MLB power rankings: Ranking which teams are under the most pressure before the MLB trade deadline

5) MLB Power Rankings: New York Mets

No one thought the season would go like this in Queens, with rumors of Buck Showalter being on the hot seat and the Mets selling some of the high-profile pieces they acquired in the offseason when dreams of the World Series were very prevalent. Now, entering Sunday at 42-49, the Mets and owner Steve Cohen have put all of the pressure on the players to succeed … and the strategy simply hasn’t worked. Now it’s a matter of when exactly the Mets pull the plug on the season, as well as what they can potentially get in return for another run in 2024.

4) MLB Power Rankings: New York Yankees

Unlike their cross-borough neighbors, the Yankees are believed to be buyers. Additionally, they’re waiting to see exactly when Nestor Cortes and Aaron Judge will return from injury and provide a boost on the mound and at the plate. However, time is of the essence for the Yankees to decide which way they’re going at the trade deadline and just how aggressive they will be. There is always pressure in the Bronx, but these next two weeks will have the microscope especially focused on Aaron Boone and company.

3) MLB Power Rankings: San Diego Padres

The Padres and Mets are in a wild chase to see which high-spending team is the biggest disappointment of the season. While the Mets seem to be clear sellers, that is not the indication coming out of San Diego. However, time is running out on the Padres quickly if they’re really going to make 2023 more than just an asterisk in the annals of MLB’s most frustrating teams. Will San Diego buy or sell? Will they part with big stars like Josh Hader, Blake Snell and/or Juan Soto? Seemingly everything is on the table right now and a three-game set in Toronto beginning on Tuesday could tilt the scales one way or the other.

2) MLB Power Rankings: St. Louis Cardinals

While the Cardinals didn’t spend as much as the Mets and Padres, they certainly topped both of those teams in terms of falling flat in 2023. It’s all about selling in St. Louis as the Cardinals sit in the bottom of the division. So what’s the pressure? Well, if St. Louis is really going to return to prominence in 2024, the decisions they make at this MLB trade deadline will go a long ways toward that. John Mozeliak has to push the right buttons over the next two weeks. It’s that simple.

1) MLB Power Rankings: Los Angeles Angels

Of all of the MLB teams, only one has to decide if there is a big enough package out there to send a two-way superstar and arguably the front-runner for American League MVP away in a trade. Will the Angels be known as the franchise that traded away Shohei Ohtani? Can the Angels actually string together enough wins to get back in the Wild Card conversation before the trade deadline? Ohtani wants to play for a winner. Now the Angels have to show they can be that or be faced with a decision no general manager would want to have. That’s pressure.