With Dalton on vacation, this edition of the Power Rankings is created by Gus Livaditis and me. While there are fewer games played to base this update on due to the All-Star break, there will still be some movement in the order of things due to one fewer person being involved. The outliers from either of us don’t have the third person to bring greater balance to the rankings. The number in parentheses is the team’s ranking in our last segment. On to the list!
1. Philadelphia Phillies (1) – They’ve gone just 4-6 in their last 10 games but this remains a team that excels on both sides of the ball and has a bunch of experience, too.
T2. Baltimore Orioles (2) – It will be fascinating to see how the Orioles handle the trade deadline. Will they move all-in to acquire Tarik Skubal or a similar high-end player?
T2. Los Angeles Dodgers (T3) – Clayton Kershaw made his 2024 debut and this team remains a force to be reckoned with, especially when all of the injured players return.
4. Cleveland Guardians (T3) – MLB.com says the Guardians success has been due to the ability to lean on different players at different times. My belief is they have only played 45 games out of 101 total against teams over .500 where the Twins and Royals have played 56 and 57 each, respectively. Only the Astros (44) have played fewer. (Gus)
5. Milwaukee Brewers (6) – Fifth in MLB in batting average (.254), along with second in steals (138) and OBP (.332), the Brewers are cashing in their chances to the tune of the third best runs scoring differential in the NL. (Gus)
6. Minnesota Twins (8) – Former Mets farmhand Simeon Woods-Richardson isn’t the first player you think of for this team but he leads Twins SP with a 125 ERA+.
T7. Atlanta Braves (7) – Few fans across the country will shed a tear over it but the Braves have had a ton of injuries and a bunch of their remaining hitters picked the wrong year to stop sniffing glue.
T7. New York Mets (15) – The offense is breaking out just as their bully tormenter for years passed is coming to town. (Gus)
9. New York Yankees (5) – They’re not playing well right now but it still feels like this is a team that can do damage in the playoffs once the walking wounded return.
10. San Diego Padres (11) – Want to win a bar bet outside of San Diego? Ask your mark which player on the Padres leads the team in OPS+. Almost no one will give the correct answer, which is Jurickson Profar and his 145 OPS+, which also comes with the second-most PA on the team.
T11. Houston Astros (10) – They have a really strong trio of hitters yet this still feels like a squad that should add a big bat, whether at OF or 1B. But do they have the trade chits to make that happen?
T11. Kansas City Royals (12) – Fourth best run differential in the AL, the pitching is 10th in ERA (3.76), the offense is 12th in OPS (.717), and lead in CS% (35%) and 7th in fielding% (.987). Pretty solid in all areas. (Gus)
T11. Seattle Mariners (9) – Leading MLB in pitching ERA (3.41), WHIP (1.07) and BAA (.217). Just need that hot streak to arrive. (Gus)
14. Boston Red Sox (13) – Just imagine what this team would look like if it hadn’t given up on Chris Sale?
15. St. Louis Cardinals (14) – It feels like the Cardinals are doing it with mirrors thanks to their negative run differential. But there are pieces in place offensively to turn that around. Feels like they’re a starting pitcher short. Or maybe two.
16. Pittsburgh Pirates (18) – Led by their good young pitching (11th in ERA, 3.77), the Pirates are moving up the standings but they are 26 in BA (.232) and 27th in OPS (.669) so unless there is an infusion this week, they are just gaining experience. (Gus)
17. Arizona Diamondbacks (16) – Much like the Mets, the D’Backs overall numbers from the pen look underwhelming. But a lot of that is due to poor performances from guys no longer around. They have five relievers with an ERA of 3.34 or better, including two guys with sub-2.00 marks over 86 IP.
18. Texas Rangers (19) – Will the defending World Series champions be sellers at the deadline? They’re a game under .500 and five games back of the third Wild Card spot. They’ll have some attractive chits if they decide to go that way.
19. Cincinnati Reds (17) – Things would be a lot different for the Reds if Frankie Montas was the guy who finished sixth in the CY Award race in 2021, rather than the one who’s 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA.
20. Detroit Tigers (20) – Javier Baez had an .886 OPS in 186 PA with the Mets in 2021. He signed a big free agent contract with the Tigers after that and here are his OPS numbers since: .671, .593 and a .460 mark this year in 233 PA. Wonder if he ever regrets leaving for Motown?
21. Tampa Bay Rays (21) – Have started their sell-off. (Gus)
22. Washington Nationals (23) – With 28 Saves and a 2.38 ERA, lots of teams will be interested in Kyle Finnegan here at the deadline. Yet, the better play might be Dylan Floro, who while he doesn’t have the gaudy save numbers of Finnegan, has a 1.98 ERA and his 2.36 FIP is significantly better than Finnegan’s 3.89 mark in the category.
23. Chicago Cubs (24) – Team president Jed Hoyer is on record that the team is looking at next year. (Gus)
24. San Francisco Giants (22) – Blake Snell is 0-3 with a 5.83 ERA in 41.2 IP. But the reigning CY Award winner might be the most attractive chit here at the trade deadline.
25. Oakland A’s (27) – 11-7 in the month of July, they swept the Halos, took two of three in Philly, and just took two of three against the Astros. They may not be buyers, but there is no quit in this group. (Gus)
26. Toronto Blue Jays (25) – Many wanted the Mets to sign George Springer to a long-term deal when he was a free agent following the 2020 season. And while Springer was very good in ‘01 and ’02, the past two years have been a different story. He had a 102 OPS+ in 683 PA last year. This season it’s a 96 OPS+ in 392 PA. Exhibit 2,000,001 in why you don’t want to be on the hook for guys in their mid-to-late 30s. This is Springer’s age-34 season. And there’s still two years to go on his contract.
27. Los Angeles Angels (26) – While the Angels got bad news on the Mike Trout comeback efforts, they have gone 7-4 since our last update. And with Carlos Estevez and Luis Rengifo, they have two players who could fetch a nice return at the deadline.
28. Miami Marlins (28) – As a Tanner Scott fantasy owner, it’s easy to be torn about his fate. It will be tough to lose save opportunities once he’s traded but, man, he deserves to be on a better team than this.
29. Colorado Rockies (29) – It’s perfectly fine with me if the baseball gods condemn the Rockies to being horrible until they go back to the 4-man rotation that worked fine for them when they used it back in … checks notes … 2012. They’ve finished below .500 in nine of the 11 seasons since and this year will make it 10 times.
30. Chicago White Sox (30) – 1-9 in their last 10 games and three wins this month (Guardians, Marlins, Twins), there is excitement in the Front Office and a funeral in the locker room. (Gus)