There’s little movement in the top several spots of this week’s MLB power rankings, but tomorrow’s trade deadline could shake things up in a big way over the final two months of the regular season.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (68-33) | Last week: 1
LA surprisingly dropped a series to the Nationals, but they bounced back on the road by winning three of four at Colorado. Now, attention turns to a potential trade for Juan Soto, with the Dodgers reportedly in the mix and getting aggressive for the young superstar outfielder.
2. Houston Astros (67-36) | Last week: 2
Similarly, a sweep at the hands of the A’s was a shocker to begin last week, but Houston got on track by again handling the Mariners. Houston has the pieces to win a championship, but we’ll see if they add a complementary piece ahead of the deadline.
3. New York Yankees (69-34) | Last week: 3
Aaron Judge is on another level right now. He’s up to 42 homers on the season after a sensational stretch since the All-Star break. But as a team, the Yankees continue to hover around .500 as of late.
4. New York Mets (64-37) | Last week: 4
The Mets are coming off a strong weekend, which included a win over Sandy Alcantara in their three-game sweep of the Marlins. New York recorded 19 hits in yesterday’s victory, and they’ll look to handle the Nats before a critical weekend series.
5. Atlanta Braves (62-41) | Last week: 5
A huge week is coming up for the Braves. They face the Phillies and then will play five games at Citi Field starting on Thursday night. The defending champs have a shot to finally claim first in the NL East.
6. Toronto Blue Jays (57-45) | Last week: 6
The pitching was very strong for Toronto last week, allowing just 20 runs in their six games. After an off day today, the Jays have a shot to kick the struggling Rays while they’re down in a couple of games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
7. San Diego Padres (57-46) | Last week: 8 (+1)
Initially, San Diego was going to be at No. 9, but the trade for Josh Hader changes things. The Padres got a tough win over the Twins yesterday to take the weekend series. San Diego remains home for five games against the Rockies before a weekend trip to face the Dodgers, so it’s a busy eight-game week for them.
8. Philadelphia Phillies (55-47) | Last week: 13 (+5)
Things were not looking good when the Phillies were swept by the Cubs a couple of weekends ago, but a series win over Atlanta and a sweep of the Pirates has given Philadelphia some energy before the trade deadline. Starting pitching is a position to watch for the Phillies.
9. Milwaukee Brewers (57-45) | Last week: 7 (-2)
The trade of Hader looks crazy on the surface because they’re a first-place team; it’s difficult to sell the move to most fans. Overall, Milwaukee continues to play well after the All-Star break. They’re 7-2 in their past nine games and will next face the last-place Pirates and the second-to-last-place Reds in the division.
10. St. Louis Cardinals (54-48) | Last week: 12 (+2)
It was nice to get Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado back after they weren’t allowed to play in Toronto. The Hader trade might deliver a jolt for the Cardinals, who should arguably be seen as the NL Central favorites. Could Juan Soto be next?
11. Seattle Mariners (55-48) | Last week: 10 (-1)
12. Minnesota Twins (53-48) | Last week: 11 (-1)
13. Cleveland Guardians (52-49) | Last week: 14 (+1)
14. Tampa Bay Rays (54-48) | Last week: 9 (-5)
15. Chicago White Sox (51-50) | Last week: 16 (+1)
16. San Francisco Giants (51-51) | Last week: 15 (-1)
17. Baltimore Orioles (51-51) | Last week: 17
18. Boston Red Sox (51-52) | Last week: 18
19. Miami Marlins (47-55) | Last week: 19
20. Texas Rangers (46-55) | Last week: 20
21. Arizona Diamondbacks (45-56) | Last week: 22 (+1)
22. Colorado Rockies (46-57) | Last week: 21 (-1)
23. Chicago Cubs (41-60) | Last week: 24 (+1)
24. Los Angeles Angels (43-59) | Last week: 23 (-1)
25. Cincinnati Reds (40-61) | Last week: 26 (+1)
26. Detroit Tigers (41-62) | Last week: 28 (+2)
27. Kansas City Royals (40-62) | Last week: 27
28. Oakland Athletics (39-65) | Last week: 29 (+1)
29. Pittsburgh Pirates (40-62) | Last week: 25 (-4)
30. Washington Nationals (35-68) | Last week: 30