MLB Power Rankings: From the best to the worst after the MLB trade deadline
By Kevin Henry
With the MLB trade deadline squarely in the rearview mirror, which teams went up or down in this week’s MLB Power Rankings?
It’s been nearly a week since all of the dust from the MLB trade deadline settled, and we now know which teams strengthened their rosters for a postseason run in 2023 and which ones are looking ahead to which prospects can impact them in 2024.
So where are the 30 MLB teams landing in this week’s MLB power rankings? Let’s dive in and see.
MLB Power Rankings: 30. Oakland Athletics
What’s the good news? The A’s crossed the 30-win plateau for the season by winning a series in Denver against the Colorado Rockies. The bad news? Oakland followed that by getting swept by the Dodgers in Los Angeles and designating one of the most popular players for assignment in Ramón Laureano after the trade deadline concluded. The move was confusing, part of a head-scratching season for so many A’s fans.
MLB Power Rankings: 29. Kansas City Royals
Being hit on the hand could have been a season-ender for veteran catcher Salvador Perez on Sunday, but X-rays proved negative in Philadelphia after the game. It continues a season of good things for the Royals, who have won seven of their last nine games.
MLB Power Rankings: 28. Washington Nationals
How about the Nationals, pulling off the three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend? Washington has won five of its last six games, and now heads to Philadelphia for a four-game series against the Phillies starting on Monday. Can the Nationals keep being a pest for teams with postseason aspirations?
MLB Power Rankings: 27. Colorado Rockies
Talk about rewinding the clock, the Rockies went into St. Louis over the weekend and took two of three games against the Cardinals, snapping a 12-game losing streak in St. Louis and winning the franchise’s first series there since 2009. Granted, it wasn’t a strong Cardinals team (we’ll get into that shortly), but Colorado used six scoreless innings from Austin Gomber, acquired by the Rockies in the Nolan Arenado trade, on Sunday to help secure the series win.
MLB Power Rankings: 26. Detroit Tigers
Comerica Park hasn’t been kind to the Tigers this season, with Sunday’s 10-6 home loss to the Tampa Bay Rays dropping Detroit to 23-32 in the Motor City. With the Minnesota Twins coming in four games starting on Monday, is that a good sign for the division-leading Twins to actually face the Tigers on the road?