MLB Power Rankings - August 4

1. Oakland Athletics

Though Jon Lester wasn't exactly dominant in Saturday's debut with the Athletics, the newly-acquired left-hander joins a rotation that already owns the best earned run average in the American League. The 30-year-old southpaw should provide more value than departed outfielder Yoenis Cespedes throughout the remainder of the season, and the Athletics will need the marginal improvement to stave off the Angels in an increasingly tight division race.

2. Los Angeles Angels

Hector Santiago thrived in the absence of C.J. Wilson, managing a 0.87 ERA across two emergency starts in late July. With Tyler Skaggs expected to miss four weeks due to a sore forearm, Santiago will once try to relieve a rotation that owns an impressive 3.38 fielding independent pitching since the All-Star break.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers were awfully quiet at the trade deadline, but Matt Kemp's strong play of late could allow the club to move the 29-year-old outfielder in the coming weeks. Kemp's lofty contract will likely allow him to pass through waivers, while his 132 OPS+ should garner a handful of suitors for the two-time All-Star, whose departure would allow the Dodgers to promote Joc Pederson from Triple-A.

4. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers landed the undisputed top prize of Thursday's trade deadline, acquiring left-hander David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for left-hander Drew Smyly, infielder Nick Franklin, and 18-year-old shortstop Willy Adames. Detroit's rotation now features each of the American League's last three Cy Young award winners, and Price will help ameliorate the eventual loss of Max Scherzer, who's headed for free agency at season's end.

5. Washington Nationals

Thursday's acquisition of Asdrubal Cabrera was decidedly opportunistic, as third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was diagnosed earlier this week with a Grade 3 hamstring strain that could easily sideline him for the remainder of the season. Relegated to second base, Cabrera has already displaced Danny Espinosa, who's hitting .221/.287/.354 with a gargantuan 32.9 percent strikeout rate in 2014.

6. Milwaukee Brewers

Despite tepid production from their stars of late, the Brewers remain perched atop their division with a tenuous one-game lead over the Cardinals. However, the club will need more consistency from Carlos Gomez (.596 OPS over his last 16 games) and Ryan Braun (.580 OPS since July 23) to preserve that slim advantage over their talented divisional rivals.

7. Baltimore Orioles

A spate of strong pitching performance of late have helped demonstrate how dangerous the Orioles can be when their starters pitch effectively. Wei-Yin Chen owns a 1.77 ERA over his last three starts while Bud Norris possesses a 2.41 ERA since the All-Star break - the Orioles, incidentally, boast a .650 winning percentage over their last 20 games.

8. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals engineered a way for Oscar Taveras to play everyday while also improving their rotation by trading Allen Craig and Joe Kelly to the Red Sox on Thursday for veteran right-hander John Lackey, who owns a 113 ERA+ over the last two seasons and has a preposterous $500,000 team option for 2015. Classic Cardinals move.

9. San Francisco Giants

The return of Brandon Belt should help allay some of San Francisco's recent offense woes - the Giants are hitting just .244/.301/.357 since the All-Star break - but Matt Cain is likely done for the season due to elbow trouble, which means Jake Peavy is now an indispensable member of the club's rotation. That's unsettling.

10. Toronto Blue Jays

A contingent of unheralded role players continues to keep Toronto's postseason hopes alive amid prolonged injuries to Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind, neither of whom are expected to return in the near future. Brett Lawrie, however, began a rehab assignment Friday and could be back in the lineup shortly.

11. Atlanta Braves

Though starting pitching is one of the Atlanta's biggest strengths, the club is poised to skip Mike Minor's next turn in the rotation, as the 26-year-old left-hander owns an 8.71 ERA over his last four starts and remains mired in the worst season of his young career, managing a 67 ERA+ through 98 innings.

12. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates have thrust themselves back into playoff contention despite the recent struggles of Pedro Alvarez, who owns a .280 on-base percentage with just two home runs over his last 24 games. The 27-year-old hasn't recorded a multi-hit game since June 29 and his status as an everyday player has become increasingly precarious.

13. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners plucked Austin Jackson from the Tigers in Thursday's mammoth three-team trade that sent David Price to Detroit, an acquisition that should help bolster Seattle's waning playoff hopes. Jackson's power and defensive skills have regressed some over the last two seasons, but the 27-year-old still represents an improvement over rookie James Jones, who's hitting .258/.287/.313 through 79 games this season

14. New York Yankees

The Yankees, as they're wont to do, increased their payroll at Thursday's deadline in pursuit of marginal improvements in the field, acquiring Martin Prado from the Diamondbacks and Stephen Drew from Boston. Prado likely represents a slight upgrade over Ichiro, but the 30-year-old is owed $22 million over the next two seasons, and it's not overwhelmingly obvious that Drew, who owns a 62 wRC+ this season, is a stronger option at second base than Kelly Johnson.

15. Kansas City Royals

Dayton Moore opted not to trade James Shields on Thursday, preferring instead to watch the 32-year-old play out the remainder of his contract in Kansas City before inevitably rejecting a qualifying offer en route to free agency this winter. 

16. Tampa Bay Rays

As expected, David Price's tenure in Tampa Bay ended Thursday when the Rays shipped their ace to Detroit for Drew Smyly, Nick Franklin, and a prospect. Though the package seems underwhelming, Smyly is an above-average starter under team control for four more seasons and Adames is hitting .273/.350/.428 as an 18-year-old shortstop in the Midwest League.

17. Cincinnati Reds

Once considered a legitimate contender for a postseason berth, the Reds continue to flounder amid a disturbing lack of offense, as they've plated just 40 runs in 16 games since the All-Star break. Jay Bruce, for instance, owns a .406 OPS over his last 12 contests while Billy Hamilton is hitting .206 through his last 66 plate appearances.

18. Cleveland Indians

The Indians wisely unloaded Justin Masterson on the Cardinals prior to Thursday's deadline, parting ways with the impending free agent who owns a 5.63 ERA (67 ERA+) through 20 starts this season. The club also jettisoned veteran shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, so it's only a matter of time before top prospect Francisco Lindor makes his way to Cleveland.

19. Miami Marlins

An MRI on Henderson Alvarez's wonky right shoulder revealed nothing more than inflammation, a diagnosis that should offer considerable relief for the Marlins, as the 24-year-old All-Star owns a career-best 2.48 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP through 22 starts this season.

20. New York Mets

It's possible Bartolo Colon's $11-million salary for next season scared prospective suitors away as Thursday's deadline grew closer, but it's more fun to believe the Mets simply couldn't part ways with the corpulent veteran who routinely takes swings like this one:

[Courtesy: MLB.com]

21. Chicago White Sox

Jose Abreu continues to affirm his status as one of the game's elite hitters, slashing .410/.485/.687 with four home runs and 11 walks over his last 21 contests. The 27-year-old leads the majors with 31 homers this season while his 165 wRC+ represents the fifth-best mark in the league.

22. Minnesota Twins

The Twins have been downright miserable since the All-Star break, notching just six wins in 16 games amid serious struggles from their starting rotation, which owns a 4.95 ERA over the last month, the second-worst mark in the American League.

23. Boston Red Sox

No team overhauled its roster more aggressively on Thursday than the Red Sox, who swapped a pair of veteran starters for a host of major-league talent, effectively circumventing a traditional rebuild with the hopes of fielding a competitive team in 2015. By trading both Jon Lester and John Lackey, the Red Sox created considerable opportunities for their pitching prospects, including Anthony Ranaudo, Allen Webster and, eventually, Henry Owens.

24. Philadelphia Phillies

Afforded the opportunity to start rebuilding his crumbling empire, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. balked at Thursday's deadline, citing a lack of aggressiveness from rival executives. Amaro was subsequently slapped in face by the baseball gods, who punished the obstinate executive by forcing Cliff Lee back to the disabled list amid renewed discomfort in his left elbow.

25. San Diego Padres

The Padres continue to jettison the remaining morsels of talent on their major-league roster, trading Chris Denorfia - along with his expiring contract and 73 OPS+ - to the Mariners for a pair of minor leaguers. It's tough to imagine just how much fun it is to support the Padres.

26. Arizona Diamondbacks

Ernesto Frieri was genuinely apologetic when he heard his errant fastball that connected with Paul Goldschmidt's left hand forced the two-time All-Star to the disabled list Saturday.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson was hardly receptive to the reliever's apology, saying: "You can stuff your sorries in a sack, mister!"

27. Chicago Cubs

By his own admission, Felix Doubront wasn't surprised the Red Sox traded him to Chicago on Thursday, as the 26-year-old had expressed a desire to reestablish himself as a starter. Presumably, he's also eager to forget about the 6.07 ERA (65 ERA+) he fashioned over 10 starts and seven relief appearances in Boston this season.

28. Colorado Rockies

Carlos Gonzalez appears destined for yet another trip to the disabled list after re-injuring his right ankle while making an impressive sliding catch Friday. The 28-year-old lamented shortly thereafter that he "can't catch a break," but he seems to be forgetting that with only two more trips to the DL he gets a free 12-inch submarine sandwich.

29. Houston Astros

Jeff Luhnow bolstered his already impressive farm system at Thursday's deadline, acquiring third baseman Colin Moran and outfielder Jake Marisnick along with a 2015 Competitive Balance pick in exchange for Jarred Cosart, a former 38th-round pick with a 4.11 FIP and a 14.3 percent strikeout rate through 31 major-league starts.

30. Texas Rangers

Jon Daniels apparently remains convinced the roster he has assembled can compete in 2015 - with restored health, of course - as the Rangers did nothing at Thursday's deadline, opting to retain Alex Rios and even Neal Cotts, a free agent at season's end.