Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.
In case you missed it, a little thing called the trade deadline has come and gone. The Dodgers landed reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal (shocker), the Yankees added a power hitter (another shocker), and A.J. Preller dealt what little prospect capital he had for major-league talent (additional shocker).
Elsewhere, the Orioles embraced the end of an era by dealing Adley Rutschman to the Red Sox, the Phillies went all in on the best defense being a good offense, and the Angels finally did smart people things. There were winners (Dodgers, Cubs and Red Sox), losers (Yankees, White Sox, Royals) and snoozers (Brewers, Braves and Marlins). Plus, whatever the heck the Rockies and Athletics are doing.
It was fun and frenetic, but now MLB’s 30 clubs find themselves asking a familiar question: What’s next?
This week, we attempted to answer that question for them.
Record: 69-45
Last Power Ranking: 1
Lost amid all the righteous fury about Tarik Skubal coming to Los Angeles? The Dodgers got walloped by the Red Sox this past weekend, and the rotation really is shaky. Shohei Ohtani may not return to the mound this year. The team is hoping Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow can make it back off the injured list and avoid setbacks. Justin Wrobleski is experiencing regression. Emmet Sheehan got sent down to reset. So . . . time to panic at Chavez Ravine? Eh, probably not. Didn’t you hear? They just traded for Tarik Skubal. — Andy McCullough
Record: 70-43
Last Power Ranking: 2
The Brewers didn’t land Tarik Skubal, and to say they didn’t try is “simply incorrect,” manager Pat Murphy told reporters. Instead, they upgraded at the margins, adding Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela. Either way, a collision course with the southpaw appears to be in their future. At that point, they might regret not going all in or will have the last laugh after Joey Ortiz takes Skubal deep. — Johnny Flores Jr.
Record: 68-45
Last Power Ranking: 3
Atlanta’s perpetual quest for another pitcher capable of starting a postseason game stretches ever onward, its hopes of landing Jacob deGrom squashed by the right-hander’s no-trade clause. Tyler Mahle is the fallback prize in a deadline that addressed the club’s smaller needs but not its biggest one. — Tim Britton
Record: 65-49
Last Power Ranking: 6
Chicago overhauled the entirety of its rotation, adding Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes and Braxton Garrett, the latter of whom won’t be a free agent until after the 2028 season. More than adding arms with a pulse, the Cubs doubled down on one of their biggest strengths, defense, bringing in guys who generate soft contact to play behind one of the majors’ best defenses. Acquiring Ryan Zeferjahn, one of the game’s premier strikeout artists, to shore up the ‘pen is the cherry on top of what was a strong deadline from Jed Hoyer and Co. — Flores
Record: 67-46
Last Power Ranking: 5
The Rays solidified their position at the top of the American League, adding Freddy Peralta as a likely postseason starter and Liam Hicks as a game-changing bat behind the plate. The question is just how much and how well Hicks catches. Just 32 of Hicks’ 90 starts for the Marlins were at backstop, with the rest at first base and DH. Unfortunately, those two positions are very much spoken for in Tampa. — Britton
Record: 64-50
Last Power Ranking: 4
The Yankees’ lineup looks different, with two external additions and one significant internal one. Like Luis Arraez with the Phillies, Luis García Jr. isn’t an exact defensive match for what the Yankees could use. But his bat should make the lineup better, and he has to be salivating over the shots he can take at right field in Yankee Stadium. Heliot Ramos is a decent complementary piece who can help on an everyday basis right now and eventually settle in to more part-time platoon action. And George Lombard Jr. takes over at shortstop in the heat of a pennant race. Ultimately, the success of this Yankees season still hinges on Aaron Judge’s return. — Britton
Can George Lombard Jr. spark the Yankees’ season?
Brendan Kuty and Johnny Sweet
Record: 61-51
Last Power Ranking: 7
Well then. The Red Sox went and did it, blowing up their prospect group to bring in Adley Rutschman from Baltimore. It’s a bet that Rutschman can still be the five-win All-Star and borderline MVP candidate he was in his first two seasons rather than the inconsistent, more solid-than-spectacular backstop he’s been since. Then again, Monday’s later trade of Marcelo Mayer for San Francisco reliever Erik Miller showed just how swiftly and dramatically a club’s evaluation of its prospects can change. The top half of the American League postseason bracket is shaping up to be an AL East Invitational with Tampa Bay and the Yankees. The Red Sox have positioned themselves to potentially win it. —Britton
Record: 59-53
Last Power Ranking: 8
Like their rivals to the north, the White Sox also needed pitching at the deadline. So what did they do? Well, take on the remainder of Luis Castillo’s salary and his 5.06 ERA. It’s a curious move that might go on to haunt Chicago, as Castillo is owed $24 million next season with a vesting option at $25 million for 2028. He’s on the wrong side of 30 with peripherals that continue to go backward. If the club was ultimately going to spend, it’d been better off doing so in the offseason. Adding Huascar Brazobán was a win, but it doesn’t make up for how puzzling an acquisition Castillo is. — Flores
Record: 61-53
Last Power Ranking: 9
On the one hand, Luis Arraez was an imperfect fit for Philadelphia. A team looking for a right-hand-hitting outfielder dealt for a lefty-swinging second baseman. It’s less trying to fit a square peg in a round hole than trying to fit the outline of the hole back inside it. On the other hand, Arraez was the best bat that moved at the deadline, and the Phillies’ flagging offense needed whatever help it could get. The defense will likely take a step back, but Philadelphia has done that before and made it work. — Britton
Record: 57-58
Last Power Ranking: 10
The Pirates landed the best available reliever on the market, Luke Weaver, to help improve upon a bottom-half bullpen. To do so, they parted with a well-regarded prospect, but also managed to get most of Weaver’s remaining salary paid down in return. In all, four relievers were added to a team that had the second-best run-differential among clubs competing for a wild-card spot. Still, Pittsburgh will only go as far as its starters will take them, and with Mitch Keller on the 60-day IL and Paul Skenes mired in his worst professional stretch yet, there are deeper questions at play for the Buccos. — Flores
Record: 60-54
Last Power Ranking: 12
Arizona missed a chance to improve its beleaguered pitching staff when a proposed trade for Clay Holmes got nixed by the Mets in the medical review stage, according to the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro. The only acquisition turned out to be outfielder Lars Nootbaar. The Diamondbacks play a spirited brand of baseball, and they figure to be in the mix for a wild-card spot. Their lack of elite arms makes them look less dangerous come October. Then again, no one expected the Snakes to stay alive during their 2023 World Series run, either. — McCullough
Record: 59-55
Last Power Ranking: 19
A.J. Preller did it again. He may not have been the central character of this summer’s deadline, but he still managed to astound more than a few folks outside his organization by finding a way to acquire two of the better starters on the market, Casey Mize and Robbie Ray. But why should anyone be surprised? This is what Preller does best. The two new pitchers could stabilize the rotation of a team that remains in the hunt despite exasperating performances from its highest-paid players. — McCullough
Record: 58-56
Last Power Ranking: 17
Since losing 12 straight, the Marlins won six of seven and declined to move either of their excellent middle infielders. Miami, however, did trade away Liam Hicks with four years of additional control, albeit for a package from Tampa Bay that was well-regarded in the industry. Six teams have to make the playoffs in the National League, too, and the Marlins are right there. — Britton
Record: 55-59
Last Power Ranking: 13
Jerry Dipoto did not really make a splash this past week. George Kirby, Emerson Hancock and Randy Arozarena stayed put. Dipoto found a taker for Luis Castillo’s contract and added Taylor Ward to the outfield mix. Brendan Donovan was activated from the injured list on Tuesday. Perhaps the Mariners can put it all together during the final two months of the season. — McCullough
Record: 57-57
Last Power Ranking: 15
The Guardians finally added a right-handed outfielder, though it’s one who can’t hit or field at a league-average level. They also added a power lefty, though one who profiles better as part of a platoon more than anything. The real prize, however, is the addition of starter Foster Griffin, a pitcher who should fit right in alongside Parker Messick, Gavin Williams and a surging Tanner Bibee. Whether that’s enough in the aggregate to pass the White Sox remains to be seen. — Flores
Record: 59-56
Last Power Ranking: 22
The Astros entered Tuesday in first place in a division that no club seems willing to capture. They made only one major addition at the deadline. Daulton Varsho should improve the team’s outfield defense. But general manager Dana Brown could find no help for the starting rotation. Their best hope for reaching the postseason relies upon the continued bumbling of the Mariners and the Rangers. — McCullough
Record: 56-58
Last Power Ranking: 20
A year after a fire sale of epic proportions, the Twins found themselves buying at the deadline, adding leverage relievers to improve a bullpen that ranked among the league’s worst in multiple categories. At the same time, the Twins wouldn’t be dealing from their prospect pool for relievers if they kept the players they dealt last year. Is a collection of A.J. Minter, Jeff Hoffman and Tommy Nance better than Griffin Jax, Jhoan Duran and Louis Varland? Sure, it’s a Twins team with Taj Bradley and Kendry Rojas, but it’s also a Twins team that dealt their fifth-best prospect, as ranked by The Athletic’s Keith Law, for the enigma that is Hoffman. — Flores
Record: 55-60
Last Power Ranking: 11
The Nationals looked at their ahead-of-schedule pace this season and decided to drop back a bit, both on the field and on the roster. Washington lost six in a row entering Tuesday and it traded away more of its core in Luis García Jr. and Foster Griffin. The Nats opted for a quantity of pitchers, many of them relievers, in each deal. While that’s generally not a blueprint for success, when your closer is a fella named Clayton Beeter with a 15 percent walk rate, it sounds pretty logical to me. — Britton
Record: 56-58
Last Power Ranking: 16
Under first-year president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals expertly threaded the needle at the deadline. They listened but didn’t deal cost-controlled players such as Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera. They also didn’t subtract from their future by adding to a club that entered Tuesday four games back of the NL’s third wild-card spot. Not dealing Ryne Stanek was a curious move, but not deal-breaking. — Flores
Record: 55-58
Last Power Ranking: 18
In the end, Tarik Skubal was not long for the Motor City. That was to be expected, even if the Tigers began to surge. Ditto goes for Casey Mize. While the package for Skubal was not nearly as robust as many had mocked, it’s still a decent return given the circumstances. At 2 1/2 games back of the third wild-card spot, entering Tuesday, the Tigers still have more than enough to compete in the short-term and a bevy of prospects to add in the near future. — Flores
Record: 56-58
Last Power Ranking: 14
Texas operated over these past few days like a team aware that it could use a reset. There was chatter about Corey Seager being dealt. Jacob deGrom blocked a potential trade to Atlanta. In the end, not much about the roster was changed. And so the Rangers will enter the home stretch in a frustrating position. The team has a losing record, but a real chance to capture the weakened American League West. The Rangers, Mariners and Astros should form a support group for one another. This season must be simply maddening. — McCullough
Record: 53-61
Last Power Ranking: 23
No team got a jump on its 2027 shopping list like Toronto, which, while trading away Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho and Jeff Hoffman, brought in José Soriano. The price for Soriano was high, and the return for Gausman was generally viewed as low. But it will be interesting to see how the package sent to Anaheim compares to any other deals for controllable starters this winter — whether paying for the extra two months while out of the pennant race should have outweighed the opportunity cost for the Blue Jays. —Britton
Record: 55-58
Last Power Ranking: 21
Well then. The Orioles went and did it, trading away Adley Rutschman — and doing so in-division — to the Red Sox. Baltimore turned a season and a half of Rutschman’s remaining control into 28 years of control over prospects, though thankfully Mike Elias didn’t put it that way. It’s a very nice return considering Rutschman’s inconsistency and injuries the past few years. That doesn’t mean it’s not a giant bummer. — Britton
Record: 54-58
Last Power Ranking: 24
Of Cincinnati’s seven expiring contracts at season’s end, only two were traded away on Monday (Caleb Ferguson and Nathaniel Lowe). President of baseball operations Nick Krall said the “deals just weren’t there.” Maybe so. Then again, Cincinnati also did nothing to supplement its young core of players, and so the Reds ended Monday in a familiar spot, looking up at the standings and without a clear direction. — Flores
Record: 48-66
Last Power Ranking: 25
San Francisco could not offload any of its onerous, long-term deals, but Buster Posey still received plaudits from others in the industry for his rebuilding efforts at the deadline. Credit to Posey and his front office for recognizing the team’s position and trying to rectify the situation. The most fascinating new Giant may be Marcelo Mayer. About 18 months ago, Mayer was lauded as a potential cornerstone of the Red Sox, a top-10 prospect who was untouchable in trade talks. But the past two seasons have not been kind to him. San Francisco nabbed him in exchange for reliever Erik Miller. Mayer will receive a fresh start in a new organization that badly needs an infusion of young talent. — McCullough
Record: 48-66
Last Power Ranking: 26
Typically when a team trades away seven big-league players in four days, it’s followed by vast opportunities for younger players to establish themselves. Not so in Queens, where the Mets’ main mission over the final two months is evaluating the veteran talent they added last winter and have seen so little of this season. David Stearns understood his assignment at the deadline — he did essentially give it to himself — in selling, but the hard part will be in building back for 2027. — Britton
The Mets’ reconstruction on and off the field
Tim Britton and Madison Eades
Record: 45-68
Last Power Ranking: 29
Not totally sure why the Athletics did so little at the deadline. It is possible the ballpark in West Sacramento does not receive good cell reception. — McCullough
Record: 47-67
Last Power Ranking: 27
The Royals’ lack of activity at the deadline suggests they, at least internally, believe they are closer to competing than their current record suggests. Reality says otherwise. Holding onto Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha is the equivalent of managerial malpractice. Yes, Bobby Witt Jr. is still just 26 years old. However, as the Orioles demonstrated, life in the baseball world comes at you fast. — Flores
Record: 43-70
Last Power Ranking: 28
As Sam Blum, our grizzled-beyond-his-years former Angels beat writer, put it, the behavior exhibited by interim chief executive John Mozeliak looked “unrecognizable” compared to the team’s strategy in previous years. The Angels acknowledged reality and executed a series of trades aimed at improving their future, rather than chasing the limited hope of the present. Moisés Ballesteros and Arjun Nimmala headlined a large group of new faces bound for Anaheim. For the first time in a long time, Monday was a good day for the Angels. — McCullough
Record: 45-69
Last Power Ranking: 30
Old habits die hard. And so it was that, in the hours after the trade deadline, the Rockies finalized a contract extension with outfielder Mickey Moniak, rather than dealing him to a contender. But this was not exactly the same old story for Colorado’s new front office. Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes dealt away many of the players they were expected to trade: Antonio Senzatela, Victor Vodnik and Brenton Doyle all found new homes on Monday. The team retained star catcher Hunter Goodman. For the Rockies, this outcome still qualifies as progress. — McCullough
