With the trade deadline looming, it’s time to get real. I have the Orioles ranked 24th out of 30 teams. While the math still gives the Orioles a chance to still make the playoffs, I believe that the recent four-game losing streak was all Orioles GM Mike Elias needed to see to send him into full-blown sell mode.
With the first 18 teams in my rankings separated by just about 10 games, the market will be flooded with buyers. Additionally, with so many teams close enough to keep fighting for the last tickets to be punched for the 2025 postseason, it makes for some interesting “big series” just ahead of the trade deadline. Let’s look at some of them.
The American League Central-leading Tigers are the first team to 60 wins. They square off with the AL East-leading Blue Jays in a four-game series later this week in Motown. If the Jays want to track down the Tigers for the top seed in the AL, this series would be a good start.
But first, the Jays host the Yankees for a three-game series. The Yankees trail the Jays by three games, so a sweep would bring the two teams into a tie atop first place.
The Phillies host the red-hot Red Sox for three and then the travel to the Bronx for a three-game series with the Yankees. The Red Sox complete a very tough week with a three-game home series against the slumping Dodgers.
This coming weekend will also see two teams fighting hard for a ticket into the playoffs with the Rays and Reds squaring off in the Queen City for three games.
Without further ado, here is a look at the MLB power rankings after the abbreviated week of games:
1. Detroit Tigers (60-40, No. 1 last week)
2. Chicago Cubs (59-40, No. 3)
3. Toronto Blue Jays (58-41, No. 6)
4. Milwaukee Brewers (59-40, No. 7)
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (58-42, No. 2)
6. Houston Astros (57-42, No. 4)
7. New York Mets (56-44, No. 5)
8. Philadelphia Phillies (56-43, No. 8)
9. New York Yankees (55-44, No. 9)
10. San Diego Padres (54-45, No. 13)
11. Seattle Mariners (53-46, No. 12)
12. Boston Red Sox (54-47, No. 11)
13. San Francisco Giants (52-48, No. 10)
14. Cincinnati Reds (52-48, No. 14)
15. Tampa Bay Rays (52-48, No. 15)
16. Texas Rangers (50-50, No. 19)
17. Arizona Diamondbacks (50-50, No. 22)
18. St. Louis Cardinals (51-49, No. 19)
19. Los Angeles Angels (49-50, No. 18)
20. Cleveland Guardians (48-50, No. 20)
21. Minnesota Twins (48-51, No. 17)
22. Kansas City Royals (48-52, No. 21)
23. Miami Marlins (46-52, No. 23)
24. Baltimore Orioles (44-54, No. 24)
25. Atlanta Braves (43-55, No. 25)
26. Athletics (42-59, No. 26)
27. Washington Nationals (39-60, No. 27)
28. Pittsburgh Pirates (39-61, No. 28)
29. Chicago White Sox (35-65, No. 29)
30. Colorado Rockies (24-75, No. 30)