Ranking MLB’s Five Best Potential Postseason Pitching Rotations

The ability to pitch deep into games is often a difference maker in October.

The Yankees will enter the postseason with one of MLB’s best pitching rotations. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s hard to make much noise in the postseason without an elite starting pitching rotation. Quality starters often set the tone for championship teams in October, and the ability to pitch deep into games can be a huge difference-maker for contenders as they advance through postseason series that only get longer.

Teams typically narrow down their rotations to a core of four pitchers, at most. That provides additional bullpen depth while also eliminating the weakest arm in the starting corps. As the regular season inches closer to its conclusion and the postseason picture continues to take shape, it seems like the right time to look ahead and highlight the league’s best potential playoff pitching rotations, focusing on each team’s top four starters.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell

This isn’t the first time you’re hearing that the Dodgers’ rotation is stacked—especially if Shohei Ohtani can sufficiently recover from his knee injury to shoulder a starter’s load. Los Angeles will likely roll with a four-man rotation, meaning Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki could be utilized out of the bullpen. The trade deadline acquisition of Tarik Skubal puts this rotation over the top, giving the Dodgers an experienced and All-Star-caliber arm to start every single night in October. Opposing teams will likely need to inflict their damage in later innings when L.A. turns the ball over to its bullpen, as their formidable group of starters should prove difficult for any offense to do much against.

Injuries have impacted the rotation during the regular season, but the Dodgers also have tremendous depth, with players like Justin Wrobleski and Eric Lauer, in addition to Sasaki and Glasnow, capable of filling in effectively if need be. Even without their stalwart rotation fully assembled, Los Angeles has MLB’s sixth-lowest team ERA (3.69) this year as well as the second-lowest WHIP (1.17).

2. New York Yankees

Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon

The Yankees’ rotation hasn’t been at full strength for most of the season, but they should have their top four arms ready for October, barring a late injury. Cam Schlittler, the current favorite to win the AL Cy Young, was excellent last year during his first taste of postseason baseball when he logged a 1.26 ERA in two starts. He’ll headline the rotation ahead of New York’s trio of more experienced arms in Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, who combine for 52 career postseason appearances.

Even while navigating injuries to most of their key starters, the Yankees boast MLB’s top team ERA (3.23) this season. Opponents are hitting just .225 against New York, third-best in the majors, and the team’s 131 home runs surrendered are likewise the third-fewest league-wide, even while playing in a home-run friendly ballpark.

Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez is a legitimate Cy Young contender for the second straight season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

3. Philadelphia Phillies

Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola

The three-headed monster fronting Philadelphia’s rotation can stack up against any trio in baseball. Sánchez has followed up his 2025 breakout season with an equally dominant follow-up campaign, and he’s likely the only pitcher that could rival Jacob Misiorowski for the NL Cy Young Award. Wheeler has hit something of a rough patch in August, but he owns a 2.18 ERA across 12 career appearances in the postseason. Luzardo is in the midst of his best season, logging a 3.09 ERA in 27 starts. The Phillies have racked up the most strikeouts (1,321) of any team in MLB this season, and their ability to induce swing and misses at the plate will be vital in October.

Beyond that esteemed trio, however, things get a bit dicier, with Aaron Nola enduring another disappointing season, and the inexperienced, inconsistent Andrew Painter serving as their fifth starter.

4. Milwaukee Brewers

Jacob Misiorowski, Dustin May, Logan Henderson, Kyle Harrison

NL Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski has been practically unhittable this year, and he’ll be headlining Milwaukee’s postseason rotation alongside midseason acquisition Dustin May, Logan Henderson and Kyle Harrison. The Brewers never fail to get the most out of their pitching talent. Milwaukee has recorded the second-most strikeouts (1,284) in the league, the second-lowest ERA (3.39) and the third-lowest WHIP (1.17) while limiting opponents to a .221 batting average, the second-best mark in the league.

What they lack, however, is postseason experience. Neither Harrison nor Henderson have ever pitched in October, and May has never pitched more than two innings in a playoff outing. Misiorowski, as elite as he is, is just 24 years old and in his second major-league season. How they adapt to the biggest stage in the sport will determine how far the Brewers advance in their quest for the franchise’s first World Series championship.

Ranger Suárez has adapted well to life in Boston, earning his second career All-Star appearance in his first season with the Red Sox. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

5. Boston Red Sox

Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett

While Boston’s offense has been wildly inconsistent, their pitching has been excellent. The Red Sox have a nice mix of experienced veterans in Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez, as well as young arms such as Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett. They own MLB’s third-lowest ERA (3.47) and have issued the third-fewest walks (382) in the league, benefiting from the luxury of an elite defense to convert balls in play into outs. They also don’t surrender many home runs, having given up 127 on the year (second-fewest in MLB), which averages out to less than one per game.

Gray and Suárez combine for 17 career postseason appearances. Tolle, with one batter faced last postseason, and Bennett, with even less playoff experience, will have far less experience to draw on this October.

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