MLB Power Rankings: A red-hot AL team debuts at No. 2
The MLB trade deadline is in the rearview mirror — and a number of teams look fairly different because of it.
Two of our top-10 teams — the Dodgers and Padres — went for it at the deadline and were considered two of the biggest winners once 6 p.m. ET Tuesday passed. San Diego, specifically, saw a big boost, going from No. 13 to seventh, its highest ranking on the season. Meanwhile, the Guardians have continued their roll to debut at No. 2, surpassing the likes of the Dodgers, Yankees and Orioles.
Which contenders got the biggest boost from the deadline and moved up our list? And which clubs didn’t do themselves any favors?
Our expert panel has combined to rank every team based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle, Jesse Rogers, Alden Gonzalez and Jorge Castillo to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Week 17 | Second-half preview | Preseason rankings
Record: 65-43
Previous ranking: 1
As expected, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made some moves to improve the overall depth. He paid a steep price to acquire rental closer Carlos Estevez from the Angels, but Estevez has been outstanding and is riding a streak of 19 consecutive scoreless appearances, including his Phillies debut, in which he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth against the Yankees. The Phillies also added Austin Hays from the Orioles for Seranthony Dominguez, giving them an additional outfielder, acquired lefty reliever Tanner Banks from the White Sox and shipped reliever Gregory Soto to the Orioles in a separate deal that sent back a couple minor league pitchers to Philly. — Schoenfield
Record: 65-42
Previous ranking: 5
The Guardians acquired outfielder Lane Thomas and starting pitcher Alex Cobb, looking to shore up their two obvious weaknesses. Thomas had 67 extra-base hits last season and after a terrible April and a stint on the injured list, hit .282/.363/.470 in his final 55 games with the Nationals. He played right field in his Guardians debut and can play center in a pinch, but look for him to get most of his time in right. Cobb has yet to pitch in the majors this year after offseason hip surgery, shoulder irritation and then a blister problem last week that pushed back his first start. He had a 3.87 ERA in 2023 with the Giants. — Schoenfield
Record: 63-46
Previous ranking: 3
The question seemingly on everybody’s mind in the final moments before the trade deadline was whether the Dodgers would come away with the starter they so openly coveted. And then, with less than 10 minutes to spare, they secured Jack Flaherty, arguably the best pitcher traded. Flaherty brings some much-needed certainty to a Dodgers rotation filled with top-shelf talent but also rife with concern. Ideally he’ll slot alongside Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Clayton Kershaw in the postseason, with Bobby Miller, Walker Buehler and Gavin Stone also legitimate options. But there are varying degrees of uncertainty with all of those aforementioned arms.
The Dodgers also added some position player depth and versatility with Tommy Edman and Amed Rosario. Most importantly, though, they needed a front-line starter — and they got one. — Gonzalez
Record: 65-45
Previous ranking: 4
The Yankees addressed their two obvious needs. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a versatile defender — evidently versatile enough to learn third base on the fly and look comfortable there — who lengthens the lineup with pop and much-needed athleticism. Mark Leiter Jr. and Enyel De Los Santos give the bullpen top-tier whiff rates. Landing Flaherty to improve a stumbling rotation would’ve made it a tremendous haul in a dealer’s dream market. General manager Brian Cashman said he tried. Either way, the Yankees got better, but whether they’re legitimate World Series contenders or not will depend on the veterans they already had rooted in their roles. — Castillo
Record: 65-44
Previous ranking: 2
A year ago, Baltimore’s front office did very little to improve an ascendant club at the deadline. The Orioles wound up getting swept in the ALDS. This year, general manager Mike Elias was plenty more active, importing nine players and exporting 10. But there were no groundbreaking moves. They added a No. 3 starter (Zach Eflin) and paid a hefty price for a starter who eats innings (Trevor Rogers) to improve a rotation ravaged by injuries behind Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez. Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto are relievers the Phillies gave up on. Eloy Jimenez oozes potential, but he was an injury-plagued salary dump by the White Sox. Austin Slater and Cristian Pache are backup outfielders.
In other words, the Orioles didn’t use their industry-leading prospect capital to land an elite player — specifically an elite pitcher — for a roster loaded with position player talent and Burnes months from free agency. Baltimore’s deadline was better this time around, but we’ll have to wait to see if the results are any different when it matters. — Castillo
Record: 61-47
Previous ranking: 6
Milwaukee didn’t dive into the deep end of the pool during trade season — but it did get into the mix, obtaining starter Frankie Montas from Cincinnati not long after adding Aaron Civale from Tampa Bay. Neither is having the best of years, but the Brewers need some healthy arms and both provide needed innings for them. Still, with Jack Flaherty, Zach Eflin and other pitchers getting traded, they didn’t exactly get the best available arms on the market. It doesn’t mean they can’t win their division, but their playoff rotation isn’t likely to go into any series as a favorite. — Rogers
Record: 59-51
Previous ranking: 13
This was supposed to be the year the Padres trimmed their budget, got back under the luxury tax threshold and, one would assume, grow their farm system. Well … two out of three ain’t bad. General manager A.J. Preller ultimately did what he almost always does — he acquired top-shelf talent, prospects be damned.
An inability to secure what few front-line starters were available prompted him to pivot to the bullpen, where he added the best reliever available in Tanner Scott. It cost him two of his best pitching prospects in Robby Snelling and Adam Mazur — two days after parting with another highly rated pitching prospect, Dylan Lesko, in exchange for Jason Adam, and 12 weeks after using a package fronted by outfield prospect Dillon Head to get Luis Arraez. The most important thing is this: The Padres are really, really good again. And they’re playing their best baseball right now. — Gonzalez
Record: 59-48
Previous ranking: 9
Minnesota waited until the final few hours to finally make a move Tuesday. It was minor: reliever Trevor Richards for Jay Harry, a High-A infielder with a .655 OPS. Ideally, the club would’ve acquired a front-line starting pitcher. But financial restraints — and the fact that Jack Flaherty, Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde were all with division rivals, making an agreement that much more difficult — limited the possibilities. Ultimately, the Twins didn’t need to execute a seismic transaction. What they need down the stretch, above all, is for their formidable lineup to stay healthy, which remains a challenge. — Castillo
Record: 58-49
Previous ranking: 8
Desperate for some offense, the Braves acquired DH/OF Jorge Soler and reliever Luke Jackson from the Giants — two playoff heroes from the Braves’ 2021 World Series title team. Soler was the World Series MVP that year with two clutch home runs. Jackson pitched 3⅔ scoreless innings in the World Series. The only hitch for the Braves is that Soler hadn’t played an inning in the outfield this season for the Giants — and neither has Marcell Ozuna. One of them will have to dust off the glove and move to left field, which could be interesting. — Schoenfield
Record: 56-52
Previous ranking: 7
The Astros boosted their rotation with the addition of walk-year lefty Yusei Kikuchi but paid a premium to do so in prospects Will Wagner, Jake Bloss and Joey Loperfido. Meanwhile, they failed to address their first-base depth chart, a position that went awry when Jose Abreu‘s performance went south, leading to his eventual release. This puts the onus on Jon Singleton, a 32-year-old first baseman with a career 77 OPS+. Houston also added veteran lefty Caleb Ferguson in a deal with the Yankees. Ferguson has a 5.13 ERA and 4.27 FIP this season. — Doolittle
Record: 60-49
Previous ranking: 10
The Royals were able to target most of their primary needs at the deadline, adding a combo pitcher in Michael Lorenzen, two power relievers in Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey and a right-handed bat in Paul DeJong. The missing piece, though, might have been an outfielder, as their outfield has ranked near the bottom of the majors offensively as a group. Things have gotten better of late: The Royals rank in the middle of the pack in outfield OPS since the beginning of June, with Kyle Isbel and, especially, Hunter Renfroe picking up the pace. In case you’re wondering: DeJong has never played out on the grass as a big leaguer. — Doolittle
Record: 57-50
Previous ranking: 11
Boston was one of several teams attempting to walk the tightrope between improving the club and keeping the cost low — whether in payroll or prospect capital. In the end, the Red Sox made five marginal moves that made them better, but, on paper, still leaves them lagging behind the best teams in the AL.
They were desperate for starting pitching, and reuniting with James Paxton was an obvious decision when he was made available. The Red Sox sought a right-handed batter and landed on catcher Danny Jansen, a .212 hitter they envision having better success pounding baseballs off the Green Monster with his 51.9% pull rate and 35.8 fly ball percentage. Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia are bullpen upgrades, but will they be enough to help Boston outlast stiff competition for a wild-card spot? We shall see. — Castillo
Record: 57-51
Previous ranking: 16
The Mets didn’t make any big deadline splashes, instead looking to improve around the edges. Jesse Winker gives them a left-handed hitter who can get on base, helping improve the lineup against right-handed pitchers (their OPS is 34 points higher against lefties). They picked up some bullpen depth with Ryne Stanek, Huascar Brazoban and Tyler Zuber. Kodai Senga going down again with a calf injury in his first start back necessitated help in the rotation, so they acquired Paul Blackburn from the A’s. He has a 4.41 ERA in nine starts in 2024, but he just made his first start after more than two months on the IL, so he’s a bit of hopeful play. — Schoenfield
Record: 57-53
Previous ranking: 12
The ever-active Mariners swung six trades during the deadline period and came away with an upgraded lineup and a more dynamic late-inning bullpen mix. Adding offense was an absolute must, and acquisitions of Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner give the Mariners an entirely different look. Since the beginning of 2022, Turner (.777) and Arozarena (.768) have the second- and third-best OPS figures among the current roster of Seattle hitters. Turner adds a much-needed element: the ability to get the bat on the ball. During the aforementioned time frame, Turner’s 17.2% strikeout rate is the best among Seattle hitters, with only J.P. Crawford (17.8%) also under 20%. — Doolittle
Record: 58-51
Previous ranking: 14
When the week began, the D-backs’ bullpen held a 4.22 ERA, 23rd in the majors. The one thing they needed — aside from a return to health in their rotation, which should soon get Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez back from the IL — was a good reliever. So they did well in getting a power left-hander in A.J. Puk from the Marlins and an experienced righty in Dylan Floro from the Nationals. And they pivoted quickly upon learning that Christian Walker had suffered an oblique injury, getting a temporary first-base replacement in Josh Bell. Arizona’s heavy lifting came in the offseason. What they need now is for their starters to hold up and for their best players to perform. — Gonzalez
Record: 56-52
Previous ranking: 15
After a dismal season in 2023, the Cardinals vowed to be relevant again. Their winter moves left people wondering if they actually would be, but adding Erick Fedde, Shawn Armstrong and Tommy Pham on Tuesday addressed all their current needs. They were definitely one of the winners of the trade season, giving up a player in Tommy Edman who hadn’t even helped them this season due to injury. The coup comes in getting Fedde not just for the rest of this season but also next year — and at a very friendly cost of $7.5 million. The Cardinals are set up to challenge for a wild-card spot in the NL, which is impressive considering the start they had to the season. Their trade deadline moves helped their cause. — Rogers
Record: 55-53
Previous ranking: 217
Not surprisingly, the Pirates made some under-the-radar moves, acquiring seven players during their trade deadline dealings. They did a little adding and subtracting, but for the first time in several years, they attempted to improve their team for a playoff run. Bryan De La Cruz and Isiah Kiner-Falefa were interesting add-ons that should help round out the offense. Like Milwaukee, the Pirates weren’t going to reel in a big fish, but helping the team on the margins should at least keep them in the race into September — and if things really break right, perhaps beyond. — Rogers
Record: 52-57
Previous ranking: 18
Texas has operated with economic restraint since last season’s prolonged aggressiveness, and that discipline extended to a tepid deadline. The Rangers added a new backup catcher (Carson Kelly) and a new top lefty for the bullpen (Andrew Chafin), strongly suggesting they remain fixated on their right-now opportunity to defend their World Series crown. As we near the point when the Rangers can finally chalk up a rotation that reads Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Mahle and Sonny Gray, we may soon see that their near-term focus makes sense. — Doolittle
Record: 55-53
Previous ranking: 19
The Rays are over .500 on Aug. 1. In 2024, with three wild-card spots lowering the bar for World Series aspirations, that usually means having a shot to make a postseason run. But the Rays decided their less-than-20% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs, wasn’t good enough to pass on a juicy opportunity to stack for the future. So Tampa Bay converted much of its core, such as Zach Eflin, Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes, Jason Adam and Amed Rosario, into prospects and major leaguers with more controllable years with 2025 — when a few key starting pitchers will be healthy — and beyond in mind. All in all, the Rays added Christopher Morel and 13 prospects. Punting on 2024 so aggressively wouldn’t fly in most cities. But it was a very Rays approach that, based on their history, should pay dividends in the near future. — Castillo
Record: 52-56
Previous ranking: 21
Trading Frankie Montas to the team that leads its own division sums up what Cincinnati must feel about its year: It’s been wholly disappointing. Montas was supposed to be the veteran pitcher who helped put the Reds over the top. Instead, he lasted less than four months while struggling to a 5.00 ERA before being moved. The Reds subtracted more than they would have liked at the deadline, but they’re still in position for a rebound in 2025. Their moves indicate a quick retool — not a ripping apart of the team’s core. — Rogers
Record: 54-56
Previous ranking: 22
There were a lot of questions surrounding the Giants’ approach ahead of the trade deadline — and in the end, we’re left to wonder what they did, exactly. Blake Snell was shopped around, but sources said the asking price for him was way too high. Matt Chapman, meanwhile, hardly popped up in trade rumors. The Giants ultimately did very little to either help their future or boost their present. When the trade deadline arrived, they held a 53-55 record and a minus-16 run-differential. Maybe a rotation that brought back Robbie Ray and has seen Snell pitch like an ace again can carry them over the last couple months. Or maybe — likely, perhaps — the Giants remain stagnant. — Gonzalez
Record: 52-57
Previous ranking: 20
The Tigers helped their future in two ways before this year’s trade deadline. They traded away pending free agents in Mark Canha, Andrew Chafin, Carson Kelly and, most notably, Jack Flaherty, the latter of whom brought back two highly regarded position-player prospects from the Dodgers; and they held onto Tarik Skubal, who might win the AL Cy Young Award this year. Skubal would have been by far the best pitcher to be traded this summer. But he’s also a homegrown talent who’s only 27 years old and controllable through 2026. The Tigers want to make a run to the top of the AL Central as early as next year. Skubal, of course, is key to that. — Gonzalez
Record: 52-58
Previous ranking: 23
Not unlike the Reds, the Cubs did a little subtracting at the deadline with next season in mind. They maximized the moment by trading reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to the Yankees while he was pitching at his best. One of their returns is a 6-8, flamethrowing righty — the type of pitcher the Cubs have lacked over recent years. Jack Neely could be in the majors by the end of this season or the beginning of next at the latest. Between that move and trading out Christopher Morel for a more polished Isaac Paredes from the Rays, Chicago is trying to retool quickly in order to contend next season. — Rogers
Record: 49-60
Previous ranking: 24
After trading Hunter Harvey early on, the Nationals ended up trading away Lane Thomas, Jesse Winker and Dylan Floro at the deadline. The package for Thomas looks especially intriguing, led by pitcher Alex Clemmey, a hard-throwing lefty who was a second-round pick in 2023 out of high school. He has 97 K’s in 69⅓ innings in Single-A and has to clean up his control, but there is a high ceiling here. Infielder Jose Tena has some nice numbers in Triple-A and a few games in the majors, and he could get some time at third base down the stretch. — Schoenfield
Record: 50-59
Previous ranking: 25
If there was any AL East team that should have, based on the standings, aggressively subtracted, it was the Blue Jays. But Tampa Bay, not Toronto, chose that route. Instead, the Jays went halfway — only dealing impending free agents for the most part, including Yusei Kikuchi, Yimi García, Justin Turner and Danny Jansen. They got a shockingly good haul for Kikuchi that featured Joey Loperfido, Jake Bloss and Will Wagner. It makes you wonder what they could have gotten for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (and to a lesser extent Bo Bichette, who has had a down year and is on the IL). The Blue Jays could have unloaded to start anew after a disappointing 2024 season. They chose not to. In an AL East that appears to be only getting stronger, it’s a risky path to take. — Castillo
Record: 45-65
Previous ranking: 27
When the A’s aren’t contending, their front office is generally popular around deadline time. They did move a couple of pitchers in Paul Blackburn and Lucas Erceg, and the latter could very well end up the most valuable reliever to move during the transaction period. Still, it felt like Oakland could have offloaded even more, with quality hitters like Brent Rooker and J.J. Bleday surely generating a lot of interest. The reason the A’s held onto them may be a ray of hope for die-hard fans. Simply put, the front office may believe they aren’t that far away from being good again. They’ve certainly looked like it of late — they won eight of 11 coming out of the break while averaging 5.8 runs per game. — Doolittle
Record: 47-61
Previous ranking: 26
If you’re wondering what exactly the Angels are doing, the answer is simple: not much. More complicated is understanding what is driving their organizational complacency. L.A. dealt walk-year relievers Carlos Estevez and Luis Garcia, but that was it. Still around are oft-rumored trade candidates like Tyler Anderson, Kevin Pillar, Luis Rengifo, Taylor Ward and others. The ongoing presence of Anderson is particularly hard to understand given the Angels’ competitive timeline (or lack of one) and the sparse supply of top starters during this deadline period. — Doolittle
Record: 40-68
Previous ranking: 29
In a flurry of activity, the Marlins made six trades on deadline day alone — following earlier deals for Jazz Chisholm Jr. and A.J. Puk. “We’re excited about the layers of talent joining the organization,” baseball ops president Peter Bendix said in a statement.
Among the top prospects the Marlins got in return: catcher Agustin Ramirez (Yankees), who has 20 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A; second baseman Connor Norby (Orioles); LHP Robby Snelling, who began the season as ESPN’s No. 59 prospect but has struggled in Double-A; and RHP Adam Mazur, who had been in the Padres’ rotation. Among the others traded away: Tanner Scott, Trevor Rogers, Bryan De La Cruz and Josh Bell. Last year feels like a long time ago. — Schoenfield
Record: 29-70
Previous ranking: 28
We knew the Rockies weren’t going to trade All-Star third baseman Ryan McMahon (frankly because McMahon said so himself). They signed him to a six-year, $70 million extension heading into last season, have seen his offense finally emerge and want to build around him. OK, fine. But they also did not trade catcher Elias Diaz, who is a pending free agent, and the likes of Cal Quantrill, Brendan Rodgers and Austin Gomber, who are controllable only through the 2025 season. The Rockies are racing toward a second consecutive 100-loss season, and they have let another trade deadline pass without maximizing their return on future assets. — Gonzalez
Record: 24-62
Previous ranking: 30
Chicago was thinking of its long-term future in trading for young prospects during its deadline dealings. In shipping out veterans Michael Kopech, Erick Fedde, Eloy Jimenez and Paul DeJong, Chicago continues to show that it’s in total rebuild mode. That means Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. are likely to move this offseason, completing the job started by new GM Chris Getz last winter when he offloaded Dylan Cease. Some experts don’t believe the White Sox did as well as they should have in the prospects department in their returns for the vets, but only time will tell. This is going to be a loooong rebuild. — Rogers
