MLB Power Rankings: Marry the Dodgers and Padres, bury the Tigers and Nationals
By Tim Boyle
25) MLB Power Rankings: Chicago Cubs
Few believed the Chicago Cubs would actually compete this year. The front office seemed to convince themselves that they could field a competitive team and the investment in Marcus Stroman was wise. It wasn’t. Heading into this week, they are securing themselves a low spot in the MLB Power Rankings.
The Cubs have the potential to fall much closer to the bottom of the MLB Power Rankings because of the number of quality players they could deal at the trade deadline. It’s essentially a repeat of the 2021 season for this ball club with only the names and faces changing.
24) MLB Power Rankings: Baltimore Orioles
Adley Rutschman’s promotion to the big leagues will likely highlight the storylines for the Baltimore Orioles this year. The exciting young catching prospect will hopefully be this franchise’s Buster Posey or Joe Mauer. This year, the Orioles should look to give him and other young player opportunities to play. As far as the MLB Power Rankings go, they remain far away from a respectable number.
The Orioles could be turning a corner, though. They did just sign John Means to a two-year extension despite his Tommy John Surgery which eliminated him from the 2022 campaign entirely. Baltimore needs to use this year to see who should stay and who should go. Next winter, maybe they do something big. If you saw highlights from Rutschman’s debut, you’ll know fans in Baltimore are ready for good baseball again.
23) MLB Power Rankings: Oakland Athletics
Something to keep in mind about the Oakland Athletics each week is how well they started the year. They are far worse than their record shows. The grind of a long season is beginning to better represent the truth of this team.
Like many of the teams below them in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, it’s only a matter of time before they start selling off any quality players they have left. Frankie Montas headlines this group with a few other potential pieces possibly changing uniforms as well. It’s an ugly year in Oakland as they may be playing out one of their final years at the Coliseum.
22) MLB Power Rankings: Miami Marlins
There are some fantastic young players on the Miami Marlins roster including Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez. However, this franchise is far away from doing anything significant in the standings. This isn’t their year to take that giant leap forward.
This Marlins club remains years away from making any serious run. They need to show more than promise for a brighter future. The front office needs to execute bigger signings than just Jorge Soler and Avisail Garcia. There are some nice pieces in Miami but they are beginning to fade just as most expected.
21) MLB Power Rankings: Seattle Mariners
Oh, how the temporarily mighty have fallen. The Seattle Mariners are sliding down the MLB Power Rankings. Only a few weeks ago, they were seriously competing for the American League West title. In the penultimate week of May, they’re just shy of finding themselves within the mix of very bad teams.
Dependence on young players and their trade with the Reds in the offseason has come back to bite them. Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker have each underperformed. The Robbie Ray signing might have been a reach for a guy coming off of a career-year. Seattle began the year with the league’s longest playoff drought. Weekly, it looks ready to extend.