MLB Power Rankings: Astros overtake Yankees, Red Sox spiraling down
By Tim Boyle
This week’s MLB Power Rankings include major changes at the top with a brand new number one team showing the most muscle.
The second half has started and teams are looking to put their woes from the first few months behind them. Some have gotten off to strong starts. Others are already seeing their spot in the MLB Power Rankings tank.
The MLB trade deadline is an opportunity for clubs to solidify themselves as some of the best teams in the game. We have about ten obvious sellers. Then there are more than a dozen definite buyers. Finally, there are a handful of teams whose fate might be decided in the next week.
Expect plenty of trades, even more rumors, and a lot of angry reactions from fans who didn’t get what they wanted for Christmas in July at the trade deadline. Just ahead of the final full week before the MLB trade deadline, which teams are positioned to buy the most and which ones should take their ball and run home?
30) MLB Power Rankings: Washington Nationals
It’s amazing how stacked the Washington Nationals were only a few years ago. The 2019 World Series Championship is something so distant now that grandchildren are assured their grandparents are lying about it when they say it actually happened.
A potential Juan Soto trade is what has led the talk about the Nationals over the last week. With fewer wins than anyone else in MLB, all signs point to them having another last-place finish in the MLB Power Rankings.
29) MLB Power Rankings: Oakland Athletics
Don’t get too cocky. The Oakland Athletics already traded enough of their own stars in the offseason. They don’t lose any points in the MLB Power Rankings because of it this week. Their own weak season is enough to finish only a single spot ahead of last place.
Oakland should lose some favor with fans based solely on the fact that they sent All-Star Paul Blackburn to Los Angeles for the game on a commercial flight. The rival Houston Astros stepped up and flew him there on a charter flight. Just when you didn’t think things could get more embarrassing for the Athletics, there’s that piece of news.
28) MLB Power Rankings: Pittsburgh Pirates
Why so low for the Pittsburgh Pirates? Their terrible run-differential definitely makes a difference as it sits as the second-worst in the game. Add in that they don’t have much of significance to sell at the trade deadline and we have a rather bland team.
Many of the young players on Pittsburgh like Oneil Cruz haven’t had the starts to their career like some other young baseball prodigies. It’s a very “nothing” season for the Pirates which stinks because they have a wonderful history of star players. Can we get a new ownership group in there?
27) MLB Power Rankings: Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals at least have something to look forward to at the trade deadline. Andrew Benintendi should land them a nice haul of younger players. The club’s lone All-Star representative is the biggest talking point of all coming from Kauffman Stadium.
Much like Pittsburgh, it’s no fun to see this small market club pile up losses like they do. They don’t look incredibly close to turning things around either. They are, without a doubt, the weakest team within an already shallow division.
26) MLB Power Rankings: Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds have one of the best trade candidates out there with starting pitcher Luis Castillo likely headed to a contender. It does give them the win in any tie-breaker with some of the other clubs behind them in the MLB Power Rankings. There is a certain power they should be awarded for having such a desirable piece.
The team itself remains one of the worst. They got themselves into too deep of a hole to begin the year that no awesome winning streak will ever pull them out from it. What is promising is that the club already began the rebuild in the offseason while teams like the Pirates and Royals seem to be circling around theirs.