Atlanta Braves Remain Highly Ranked in Latest MLB Power Rankings

The first MLB.com power rankings of the new year are out, and the Atlanta Braves are still highly ranked

The Braves are still seen as one of the best teams in baseball / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

It looks like it’s still difficult to knock the Atlanta Braves down a peg, no matter how poorly last season ended or how quiet the offseason has been. MLB.com's Will Leitch released its inaugural 2025 power rankings and ranked them fifth. 

This has them down two spots from what was also called their first 2025 power rankings on Nov. 10. So, yes, they were moved down, but the writers only moved them down two spots. It’s so difficult to knock them down a peg that an offseason that would punish most teams more severely in the power rankings still sees the Braves remain in the top five. 

The teams ahead of them in the top five are the World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers, the National League East-winning Philadelphia Phillies, the American League Pennant-winning New York Yankees and the rival New York Mets. 

Losing key players, not adding and still needing to get back to full health is what cost them a top-three spot. 

“The losses of Fried and Charlie Morton make the Braves’ rotation look thinner than it has in a while, and you do wonder if they’re going to add a starter or two. But the most important thing may be the simplest: Getting that lineup healthy again. That Ronald Acuña Jr. may not be ready for Opening Day is an inauspicious start.”

This is a conclusion that will have some fans punching at air. But maybe the writers, despite the issues the club is facing, still think the Braves have a good team. 

After all, they were battered and bruised, plugging multiple spots with mid-season free-agent signings and still won 89 games and made the postseason. They managed to have the fifth-best run differential in the National League (+97) and finished 52-41 against teams with winnings records. They were tied with the Brewers for the most wins against above-.500 teams. 

The roster they currently have could do a lot more just by staying healthy, and by a month or so in, they’ll have Acuña and Strider likely back. Austin Riley, who also missed postseason action, will be back for Opening Day. Ozzie Albies, while he made it back, wasn’t fully healthy but now he will be. 

There’s a solid chance Ian Anderson will make his return to the rotation. We saw fans on social media begging for that. Their fifth guy might start off as Grant Holmes and some teams would have to use him as a middle-of-the-rotation piece. 

This team definitely needs to add, don’t get me wrong. They can only benefit from adding some experience to an already good team. But there is a reason they are still in the top five. When the limping 2024 team manages to finish with the second Wild Card, it shows how difficult it is to count this team out.