Remember less than a month ago, when the Boston Red Sox were seemingly playing out the string of a lost season? A third straight loss to the Toronto Blue Jays — and their eighth out of 10 overall — back on June 18 dropped the team to 29-43, having already dumped their Opening Day manager and much of the coaching staff on the side of the road. Now, though, the Sox seem like they might never lose again, the best team in baseball since June 25 and right back into the AL Wild Card hunt.
That’s how quickly things can change, and Boston’s transformation from cellar-dweller to potential contender throws just one more wrench into what’s already shaping up to be a completely chaotic trade deadline. Sunday marked the final day of baseball’s unofficial first half, as all 30 teams regroup over the All-Star break to get ready for the second half — and figure out just whether they’ll be buying or selling ahead of Aug. 3.
We now know which of those categories the Red Sox fall into. But what about teams that are fading at the wrong time, like the Atlanta Braves or Seattle Mariners? As we get set for the Midsummer Classic, let’s take stock of the landscape around the league in our latest MLB power rankings.
30. Los Angeles Angels
The Angels remain in free fall, with an interim lead executive in John Mozeliak moonlighting for the trade deadline – as baffling an arrangement as we can remember. Mike Trout and Zach Neto aren’t going anywhere, but arguably everybody else should. At least using a first-round pick on tantalizing two-way prospect Jared Grindlinger offers a glimmer of hope.
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com sports editor
29. Kansas City Royals
I’m not sure what the Royals front office is up to. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. The Royals have one of baseball’s brightest young stars in Bobby Witt Jr. Yet, he’s wasting away on a team well out of contention. The Royals are one of MLB’s most obvious sellers. Per Bob Nightengale, they don’t want to trade Michael Wacha, who has emerged as a clubhouse leader. Wacha is a leader on a bad team, and could fetch a lot in return. KC also selected Zion Rose, who wasn’t in the top-20 on most draft boards, with the No. 6 overall pick. This organization needs some direction, and they’re not getting it with JJ Piccolo and Cullen Maxey.
–Mark Powell, FanSided.com MLB director
28. Colorado Rockies
Oh how I wish the Rockies were a good baseball team. Sadly, they are not. The Rockies aren’t as bad as last year, which deserves a small round of applause. Colorado has a few building blocks, including catcher Hunter Goodwin, who trails only Kyle Schwarber in home runs in the National League. Closer Antonio Senzatela will likely be moved for a haul of prospects. In the meantime, the Rockies can look forward to a future than includes Ethan Holliday and 2026 first-round pick Tyler Bell.
–MP
27. New York Mets
On the field, the Mets remain brutal, so much so that they appear to be triggering existential crises from their broadcast booth on a nightly basis. If you’re looking for silver linings, though, New York might be in position to control this trade deadline. Seriously: How many other teams are clear sellers, and of that group – really just the Mets, Angels, Royals, A’s, Rockies, Giants and Reds – who has more pieces of interest than David Stearns? With any luck, New York can get a jump start on building for 2027.
–CL
26. San Francisco Giants
The Giants were the NL West darlings before the season. Buster Posey went out and hired Tony Vitello. They were less than a year removed from trading for Rafael Devers. Willy Adames and Jung-Ho Lee should’ve made an immediate impact. The key word in all of these phrases is should. What actually happened is far from that reality. The Giants are a bad team, and few stars other than Logan Webb have lived up the the hype. Vitello could even leave to go back to the college ranks, for all we know. What a disaster Posey has created by the bay.
–MP
25. Athletics
The A’s have quietly become a complete and total mess, losers of nine in a row and 13 of 14 while allowing a whopping 87 runs over that span. The pitching staff is hardly closer to competence, and the young offense maybe isn’t as close to contention as we previously thought. There remains a foundation to build on, but things are going to have to change drastically if this team wants to be taken seriously as it moves to Las Vegas.
———–
8. New York Yankees
New York managed to at least stop the bleeding this week, salvaging two of four at the Trop (which had previously been a house of horrors) and taking two of three from a very game Nats team in D.C. That might not sound like much, but considering they went 5-15 over a 20-game stretch from June 18 to July 8, getting into the All-Star break on something resembling a high note has to feel like a blessing. Max Fried is set to begin a rehab assignment soon, and with any luck Aaron Judge won’t be too far behind him. If the Yankees can simply keep their head above water – and in the AL playoff picture right now, that’s not too high a bar – during this rough patch, they can emerge with their goals still right in front of them.
–CL
mi Marlins
Well that went from “the Marlins might not sell after all” to “wait, are the Marlins buyers?” awfully quick, didn’t it? The Fish cooled off a bit over the weekend against the Guardians, but they’re still a whopping 26-10 since the start of June, with an athletic young offense and a pitching staff that needs some depth but has a great foundation in Eury Perez, Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer. It’ll be fascinating to see how this team approaches the deadline, because while they might not be able to hang with the big boys, they’re clearly too good not to give it a go.
–CL
6. Atlanta Braves
An NL East race that looked done and dusted not all that long ago is now anybody’s game as we enter the second half, with the Phillies getting hot at almost exactly the same time the Braves began to spiral. The pitching has regressed in predictable ways, but the really alarming thing is the state of this offense – while Ronald Acuña Jr.’s injury hurts, it also doesn’t fully explain why guys like Michael Harris II, Austin Riley and Drake Baldwin have been underperforming. Atlanta still has the pieces to challenge the Dodgers, but Alex Anthopoulos’ task at the deadline just got much more urgent.
–CL
5. Philadelphia Phillies
Have the Phillies mostly climbed back into the NL East race by fattening up on underwhelming competition? Sure. Does that matter much? Not really, no – not when you can roll out Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo in a short playoff series and you have an executive in Dave Dombrowski who you know will do whatever it takes to supplement the big-league club (at the expense of the future, but hey, who knows if we’ll even be alive in 2027). Philly bounced back from a disappointing weekend in Kansas City with a pair of series wins, and while it’s hard to imagine this team outlasting L.A., don’t count them out.
–CL
4. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have stabilized. Pete Crow-Armstrong is an NL MVP frontrunner. Chicago still lacks starting pitching, with Counsell all but admitting in a recent interview that Justin Steele will not return to the rotation this season. Sandy Alcantara is not available, but the Cubs performance over the next month-plus will determine just how in Jed Hoyer goes. What the Cubs lack most is starting pitching depth. If they’re serious about winning a World Series without Steele, Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd, then they need to make a move.
–MP
3. Tampa Bay Rays
Dismiss them all you want, but Tampa managed a four-game split with the Yankees this week and then won a series against Seattle to cruise into the All-Star break with a solid grip on the AL East. The resume is looking a whole lot better after that nine-game win streak to close June and open July, and who else in the American League right now do you trust more? The Rays are reportedly set on being aggressive buyers at the deadline, and you can’t blame them – this team just knows how to win games, and the door is wide open.
–CL
2. Milwaukee Brewers
Will they or won’t they? As the Los Angeles Dodgers run away with the NL West — and the best record in the National League in general — the question the Brewers must ask themselves over the next month-plus is how they overcome the behemoth Andrew Friedman has built. Matt Arnold is one of the best front office executives in baseball. The Brewers have a stable, yet not insurmountable, six-game lead over Craig Counsell’s Chicago Cubs. Expect Milwaukee to settle into this position in the second half. They can rest Jacob Misiorowski, as they have the last few weeks, while also winning the Central and securing a first-round bye. Sounds good to me.
–MP
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are the class of baseball once again, and no one should be surprised. The Dodgers have the highest payroll in the sport. They also have the best scouting department, and a future Hall-of-Fame manager in Dave Roberts. On all accounts, they are a great team, and one that will not be forgotten anytime soon. As the Dodgers chase a three-peat rarely achieved in American professional sports, it’s important to remember the little achievements along the way. On paper, there’s not much that can stop them from achieving their ultimate goal barring injury.
–MP
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