MLB Power Rankings: Where all 30 teams stand as the trade deadline looms

They say that the MLB regular season is a marathon, but around this time of year, it turns into a sprint. We've got just over a week left until the Aug. 3 trade deadline, and with the standings in both the NL and AL about as wide-open as we've seen in recent memory, the fortunes of all 30 teams can change based on a single result.

The Boston Red Sox got the party started in shocking fashion late Saturday night, but all around the league, front offices are trying to figure out who's buying and who's selling. Will bubble teams like the Orioles, Tigers, Twins and Padres look to add or pull the cord? And which contender is willing to get aggressive in pursuit of a World Series title. As we attempt to answer those questions, our MLB power rankings might offer some clues as to who's trending in the right — and wrong — direction.

30. Los Angeles Angels

• Last week's ranking: 30

John Mozeliak continues to insist otherwise, but all indications are that he'll be taking over this Angels front office on a full-time basis moving forward, and that could have big ramifications at the trade deadline. Will Mozeliak look to start fresh, selling controllable pieces like Reid Detmers, Zach Neto and Jose Soriano at the deadline? If so, he could rapidly remake the most dysfunctional franchise in baseball. Then again, Arte Moreno is never one to rebuild, for better or often for worse.

–Chris Landers, FanSided.com sports editor

29. Colorado Rockies

• Last week's ranking: 29

The Rockies are in an interesting spot. Yes, they’re bad, but they’re a lot better than they were in 2025, and from Hunter Goodman to Jake McCarthy to Mickey Moniak, they have several intriguing trade candidates. Will Colorado tear it down or continue to try and build around the likes of Goodman, TJ Rumfield and others? Regardless, it’s nice to see the Rockies playing fairly competitive baseball after such a miserable 2025.

–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com staff writer

28. New York Mets

• Last week's ranking: 26

As if this season weren’t bad enough for Mets fans, Juan Soto suffered a calf injury that could (and probably should) keep him out for the remainder of what’s amounting to a lost season. Mets fans can’t watch their MVP swing the bat for at least a month, and to make matters worse, trade candidates like Freddy Peralta and AJ Minter didn’t help boost their trade value this week. There just isn’t much to look forward to right now.

–ZR

27. Kansas City Royals

• Last week's ranking: 28

Wah-wah. It’s been a solid couple of weeks for Kansas City, but if only three American League teams are well and truly cooked, the Royals are one of ‘em. There’s stuff to be excited about, as Bobby Witt Jr., Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone is not a bad young core to build your future around. When it comes to this season, however, the Royals’ all-time bad bullpen and paper-thin lineup makes any hope of a last-minute resurrection moot.

–Christopher Kline, FanSided.com staff writer

26. Athletics

• Last week's ranking: 27

As if the A's spiral toward the AL West cellar weren't disheartening enough, now star catcher Shea Langeliers is reportedly done for the year after undergoing knee surgery. The team never seemed all that keen on trading one of its best players, but Langeliers could've commanded a haul in a hot sellers' market. Now, it's back to the drawing board this winter, as the A's look to finally add some pitching around Langeliers, Kurtz and the rest of their young hitters.

–CL

25. San Francisco Giants

• Last week's ranking: 25

The Giants won a series against the Angels, but that came after they were swept in Kansas City, adding onto what's been a miserable season. At this point, it’s a matter of when, not if, they trade veterans on expiring contracts like Robbie Ray and Luis Arraez, both of whom continue to raise their trade value. What’ll be interesting to see is whether Buster Posey can find his way out of any of his team's expensive long-term contracts. The answer is probably no, but it’s good to see Rafael Devers continue to swing the bat well.

–ZR

24. Toronto Blue Jays

• Last week's ranking: 23

With a 19-26 record since June 1 and nine losses in their last 12 games, the Blue Jays have gone from right on the bubble to squarely selling. That means you can kiss rentals like Kevin Gausman and Daulton Varsho goodbye, among others, as Toronto looks to build around Dylan Cease and Trey Yesavage in the rotation and figure out what's gone wrong with an offense that set the league on fire last season. Getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. back on track is now the single most important project over the last couple months of the year.

–CL

23. Cincinnati Reds

• Last week's ranking: 24

The Reds were a late-breaking surprise in the NL Wild Card hunt a year ago. A similar outcome is not impossible this time around, but Cincinnati has lost extensive ground over the past two months; in terms of momentum and vibes, the Reds appear dead in the water. It’s probably time to trade a handful of productive vets at the deadline and reassess ahead of 2027. Hunter Greene’s return gives their underperforming rotation a bit more firepower for the stretch run, but Greene has yet to recapture his superstar highs from a year ago. Time is running out.

–CK

22. Detroit Tigers

• Last week's ranking: 21

The Tigers are sub-.500 and an example of true mediocrity, and yet the math tells us this team can still scrap its way to a Wild Card spot. Tarik Skubal’s deadline fate will dominate the MLB headlines for the next week, but Detroit’s questions go much deeper than their two-time Cy Young winner. The Tigers desperately need to find consistent boppers and functional rotation depth, not to mention the dire state of their bullpen. Whether that can all happen before Aug. 3 or becomes a 2027 project remains to be seen. Detroit has stumbled into some positive momentum, but this is still a team relying on Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter and now James Outman on a semi-regular basis. Not great.

–CK

21. Minnesota Twins

• Last week's ranking: 16

The American League is bad enough to trick the Twins into buying (or at least standing pat) at the deadline, but that would be a mistake. While Minnesota isn’t without talent, last season’s deadline purge was a clear statement of intent. An outlier season around them should not change the Twins’ plan to gear up for the long haul. Joe Ryan, Ryan Jeffers and maybe even Byron Buxton are all rockin’ and rollin’, but the focus should be on next season and beyond, when top prospects like Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez can join the fold.

–CK

20. Miami Marlins

• Last week's ranking: 12

The Miami Marlins improved to 52-42 after sweeping the Mariners in early July. They haven’t won since. That's now 12 losses in a row, going from a team 10 games over .500 to two games under in an eyeblink. They’re close enough to the postseason that they might not trade Sandy Alcantara when he has another year of club control, but any hopes Marlins fans had of the team aggressively buying at the deadline have quickly vanished.  

–ZR

19. Seattle Mariners

• Last week's ranking: 18

Sunday's come-from-behind win over the Rangers felt like a potential inflection point in Seattle's season, one that felt like it could be spiraling out of control. The Mariners are now in a dogfight with not only Texas but also the surging Astros, and for as impressive as this roster still looks on paper, they've yet to come anywhere close to realizing that potential on the field. The front office still seems determined to get aggressive as the deadline, but they'll need it if they want to get back to the ALCS and beyond.

–CL

18. Washington Nationals

• Last week's ranking: 19

This week brought more of the same for the Nationals. Their offense is good enough to keep them afloat, but their pitching, particularly in the bullpen, continues to hold them back. Washington can absolutely make the playoffs if they fortify that bullpen, but the Curtis Mead trade indicates that this front office knows how much work that would entail. I’m not sure it’ll even be possible for them to do enough at the deadline, and that could lead to uncomfortable conversations behind had about Foster Griffin and others this week as the Nats look ahead to a promising 2027 season.

–ZR

17. San Diego Padres

• Last week's ranking: 20

A lot of eyes are on the Padres — and A.J. Preller, to be specific. They’re still in the Wild Card hunt, but are stuck at .500 and need to jump several teams to sneak into the third Wild Card spot. Are they close enough for Preller to do what he loves, i.e. trading top prospects for star talent? Are they far away enough for Preller to consider trading Mason Miller? The answer is probably somewhere in between, but with series against the Rockies and Giants looming before the deadline, it’s entirely possible San Diego wins enough games to convince Preller to buy — whether that’s smart for the organization or not.

–ZR

16. Baltimore Orioles

• Last week's ranking: 17

Two gut-punch losses to the Braves in extra innings this weekend took a bit of wind out of Baltimore's sails, but the arrow is still pointing up for the Orioles as Mike Elias looks to set a course at the trade deadline. Given the wide-open nature of the AL Wild Card picture, how desperate Baltimore is to make the playoffs this year and the fact that they're 12-7 so far in the month of July, buying feels far more likely than selling, but there are several holes to fill if this team wants to make real noise in October.

–CL

15. Cleveland Guardians

• Last week's ranking: 11

If asked for the definition of insanity, simply point to the Guardians, who continue to tread water in the regular season by doing the exact same thing every season — and running into the exact same problems. This is a new year, so anything is possible, but Cleveland’s inability to slug and produce runs in an explosive manner feels destined to undermine them once again, if not in August and September then certainly in October. A remarkably weak American League has left them with a bit of cushion in the Wild Card standings, but losing the division race to the ascendent White Sox would be a grim omen.

–CK

14. St. Louis Cardinals

• Last week's ranking: 9

St. Louis has come out of the gate a bit slow after the All-Star break, raising new questions about whether this team should buy or sell at the deadline. There’s no denying the young talent in the Cardinals lineup, with JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker both superstars in their early 20s. But their depth leaves much to be desired, and the St. Louis pitching staff does not, on paper, project well toward October. The bullpen has regressed dramatically over the past couple months and Michael McGreevy, their breakout “ace,” is destined to hit a wall eventually unless he can miss a few more bats.

–CK

13. Houston Astros

• Last week's ranking: 22

Houston's five-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday afternoon, but it still feels as though this is a team that has played itself into the buyers category as the deadline looms. Dana Brown is desperate to make the playoffs and save his job, while you know owner Jim Crane will always go for it if given the slightest excuse to do so. Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez have this offense humming; can the Astros find enough pitching to take the AL by storm? With a weak farm system, Brown has his work cut out for him.

–CL

12. Pittsburgh Pirates

• Last week's ranking: 13

One of many National League teams caught in an uncomfortable limbo ahead of the deadline, Pittsburgh’s front office faces a tough decision. They spent a bunch of money (well, relatively) in the offseason with hopes of finally delivering Paul Skenes and an electric pitching staff to the playoffs. Unfortunately, that pitching staff has not really met the moment, and their bullpen grades out as one of the worst in MLB. The lineup has some pop, but with young boppers Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz on the IL, the Pirates either need to add major reinforcements or waive the white flag.

–CK

11. Texas Rangers

• Last week's ranking: 14

Has a team winning its division in late July ever garnered less attention? Of course, you can understand why, given that Texas has been hovering around .500 pretty much all year thanks in large part to a disappointing offense and an underachieving rotation. But no one wants to see Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and MacKenzie Gore in a short series, and Corey Seager is working his way back off the IL. If Chris Young can snag a bat or two at the deadline, why not the Rangers? It's not like anyone else in the AL West wants to win it.

–CL

10. Chicago White Sox

• Last week's ranking: 8

The third-best record in the American League belongs to … the White Sox? The Cinderella run continues full steam ahead into late July and presumably early August, with the South Siders starting to add a bit of distance between second-place Cleveland and third-place Minnesota in the AL Central. The Sox would love to get Kyle Teel healthy, but this is still a talented lineup chock full of exciting young players. The main priority at the deadline is upgrading a flimsy pitching staff. Davis Martin and Sean Burke are doing everything they can to keep Chicago competitive, but their back-end starters just aren’t good enough. The Noah Schultz thing ain’t happening this season.

–CK

9. Arizona Diamondbacks

• Last week's ranking: 15

The Diamondbacks put together another winning week, and have now taken hold of the final NL Wild Card spot. All rumors have suggested they plan on buying at the trade deadline, and nothing that’s transpired lately should lead anyone to believe anything else. I don’t know how good this team actually is given their neutral run differential, their struggles against winning teams and the state of their pitching staff, but with the right deadline upgrades, they could be a sneaky sleeper worth keeping an eye on.

–ZR

8. Boston Red Sox

• Last week's ranking: 10

Boston fired the starting gun on deadline season on Saturday night, shocking everybody by flipping young lefty Connelly Early for infielder Curtis Mead. Mead should be a real boon for an offense that need up-the-middle help and more righty pop, and it seems like Craig Breslow is big-game hunting as he seeks to upgrade what's been the hottest team in baseball for weeks now. If he can keep on adding, the Red Sox will be awfully dangerous this fall, especially if Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet can return.

–CL

7. Philadelphia Phillies

• Last week's ranking: 6

This was a week for the Phillies to show that they belong in the conversation with MLB’s elite teams, and instead they proved they’re not quite there. They lost back-to-back series against the Dodgers and Yankees, losing three games in which they allowed three runs or fewer. We know Philly could use more pitching help, but offense has been what’s held them back in past postseasons. And with how this roster is constructed, it’s hard to envision this year being any different — especially with how this week went. 

–ZR

6. New York Yankees

• Last week's ranking: 7

The Yankees — and much-maligned manager Aaron Boone, specifically — deserve credit for weathering a hail of injuries and finding their footing again after a mid-summer swoon. A star-studded rotation featuring Cam Schlittler, Max Fried and Gerrit Cole is starting to actualize, and if they can ever get Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton healthy at the same time, there should be plenty of firepower as well. This sets up to be one of the most fascinating deadlines of Brian Cashman's tenure, as he navigates what this team could be with what it currently is.

–CL

5. Chicago Cubs

• Last week's ranking: 3

The Cubs are back on the upswing in what has become yet another roller-coaster season on the North Side. Few contenders more desperately need pitching help at the deadline, but with Shōta Imanaga and Matthew Boyd stabilizing — and a couple solid starts in a row from David Peterson — it feels like Chicago is trending in the right direction ... so long as Jed Hoyer buys. When the Cubs’ lineup is popping, they have the feel of a heavyweight. Their elite defense across the positional spectrum helps to set a solid floor, too, despite their overall inconsistency.

–CK

4. Tampa Bay Rays

• Last week's ranking: 5

The Rays just keep on keeping on, finishing off a 6-1 week while allowing a grand total of 11 runs in those seven games. Word out of Tampa has suggested this always cost-conscious front office could be ready to take a big swing, and it's hard to argue based on how the standings are looking right now and how consistently this team has found a way to win games. If Erik Neander is able to land a top rental arm like Tarik Skubal and a meaningful bat, you'd be hard-pressed to pick anyone else to come out of the AL right now.

–CL

3. Atlanta Braves

• Last week's ranking: 4

The Braves found ways to win one-run games all week, and combined with the Phillies’ struggles opened up a fairly comfortable lead in the NL East again. Not only is that great news, but Drake Baldwin broke out of his prolonged slump, Bryce Elder turned in his first quality start in over a month and guys like Ronald Acuña Jr., Sean Murphy and AJ Smith-Shawver are all nearing returns to the Majors. Atlanta has holes to address at the deadline, but vibes are pretty good right now.

–ZR

2. Milwaukee Brewers

• Last week's ranking: 2

A soft spot in the schedule has allowed Milwaukee to continue to assert its dominance in the NL Central. No organization is better at building a contender on a shoestring budget. With Luis Lara and Cooper Pratt starting to take off, few teams can match the Brewers' sheer depth offensively. And what the lineup lacks in power, it compensates for with smarts and consistency. The rotation feels vulnerable with Kyle Harrison, Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester on the IL, but we can assume the Brewers will buy (within reason) at the deadline. So long as Jacob Misiorowski takes the bump every week, it’ll be hard to fade Milwaukee until a hypothetical Dodgers series in October.

–CK

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

• Last week's ranking: 1

The Dodgers were swept by the Diamondbacks to end the first half, but they began the second half winning road series against the Yankees, Phillies and Mets, re-asserting themselves as MLB’s team to beat. They’re getting Enrique Hernandez and Edwin Diaz back from lengthy IL stints next week, and while Shohei Ohtani won’t be pitching for a while, Blake Snell is working his way back, too. Oh yeah, they also have the ammo to do anything they want at the trade deadline. I get that MLB fans are eager to see any other team win the World Series, but man, it’s hard to realistically envision that happening.

–ZR

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