Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, we’ll take a look at where each team sits now that the dust has settled from Monday’s trade deadline.
Thanks to recent hot streaks, the Padres and Astros are both on the cusp of the top-10. Most teams still have around 50 games remaining on the schedule, nearly one-third of a season. A lot can still change, especially with trade reinforcements in tow and notable prospects arriving now or in the near future.
Advertisement
As a reminder, this article is a combination of current performance and long-term outlook.
Let’s get into it!
Last week: 1
The Dodgers have lost four straight, but does it really matter? They have a massive lead in the NL West, so it’s all about making sure the pieces are in place for the postseason. That’s what trading for Tarik Skubal is all about, but this also includes managing Shohei Ohtani‘s balky knee.
Last week 2
The Brewers walked away from the trade deadline with Dustin May, JoJo Romero (who is hurt at the moment), Antonio Senzatela, and Bo Naylor. They’ve already given up on Lance McCullers, who they acquired a couple of weeks ago. Is it okay to be a bit underwhelmed here? They had a chance to seize the moment, but aimed more at the margins.
Advertisement
Last week: 4
Speaking of underwhelming, the deadline passed without the Braves acquiring an impact starting pitcher. Unless Tyler Mahle fits the bill for you, which he shouldn’t. Chris Sale can’t pitch every game in the postseason, so Braves fans shouldn’t be feeling good right now.
Last week: 3
The Rays deserve credit for going for it. Freddy Peralta is a nice gamble to see if he can revert to some semblance of his previous self and Liam Hicks fits perfectly into this contact-heavy lineup. They are a real threat to hold on to the division lead.
Advertisement
Last week: 6
The need was clear (pitching) and the Cubs showed they understood the assignment by getting Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Braxton Garrett for their injury-riddled rotation and Ryan Zeferjahn to strengthen their bullpen. Some fans were a bit peeved about prospect infielder Jefferson Rojas being included in the Holmes/Tyrone Taylor trade with the Mets, but let’s be real here: No team improved their World Series chances more than the Cubs.
Last week: 5
The Yankees left many fans wanting more at the deadline, but there’s no doubt that they improved their lineup. Luis García Jr. didn’t wait long to show everyone what he can do during his debut on Monday.
While we’re on the topic of debuts, George Lombard Jr. is on the way while both Jasson Domínguez and Anthony Volpe are headed down to Triple-A. There’s some degree of irony here, as it’s a reminder that nothing is a sure thing when it comes to top prospects, but it’s an exciting time in the Bronx nonetheless.
Last week: 9
Advertisement
The Red Sox were 11 games under .500 on the morning of Friday, July 3. Coming off a declarative sweep of the Dodgers over the weekend, they are now nine games over .500. It’s still stunning to see, but the Red Sox have as good of a chance as anyone in this mediocre American League. The club leaned into that on Monday by giving up a significant haul to land catcher Adley Rutschman. There’s risk associated with that, but this is a big signal to the fanbase and a resilient clubhouse that they are in it to win it this year.
Last week: 8
The White Sox did exactly what they had to do at the deadline, acquiring useful pieces (Luis Castillo, Brenton Doyle, Huascar Brazobán, Joey Bart) without surrendering any top prospects. So they moved the needle for this season, but the bonus is that they also set themselves up nicely for next year. That’s exactly what they should be doing. Well done.
Advertisement
Last week: 10
The D-Backs have won five out of six and 15 out of their last 21 games, which means they are alive and kicking in the Wild Card race. Lars Nootbaar was their only addition at the trade deadline, but he should provide a nice boost against right-handed pitching. Arizona is tied for last in MLB with an 86 wRC+ against righties this season.
Last week: 7
Defense, shmefense. That appears to be Dave Dombrowski’s philosophy after the Phillies acquired Luis Arráez before Monday’s deadline. Full disclosure: I’m a Mets fan, but it’s a bit instructive watching a contender reshuffle half its defense to squeeze another bat into the lineup. Would they have been better served targeting Taylor Ward, an actual corner outfielder and right-handed hitter, instead?
Last week: 16
Advertisement
I noted above that the Cubs did a great job strengthening their rotation, but the same goes for the Padres, who managed to snag Robbie Ray from the Giants and Casey Mize from the Tigers. The Padres have won eight out of their last 10 games to play themselves back into the playoff chase. Ray and Mize could help them stay there.
12) Houston Astros ⬆️
Last week: 19
With 11 wins in their last 13 games, the Astros have opened up a 2.5 game lead in the AL West and they also filled their biggest need with Daulton Varsho for their outfield. The Astros have a .624 OPS from their outfielders this season, which is dead-last in the majors.
Advertisement
Last week: 15
José Ramírez is hitting just .195/.283/.195 with zero extra-base hits since returning from hamate bone surgery. While their trade deadline acquisitions (Jo Adell, Nathaniel Lowe) will help, they need the switch to flip with Ramirez down the stretch.
Last week: 11
Have the Pirates ever considered trading for bullpen help? We kid, we kid. The Pirates made a dizzying amount of moves to address their biggest weakness and came away with Luke Weaver, Lake Bachar, Kirby Yates, and Camilo Doval. With improvements in the bullpen in place, the hope is that the lineup can do just enough to tread water until Konnor Griffin and Ryan O’Hearn are ready to return.
Advertisement
Last week: 20
Amazingly, after losing 12 straight games last month, the Marlins aren’t exactly out of it. Still, they approached the trade deadline in an opportunistic way, selling high on Liam Hicks while also parting with the likes of Braxton Garrett, Lake Bachar, and Connor Norby. That the Marlins didn’t try to add a rental starter tells you that they don’t feel great about their chances this year. And they’re probably right.
Last week: 18
Despite being a game under .500, the Twins were sellers at this year’s deadline as opposed to their sweeping takedown approach last year. Many teams attempted to toe the line between going for it this year and also looking ahead to next year. Acquiring Jeff Hoffman from the Blue Jays fits into this idea.
Advertisement
Last week: 17
This season has been a slog for a Mariners team who should be better than what their record shows. If they’re going to make the playoffs, some of this is simply about players performing up to their true talent level, but new addition Taylor Ward provides a real boost from the right side of the plate. And while a bigger bullpen addition would have been nice, Seranthony Domínguez came over in the Luis Castillo trade and Matt Brash might be ready to return from his lat strain by the end of the month. The big question is how much longer we’ll have to wait for top prospect Kade Anderson.
Last week: 14
Advertisement
The Cardinals were a great story for a good chunk of the season, but their 10-18 record in July is probably the best thing that could have happened to them in the long-term. Add some prospects and stay focused on sustainable success. Let’s just hope we get to see Joshua Báez mash some baseballs in the majors soon.
Last week: 12
The Rangers picked an awful time to go on a losing streak, but getting swept by the Astros was enough to keep them from buying. While we didn’t any big moves ahead of the deadline, the club was reportedly listening on “everyone” and even broached the topic of a trade with Jacob deGrom. It will be interesting to see if any trade discussions are revisited this offseason.
Advertisement
Last week: 13
Sort of like with the Cardinals, the Nationals’ recent slide put them in position to the do the right thing for the future. Even putting the injury to Curtis Mead aside, getting Connelly Early from the Red Sox was a coup by Paul Toboni. The returns for Luis García Jr. and Foster Griffin weren’t nearly as exciting in terms of top-level talent, but for a team in need of pitching, they collected a ton of arms.
Last week: 21
In one sense, Monday was a sad day for Orioles fans. Adley Rutschman signifies an era which once held a ton of promise. And it almost worked. But “almost” is as close as they got. It’s hard to separate the emotional ties with a homegrown player and a fan favorite, but it’s a bit easier to accept after seeing what they got in return from Boston. What a haul.
Last week: 22
Advertisement
It’s not what anybody had in mind going into the year, but the Tigers did the right thing by trading Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. Zyhir Hope could be ready to help in the outfield next year and River Ryan has a chance to co-headline the Tigers’ rotation alongside Troy Melton as soon as this month. As always with Ryan, the question is health.
Last week: 23
The Reds’ trade deadline approach was a big vexing. While they dealt Nathaniel Lowe to the cross-state Guardians, they held on to impending free agents like Tyler Stephenson and Brady Singer. It’s weird. At least we get to see prospect outfielder Héctor Rodriguez the rest of the way.
Advertisement
Last week: 24
Similar to the Tigers, this season hasn’t been anything close to what the Blue Jays coming off a World Series appearance, but they did well to retool with next season and beyond in mind. José Soriano is controllable for multiple years and could take the next step to ace-dom under the tutelage of pitching coach Pete Walker.
Last week: 26
The recent Harrison Bader scooter accident just about sums up the nightmare season this has been for the Giants, but they’ve received high marks for their trade deadline approach, particularly Ramon Marquez via the Luis Arráez trade with the Phillies and left-hander Henry Lalane in the Heliot Ramos trade with the Yankees.
26) New York Mets ⬆️
Last week: 28
Advertisement
Is John Franco available to pitch tonight? It’s a legitimate question after the Mets completely dismantled their bullpen at the trade deadline. One can question whether dealing Luke Weaver was the right move if they plan to compete next season, but the Mets certainly added a ton of young talent to a farm system which has regressed this year.
Last week: 25
The Royals didn’t do anything drastic at the deadline, opting to hold on to Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo as they hope to return to contention next season. It’s a questionable strategy. The good news is that they’ll activate Bobby Witt Jr. from the injured list on Tuesday after he missed two weeks due to lower back tightness.
Advertisement
28) Athletics ⬇️
Last week: 27
Meanwhile, Nick Kurtz is back on the IL due a lingering issue with his right thumb. He had just one hit with 20 strikeouts and three walks in his final 40 plate appearances before going on the IL, so it’s clear something is not right.
Last week: 30
With the trade of Antonio Senzatela on Monday, Kyle Freeland is now the longest-tenured member of the Rockies. Senzatela actually had Freeland beat by one day. While Mickey Moniak was mentioned as a trade candidate in recent weeks, his Rockies tenure will continue after he was signed to a two-year, $16.25 million extension which buys out his first year of free agency.
Advertisement
Last week: 29
Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak didn’t deal Zach Neto or Reid Detmers, but he was still one of the most active executives leading into Monday’s trade deadline. It was honestly refreshing to see them shift into a rebuild. While it will take a while to truly know what prospects like Arjun Nimmala or Jacob Cozart will be, Moises Ballesteros will be able to help them right away.
