How did the Trade Deadline shake up Power Rankings?

The Trade Deadline has passed! For the most part, rosters are what they are at this point -- these are the teams for the stretch run. Which makes this the perfect time for some Power Rankings, the first post-Deadline edition of the year.

How are all the trades going to work out? Here is our voters’ best guess at how it looks so far. The blurbs this week will focus on what the teams did before the Trade Deadline, and how things now look moving forward.

These rankings, as always, are compiled from rankings from MLB.com contributors whose names you can find at the bottom of this (and every) piece, but the words are mine. If you dislike the rankings, yell at all of us. But if you dislike the words, feel free to yell at me.

1. Phillies (previously: 1)
Season high: 1 | Season low: 8
This is what you want your team to do at the Deadline when it’s loaded with veterans and focused solely on winning the World Series: Attack its weaknesses (bullpen), be willing to overpay a little to do so, and otherwise, get out of the way. The Phillies have just one goal, and the Deadline got them a little closer to do it. What more can you ask?

2. Orioles (previously: 3)
Season high: 1 | Season low: 5
So they didn’t get Tarik Skubal. So they had to trade Connor Norby. The Orioles nonetheless did exactly what their fans would want: They got themselves some quality starting pitching (for this year and for next year), they helped out the bullpen and they even got themselves an intriguing upside play in slugger Eloy Jiménez. Oh, and top prospect Jackson Holliday is back in Baltimore now, too. It has been a frustrating month. But this team is about to take off. Again.

3. Guardians (previously: 2)
Season high: 2 | Season low: 21
Alex Cobb and Lane Thomas are hardly jaw-dropping moves, but -- it should be said -- the Guardians added more to their roster than they did in the offseason. They were already cruising toward a playoff berth. Now, they’ve given themselves more slack than they were apparently eager to do in the winter.

4. Dodgers (previously: 5)
Season high: 1 | Season low: 6
The Dodgers hope they’re getting Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and Max Muncy back in August -- not to mention new utilityman Tommy Edman -- so they did exactly why they should do: They traded for players who will help them stay afloat in the meantime, then thrive in the playoffs. The injuries made it briefly look otherwise, but the Dodgers remain a machine.

5. Yankees (previously: 4)
Season high: 1 | Season low: 7
It’s fair to say that Jazz Chisholm Jr. has found a home in the Bronx. The ever-vaguely-disappointing player -- who always seems more a star than his stats say he is -- has taken to pinstripes splendidly. He doesn’t just look like a fit: He looks like the missing piece after playing a key role in sweeping the Phillies this week.

6. Brewers (previously: 6)
Season high: 5 | Season low: 19
The Brewers have a solid lead in the NL Central, which gave them some cushion to go with quantity over quality in their Deadline moves. Frankie Montas won’t blow anyone away, but he’ll give the Brewers innings, and that’s what they need. Is it enough to hold off the Pirates and the Cardinals? That’s the only thing that matters at this point.

7. Padres (previously: 15)
Season high: 7 | Season low: 21
And here come the Padres. A team that did nothing but frustrate its fans in 2023 has immaculate vibes in '24, with a winning streak coming at the perfect time before the break and a face-meltingly assertive series of moves to boost the bullpen, which now looks like one of the best in the Majors. It’s now clear: The Padres lost Juan Soto and Blake Snell and got so, so much better.

8. Astros (previously: 10)
Season high: 6 | Season low: 26
The Astros may have given up a lot for Blue Jays lefty Yusei Kikuchi, but it’s tough to blame them for wanting to help out their rotation and make a strong final push. This is a team that has made seven straight ALCS appearances, after all. No one wants to be responsible for that streak ending. That Astros’ trade, as expensive as it was, made that more likely.

9. Royals (previously: 13)
Season high: 6 | Season low: 24
You have to love the Royals, don’t you? They’re not satisfied with just rebounding from a miserable 106-loss season: They want to make the playoffs. They were smart and precise in their Deadline moves, bringing in starters, bullpen arms and even a veteran infielder in Paul DeJong to give them a push down the stretch and -- perhaps most importantly -- invigorate the clubhouse. “When you’re in our position as a winning team, it’s exciting,” reliever Will Smith said. “It’s almost like you’re sharpening your sword before you go to the real war. It pumps everybody up.” Get ready.

10. Mariners (previously: 9)
Season high: 6 | Season low: 21
Jerry Dipoto said the Mariners are “meaningfully” better after the Deadline, and it’s difficult to argue with him. Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner instantly became two of the best hitters on this team their first day in the lineup. That says a little about what the lineup looked like before they arrived, but still: The Mariners see their opportunity, and they’re trying to take advantage of it.

11. Braves (previously: 7)
Season high: 1 | Season low: 12
It is not 2021 again, but you can't blame the Braves -- faced with a Biblical onslaught of injuries -- for trying to make it so through science or magic (or just reacquiring Jorge Soler). July was a miserable month for the Braves, and they now find themselves in a real fight just to reach the playoffs. Even with all the players they have on the injured list, they’re still favored to do just that.

12. Twins (previously: 8)
Season high: 8 | Season low: 23
The Twins did eventually make a move at the Deadline -- the last team in MLB to do so -- but they did not act like a team that has everything riding on this year. They need good health more than anything else … which is always the case with the Twins.

13. Mets (previously: 14)
Season high: 10 | Season low: 25
The Mets are operating like a team that knows it is good enough to compete this year without blowing up everything for the future. They needed a left-handed bat, so they got Jesse Winker. They needed some rotation depth, so they got Paul Blackburn. They needed bullpen arms, so they got … a whole bunch of them. And they’re currently scaring the pants off the Braves.

14. Red Sox (previously: 11)
Season high: 11 | Season low: 22
Luis García and Lucas Sims were brought in to help fix the Red Sox’s biggest concern -- their bullpen -- but not at such an expensive cost that they mortgaged too much. They weren’t as aggressive as the Royals were, though, which could be a problem: That is the team they’re fighting for a Wild Card spot, after all.

15. D-backs (previously: 16)
Season high: 10 | Season low: 19
Despite some first-half struggles, the D-backs have carried themselves all year like a team that believes it’s better than the one that reached the World Series last year. They are starting to look like that very thing -- and at the exact right time.

16. Cardinals (previously: 12)
Season high: 12 | Season low: 27
It’s still a little wild that, in a trade market in which pitching was prohibitively expensive, the Cardinals got Erick Fedde (for this year and next year) without giving up any young players or anyone who has played an inning for them this year. (And they saved some money.) The Cardinals still might not have enough to crawl into the playoffs, but they got better at the Deadline without losing anything they will miss. They’ve given themselves a chance, and that’s all you can ask.

17. Pirates (previously: 18)
Season high: 9 | Season low: 25
The Pirates were prudent at the Deadline, adding some bats and defense at low costs and otherwise seeing if their rotation can carry them into the postseason. If it can, the simple truth remains: No NL team wants to face Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller in a short series.

18. Rangers (previously: 18)
Season high: 4 | Season low: 21
FanGraphs projections give the Rangers only a 9.3% chance of making the playoffs as of Wednesday night, but it’s nevertheless tough to blame them for not tearing down a team that still wants to win its second World Series in a row. Jacob deGrom is coming back, the rotation is getting healthier and neither the Astros nor the Mariners are running away with anything in the AL West. Why not hang around and see what happens?

19. Rays (previously: 17)
Season high: 9 | Season low: 24
The Rays were head-spinningly active in the trade market. Honestly, there has never been anything that says “Rays” more than trading away Aaron Civale, Phil Maton, Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin, Jason Adam, Isaac Paredes and Amed Rosario over the course of July … all while playing above .500 for the month and finishing with a 10-6 stretch.

20. Reds (previously: 19)
Season high: 11 | Season low: 25
The Reds still have a puncher’s chance at making the playoffs, one supposes, but it was probably smart not to get too aggressive in trying to maximize that chance with such a young team. Maybe they’ll get hot and make a run. But if not, they didn’t lose anyone who will be a part of next year’s team, which should be even better.

21. Giants (previously: 22)
Season high: 12 | Season low: 23
The Giants held on to Blake Snell, with the trades they made mostly focused on giving more opportunities to younger players such as Marco Luciano and Hayden Birdsong. They’re going to try to make a run this year, but nothing they did at the Deadline should hurt them for next year either.

22. Cubs (previously: 21)
Season high: 8 | Season low: 22
This season has been an undeniable disappointment, but the Cubs were explicit about making themselves better for 2025 and beyond. That Paredes trade is exactly the sort of move you want them to make if you’re a Cubs fan: Savvy, opportunistic and aggressive. The goal is to put 2024 in the rearview mirror as soon as possible. They’re on their way to doing that.

23. Nationals (previously: 24)
Season high: 20 | Season low: 27
Kyle Finnegan remained a Nat at the Deadline, which should at least help this fun, young and interesting team win some more games down the stretch. While the postseason likely isn't happening this year, the Nationals are going to make a run at the playoffs next year. It’d be nice to see these last two months serve as a catapult into 2025.

24. Tigers (previously: 24)
Season high: 7 | Season low: 24
The Tigers were probably never seriously going to trade Skubal, but they maximized the return they got for Jack Flaherty, Andrew Chafin and Mark Canha, adding prospects to a team that is already stocked with young players. There were good vibes with this team to start the year. Can they build on them down the stretch so that there are even better ones in 2025?

25. Blue Jays (previously: 25)
Season high: 8 | Season low: 25
The Blue Jays, ignoring my advice, did exactly what they said they were going to do: They traded away their pending free agents but kept Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, hoping to make a run in 2025. If they want to provide palpable hope of that happening, it’d be helpful to look a little better down the stretch than they’ve looked up to this point.

26. A’s (previously: 27)
Season high: 20 | Season low: 30
Mason Miller and Brent Rooker, perhaps unsurprisingly, are still here, and you know what else is still the case? The A’s are still winning. Has anybody else noticed that the A’s had the best record in the American League in the month of July? Also, if you’re not watching Lawrence Butler right now, you are seriously missing out.

27. Angels (previously: 26)
Season high: 24 | Season low: 28
The Angels brought back a bounty from the Carlos Estévez trade, adding two pitching prospects who are having terrific breakthrough years to their list of Top 10 prospects, per MLB Pipeline. All told, this team has a little more young talent than a lot of people think.

28. Rockies (previously: 28)
Season high: 27 | Season low: 29
The Rockies didn’t dismantle much at the Deadline, true to form and much to the relief of many players on their roster. They may tweak around the margins, but for better or worse, this is a franchise that generally likes to stick to the plan.

29. Marlins (previously: 29)
Season high: 23 | Season low: 30
The Marlins were one of the clear winners at the Deadline, bringing in a bevy of young players that completely reshuffled their list of Top 30 prospects. It may be difficult going for the rest of the season, but when you look up in a couple of years and say, “Hey, the Marlins are getting kind of interesting,” know that much of that began at this Deadline.

30. White Sox (previously: 30)
Season high: 28 | Season low: 30
The White Sox did not end up trading Garrett Crochet or Luis Robert Jr., but just about everybody else left town. That could make it hard for this team to improve on its 39-win pace.

Voters: Nathalie Alonso, Anthony Castrovince, Mark Feinsand, Alyson Footer, Will Leitch, Travis Miller, Sweeny Murti, Arturo Pardavila, Mike Petriello, Andrew Simon, David Venn.