MLB power rankings: Ranking which teams are under the most pressure before the MLB trade deadline
By Kevin Henry
20) MLB Power Rankings: Cleveland Guardians
In the quagmire that is the American League Central, someone has to win it, right? Cleveland did last year, so does that make them a favorite to win it this year as well? Will the Guardians trade off starting pitcher Shane Bieber or keep him? Will they trade off some of their prospects to strengthen the team, knowing the Houston Astros are lurking in the postseason? There are too many questions right now to even gauge the stress level of the Guardians, so maybe that’s stressful? Agh, another question.
19) MLB Power Rankings: Los Angeles Dodgers
To say the Dodgers don’t exactly have to go all in this year may seem weird to say, but it feels like we’ve been talking about how this could be a down year inside Chavez Ravine since the start of the campaign. And down for the Dodgers means it might be difficult for them to win 100 games, so we’re not crying too much for the franchise. When your team is the favorite to land Shohei Ohtani in the offseason, do you worry about pushing all of your chips to the center of the table this season? That may be the most pressure-filled question of the next two weeks in L.A.
18) MLB Power Rankings: Miami Marlins
The trade for Luis Arraez has absolutely been a plus for the Marlins, a team that has an interesting schedule ahead of it before the MLB trade deadline. With the Marlins playing the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies before the calendar turns to August, there are some challenges. With the Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers also on the schedule during that stretch, it seems like the Marlins could keep adding to their win total. The question becomes how aggressive Miami might actually get and how much it thinks it can compete with the other NL juggernauts if it makes the postseason.
17) MLB Power Rankings: San Francisco Giants
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has said, “As we approach it, it’s really a goal of ours to be in the playoffs this year. So, I think we’ll be aggressive when we get to [the trade deadline].” But that was also back in early June. Now the Giants are still very much in the hunt for the division lead as well as a postseason spot. San Francisco has done well this season with what they have on their roster, and it’s expected that division rivals Arizona and Los Angeles may be buyers at the trade deadline as well. Just how aggressive will they be?
16) MLB Power Rankings: Seattle Mariners
Seattle put together a solid run before the All-Star break to be the hosts of the Midsummer Classic with a record just above .500. That push, however, put the Mariners in the in-between world of buyer and seller. There have been rumors about the St. Louis Cardinals being interested in acquiring starting pitcher Logan Gilbert, which would certainly signal a sale in Seattle. The Mariners are very much like the Giants, sitting in a division with two teams ahead of them that will likely be aggressive at the deadline. Seattle has a remaining July schedule with seven games against the Minnesota Twins and three games each against the Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks. That run could determine their fate.