It's amazing how much different the Major League Baseball season already feels. The All-Star Game ends, everyone relaxes for two days, and then the minute Friday night's first pitches are thrown, the entire league snaps into MLB playoff mode.
With barely a week to go before the MLB trade deadline, everyone is on edge. Not only are teams jockeying for position in the all-important MLB Power Rankings, but every win at this stage is crucial. Some of these teams had great weeks and potentially saved their seasons. And for others, well…
Where did your team end up in this week's MLB Power Rankings? Read on to find out!
1. Philadelphia Phillies (no change)
Maybe there will be some overreactions further down the list, but there's no reason to hit the panic button on the Phillies. Friday night's walk-off loss was bad, and some legitimate questions are being asked about the bullpen, but the Phils have built themselves a nice margin for error. With a tough schedule coming up, now would be a great time to get rolling on offense.
2. Baltimore Orioles (+1)
It was a successful weekend for the Orioles in Arlington, probably because so many of their players were there all week for the All-Star Game. They couldn't secure the sweep, but the O's flexed their muscles at the plate for much of this series, and that's going to be their calling card as long as the rotation remains unstable. But there's no reason the latter issue shouldn't improve with some splashy trade acquisitions.
3. Cleveland Guardians (-1)
Things were looking very promising coming out of the break initially, when the Guardians put a 7-0 beatdown on the Padres Friday night. Then they proceeded to score just once the rest of the series and nearly got no-hit by Michael King on Sunday. As great as the first half was in Cleveland, they're going to have to ratchet their game up as the top dogs improve at the deadline.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (+1)
Boy, did the Dodgers need that sweep. The clutch hits were everywhere in Dodger Stadium this weekend, from superstars like Freddie Freeman to role players like Gavin Lux and Kiké Hernandez. Pretty much everyone on the roster helped take down the upstart Red Sox, and the Dodgers suddenly have momentum heading into a week where Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw are both expected to return.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (+1)
A sweep coming out of the break was exactly what these Brewers needed, even if it was just two games. They quietly had a poor start to July and were beginning to allow the rest of the National League Central to creep up in the standings. But with a sweep of the talented Twins, Milwaukee showed they're still the top dogs. The division race isn't over, but it's very much the Brew Crew's to lose.
6. New York Yankees (-2)
The vibes around the Yankees really are horrendous at the moment. Sure, they've got a chance to split their series with a win on Monday, but they seem to be unable to stop doing the things that constantly drag them down. They stink with runners in scoring position, hit into a million double plays and only Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are capable of doing real damage. This season could get away from the so-called “Bronx Bombers” if they don't snap out of this funk.
7. Houston Astros (+5)
We've been cautious with the Astros for most of this season, keeping them down in the MLB Power Rankings despite always expecting them to turn things around. But now that they're in first place, why waffle? Not only is Houston a top-10 team right now, but they're more than capable of winning another American League pennant. If they reinforce the pitching staff and find themselves a real first baseman… look out.
8. Minnesota Twins (-2)
The Twins didn't get embarrassed by any stretch of the word this weekend. They just got edged out twice by the Brewers in close games, and those will be the games they need to win if they want to stay in control of their playoff destiny. They now have the Royals nipping at their heels for the second Wild Card spot in addition to the Red Sox. Every game counts from here on out.
9. Atlanta Braves (-1)
Losing a series to the Cardinals is one thing. But losing Max Fried and Ozzie Albies to the injured list is entirely another. The Braves had already suffered more than their fair share of injuries this season, but this latest wave feels particularly cruel. If Alex Anthopoulos didn't already have all the motivation he needed to make some big moves before this weekend, he's likely chomping at the bit now.
10. Kansas City Royals (no change)
They may not have moved up in the MLB Power Rankings, but the Royals certainly took a big leap forward in the standings this weekend. After entering the break two games back of the Red Sox, the Royals shot right back ahead with a sweep against the lowly White Sox. And regardless of the competition, you have to applaud this incredible starting rotation, which twirled two scoreless outings and a one-run complete game over the weekend.
11. Boston Red Sox (-2)
It's been a while since we've said some harsh things about the Red Sox, so we'll make this plain and simple. Boston had an incredible two months leading into the All-Star break. They had better not let this weekend's stumble become a free fall. Jarren Duran is sublime, but this pitching staff is being held together with Elmer's glue, and the Sox have nine days to convince the front office to reinforce it.
12. St. Louis Cardinals (+1)
For all the praise we heaped on the Brewers a little while back, the Cardinals still kept their pace beautifully with a series win in Atlanta this weekend. Plus, rumors are flying that general manager John Mozeliak is looking to buy, which could be a huge jolt of life to a team with one of the thinner rosters around the league. Put an extra starter and a middle-of-the-order bat on this Cards team and there's no telling how high they could fly.
13. Seattle Mariners (-2)
Losing a series is no fun at all. But things took a much darker turn when Julio Rodríguez crashed into the wall in left-center field on Sunday. Luckily, it sounds like the damage was minimal, though there's no saying for certain when Rodríguez will be back. But a 10-game lead in the AL West is officially gone, and the Mariners are right back to square one.
14. Arizona Diamondbacks (+1)
No, the Diamondbacks wouldn't be in the playoffs if we skipped the final 60 games. But they're right where they want to be. Sure, it would have been nice to nail down the sweep in a save scenario on Sunday, but Arizona played typical D-Backs baseball for most of the weekend in Chicago. And most importantly of all, Corbin Carroll has lately shown several flashes of his 2023 Rookie of the Year form.
15. San Diego Padres (+1)
Dylan Cease and Michael King. If the Padres want to make it back to October, it starts with those two developing some consistency on the mound. And this weekend was an excellent starting point, as both looked absolutely dominant on the road against the first-place Guardians. But both have also had blowup starts this season, and the Padres are too thin to afford any more of those.
16. New York Mets (-2)
If you want to convince your owner to spend even more on the most expensive roster in baseball, it's probably not the best idea to lose a series to the 2024 Miami Marlins. This was a series the Mets absolutely had to have, and they unfortunately laid an egg. The good news, though, is that they're still in playoff position as of this moment, and Kodai Senga could end up a bigger shot in the arm than any starting pitcher they could land on the trade market.
17. Tampa Bay Rays (no change)
The Rays can't yet officially say they won a second-straight series against the Yankees, but they tormented their AL East rivals all weekend long in the Bronx. They had four home runs as a team in just one game all season coming into the weekend, but they did it on back-to-back days against Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman. But because they're the Rays, get ready for some very good players to be traded away regardless of how many more wins they stack up this week.
18. Pittsburgh Pirates (no change)
It seems like the Pirates should move up based on a series win over the top-ranked Phillies, but as it turns out, a lot of teams in this middle tier had really solid weeks. Regardless, this Pittsburgh squad is playing with some moxie in July, and given the dominance of Paul Skenes and the starting rotation, it seems inevitable that at least some form of help should be coming to the lineup soon.
19. Detroit Tigers (+1)
The Tigers have to sell, right? They still have less than a 10% chance of making the playoffs. They still have one of the league's worst offenses, and a desperate need for young hitters throughout the organization. But we wouldn't want to be the ones to break the news to this team that their veteran players are getting traded. They're playing some inspired baseball in the month of July.
20. Texas Rangers (-1)
The Rangers aren't contenders right now. That's just the truth of the matter. But they have a ton of veterans waiting to return from injury, and they're only five games out in their own division, though they've ceded that much ground to Houston in the past three weeks alone. It doesn't feel like Texas is about to start wheeling and dealing, but crazier things have happened at previous deadlines.
21. San Francisco Giants (no change)
They didn't get swept, but that's about the only positive thing we can say about the Giants' trip to Colorado this weekend. Even if they're too prideful to sell, the Giants make a convincing argument to their front office not to trade away their prospects with every passing loss. Unless they somehow sweep the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine, San Francisco feels like the ultimate “stand pat” team this year.
22. Chicago Cubs (+1)
We'll say this: If the Cubs had lost on Sunday, their fate was pretty much sealed. Getting swept by a fellow Wild Card contender would have been a death blow, but with a well-timed rally, the Cubs kept hope alive for at least one more series. Unfortunately, that series is against the Brewers, who have tormented Chicago so far this season. Survive and advance, Cubbies.
23. Washington Nationals (+2)
No, sweeping the Reds isn't going to magically convince Nationals ownership to deviate from their plan of selling at the deadline. But something much more magical happened when James Wood delivered the swing of the year for D.C., an inside-out three-run torpedo to break a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning on Sunday. Wood looks like a truly special player, and that's exactly why Washington should be feared in 2025 and beyond.
24. Cincinnati Reds (-2)
Plenty of trade deadline fringe teams had bad showings this weekend, but most of them played against good-to-great opponents. The Reds had a chance to vault back into the Wild Card race with a matchup against the selling Nationals, but they instead got swept and are looking like surefire sellers themselves. If we had to rank losers of the week, the Reds would surely be near the top of the list.
25. Toronto Blue Jays (-1)
Goodness, what a mess. You've got Bo Bichette telling people he'd like to be traded, but his value is plummeting by the second. You've got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. driving up his price tag with great hitting, but he's apparently telling the Blue Jays he wants to stay. This season has officially become a nightmare in Toronto and it's looking more and more unlikely that this will be a one-year fix.
26. Los Angeles Angels (no change)
The Angels haven't moved from the 26th slot in well over a month and that probably won't happen anytime soon. Though they just lost their second straight matchup with the Athletics, they've played much better than those A's since mid-May. But they can't match up with the 25 teams above them in terms of talent, although Mike Trout returning to his peak form could always throw a wrench in that equation.
27. Oakland Athletics (no change)
The Athletics have been weirdly competent in July, having now won back-to-back series for the first time since May 4. But the more pressing matter is the deadline, where everyone around the league will wait to see whether Brent Rooker and Mason Miller become available. Neither will ever have more trade value, but those are also the only two players anyone tunes in to see on the A's right now. But then again, that's never stopped Oakland from trading its stars in the past.
28. Colorado Rockies (-1)
The MLB Power Rankings are so funny because the 36-win Rockies moved up more spots than the 50-win Pirates this week, despite both winning two out of three games. But hey, when you're as close to the bottom as Colorado has been all season, there's nowhere to go but up! Plus, they won't do the responsible thing and gut their roster at the deadline, so they'll probably win more games than the Marlins and White Sox the rest of the way.
29. Miami Marlins (-1)
This isn't a dig at the Marlins for how they played this week, but more of an anticipation of how bad things are about to get when Jazz Chisholm Jr., Josh Bell, Tanner Scott and Co. walk out the door. It's objectively the right thing for Miami to hold a fire sale at this point, but it's still stunning to think of how quickly we got to this after a playoff appearance just nine months ago.
30. Chicago White Sox (no change)
The only way the White Sox are moving in the MLB Power Rankings again this season is if the league suddenly decides to add an expansion team to spice things up. But since we can't yet put this horrific team in 31st place, we'll have to settle for once again calling them the saddest team across the entire North American professional sporting landscape.
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