MLB Power Rankings: Trade deadline fallout

This is a special post-trade deadline edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2019 season. Rankings will continue being published every second Monday throughout the regular season, with the next installment coming Aug. 19.

1. Houston Astros

After making the one true blockbuster of deadline day - while also boasting the best roster in the Junior Circuit - the Astros leapfrogged both the Dodgers and Yankees to overtake the top spot in the power rankings. The ageless Zack Greinke is their headline import from a busy trade season. They also added reclamation projects Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini from the Blue Jays, and brought back Martin Maldonado.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers were fairly quiet at the trade deadline, adding versatile infielder Jedd Gyorko and lefty reliever Adam Kolarek. Missing out on Felipe Vazquez could come back to haunt them later, especially with their bullpen owning the fifth-worst FIP in the National League. This team cannot afford a third straight World Series defeat.

3. New York Yankees

The Yankees did nothing at the trade deadline, which has drawn its fair share of criticism, especially with Luke Voit, Giancarlo Stanton, Luis Severino, and Gary Sanchez injured. But, until someone unseats them, the Yankees are leading the AL East and are poised for a postseason run. If they succeed in their quest for a World Series championship after stubbornly holding on to top prospect Deivi Garcia, the slow deadline will be forgiven. If they come up short, expect plenty of second-guessing.

4. Atlanta Braves

Of all the NL teams, the Braves were the most aggressive buyers at the deadline, but that isn't saying much. Atlanta addressed its biggest need by re-arming the bullpen with Shane Greene, Mark Melancon, and Chris Martin, who will help seal games alongside Luke Jackson and Anthony Swarzak. They're the best team in their own division but made no real attempt at trying to dethrone the Dodgers, but given how young the team is, that's probably fine.

5. Cleveland Indians

The Indians had one heck of a deadline. Not only did they address their outfield needs by adding the powerful duo of Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes, they also avoided trading Trevor Bauer to a contender they might have to meet in the postseason. Cleveland is hot on the trail of Minnesota after beginning July eight games back in the AL Central.

6. Minnesota Twins

Sergio Romo and Sam Dyson won't inspire much confidence as deadline acquisitions, especially as Cleveland seriously loaded up. That alone has dropped the Twins just below their rivals even though the standings remain in their favor. The offense has nothing to worry about, but it would've been nice to have added an extra starter alongside Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, and Kyle Gibson. And if reports are true that they were miffed after Toronto didn't circle back with them on Marcus Stroman, stories of what could have been will be plentiful should the rotation struggle in crunch time.

7. Oakland Athletics

The Athletics didn't make as big a splash as they made during their postseason push in 2014 when they acquired Jon Lester and Jeff Samardzija. However, they did reinforce a roster that continues to validate last season's 97-win performance by adding Tanner Roark and Homer Bailey to the rotation and Jake Diekman, a sorely needed lefty in the bullpen. Prior to the deal, Ryan Buchter had been the only impactful southpaw in the relief corps, with respect to mop-up man Wei-Chung Wang. But who starts a wild-card game for this team? And will prospects Jesus Luzardo or A.J. Puk factor in?

8. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have lost the early season traction they had and will likely need to settle for a wild-card spot. However, they had a sneaky good deadline that will go largely unnoticed. They plucked Jesus Aguilar off the trash heap after the slugger hit 35 homers last year and bolstered their rotation and bullpen by acquiring Trevor Richards and Nick Anderson - who is striking out 37 percent of batters. Add in a three-game sweep of the Red Sox and the Rays are feeling pretty good.

9. Washington Nationals

Washington's biggest concern for most of the season has been its bullpen. Mike Rizzo waved his magic wand at the deadline by adding Hunter Strickland, Roenis Elias, and Daniel Hudson to provide Sean Doolittle some support. The additions should only help the improving Nationals, who are 33-18 since beginning June eight games under .500.

10. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals entered the trade deadline atop the NL Central after the club's hottest stretch of the season and did ... absolutely nothing of consequence. Granted, the Cardinals rightly rejected any notion of trading top prospects Nolan Gorman and Dylan Carlson, but the paralysis on display should leave a bad taste in the mouths of fans. Although the Cardinals could've used improvements to the bullpen and rotation, they also have question marks on the offensive side with Marcell Ozuna and Matt Carpenter injured. Paul Goldschmidt can't do it all, even if he looks the part of late.

11. Chicago Cubs

In the midst of a tight race with the Cardinals and Brewers atop the NL Central, the Cubs added Nick Castellanos, Tony Kemp, Derek Holland, and David Phelps. While the addition of Castellanos is impactful, the Cubs should thank their lucky stars both Milwaukee and St. Louis missed out on Zack Greinke or Madison Bumgarner. Craig Kimbrel also doesn't look like his old self with a 6.17 ERA and 7.25 FIP.

12. Boston Red Sox

A billion (give or take) relievers changed teams Wednesday, and the Red Sox didn't get any of them. The offense is good enough to thump Boston to victory on most nights, but failing to bolster the flailing bullpen could come back to haunt them, especially if Brandon Workman, Marcus Walden, Darwinzon Hernandez, and Matt Barnes don't consistently shut down opponents in the late innings. The rotation has also been especially poor of late. If Boston doesn't figure it out soon, it's likely missing the postseason.

13. Milwaukee Brewers

The injury bug bit the starting rotation right before the deadline, yet the Brewers opted not to add anyone of significance for their stretch run. With Brandon Woodruff, Jhoulys Chacin, Jimmy Nelson, and Brent Suter all shelved, Milwaukee traded for Jordan Lyles (5.27 ERA), Drew Pomeranz (1.61 WHIP), and sent 2018 All-Star Jesus Aguilar to the Rays for an unproven Jake Faria. Interesting strategy for the defending NL Central champs.

14. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies made a couple of low-cost moves that will largely fall under the radar due to the fact they were headlined by Jason Vargas - who is a solid but unspectacular addition. One they deserve credit for, though, is the addition of rental outfielder Corey Dickerson, who was acquired for cents on the dollar. Dickerson ranks better than Nicholas Castellanos in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging, and has been worth the same WAR despite playing 56 fewer games.

15. New York Mets

The Mets are going for it? What looked like a sell-off has turned into a second chance for the 2019 club, and so far it looks like it's paying off. Winners of seven straight and boasting a rotation of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, Zack Wheeler, and Steven Matz, New York sits just four back of the second wild-card spot.

16. San Francisco Giants

The Giants just won't go away. And thanks to being close enough in the wild-card race, they elected to hold onto Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith while subsequently trading for Scooter Gennett. They also added intriguing middle infield prospect Mauricio Dubon from the Brewers for Drew Pomeranz, which seems like a big win. The farm system needs a lot of work, but it's a step. Maybe Bumgarner re-signs in the offseason and becomes a career Giant to give fans something extra to cheer for barring an unlikely postseason push in 2019.

17. Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-Backs certainly took the spotlight when they traded former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke to the Astros for four prospects despite sitting just 3 1/2 games back of a wild-card spot. While much of that move was focused on the future, GM Mike Hazen didn't completely bail on 2019, bringing in pitchers Mike Leake and Zac Gallen to preserve some playoff relevance.

18. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels are within spitting distance of the second wild card, but it's looking more and more like this will be another year without Mike Trout in the playoffs. As has become the norm in Anaheim, a lack of quality starting pitching - only the Giants' and Orioles' starters have been worse - likely sealed the Angels' fate, and after finding no suitable deadline deals, they'll once again have to try and fix this problem in the offseason. But on a positive front, top prospect Jo Adell is getting closer to the bigs, as the 20-year-old was just promoted to Triple-A.

19. Cincinnati Reds

On July 30, the Reds possessed a 4.7 percent probability of making the postseason, but that didn't stop them from acquiring Trevor Bauer. Despite Cincinnati sitting fourth in the division, its plus-29 run differential ranks second behind the Cubs. They'll need a historic run over the remainder of the season, but the breakout of Josh VanMeter - who owns a .950 OPS over his first 43 career games - made Yasiel Puig expendable in order to bolster the rotation, which already ranks third in the NL by ERA.

20. Texas Rangers

Texas entered the deadline looking like a team in sell mode. Its two moves of relevance included trading reliever Chris Martin to the Braves and acquiring injured pitcher Nate Jones from the White Sox. Veterans Mike Minor, Hunter Pence, and Shin-Soo Choo all remain. It appears Asdrubal Cabrera's time in Texas is up, though. The Rangers plan to designate the former All-Star for assignment Friday.

21. San Diego Padres

The Padres aren't going to the playoffs this year unless they go on an incredible run in the final two months - but there's plenty to be excited about. Fernando Tatis Jr. is one of the most exciting players to watch and could be a future 40-40 candidate based on his production thus far. Trading fan favorite Franmil Reyes hurt, but they're banking on another up-and-coming outfielder in Taylor Trammell who, until very recently, was among the most highly touted Reds prospects.

22. Colorado Rockies

An uninspiring deadline for the Rockies was likely to be expected for what has been, to date, an uninspiring team. Unsurprisingly, the club's rotation ranks dead last in the majors by ERA, and eighth-worst by FIP. Even more troubling is the fact nobody except Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, and Charlie Blackmon can hit, as the team's 84 wRC+ ranks 27th ahead of just the Giants, Tigers, and Marlins. There will be no squeaking into the playoffs this time around.

23. Pittsburgh Pirates

A rough season got worse this week when it was announced starter Jameson Taillon would undergo season-ending elbow surgery. The silver lining is it isn't a second Tommy John, and Taillon is expected to return to the mound in 2020. The Pirates will enter the offseason at a crossroads with an improving but not wholly impressive farm system while also not possessing major-league assets that could yield much to restock. Maybe Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco, or Chris Archer could bring something of worth back, but it's emblematic of another extended period spent on the outside of contention.

24. Chicago White Sox

One month before Wednesday's deadline, the White Sox had their eyes on a playoff spot. A rotten July changed all of that after winning just seven games. They remained silent at the deadline, only trading longtime bullpen stalwart Nate Jones to the Rangers despite employing veterans Jose Abreu, James McCann, Alex Colome, Jon Jay, and Welington Castillo. Let the rebuild continue, I guess.

25. Seattle Mariners

As frustrating as the Mariners have been overall after a fun start to the season, there are reasons to be hopeful for the future. They have five top-100 prospects (MLB Pipeline), and Justus Sheffield, a former blue-chipper who could still rebound. By 2022, the Mariners could be back in the thick of a competitive AL West.

26. Toronto Blue Jays

In what was considered the most head-scratching deal, the Jays traded Marcus Stroman - their last remaining starting pitcher with top-end abilities - to the Mets days before the deadline for what seemed like an uninspiring package. Once the return for Trevor Bauer - who has the same amount of team control remaining - was known, it looked even worse. Cleveland wound up receiving major-league assets Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes on top of pitching prospect Logan Allen, who was a consensus top-100 prospect entering the 2019 campaign. But at least Bo Bichette has arrived.

27. Miami Marlins

Although the Marlins failed to find trade partners for veterans Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker, Martin Prado, and Starlin Castro, the front office had a sneaky good deadline. Miami acquired prospects Jesus Sanchez, Jazz Chisholm, and Lewin Diaz, immediately adding three highly regarded youngsters to its growing farm system. Also, Ryne Stanek has a new home to play the part of opener in.

28. Kansas City Royals

The Royals got their chores done well ahead of the trade deadline this year. Fully aware they needed to liquidate assets worth anything at all, K.C. shipped out Homer Bailey, Martin Maldonado, Jake Diekman, and Terrance Gore, with the latest deal brokered four days before the deadline. That's a commendable temperament for a seller years away from contention.

29. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles' trade deadline was about as relevant as their entire season. Baltimore didn't move its only real trade chips Mychal Givens, Trey Mancini, and Jonathan Villar after dealing Andrew Cashner to the Red Sox on July 13. With all of that being said, the Orioles did play .500 ball in July, with Anthony Santander (.320/.346/.526) and Renato Nunez (seven home runs, 19 RBIs) doing most of the damage.

30. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers finally traded Nicholas Castellanos after he was on the block since last summer. Closer Shane Greene also got moved, and the Tigers added a few more pieces to the farm system. One of them is Travis Demeritte, who the club immediately promoted to the majors. He'll join catcher Jake Rogers among Detroit's most recent call-ups. As for who remains, Niko Goodrum, who's been quietly reliable (10 homers and 12 stolen bases in the last 30 days) and, despite myriad trade rumors, ace Matthew Boyd.