Post-Trade Deadline: Power Rankings for All 30 MLB Teams
8/1/20248 min read
Introduction
The trade deadline has come and gone and we now know how rosters will look down the stretch. Contenders looked to bolster their rosters and eliminate weak spots. Many moves were made but most were depth moves rather than for impactful superstars. This will be my first power ranking post of 2024 and it comes at a crucial potential turning point of the 2024 season. We saw World Series hopeful teams falter in July such as the Dodgers, Yankees, and Phillies. On the other side we saw the NL wild card race heat up as multiple teams were red hot the last month. My rankings focus on team record, run differential, strength of schedule, future projection, and recent success.
Cleveland Guardians
Record: 66-42 Run Differential: +88
It's time to start putting more respect on the Cleveland Guardians. They have consistently been at the top of the standings all season and currently hold the best record in the MLB. While other top teams struggled in July, the Guardians remained solid. They didn't make a huge splash at the deadline but acquired Lane Thomas who instantly provides an upgrade to their outfield, and Alex Cobb who is a bit of a question mark but has potential to put up all star numbers. They are coming off of a series win against the Phillies and just beat the Orioles 10-3 on Thursday. While they may not have the best roster on paper or the most big names, they have performed well enough to deserve the number one spot on power rankings.
Baltimore Orioles
Record: 65-45 Run Differential: +86
The Orioles are finally contending for a deep playoff run and this young team is so fun to watch. The front office finally started investing in their major league club at the deadline. They didn't trade any headliner prospects for a superstar such as Skubal but finally made moves at the deadline. They addressed their injury riddled rotation with acquisitions of Zac Eflin and Trevor Rogers. They attempted to fix the bullpen but ended up with the Phillies leftover relievers. Those relievers do hold tons of potential and have experienced success in their career. July was mediocre for them but I expect them to pick it up again in August and down the stretch.
Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 65-43 Run Differential: +102
The Phillies remain the top team in the National League despite a really bad month of July. They have lost 5 series in a row including being swept by the Yankees this week. The Phillies had a fairly quiet trade deadline with their biggest acquisitions being Carlos Estevez and Austin Hays. They didn't need to do a whole lot at the deadline anyway but it was still disappointing for some to see so little from the NL's best team. Bryce Harper is in the middle of a huge slump and the Phillies have slumped as a team right along with him. I'm not concerned about the Phillies though and fully expect them to bounce back from this slump and play how you expect a roster with this amount of talent to perform.
New York Yankees
Record: 65-45 Run Differential +118
The Yankees were another team with a less than impressive month of July. They went 11-13 but finished the month strong with a sweep of the Phillies. New acquisition Jazz Chisholm has looked like the missing piece in his short tenure in New York thus far. He was a key piece in the series against Philadelphia and the Yankees look like geniuses for trading for him right now. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been superhuman at the plate but the rest of the lineup really needs to provide some sort of production if the Yankees hope to make a World Series run. It will be interesting to watch how the Yankees pitcher and hitter veterans perform down the stretch.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 63-46 Run Differential: +86
The Dodgers have been plagued by injuries to the rotation and lineup lately and it led to a horrible month of July. They have been grinding through games lately trying to piece together wins without some of their best players. At the deadline they acquired Jack Flaherty, probably the best player who was traded. They are still missing Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, Miguel Rojas, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, and multiple bullpen arms. They acquired bats like Rosario, and Kiermaier who will be huge as they wait to return to health. A fully healthy Dodgers team is scary as we saw earlier this season. A rotation of Glasnow, Flaherty, Yamamoto, Kershaw, and Buehler in the playoffs is going to be hard to beat if they all stay healthy
Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 61-47 Run Differential +77
Per usual the Brewers were fairly passive at the deadline. The only acquisitions they made were for starters Aaron Civale and Frankie Montas. Granted, they needed starting pitching and that's what they did but neither Civale or Montas are impact arms and won't be the strong starter that Milwaukee needs if they hoped to have a playoff run. Their offense has taken a huge hit with the Christian Yelich injury, who now might be out for the year. The Brewers remain a top team for now but we could see them move down the rankings later on. I wouldn't fear them in a playoff series if I was their opponent but anything is possible if a team gets hot at the right time.
San Diego Padres
Record: 59-51 Run Differential: +42
The Padres had been a huge disappointment for over a year up until recently where they've gone on a 9-1 run over their last 10. The Padres are red hot and find themselves on the heels of the Dodgers as they've cut the division lead to 4.5 games. They acquired Tanner Scott at the deadline and have built arguably the best bullpen in the MLB. They wanted to add a starter and missed out, although they did grab Martin Perez. It's possible their bullpen will be able to help pick up some of the slack from the rotation. Not only are they 9-1 over their last 10 but have done it without superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. He will be returning soon to a red hot Padres team with a lot to prove and with high hopes.
Kansas City Royals
Record: 61-49 Run Differential: +88
It was good to finally see the front office begin to buy into their team this deadline. The Royals could have done more but I was happy with their deadline. Their best move was acquiring a controllable reliever in Lucas Erceg. They also helped the rotation with the trade for Michael Lorenzen. The attempted to boost the lineup with Paul DeJong but could have went for someone a bit more impactful. It will be interesting to see how they use DeJong as he won't be seeing much or any time at shortstop with Bobby Witt Jr. This may not be a World Series year for the Royals but they're young and this is hopefully the start of a long competitive run for them.
Atlanta Braves
Record: 59-49 Run Differential: +41
Nobody expected the Braves to be this low in the rankings going into the season. They have one of the best rosters in baseball but similar to the Dodgers have been hit hard by injuries. They have lost Acuna, Albies, and Strider to big injuries and have dealt with minor ones all season. They really had a quiet and disappointing deadline. They only brought in Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson back from their 2021 World Series team. They hope Soler will recreate some of the magic he had when he won World Series MVP in 2021. It will be interesting to see how they handle outfield defense as neither Marcell Ozuna or Jorge Soler have played a single inning on defense this season.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 58-51 Run Differential: +45
The Diamondbacks came alive in July. They won more games than any other team in July and have found themselves in a wild card spot. They addressed their biggest need of the bullpen at the deadline with acquisitions of Puk, and Floro. It has been a battle to keep a healthy rotation but they have been on fire anyway. If the offense keeps playing like this and their rotation stays healthy they are a team to watch down and stretch and in October. The only reason they're below Atlanta in my rankings for the time being is the injury to Christian Walker as that could be difficult to overcome.
Seattle Mariners
Record: 57-53 Run Differential: +21
The Mariners showed at the deadline they are all in. In my opinion they had the best deadline and have set themselves up for success the rest of the season. They helped an offense that badly needed it with acquiring Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner. In addition they helped the bullpen mainly by acquiring Yimi Garcia who was quietly one of the best relievers available at the deadline. I loved what they did to improve their team and believe they have set themselves up for a playoff run and to win the division over the Astros.
Boston Red Sox
Record: 57-50 Run Differential: +26
The Red Sox had an underrated deadline. They technically filled every hole they needed to. While none of the names jump off the page, there was a limited supply of help that was traded anyway. They got a right handed hitter in Danny Jansen who they expect to perform well at Fenway as a right handed pull hitter. They got a rotation arm in veteran James Paxton who has had a solid rebound year. They even acquired 2 bullpen arms in Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia. I would have liked to see a trade for a player like Luis Rengifo for them but the Angels were stubborn and didn't move him at all. Either way the Red Sox are good again and could find themselves in a wild card spot this October.
Minnesota Twins
Record: 59-48 Run Differential: +41
The Twins once again were silent at the deadline. The most they did was acquire Trevor Richards from the Blue Jays. While teams around them made moves to get better they sat on their hands and are betting on their current roster. The offense is good but is without all star Carlos Correa for the foreseeable future. The pitching staff is not set up to make it anywhere in the playoffs. With the moves other teams made I would be surprised to see them even make the playoffs.
New York Mets
Record: 57-51 Run Differential: +26
Along with the Diamonbacks, the Mets have made the NL Wild Card race interesting. They are red hot and look like they could compete for a playoff spot. The lineup is really good but the pitching staff could have used some work. They made a few moves at the deadline but the best starter they got was Paul Blackburn. An acquisition of a top level arm could have set them apart from some of the other NL Wild Card contenders but nevertheless they remain in the mix for that spot.
Houston Astros
Record: 56-42 Run Differential: +46
The Astros come out of the deadline as one of the biggest losers. They did acquire Yusei Kikuchi but gave up an insane amount to do so. As a result they lose their rookie starting first baseman in the trade and are now stuck with Jon Singleton to start there. Kikuchi isn't bad but isn't a big enough star to warrant that kind of return. The Astros have had a nice long competitive run but could see that come to an end this year. The Mariners are right there battling for the division and there is plenty of Wild Card contending teams.
St. Louis Cardinals
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Francisco Giants
Cincinnati Reds
Texas Rangers
Detroit Tigers
Chicago Cubs
Tampa Bay Rays
Washington Nationals
Toronto Blue Jays
Oakland Athletics
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Angels
Miami Marlins
Chicago White Sox