While two high-profile managers were let go early in the season in Alex Cora in Boston and Rob Thomson in Philly, both of them were let go so fast their seats didn’t have the requisite time to get red-hot.
But two clubs made significant changes this week. The Mets let go of fading skipper Carlos Mendoza and then the Angels let go of outclassed GM Perry Minasian.
Unlike those initial two managerial changes that saw Chad Tracy replace Cora and Don Mattingly replace Thomson in Philly, the latest changes in Queens and Anaheim were long overdue.
Former Padres skipper Andy Green, who was working for David Stearns in the Mets’ front office, is an interesting and logical guy to finish out a lost season for the Mets in place of Carlos Mendoza. Green says he wants to go back to the front office and does not consider himself a candidate for the manager’s job in 2027.
The Angels’ move to replace Minasian with a much more high-profile replacement in John Mozeliak, the longtime GM of the Cardinals and eventually the president of baseball operations until he made the decision to step aside.
Mozeliak’s hire is being called a high-level consultancy. Mozeliak is just 57 years of age. If he can get owner Arte Moreno’s true buy-in to do some things that make some sense, who knows, he might get refreshed and like the idea of picking a GM and helping get the Angels back to a relevant position in the game.
His first order of business might be his toughest conversation with the great Mike Trout. I am sure the Phillies and probably a few other teams would salivate to get their hands on Trout for what he could mean to their short-term fortunes.
What Mozeliak has to decipher from Trout is whether or not he’ll waive his no-trade clause.
Other Angels possibilities at the deadline could be starting pitchers Reid Detmers and José Soriano. But surely a seasoned GM like Mozeliak knows that Detmers and Soriano can help the team next year become more respectable, while prospects may not do that. Trading Detmers and Soriano could leave the Angels scuffling to get the rotation up to support a true winning effort.
Here are this week’s MLB power rankings:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (54-30, No. 1 last week): As if they weren’t good enough already, Mookie Betts was batting .179 through play on June 5. Since then, he is hitting .321/.369/.564 with five home runs.
2. Milwaukee Brewers (50-31, No. 5): They have The Miz and Kyle Harrison, but the rest of the rotation is hurt or pitching ineffectively. Name any available starters and they’ll be on GM Matt Arnold’s wish list.
3. Philadelphia Phillies (47-37, No. 3): There is no question Phillies are still charging. They’re now just three games behind the Braves. The big question: Will Kyle Schwarber or Bryce Harper appear in the Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park?
4. Atlanta Braves (49-33, No. 4): The Braves are 4-12 in the past three weeks. The team managed to weather the loss of Drake Baldwin, who missed 23 games with a grade 1 oblique strain, but in his 11 games since coming back he is just 2-for-43 with one home run and one RBI. That’s a batting average of .047. His All-Star season has gone up in smoke.
5. New York Yankees (50-33, No. 2): Suddenly, the Yankees are feeling the earth move beneath their feet. They aren’t even in first place right now after being swept in a four-game series at Fenway Park. Max Fried and Aaron Judge remain on the IL, with Fried probably out until after the All-Star break and Judge out until perhaps early August. They desperately needed Gerrit Cole to come back and be Gerrit Cole, but he is proving to be human, after all. GM Brian Cashman probably needs another starter, a good bullpen arm and a productive catcher.
6. Tampa Bay Rays (48-33, No. 7): We all know the Rays have two terrific impact players in Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda. But, the straw that really stirs this lineup (drink) is Junior Caminero. After play on May 15, he was batting just .248. Since then, he has put together an All-Star streak, hitting .343/.443/.643 with 11 home runs.
7. Chicago Cubs (46-38, No. 10): The Cubs are 9-3 in the past two weeks even though they have five starters on IL along with three important bullpen arms. The acquisition of veteran lefty David Peterson helps. It is certainly is only the first move to solidify a banged-up rotation.
8. Chicago White Sox (43-39, No. 8): Folks here remember the 1989 “Why Not?” season when the Orioles defied expectations all year. This has a bit of that feel, maybe with much better talent. One more starter like Robbie Ray or Michael Wacha could really help.
9. San Diego Padres (43-39, No. 11): President of baseball operations A.J. Preller knows how to piece together one helluva bullpen. Mason Miller, Jason Adam, Bradgley Rodriguez, Wandy Peralta, Yuki Matsui and Adrian Morejon are all top tier. Starters Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Walker Buehler are 16-16 atop the rotation. I know the offense has been miserable, but there is simply no dominance in the rotation.
10. Miami Marlins (44-40, No. 18): The Fish make their first appearance of 2026 in the top 10. They have three position players making significant contributions: Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards and Liam Hicks. If Kyle Stowers keeps raising his stock, they could be dangerous. Max Meyer is 9-0 with a 2.60 ERA 2.60 and 1.11 WHIP. They are 18-6 in their last four weeks.
11. St. Louis Cardinals (43-38, No. 9)
12. Seattle Mariners (42-43, No. 6)
13. Cleveland Guardians (44-40, No. 13)
14. Texas Rangers (42-42, No. 20)
15. Washington Nationals (43-42, No. 12)
16. Pittsburgh Pirates (42-42, No. 14)
17. Arizona Diamondbacks (41-42, No. 15)
18. Houston Astros (42-44, No. 21)
19. Athletics (40-44, No. 17)
20. Minnesota Twins (40-45, No. 19)
21. Toronto Blue Jays (39-45, No. 16)
22. Baltimore Orioles (39-46, No. 22)
23. Cincinnati Reds (39-43, No. 23)
24. Boston Red Sox (36-46, No. 28)
25. San Francisco Giants (35-48, No. 27)
26. Detroit Tigers (35-49, No. 24)
27. Los Angeles Angels (36-49, No. 30)
28. Colorado Rockies (33-51, No. 29)
29. Kansas City Royals (35-50, No. 26)
30. New York Mets (35-49, No. 25)