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MLB power rankings: Giants, Cardinals, Indians surging before trade deadline

By Sean Sears

PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 25: Paul Goldschmidt #46 of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on July 25, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 25: Paul Goldschmidt #46 of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on July 25, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JULY 24: Orlando Arcia #3 and Lorenzo Cain #6 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after scoring runs in the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park on July 24, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JULY 24: Orlando Arcia #3 and Lorenzo Cain #6 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after scoring runs in the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park on July 24, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

12. Milwaukee Brewers, 54-50, 3rd in the NL Central (ranked 17th last week)

The Brewers are in need of starting pitching after losing Brandon Woodruff and Jhoulys Chacin to oblique injuries while Corbin Burnes is dealing with shoulder irritation on his throwing side and has yet to be given a timetable to return. But even before the injuries, Milwaukee needed to improve their staff since last season, and there have been reports linking them to the Mets and Noah Syndergaard.

But that was also a few weeks ago and the Brewers were unlikely to include 2B Keston Hiura, the former top prospect who is hitting .327 with 10 home runs and a .997 OPS on the season. If the Brewers were to include Hiura, they could land a player like Syndergaard or possibly Tigers’ starter Matthew Boyd. It’s unlikely they will be sellers at the deadline but the Rays do reportedly have interest in former All-Star first baseman Jesus Aguilar, who’s had a down 2019 season but trended up in the month of July.

11. St. Louis Cardinals, 55-47, tied for 1st in the NL Central (ranked 15th last week)

The Cardinals have won 10 of their last 13 games and have catapulted themselves back into the postseason conversation tied with the Cubs for 1st place and have a half-game lead over the Phillies for the final Wild Card spot. And now, after beating up on the Pirates, they’ll run into a tough series against the Astros and then the Cubs.

So the Cardinals are going to be put through an intense litmus test on the season facing those two teams and should answer the question on whether or not this recent run is real or just a product of an easier run in their schedule. However, the biggest change for St. Louis has been Paul Goldschmidt who’s posted a 1.026 OPS with eight home runs in the month of July. The veteran 1B has managed to hit a home run in four consecutive games as of July 26 and has been one of the biggest reasons for the Cardinals surge in the standings.

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