MLB Power Rankings: Where teams stand after trade deadline

Welcome to the ninth edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2024 regular season where we look at where each team stands after the trade deadline. Tap your favorite team's acronym to jump to its entry.

ARI | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHC | CWS | CIN | CLE | COL | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | LAD | MIA | MIL | MIN | NYM | NYY | OAK | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | SEA | STL | TB | TEX | TOR | WAS

1. Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore continued to flex its prospect depth, parting with a number of young players in order to build up its big-league roster. Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers aren't top-tier starters, but they'll be key rotation pieces and have additional years of control. Relievers Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto come with closer experience and should help protect the back end if Craig Kimbrel continues to struggle. It's hard to say what Eloy Jiménez has to offer at this point.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers didn't make a blockbuster move, but they did add the top starting pitcher traded ahead of the deadline in Jack Flaherty. Los Angeles also supplemented its depth with the additions of Amed Rosario, Kevin Kiermaier, Tommy Edman, and Michael Kopech. It's all about getting healthy and being deep enough for a long postseason run for the Dodgers.

3. New York Yankees

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has injected new life into the Yankees, who have won five straight against the Phillies and Red Sox. New York's biggest deadline addition is 7-for-19 with four home runs, eight RBIs, and six runs scored in four games since coming over from the Marlins. While Chisholm has given the team an immediate boost, Brian Cashman failed to land another starting pitcher or late-inning reliever outside of Mark Leiter Jr.

4. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies somehow managed to get a little better despite arguably being baseball's most complete team. Austin Hays will slot in nicely as the right-handed outfield bat the team has desperately sought, while the bullpen looks a bit stronger with Carlos Estévez and Tanner Banks. Philadelphia's recent struggles shouldn't be indicative of what's to come.

5. Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians desperately needed pitching, and they got some in veteran Alex Cobb. They also landed some much-needed outfield help in Lane Thomas. But was that enough? The AL Central leaders have cooled considerably since the start of June and were barely above .500 in July (13-12). There's now a lot of pressure on Cobb, who hasn't pitched in the majors this season.

6. San Diego Padres

A.J. Preller has no time for prospects. The Padres president of baseball operations was once again ultra-aggressive at the deadline, making two major bullpen additions in Tanner Scott and Jason Adam. San Diego has won nine of 11 games out of the All-Star break and is finally starting to play to its potential. They're just 4.5 games behind the Dodgers for the lead in the NL West.

7. Kansas City Royals

Kansas City was one of the most active teams at the deadline as general manager J.J. Picollo set the club up nicely for the stretch. Hunter Harvey and Lucas Erceg add firepower to a bullpen that desperately needed help, Michael Lorenzen lengthens the rotation, and Paul DeJong provides bench power and infield depth at a low cost. It's great to see the Royals taking advantage of the opportunity that's in front of them.

8. Milwaukee Brewers

Grabbing Frankie Montas for two months at a relatively low acquisition cost was some smooth work to boost the rotation. Adding reliever Nick Mears from Colorado in an under-the-radar trade could pay off as well. What Milwaukee didn't do was land an outfield bat to help cover for Christian Yelich, something that could really come back to haunt the Brewers if Yelich can't return this year. Milwaukee is five games up in the NL Central, but it's hardly a safe lead.

9. Minnesota Twins

The Twins appeared like they might be the only team not to complete a trade before they acquired Trevor Richards from the Blue Jays. The 31-year-old doesn't exactly move the needle, though, having posted an unimpressive 4.64 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 52 1/3 innings pitched. It's hard not to feel like Minnesota missed an opportunity to aim bigger and create some separation in the incredibly tight AL wild-card race, which seems to be a bit of a reoccurring theme for the front office.

10. Atlanta Braves

Alex Anthopoulos is clearly hoping he can strike lightning twice. His lone trade this deadline was a surprising deal to reacquire 2021 World Series MVP Jorge Soler from San Francisco. If Soler's bat can return to form, he'll be a huge boost to a Braves offense that's been tremendously disappointing, even when accounting for injuries. Given their offensive struggles and the incredibly tight NL race - Atlanta's in the top wild-card spot but clinging to a half-game lead - it's fair to ask if the Braves should've gotten some more help.

11. Arizona Diamondbacks

For a good portion of this season, it looked like the reigning NL champions might be sellers at the deadline. Instead, Arizona ended up as cautious buyers, boosting its struggling bullpen with a couple of lower-cost acquisitions in Dylan Floro and A.J. Puk, and grabbing Josh Bell to cover first base while Christian Walker is on the injured list. The D-Backs didn't do anything to hurt their playoff chances, but they didn't necessarily boost them significantly, either.

12. Houston Astros

Houston got the starting pitcher it'd been seeking in lefty Yusei Kikuchi, but at what cost? Trading away several MLB-ready prospects for an impending free agent with a mediocre 85 ERA+ feels like an overpay. With that being said, the 33-year-old could swing the AL West race if he recaptures the dominant form he flashed in April and May. Houston can likely see its window closing, so win-now moves make sense.

13. New York Mets

The Mets took a quantity-over-quality approach to shoring up their bullpen. Ryne Stanek, the most notable of three relievers acquired via trades, had a rough first outing in New York on Sunday but could prove to be a steal if he regresses positively toward his career 116 ERA+. Jesse Winker and his .838 OPS against right-handed pitching should also provide some thump in a platoon role down the stretch.

14. Boston Red Sox

How bad has Boston's pitching been lately? Well, the Red Sox are 4-8 since the All-Star break despite scoring the third-most runs in MLB. That's because the pitching staff owns a 6.16 ERA over that time. One of the big reasons for those struggles has been a bullpen that's blown eight saves in nine chances. Boston added two good arms in Lucas Sims and Luis García, which should help settle things.

15. Seattle Mariners

Jerry Dipoto needed to be aggressive at the deadline in order to help a club that watched a once commanding AL West lead disappear. The additions of Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner should bolster an offense that really needs help. Meanwhile, Yimi García is enjoying an excellent season and will pair well with Andrés Muñoz at the back end of the bullpen.

16. Pittsburgh Pirates

Squarely in the middle of the NL wild-card logjam thanks to its excellent starting pitching, Pittsburgh wisely added bats at the deadline. Bryan De La Cruz brings 18 home runs to an outfield sorely lacking power, while the always-versatile Isiah Kiner-Falefa is in the midst of a career-best season at the plate (115 OPS+). The Pirates definitely improved and have the pieces to make a run to the postseason.

17. St. Louis Cardinals

Somehow, the Cardinals are still hanging around. St. Louis made a couple of nice moves, netting Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham from the White Sox in a three-team deal while finally dealing away longtime trade-rumor staples Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson. Between calling the NL Central home and sitting squarely in the middle of the dogfight that is the NL wild-card race, the Cardinals clearly have a chance to get back to the playoffs.

18. San Francisco Giants

San Francisco sold, but the team probably didn't sell enough. Getting the Braves to take on the contract of the poor-fitting Jorge Soler was a win, but not flipping the red-hot Blake Snell - who struck out 15 batters in his last start - to one of the many pitching-hungry contenders was a huge whiff. If the Giants miss the playoffs and Snell walks for nothing this winter, it will be just another poor decision by this front office.

19. Cincinnati Reds

The disappointing Reds wisely sold off starting pitcher Frankie Montas and reliever Lucas Sims. Those deals make the addition of first baseman Ty France a little bit of an eyebrow-raiser, but Cincinnati is still only 5.5 games back of the final NL wild-card spot. Elly De La Cruz and Co. might not be out of it yet, but they're running out of time to get hot.

20. Texas Rangers

The Rangers' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. However, as the defending champions, it wasn't totally surprising to see them both buy (reliever Andrew Chafin and catcher Carson Kelly) and sell (veteran pitcher Michael Lorenzen) at the deadline. The impending returns of Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle may have also helped inspire the Lorenzen trade. Regardless, it'll be an uphill battle for Texas.

21. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays opted to be major sellers despite sitting within striking distance of a wild-card spot. Tampa Bay traded away Isaac Paredes, Randy Arozarena, Jason Adam, Zach Eflin, Shawn Armstrong, and Amed Rosario, but don't expect the club to rebuild. Christopher Morel and Dylan Carlson could excel under the Rays' watch, while the prospects they received further deepen an already strong minor-league system.

22. Chicago Cubs

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said he'd be making trades with an eye toward competing in 2025. True to his word, he pulled off the shocker of this deadline season by acquiring Isaac Paredes from the Rays. The cost was high - popular utility player Christopher Morel, plus two prospects - and it raised more than a few eyebrows. The pressure is now on Hoyer to make some high-profile additions in the offseason to justify his approach. Acquiring two prospects for Mark Leiter Jr. to essentially replace what was given up for perennial project Nate Pearson made sense for the Cubs.

23. Detroit Tigers

Tarik Skubal is still a member of the Tigers. While we'll never know what the offers looked like Tuesday, they were wise not to waver on their sky-high asking price for an ace under control through 2026. However, Detroit did author the deadline's biggest move by sending the resurgent Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers. It feels like the Tigers have been one year away from contention for the last four years.

24. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays entered the year with World Series aspirations, but a disaster of a season saw them spend the last week selling off every player on an expiring deal, and then some. Yusei Kikuchi, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Kevin Kiermaier, Trevor Richards, Justin Turner, Danny Jansen, Nate Pearson, and Yimi García were all traded for 14 new players. The next two months will be spent evaluating who in the organization will help the MLB club in 2025.

25. Oakland Athletics

Oakland could've taken advantage of a seller's market but decided to hold on to Brent Rooker and Mason Miller. The A's front office must believe there's a young core emerging. To be fair, a team built around Rooker, Miller, Shea Langeliers, JJ Bleday, Lawrence Butler, and others has the ingredients to be fun. The fans in Sacramento will be thrilled.

26. Washington Nationals

Mike Rizzo wasn't about to be fooled by the young Nats' surprisingly solid play this season. He boosted an already strong system by dealing away Lane Thomas, Dylan Floro, Jesse Winker, and Hunter Harvey. Although their hopes of shocking the world in 2024 are all but done, the Nationals' long-term future remains bright. They might be a team to watch in the offseason.

27. Los Angeles Angels

Does anyone know what direction the Angels are taking? The club is 14 games under .500, it could be without Mike Trout for the rest of the season, and it put Anthony Rendon on the IL on Tuesday. Despite all of this, Los Angeles didn't trade Tyler Anderson, Luis Rengifo, or Taylor Ward. The Angels instead opted to only trade away Carlos Estévez and Luis García, who were on expiring deals. Remember when they didn't trade Shohei Ohtani?

28. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies apparently forgot that last-place teams are supposed to sell at the trade deadline as they only moved reliever Jalen Beeks, who leads the NL with seven blown saves. Starting pitchers Cal Quantrill and Austin Gomber - both of whom are under control through 2025 - should've been moved.

29. Miami Marlins

Peter Bendix really put his stamp on the club over the last few days. Jazz Chisholm Jr., A.J. Puk, Tanner Scott, Trevor Rogers, Josh Bell, Bryan De La Cruz, JT Chargois, and Huascar Brazoban were all shipped out. Meanwhile, a number of young players, headlined by Agustin Ramirez, Kyle Stowers, and Connor Norby, were brought in. Miami's roster is worse today, but the Marlins were already far from contention. At least there are some real building blocks for the future.

30. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox have dropped a franchise-record 17 straight games, and they took a few more Ls at the trade deadline. Chicago failed to capitalize on Garrett Crochet's breakout season, opting not to deal the talented left-hander. The club also didn't trade Luis Robert Jr. despite a lack of available impact bats on the market. If that wasn't weird enough, the White Sox received an underwhelming return for Michael Kopech, Erick Fedde, and Tommy Pham. At least they found a taker for Eloy Jiménez.