest weeks of the season?

Here are seven teams that dominate in the final stages.

There may be no team that has had a more up-and-down year than the Mets, but in the most important month of the season, they have played their best baseball. The Mets, winners of their last seven games, now sit just a half-game behind the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wild card.

Superstar Francisco Lindor is playing the best baseball of his Mets career, especially over the past month, and would receive significantly more NL MVP consideration if it weren’t for Shohei Ohtani.

The Royals have a playoff-caliber rotation and they’ve shown it all season. With the addition of veteran Seth Lugo, who’s been fantastic, and the continued development of Cole Ragans, Brady Singer and Alec Marsh, Kansas City has a starting staff that can win a playoff series.

The biggest question for Kansas City all year was whether they could find enough offense to support their starting pitching. And lately, the answer has been yes. Led by Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City’s offense has provided its rotation with plenty of run support. Granted, the loss of first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is huge and leaves a big hole in the middle of the Royals’ offense, but with the contributions they’ve gotten from throughout the lineup, the Royals may have enough to make a splash come October.

In the words of Eminem: “Guess who’s back? Back again. Stros are back. Tell a friend.”

Many wondered if the Astros’ long run of success had come to an end with an aging roster, an injured rotation, and a subpar lineup and bullpen. But when you’ve been there and seen it all, there’s very little that can bother you. And as it turns out, the Astros weren’t fazed by the 10-game deficit they once suffered in the AL West.

Many teams in baseball would have ceased to exist under those circumstances. Houston did nothing but erode Seattle’s lead, and since taking control of the division, they have not looked back, extending their lead to 4.5 games.

Who knows if the Astros can still have their playoff magic and reach the ALCS for an eighth straight season? But we certainly can’t rule it out. Oh, and they’re still doing it without their best player in Kyle Tucker.

Milwaukee keeps going and the Brew Crew, with Pat Murphy as perhaps the leading candidate for NL Manager of the Year, has been one of the best stories in baseball this season, even after superstar Christian Yelich died of season-ending back surgery.

Along the way, Milwaukee’s young superstar in the making has grown tremendously. Jackson Chourio is one home run away from becoming the first player to have a 20/20 season at age 20.

The Brewers currently hold the largest division lead in MLB, with a nine-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

The Dodgers have as high expectations for this postseason as any team in baseball. After adding two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani (who is close to a third) along with players like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, anything short of a World Series appearance would feel like a disappointment for the Dodgers.

While they still have questions about their starting pitching, the Dodgers will get Yoshinobu Yamamoto back next week. And despite being without Tyler Glasnow or Clayton Kershaw, they have the third-best record in baseball since the All-Star break.

The D-backs are back in the game with a red-hot second half, but unlike last season, they’re not surprising anyone. Arizona’s recipe for success last year was strong starting pitching and a bullpen that stepped up late in the year. This season, the D-backs have the best offense in baseball and are getting big seasons from veterans Joc Pederson and Eugenio Suarez.

Plus, after a terrible first half, Corbin Carroll has blossomed into the MVP-caliber player who led Arizona’s offense last season. The D-backs are better than they were last year, and they’ve found their groove at the perfect time.

The Padres were the best team in baseball in the second half, with their 30-12 record since the All-Star break being the best in baseball. San Diego had a major signing deadline, boasting perhaps the strongest bullpen in the game, led by closer Robert Suarez and new additions Jason Adam and Tanner Scott.

The Padres’ offense is also one of the game’s best, led by rookie sensation Jackson Merrill and the recent return of Fernando Tatis Jr., and the team’s starting pitching is finally getting healthy. The Friars may be the scariest team in baseball entering the postseason.