Detroit Tigers rise in latest MLB power rankings: Are they back on top of AL?
The Detroit Tigers were in a rough state towards the end of July, at one point losing 12 of 13 games and seeing their division lead fall from 14 games to seven games. However, after going 4-2 over the past week against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies (and looking much better in the process), the Tigers might be back to their winning ways.
Despite a 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday, Aug. 3, the Tigers (65-48) are tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the best record in the American League entering Monday's play. They also hold an eight-game lead over the second-place Cleveland Guardians, which stands as by far the biggest divisional lead in baseball.
Various MLB outlets agree that the Tigers are on the rise, with many raising the Tigers on their weekly power rankings. And though none see the Tigers as the best team in baseball (a place they have occupied on many power rankings throughout the 2025 season), many see them as a top-five team, with one outlet ranking them as the best team in the American League.
Here is where the major sports outlets rank the Tigers in their latest power rankings:
Paste BN: 4th
Paste BN's Gabe Lacques keeps the Tigers locked into fourth place in his most recent rankings, wondering whether newly-acquired pitcher Kyle Finnegan can become a shutdown closer in his new environment.
MLB.com: 4th
MLB's Will Leitch raised the Tigers four spots in his latest ranking, expressing the same relief many Tigers fans have been feeling:
"The Tigers have stabilized after their initial brutal post-All-Star break struggles, and one wonders if we’ll even remember they took a step back at all. After all, they’re eight games up in the AL Central (with no real challenger looking like it’s emerging anytime soon), they’ve got the best record in the AL (again) and now they have a deeper rotation to get them through the dog days of August."
SI: 5th
SI previously ranked the Tigers as the No. 3 team in the league, though the No. 5 position still qualifies them as the highest-ranked AL team:
Here's what SI's Patrick Andres had to say about the Tigers' deadline moves:
"Quantity was the order of the day for Detroit, which added six pitchers including starters Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack. This is a team that could’ve stood to take a big bullpen swing; instead, the Tigers’ glamor relief acquisition was Nationals pitcher Kyle Finnegan. The moves added up to signal that Detroit isn’t going for the jugular just yet."
CBS: 6th
CBS' Matt Snyder bumped the Tigers up one spot after their showing last week, but much like Andres, he's skeptical about how the team went about the deadline:
"Charlie Morton looked great in his first Tigers start, but shouldn't Detroit have done more in front of the trade deadline?"
Bleacher Report: 6th
Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter also bumped the Tigers up one spot this week, and also expressed some doubt about the team's newly-acquired pitchers:
"Expect [Chris] Paddack and [Charlie] Morton to battle for the No. 4 starter job in October, while [Kyle] Finnegan and [Rafael] Montero will be counted on to stabilize a shaky relief corps that was a big reason for the team's 1-12 rough patch in July. They are still the runaway favorites in the AL Central race, but did they do enough to be a legitimate threat in October?"
ESPN: 7th
In a power ranking posted on Aug. 1, ESPN dropped the Tigers from No. 3 to No. 7, with the Blue Jays (No. 6) the only AL team ahead of them.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com