Culture

2025 MLB Franchise Rankings: Dodgers closing in on No. 1 team of past 25 years

Published

10 months ago

March 10, 2025

2025 MLB Franchise Rankings: Dodgers closing in on No. 1 team of past 25 years

It’s time for another round of the tested, trusted, completely objective, never-been-questioned, all-math, no-bias MLB franchise rankings.

First, a change: Rather than span the Wild-Card Era (1995 to present) as we have done previously, the franchise rankings will henceforth cover the past 25 years, a floating time frame that feels right to start this year — 25 for ’25. The scoring system we borrowed years ago from football writer Bob Sturm and tweaked to fit baseball postseason structure has not changed since last year’s edition.

Winning the World Series (WS): 9 points
Losing in the World Series (WSL): 6 points
Losing in the Championship Series (CS): 3 points
Losing in Division Series (DS): 2 points
Losing in Wild-Card Round (WC): 1 point

The scoring system also incentivizes division titles (+1 point) and penalizes prolonged losing cycles, docking teams (-1 point) each time they lose at least 90 games in consecutive seasons. Add up the point totals from 2000 to 2024 and you have the franchise rankings. It’s just simple math.

In the past, some readers have asked to inject a recency bias into the scoring system — to calculate, say, the 2024 World Series as more valuable than the 2014 or 2004 titles. But no! This exercise aims to measure sustained success (and ineptitude) over a 25-year period. Below, we have included each team’s point total and ranking from the past decade.

Tiebreaker order: World Series wins, World Series losses, Championship Series appearances, Division Series appearances, division titles

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New time frame or not, the Pirates are still in the negative. Pittsburgh has been to the playoffs just three times since 1992, and advanced to the Division Series only once. It remains a tough time to be a Bucco fan. We don’t need to belabor that point. With Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and prospect Bubba Chandler, the Pirates’ rotation could keep them competitive in 2025. But a playoff run would require a series of breakouts and bouncebacks in a lineup that underwhelms on paper. This offseason, the Pirates brought back Andrew McCutchen and Adam Frazier, signed Tommy Pham and traded for now-injured Spencer Horwitz. Fans had hoped for far more than that.

Total playoff years: 13DS, 14WC, 15WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 0 points (MLB rank: t-26th)

Average: -.16 points per season

The Orioles have gained ground with postseason appearances in the last two years, but they’re still at the back of the pack over this 25-year span. Our scoring system is not kind to teams that rebuild — or accidentally stink for a long time? — and only one team (Kansas City) has had more consecutive 90-loss seasons since 2000 than the Orioles. But the Orioles are in a competitive mode now, with young talent up and down their lineup, from Gunnar Henderson to Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Colton Cowser. The rotation is without an ace like Corbin Burnes, but there’s real talent there, and the bullpen should be exceptional.

Total playoff years: 12DS, 14CS, 16WC, 23DS, 24WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 4 points (MLB rank: t-20th)

Average: .12 points per season

Step aside, Buccos. Cincinnati is the only team with a negative point total (-2) over the past 10 years. But because the scope of this ranking is wider than a decade, the Reds will mostly escape ridicule here. If a genie granted Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall one wish, he would probably inquire whether it was too much to ask for a full season of perfect health for this Reds roster. (It is.) Otherworldly numbers from Elly De La Cruz will only take a team so far if Matt McLain, Hunter Greene, TJ Friedl, Nick Lodolo and Jeimer Candelario are all hurt. For now, though, it’s a (mostly) healthy and intriguing roster.

Total playoff years: 10DS, 12DS, 13WC, 20WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: -2 points (MLB rank: 30th)

Shifting our time frame to cover just the past 25 years eliminated two mid-1990s Mariners postseason trips included in previous rankings. Two more playoff appearances (ALCS runs in 2000 and 2001) will fall outside the 25-year window soon. So, Seattle could backslide further in this list in the next couple years. The primary reason for hope this season is that this rotation is still together. The team has made moves designed to marginally improve the lineup — adding Randy Arozarena, Victor Robles, Donovan Solano and re-signing Jorge Polanco — but after a no-splash offseason, the Mariners seem to be banking mostly upon positive regression from in-house options.

Total playoff years: 00CS, 01CS, 22DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 2 points (MLB rank: t-22nd)

The Rockies’ miracle run to the 2007 World Series decides our first tiebreaker decision, placing them over the Mariners (still waiting on that first World Series appearance). But Colorado is moving backward lately. Having lost 94, 103 and 101 games the past three seasons, the deductions are racking up. The Rockies are not expected to be much better in 2025, though Ezequiel Tovar, Brenton Doyle and Ryan McMahon offer quality at the top of the lineup. If nothing else, it’ll be worth tracking the progress of top-100 prospects Charlie Condon (the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft) and Chase Dollander (the No. 9 pick in the 2023 draft) this season.

Total playoff years: 07WSL, 09DS, 17WC, 18DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 0 points (MLB rank: t-26th)

The lowest-ranked franchise on this list to have won a World Series in the past 25 years, the Marlins are a marvel. Since that 2003 title, Miami has turned in losing seasons in 15 of 21 years and made the playoffs just twice — once because of the 2020 expanded playoff field. Coming off a 100-loss season, the Marlins roster has worsened this offseason, having traded Jesús Luzardo and Jake Burger and added virtually no one. The lineup will likely be dreadful. But Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara is healthy again, Eury Pérez is progressing in his Tommy John recovery, and the Marlins have two top-100 pitching prospects in Thomas White and Noble Meyer. The Fish have arms, at least.

Total playoff years: 03WS, 20DS, 23WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 1 point (MLB rank: 25th)

The Padres’ past quarter-decade has featured only one NLCS, but, boy, they sure had the smell of a World Series team in the 2024 postseason. Unfortunately for the Friars and their fans, the Dodgers exist, escaped the 2024 NLDS and are now stronger than ever. San Diego has had a relatively quiet offseason on the transaction front (not so much at the ownership level). But the top half of the lineup should be potent, the rotation has real arms and the bullpen, even after losing Tanner Scott in free agency, should be strong again. Even so, that little problem lingers: The Padres somehow still have to get past the Dodgers.

Total playoff years: 05DS, 06DS, 20DS, 22CS, 24DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 4 points (MLB rank: t-20th)

Kansas City ranked 29th on last year’s list, but bumping the starting point from 1995 to 2000 didn’t hurt the Royals the way it did the teams now below them. The Royals hold the distinction of most consecutive 90-loss seasons in the past 25 years, with nine. They’ve made good use of their three playoff trips, reaching two World Series and winning one. The Royals project to make further progress in the years ahead. Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the best players in baseball. The rotation has Cole Ragan’s top-tier stuff and the experience of Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen. The bullpen has added Hunter Harvey, Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez since July. The arrow is pointing up.

Total playoff years: 14WSL, 15WS, 24DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 10 points (MLB rank: t-14th)

The good news is the Blue Jays are one of just six franchises that have not recorded any consecutive 90-loss seasons since 2000. The bad news? The other five teams — Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals and Angels (yes, Angels) — are all ranked in the top 10. The Blue Jays are in the bottom 10 primarily due to their postseason drought that stretched from 1994 to 2015. Toronto has squeezed five playoff appearances into the past decade; the last three have been wild-card sweeps. Given the state of the AL East, the Blue Jays face another uphill climb this season, which could be Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s last hurrah in Toronto. The Blue Jays made interesting additions this offseason, from Anthony Santander and Andrés Giménez to Jeff Hoffman and Max Scherzer, but none were the big swing for which fans had clamored.

Total playoff years: 15CS, 16CS, 20WC, 22WC, 23WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 10 points (MLB rank: t-14th)

Twenty-five years ago, the Nationals were still the Montreal Expos. If you erase the Expos years from our timeline, the Nats would have 16 total points and win a tiebreaker against the Brewers. Go ahead and tell your friends about that little loophole to get the Nationals in the top 20. Washington has been rotten since winning the 2019 World Series, which ended an eight-year run of competitiveness. The Nats are longshots to contend in the NL East in 2025. For now, the franchise is treading water. But with several young potential stars — James Wood, CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews — on the rise, the future appears bright.

Total playoff years: 12DS, 14DS, 16DS, 17DS, 19WS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 12 points (MLB rank: t-11th)

This feels low, right? The Brewers have reached the playoffs in six of the past seven years (and were 86-76 the year they missed out). They’ve lost 90 games only once since 2004. But this is where the Brewers land because of early postseason exits — four of their past five playoff runs have ended in the Wild Card — and because they were pretty awful in the early 2000s. The team should be right back in the thick of the NL Central race this season. Their lineup, led by Jackson Chourio and William Contreras, has power and a penchant for running wild; their rotation is solid; and their bullpen, even without new Yankees closer Devin Williams, will continue to baffle batters.

Total playoff years: 08DS, 11CS, 18CS, 19WC, 20WC, 21DS, 23WC, 24WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 13 points (MLB rank: 13th)

The White Sox won’t finish last in everything this year, folks. Chicago set Major League Baseball’s modern loss record last season, losing 121 games to “beat” the expansion 1962 New York Mets. There’s really no reason to expect the White Sox will be better this season. They probably will be, though, given how hard it is to lose 121 times in 162 tries. The White Sox traded ace Garrett Crochet. They have not traded Luis Robert Jr. — not yet, anyway. But they’re still sitting in a decent spot in the franchise rankings. Because the 2005 White Sox were a wagon in October. And because flags fly forever.

Total playoff years: 00DS, 05WS, 08DS, 20WC, 21DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 2 points (MLB rank: t-22nd)

Fresh off spending their first October at home since 2018, Tampa has stocked up since last July in the most Raysian ways. They accepted reality and sold at the trade deadline, swapping veterans Jason Adam, Zach Eflin, Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes for 12 players, including several prospects now in the organization’s top 20. This offseason, the Rays signed quality catcher Danny Jansen, landed a short-term deal with injured shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and took a flier on Eloy Jiménez. With the rotation much healthier now, the Rays are again positioned for a playoff run — and potentially to push higher up these rankings.

Total playoff years: 08WSL, 10DS, 11DS, 13DS, 19DS, 20WSL, 21DS, 22WC, 23WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 14 points (MLB rank: t-8th)

The Tigers ended a decade-long postseason drought in style last year with a surprise second-half surge. Detroit was nine games under .500 in early July, sold at the trade deadline and was still .500 as late as Sept. 7. But the Tigers streaked into the playoffs and swept the Astros in the Wild Card Series before nearly closing out the Guardians in the Division Series. They added moderately this offseason, signing Gleyber Torres, Jack Flaherty and Tommy Kahnle and Alex Cobb. The roster still does not scream championship contender, but with reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and with more top-100 prospects (seven) than any other team, the Tigers certainly are capable of making noise again this season.

Total playoff years: 06WSL, 11CS, 12WSL, 13CS, 14DS, 24DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 0 points (MLB rank: t-26th)

Here come the big, bad Metropolitans. This franchise was something of a Cinderella story last season (though this Cinderella had the highest payroll in the land), clinching a playoff spot in a bonus-day doubleheader and then charging into the NLCS. It was their first time advancing in the postseason since 2015. And now the Mets have Juan Soto. Along with bringing back Pete Alonso, Sean Manaea, Ryne Stanek and Jesse Winker, New York traded for Jose Siri and signed Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas and A.J. Minter, among others, in free agency. There was a lot of work to be done this winter. It got done.

Total playoff years: 00WSL, 06CS, 15WSL, 16WC, 22WC, 24CS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 12 points (MLB rank: t-11th)

These are tough times for Athletics fans, as the rebuilding franchise leaves Oakland for a short-term stay in Sacramento. Over the past 25 years, though, there was a fair share of success, as the A’s reached the playoffs 11 times. They only reached the ALCS once (they were swept by the Tigers in 2006), however, and they haven’t won a game that deep into the playoffs since 1992. The A’s don’t project to be playoff-bound this season, though with the offseason additions of Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs and Jose Leclerc they certainly are capable of breaking their streak of three consecutive 90-loss seasons.

Total playoff years: 00DS, 01DS, 02DS, 03DS, 06CS, 12DS, 13DS, 14WC, 18WC, 19WC, 20DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 2 points (MLB rank: t-22nd)

It took the fifth tiebreaker (division titles) to distinguish between the Twins and A’s. Neither reached a World Series since 2000; each had one Championship Series loss, seven Division Series losses and two Wild-Card losses. That’s a lot of bites at the apple, as the saying goes, and a lot of disappointing exits. The Twins have been to the playoffs 10 times in the past 25 years, but the last nine times, they have not advanced beyond the ALDS. The Twins are still a talented bunch, but they have not substantively added to the roster in the past two offseasons. The plan is, for the most part, to run it back in 2025.

Total playoff years: 02CS, 03DS, 04DS, 06DS, 09DS, 10DS, 17WC, 19DS, 20WC, 23DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 9 points (MLB rank: 17th)

The Cubs haven’t won a postseason game since 2017, but a World Series ring and a couple NLCS appearances in the past 25 years are good enough for a top-half finish here. This is a crucial year for the Cubbies. If this is their only year with Kyle Tucker, they’d better make it count. They added a handful of free agents this offseason — notably Matthew Boyd, Caleb Thielbar, Justin Turner, Jon Berti, Carson Kelly and Colin Rea — but did most of their work in the trade market, acquiring Tucker, Ryan Pressly and Ryan Brazier. The Cubs still project as a fringe Wild-Card team this season, but it’s not hard to fathom them making a run at Milwaukee atop the NL Central.

Total playoff years: 03CS, 07DS, 08DS, 15CS, 16WS, 17CS, 18WC, 20WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 20 points (MLB rank: 6th)

The Diamondbacks have a tiebreaker over the Cubs, having appeared in two World Series since 2000. Arizona had the top run-scoring offense in the majors last season, but the pitching staff badly underperformed and the Diamondbacks were eliminated from playoff contention on the last day of the regular season. They upgraded their rotation with authority this winter, adding ace Corbin Burnes on a six-year contract. The D-Backs replaced departed free agent Christian Walker with Josh Naylor. They exercised Eugenio Suárez’s option and re-signed Randal Grichuk. There may be a dip in offensive production in 2025, but a markedly improved pitching staff could make up for that.

Total playoff years: 01WS, 02DS, 07CS, 11DS, 17DS, 23WSL

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 8 points (MLB rank: 18th)

Whittling our time frame to the past 25 years knocks out Cleveland’s great late-1990s run — two World Series appearances, an ALCS exit and two in the ALDS — but the Guardians are still knocking on the door of our top 10. In the past decade, the Guardians have the fifth-most points from our scoring system, behind only the Dodgers, Astros, Braves and Yankees. Cleveland operates with a much more small-market mindset than those four but has managed to sustain success. It is, however, the highest-ranked team in our list without a World Series title in this 25-year window. This winter, the Guardians re-signed the rehabbing Shane Bieber and brought back Carlos Santana to replace Josh Naylor at first base.

Total playoff years: 01DS, 07CS, 13WC, 16WSL, 17DS, 18DS, 20WC, 22DS, 24CS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 21 points (MLB rank: 5th)

The Rangers disappointed last season coming off their 2023 championship, but three World Series appearances in the past 15 seasons squeak them into the top 10 via a tiebreaker advantage over the Guardians. No other top-10 franchise has had as few playoff seasons since 2000 as Texas (six); the Rangers have made those chances count. The 2025 Rangers’ results will hinge upon health and a return to career norms for a number of regulars. Joc Pederson and Jake Burger bring more thunder to the lineup. Nathan Eovaldi is back, and the bullpen has been rebuilt. “Healthy Jacob deGrom” is one of the most enticing (and fleeting) thoughts one can conjure. The Rangers have stars and young studs, but with so much injury risk baked into this roster, just hold your breath.

Total playoff years: 10WSL, 11WSL, 12WC, 15DS, 16DS, 23WS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 14 points (MLB rank: t-8th)

That’s right! The Angels! The 2000s are doing almost all the lifting for this franchise, which is remarkable when you consider that the 2010s and 2020s were when they employed Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Despite their current standing as the butt of many baseball jokes, the Angels have not had a single instance of back-to-back 90-loss seasons in the past 25 years. Yet. After avoiding that distinction as narrowly as possible in recent years, losing 89 games in 2022 and 2023, they lost 99 last season. Can the 2025 Angels avoid losing 90? Adding veterans such as Yusei Kikuchi, Kenley Jansen, Yoán Moncada, Travis d’Arnaud and Jorge Soler should help, but without Anthony Rendon and with Trout’s health always in question, the Angels still look like a team stuck in the murky middle.

Total playoff years: 02WS, 04DS, 05CS, 07DS, 08DS, 09CS, 14DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 0 points (MLB rank: t-26th)

The 2024 Phillies snatched the franchise’s first division title since 2011 — the tail end of their five-year reign that included two World Series appearances — but exited the postseason in the NLDS, a year after exiting in the NLCS, a year after reaching the World Series. So, yeah, getting stomped by the Mets was a downer. The Phillies did not set out to make a splash this offseason, but smart adds of Jesús Luzardo, Jordan Romano and Max Kepler could pay dividends. Navigating an NL East with three teams jockeying for playoff positioning will be hard enough. For Philadelphia, the real test awaits in October.

Total playoff years: 07DS, 08WS, 09WSL, 10CS, 11DS, 22WSL, 23CS, 24DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 10 points (MLB rank: t-14th)

The Giants haven’t advanced past the NLCS since 2014, but winning three World Series rings in the past 25 years is a sure way to rack up points. This Giants roster, now under the command of franchise legend Buster Posey, should be better this season with Willy Adames at shortstop, Jung Hoo Lee healthy and Justin Verlander rounding out the rotation. But in the grand scheme of the NL West, it’s still hard to feel great about the Giants compared to the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Padres. San Francisco has averaged 80 wins the past three seasons. Given the division context, the team still feels rather 80-win-ish these days.

Total playoff years: 00DS, 02WSL, 03DS, 10WS, 12WS, 14WS, 16DS, 21DS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 5 points (MLB rank: 19th)

The Braves may have been the biggest loser in our timeframe switch this season, dropping four spots when we cut out their 1995-99 playoff runs. Still, making the playoffs in 16 of the past 25 years is pretty impressive. The Braves have reached the postseason for seven consecutive Octobers, though they’ve advanced beyond the NLDS just twice (2020 and 2021). Atlanta lost a lot of talented ballplayers this offseason — Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Travis d’Arnaud, a couple relievers. They addressed left field by signing Jurickson Profar. If Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider and Chris Sale are healthy for most of the 2025 season, this team’s ceiling remains remarkably high.

Total playoff years: 00DS, 01CS, 02DS, 03DS, 04DS, 05DS, 10DS, 12WC, 13DS, 18DS, 19DS, 20CS, 21WS, 22DS, 23DS, 24WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 25 points (MLB rank: 3rd)

The Astros didn’t just lose a third baseman to the Red Sox this winter. They also lost a franchise-ranking tiebreaker! Talk about a double whammy. Houston has accrued the second-most points of any team in the past decade, just four points behind the Dodgers. But the 2025 Astros are missing many familiar faces. Alex Bregman is a Red Sox. Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly are Cubs. Justin Verlander is a Giant. Yusei Kikuchi is an Angel. The Astros brought in Christian Walker, Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski. They still might win a wide-open AL West. But it’s going to be strange seeing Jose Altuve play left field as many of his fellow World Series-winning former teammates are now scattered across the league.

Total playoff years: 01DS, 04CS, 05WSL, 15DS, 17WS, 18CS, 19WSL, 20CS, 21WSL, 22WS, 23CS, 24WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 49 points (MLB rank: 2nd)

Not sure if any of you had heard of this franchise until Netflix rolled out a couple recent documentaries, but the reason these Red Sox are perched up so high in our rankings is the rings. ’04. ’07. ’13. ’18. Boston hasn’t won the AL East since 2018, and they’re not favorites to do so in 2025, but their moves this winter warranted attention. The Red Sox added a few starters (Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval) and two lefty relievers (Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson), then took a big swing in mid-February, signing third baseman Alex Bregman away from the Astros on a short-term deal.

Total playoff years: 03CS, 04WS, 05DS, 07WS, 08CS, 09DS, 13WS, 16DS, 17DS, 18WS, 21CS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 19 points (MLB rank: 7th)

The Cardinals have reached the playoffs in 16 of the past 25 years and advanced to at least the NLCS 10 times. But it’s been a bummer lately. The Cards were a Wild Card loser in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and they missed the playoffs entirely the past two seasons. This season is unlikely to be fruitful. St. Louis did not orchestrate a sell-off, exactly, though it was in trade talks about Nolan Arenado and Ryan Helsley. The Cardinals’ timeline for a return to World Series contention is not entirely clear, as the front office begins its transition out of the John Mozeliak era. For now, we’ll see whether they improve running it back with mostly the same roster as last season.

Total playoff years: 00CS, 01DS, 02CS, 04WSL, 05CS, 06WS, 09DS, 11WS, 12CS, 13WSL, 14CS, 15DS, 19CS, 20WC, 21WC, 22WC

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 11 points (MLB rank: 13th)

The Dodgers are the best team of the past decade by our scoring system, as their 53 points in that time are double the total of any team not named the Astros (49 points). A World Series win over the Yankees pulled Los Angeles within striking distance of our No. 1. Did they stop there? They did not! In fact, evaluators consider them the league’s most-improved team this spring. The Dodgers continue to spend (and defer) enormous sums of money. Coming off a championship, they’ve re-signed Teoscar Hernández, Clayton Kershaw, Blake Treinen and Kiké Hernández and bolstered the roster by signing Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Michael Conforto and Hyeseong Kim. It’s overwhelming.

Total playoff years: 04DS, 06DS, 08CS, 09CS, 13CS, 14DS, 15DS, 16CS, 17WSL, 18WSL, 19DS, 20WS, 21CS, 22DS, 23DS, 24WS

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 53 points (MLB rank: 1st)

New time frame, same champion. When these rankings still spanned the Wild-Card Era (1995 to present), the Yankees were miles ahead. Now that we’re only looking at the past 25 years, the Dodgers are closing fast. The Yankees’ 2000 World Series title will fall outside our window for next year’s ranking, so the franchise that collects more points this season will be our No. 1. Frustrated as fans have been by the Yankees over the past decade — last fall, they reached their first World Series since 2009 — the team has made the postseason in 20 of the 25 years in our exercise, four times more than any other franchise. This offseason, the Yankees lost a star, Juan Soto, and a number of contributors. They added a big-time starter (Max Fried), a closer (Devin Williams) and two former MVPs (Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt). The road is not easy in the AL East, but the Yankees, led by Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole, remain formidable.

Total playoff years: 00WS, 01WSL, 02DS, 03WSL, 04CS, 05DS, 06DS, 07DS, 09WS, 10CS, 11DS, 12CS, 15WC, 17CS, 18DS, 19CS, 20DS, 21WC, 22CS, 24WSL

Consecutive 90-loss seasons

Last decade: 24 points (MLB rank: 4th)

(Top illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; Photos: Scott Taetsch, Ric Tapia, Lachlan Cunningham, Nick Cammett / Getty Images)

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Culture

Video: 250 Years of Jane Austen, in Objects

Published

2 weeks ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Video: 250 Years of Jane Austen, in Objects

new video loaded: 250 Years of Jane Austen, in Objects

To capture Jane Austen’s brief life and enormous impact, editors at The New York Times Book Review assembled a sampling of the wealth, wonder and weirdness she has brought to our lives.

By Jennifer Harlan, Sadie Stein, Claire Hogan, Laura Salaberry and Edward Vega

December 18, 2025

Culture

Try This Quiz and See How Much You Know About Jane Austen

Published

3 weeks ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Try This Quiz and See How Much You Know About Jane Austen

“Window seat with garden view / A perfect nook to read a book / I’m lost in my Jane Austen…” sings Kristin Chenoweth in “The Girl in 14G” — what could be more ideal? Well, perhaps showing off your literary knowledge and getting a perfect score on this week’s super-size Book Review Quiz Bowl honoring the life, work and global influence of Jane Austen, who turns 250 today. In the 12 questions below, tap or click your answers to the questions. And no matter how you do, scroll on to the end, where you’ll find links to free e-book versions of her novels — and more.

Culture

Revisiting Jane Austen’s Cultural Impact for Her 250th Birthday

Published

3 weeks ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Revisiting Jane Austen’s Cultural Impact for Her 250th Birthday

On Dec. 16, 1775, a girl was born in Steventon, England — the seventh of eight children — to a clergyman and his wife. She was an avid reader, never married and died in 1817, at the age of 41. But in just those few decades, Jane Austen changed the world.

Her novels have had an outsize influence in the centuries since her death. Not only are the books themselves beloved — as sharply observed portraits of British society, revolutionary narrative projects and deliciously satisfying romances — but the stories she created have so permeated culture that people around the world care deeply about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, even if they’ve never actually read “Pride and Prejudice.”

With her 250th birthday this year, the Austen Industrial Complex has kicked into high gear with festivals, parades, museum exhibits, concerts and all manner of merch, ranging from the classily apt to the flamboyantly absurd. The words “Jane mania” have been used; so has “exh-Aust-ion.”

How to capture this brief life, and the blazing impact that has spread across the globe in her wake? Without further ado: a mere sampling of the wealth, wonder and weirdness Austen has brought to our lives. After all, your semiquincentennial doesn’t come around every day.

By ‘A Lady’

Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, England

Austen published just four novels in her lifetime: “Sense and Sensibility” (1811), “Pride and Prejudice” (1813), “Mansfield Park” (1814) and “Emma” (1815). All of them were published anonymously, with the author credited simply as “A Lady.” (If you’re in New York, you can see this first edition for yourself at the Grolier Club through Feb. 14.)

Where the Magic Happened

Janice Chung for The New York Times

Placed near a window for light, this diminutive walnut table was, according to family lore, where the author did much of her writing. It is now in the possession of the Jane Austen Society.

An Iconic Accessory

Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, England

Few of Austen’s personal artifacts remain, contributing to the author’s mystique. One of them is this turquoise ring, which passed to her sister-in-law and then her niece after her death. In 2012, the ring was put up for auction and bought by the “American Idol” champion Kelly Clarkson. This caused quite a stir in England; British officials were loath to let such an important cultural artifact leave the country’s borders. Jane Austen’s House, the museum now based in the writer’s Hampshire home, launched a crowdfunding campaign to Bring the Ring Home and bought the piece from Clarkson. The real ring now lives at the museum; the singer has a replica.

Austen Onscreen

Since 1940, when Austen had a bit of a moment and Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier starred in MGM’s rather liberally reinterpreted “Pride and Prejudice,” there have been more than 20 international adaptations of Austen’s work made for film and TV (to say nothing of radio). From the sublime (Emma Thompson’s Oscar-winning “Sense and Sensibility”) to the ridiculous (the wholly gratuitous 2022 remake of “Persuasion”), the high waists, flickering firelight and double weddings continue to provide an endless stream of debate fodder — and work for a queen’s regiment of British stars.

Jane Goes X-Rated

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

The rumors are true: XXX Austen is a thing. “Jane Austen Kama Sutra,” “Pride and Promiscuity: The Lost Sex Scenes of Jane Austen” and enough slash fic and amateur porn to fill Bath’s Assembly Rooms are just the start. Purists may never recover.

A Lady Unmasked

Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, England

Austen’s final two completed novels, “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion,” were published after her death. Her brother Henry, who oversaw their publication, took the opportunity to give his sister the recognition he felt she deserved, revealing the true identity of the “Lady” behind “Pride and Prejudice,” “Emma,” etc. in a biographical note. “The following pages are the production of a pen which has already contributed in no small degree to the entertainment of the public,” he wrote, extolling his sister’s imagination, good humor and love of dancing. Still, “no accumulation of fame would have induced her, had she lived, to affix her name to any productions of her pen.”

Wearable Tributes

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Jane Austen fan wants to find other Jane Austen fans, and what better way to advertise your membership in that all-inclusive club than with a bit of merch — from the subtle and classy to the gloriously obscene.

The Austen Literary Universe

Elizabeth Renstrom for The New York Times

On the page, there is no end to the adventures Austen and her characters have been on. There are Jane Austen mysteries, Jane Austen vampire series, Jane Austen fantasy adventures, Jane Austen Y.A. novels and, of course, Jane Austen romances, which transpose her plots to a remote Maine inn, a Greenwich Village penthouse and the Bay Area Indian American community, to name just a few. You can read about Austen-inspired zombie hunters, time-traveling hockey players, Long Island matchmakers and reality TV stars, or imagine further adventures for some of your favorite characters. (Even the obsequious Mr. Collins gets his day in the sun.)

A Botanical Homage

Created in 2017 to mark the 200th anniversary of Austen’s death, the “Jane Austen” rose is characterized by its intense orange color and light, sweet perfume. It is bushy, healthy and easy to grow.

Aunt Jane

Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, England

Hoping to cement his beloved aunt’s legacy, Austen’s nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh published this biography — a rather rosy portrait based on interviews with family members — five decades after her death. The book is notable not only as the source (biased though it may be) of many of the scant facts we know about her life, but also for the watercolor portrait by James Andrews that serves as its frontispiece. Based on a sketch by Cassandra, this depiction of Jane is softer and far more winsome than the original: Whether that is due to a lack of skill on her sister’s part or overly enthusiastic artistic license on Andrews’s, this is the version of Austen most familiar to people today.

Cultural Currency

Steve Parsons/Associated Press

In 2017, the Bank of England released a new 10-pound note featuring Andrews’s portrait of Austen, as well as a line from “Pride and Prejudice”: “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!” Austen is the third woman — other than the queen — to be featured on British currency, and the only one currently in circulation.

In the Trenches

During World War I and World War II, British soldiers were given copies of Austen’s works. In his 1924 story “The Janeites,” Rudyard Kipling invoked the grotesque contrasts — and the strange comfort — to be found in escaping to Austen’s well-ordered world amid the horrors of trench warfare. As one character observes, “There’s no one to touch Jane when you’re in a tight place.”

Baby Janes

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

You’re never too young to learn to love Austen — or that one’s good opinion, once lost, may be lost forever.

The Austen Industrial Complex

Elizabeth Renstrom for The New York Times

Maybe you’ve not so much as seen a Jane Austen meme, let alone read one of her novels. No matter! Need a Jane Austen finger puppet? Lego? Magnetic poetry set? Lingerie? Nameplate necklace? Plush book pillow? License plate frame? Bath bomb? Socks? Dog sweater? Whiskey glass? Tarot deck? Of course you do! And you’re in luck: What a time to be alive.

Around the Globe

Goucher College Special Collections & Archives, Alberta H. and Henry G. Burke Collection; via The Morgan Library & Museum

Austen’s novels have been translated into more than 40 languages, including Polish, Finnish, Chinese and Farsi. There are active chapters of the Jane Austen Society, her 21st-century fan club, throughout the world.

Playable Persuasions

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

In Austen’s era, no afternoon tea was complete without a rousing round of whist, a trick-taking card game played in two teams of two. But should you not be up on your Regency amusements, you can find plenty of contemporary puzzles and games with which to fill a few pleasant hours, whether you’re piecing together her most beloved characters or using your cunning and wiles to land your very own Mr. Darcy.

#SoJaneAusten

The wild power of the internet means that many Austen moments have taken on lives of their own, from Colin Firth’s sopping wet shirt and Matthew Macfadyen’s flexing hand to Mr. Collins’s ode to superlative spuds and Mr. Knightley’s dramatic floor flop. The memes are fun, yes, but they also speak to the universality of Austen’s writing: More than two centuries after her books were published, the characters and stories she created are as relatable as ever.

Bonnets Fit for a Bennett

Peter Flude for The New York Times

For this summer’s Grand Regency Costumed Promenade in Bath, England — as well as the myriad picnics, balls, house parties, dinners, luncheons, teas and fetes that marked the anniversary — seamstresses, milliners, mantua makers and costume warehouses did a brisk business, attiring the faithful in authentic Regency finery. And that’s a commitment: A bespoke, historically accurate bonnet can easily run to hundreds of dollars.

Most Ardently, Jane

The Morgan Library & Museum

Austen was prolific correspondent, believed to have written thousands of letters in her lifetime, many to her sister, Cassandra. But in an act that has frustrated biographers for centuries, upon Jane’s death, Cassandra protected her sister’s privacy — and reputation? — by burning almost all of them, leaving only about 160 intact, many heavily redacted. But what survives is filled with pithy one-liners. To wit: “I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.”

Stage and Sensibility

Austen’s works have been adapted numerous times for the stage. Some plays (and musicals) hew closely to the original text, while others — such as Emily Breeze’s comedic riff on “Pride and Prejudice,” “Are the Bennet Girls OK?”, which is running at New York City’s West End Theater through Dec. 21 — use creative license to explore ideas of gender, romance and rage through a contemporary lens.

Austen 101

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Austen remains a reliable fount of academic scholarship; recent conference papers have focused on the author’s enduring global reach, the work’s relationship to modern intersectionality, digital humanities and “Jane Austen on the Cheap.” And as one professor told our colleague Sarah Lyall of the Austen amateur scholarship hive, “Woe betide the academic who doesn’t take them seriously.”