Their lead in the NL Central grew to 6 ½ games on June 17. They haven't even been playing poorly lately -- they are still on pace to win 97 games -- but the lead has dwindled. In fact, the Cubs and Brewers are tied for first place.

After a brief hiatus for the Home Run Derby (congrats, Big Dumper) and the All-Star Game (congrats, National League), it's time to get back to business with power rankings heading into the second "half" of the 2025 Major League Baseball season.

With baseball’s best run differential at +119 and a solid series win in the Bronx entering the All-Star break, the Cubs claim the top spot in these rankings for the first time all season after spending much of the first half floating in the top 10.

The Boston Red Sox, who traded $313 million slugger Rafael Devers in mid-June, will take a 10-game winning streak into the second half, climbing within a game of the New York Yankees and lurking within striking distance of the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in a once-again rugged American League East.