MLB Power Rankings as Cubs Re-Enter Top 10, Astros Continue Climb and Braves Drop to New Low

Joel ReuterJun 29, 2026

The annual flurry of activity that is the MLB trade deadline is now just a month away, and for teams residing in the gray area between buying and selling, decision time is fast approaching.

Entering play on Monday, a staggering 24 of the league's 30 teams were within five games of a playoff spot, so it's shaping up to be a seller's market with so many teams in striking distance of contention.

For now, everyone is still chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of our weekly power rankings, though for the first time all year a team other than the Atlanta Braves joins them in one of the top two spots.

Let's zoom out for an updated look at where all 30 teams stand in the final days of June.

In case you missed it, B/R's MLB Power Rankings from last week and every fresh power rankings throughout the season can be found at the new MLB Power Rankings hub.

Nos. 30-28

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TJ Rumfield

30. New York Mets (35-49)

Previous Rank: No. 25
Last Week: 0-4 vs. CHC, 1-2 vs. PHI

That crash you heard in the distance was the Mets hitting rock bottom when they fired manager Carlos Mendoza on the heels of a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cubs. Starter David Peterson was traded to the Cubs on Thursday, and that won't be the last move this front office makes as a seller in 2026.

29. Colorado Rockies (33-51)

Previous Rank: No. 29
Last Week: 2-1 vs. BOS, 1-2 @ MIN

With a 5.67 ERA in June, the Rockies pitching staff continues to undermine any incremental progress they have made on the offensive side of things this year. First baseman TJ Rumfield is hitting .318/.396/.602 with five home runs and 17 RBI this month, and he might be an All-Star candidate if first base was not so stacked in the NL.

28. Kansas City Royals (35-50)

Previous Rank: No. 28
Last Week: 2-2 @ TB, 1-2 @ CWS

The Royals season is unraveling, but the progress that Jac Caglianone (102 PA, 1.080 OPS, 9 HR) and Carter Jensen (98 PA, .843 OPS, 13 XBH) have shown at the plate this month at least provides some hope for the future. Expect the youth movement to continue in the second half.

Nos. 27-25

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Sacramento Athletics v San Francisco Giants

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Robbie Ray

27. Detroit Tigers (35-49)

Previous Rank: No. 24
Last Week: 1-2 vs. NYY, 1-3 vs. HOU

The Tigers have been at least 10 games under .500 since May 20, and with two more series losses at home last week, their season is teetering on the brink. The Tarik Skubal trade rumblings will be loud, but Casey Mize, Gleyber Torres, Jack Flaherty and Kenley Jansen are also potential rental flips.

26. San Francisco Giants (35-48)

Previous Rank: No. 30
Last Week: 2-1 vs. ATH, 2-1 vs. ATL

The Giants have played .500 baseball in June, and while that has moved them a few spots away from the bottom of these rankings, it's done little to shift the narrative of their season. Robbie Ray and Luis Arraez might be the safest bets of anyone to be moved at the deadline.

25. Boston Red Sox (36-46)

Previous Rank: No. 27
Last Week: 1-2 @ COL, 4-0 vs. NYY

From a series loss to the worst team in baseball to a dramatic four-game sweep of the rival Yankees capped off by a walk-off win on Sunday night, the Red Sox had an eventful week. They are still 10 games below .500 and buried in the AL East standings, but Sunday's game is the kind of victory that can turn the tide.

Nos. 24-22

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Henry Bolte

24. Baltimore Orioles (39-46)

Previous Rank: No. 23
Last Week: 1-2 @ LAA, 1-2 vs. WAS

The Orioles have just one outright series win in their last seven, though it was a good one as they took two of three at Dodger Stadium. Getting Adley Rutschman and Dylan Beavers back from the injured list on Sunday is a nice boost for the offense, but they'll need to start stringing together wins soon.

23. Athletics (40-44)

Previous Rank: No. 22
Last Week: 1-2 @ SF, 1-2 @ LAA

It's almost impressive that the Athletics have managed to go 12-13 in June, despite an MLB-worst 5.98 ERA from the pitching staff. Rookie Henry Bolte is hitting .299 with a .385 on-base percentage and 10 steals in 42 games, and he moved into the leadoff spot in the batting order last week.

22. Los Angeles Angels (36-49)

Previous Rank: No. 26
Last Week: 2-1 vs. BAL, 2-1 vs. ATH

It has been 10 weeks since the Angels were this high in the rankings, as they are 6-2 in their last eight games and doing it with Mike Trout still sidelined with a hamstring injury. However, they are still 13 games under .500, and it probably makes sense to move at least one of Reid Detmers or José Soriano in a seller's market.

Nos. 21-19

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Elly De La Cruz

21. Cincinnati Reds (39-43)

Previous Rank: No. 21
Last Week: 0-3 vs. MIL, 2-1 @ PIT

The Reds are one of only three teams that has yet to record win No. 10 in June, but they continue to hover on the fringe of the NL wild-card picture. Star Elly De La Cruz made his long-awaited return from the injured list on Tuesday after missing 19 games, and he went 2-for-18 in his first five games back.

20. Toronto Blue Jays (39-45)

Previous Rank: No. 16
Last Week: 1-2 vs. HOU, 0-4 vs. TEX

The Blue Jays have matched a season-high with a six-game losing streak heading into Monday's matchup with the Mets, and that came after a 10-6 stretch that had them trending up. With eight Blue Jays players advancing on to Phase 2 of All-Star voting, it could be a Toronto-centric starting lineup for the American League.

19. Minnesota Twins (40-45)

Previous Rank: No. 20
Last Week: 0-3 vs. LAD, 2-1 vs. COL

After selling aggressively at the trade deadline last year, the Twins stopped short of a full rebuild during the offseason and instead tried to patch together a roster around Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan. Those two have been terrific once again this year, and the trade rumors will swirl in the coming weeks.

Nos. 18-16

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Braxton Ashcraft

18. Arizona Diamondbacks (41-42)

Previous Rank: No. 17
Last Week: 2-1 @ STL, 0-3 @ TB

The D-backs were 31-24 on May 27 and tied with the Padres for the No. 1 wild-card spot in the National League. Since that point, they are 10-18 with a negative-45 run differential, and now looking up at seven teams ahead of them in the wild-card picture. The coming weeks will decide their deadline direction.

17. Seattle Mariners (42-43)

Previous Rank: No. 9
Last Week: 1-2 @ PIT, 1-2 @ CLE

The Mariners snapped a streak of 13 straight games scoring three or fewer runs on Sunday, but still ended up falling 6-5 to the Guardians for their third consecutive series loss. On a positive note, they were 44-41 at this point a year ago and reached ALCS Game 7, so they're not that far off their 2025 pace.

16. Pittsburgh Pirates (42-42)

Previous Rank: No. 18
Last Week: 2-1 vs. SEA, 1-2 vs. CIN

If the Pirates win on Monday against the Phillies, it will be the first time since 2016 that they have carried a winning record through 85 games. Paul Skenes (17 GS, 3.10 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 114 K, 93.0 IP) and Braxton Ashcraft (16 GS, 3.07 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 107 K, 96.2 IP) have been as good as a one-two punch in baseball at the top of the rotation.

Nos. 15-13

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Manny Machado

15. San Diego Padres (43-39)

Previous Rank: No. 15
Last Week: 3-0 vs. ATL, 1-2 vs. LAD

It is only a matter of time before an offense that ranks last in the majors in runs scored (321), batting average (.221) and OPS (.662) catches up to the Padres, but so far they have avoided a major tumble down the rankings. Can AJ Preller justify buying at the deadline to bolster what appears to be a flawed roster that is over-performing?

14. St. Louis Cardinals (43-38)

Previous Rank: No. 10
Last Week: 1-2 vs. ARI, 1-2 vs. MIA

The Cardinals were 37-28 and riding a season-high six-game winning streak on June 10, but they have gone just 6-10 since while dropping four of their last five series. They have exceeded expectations in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but could still end up selling if they continue on their current trajectory.

13. Texas Rangers (42-42)

Previous Rank: No. 14
Last Week: 1-2 @ MIA, 4-0 @ TOR

Despite the fact that they have not been above the .500 mark since April 25, the Rangers now find themselves in first place in the AL West standings after a four-game sweep of the Blue Jays. If they can back their way into the postseason, the trio of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and MacKenzie Gore could be a real weapon in October.

Nos. 12-10

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Tatsuya Imai

12. Cleveland Guardians (44-40)

Previous Rank: No. 11
Last Week: 1-2 @ CWS, 2-1 vs. SEA

The Guardians are now 5-7 since José Ramírez suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand on June 13, and with an expected recovery timetable of 5-7 weeks following surgery, they will need to continue to tread water. A starting staff that ranks fifth in the majors with a 3.66 ERA will need to shoulder the load.

11. Houston Astros (42-44)

Previous Rank: No. 19
Last Week: 2-1 @ TOR, 3-1 @ DET

The Astros roster was already being hypothetically dismantled when they were 16-27 in mid-May, but they have steadily clawed their way back to relevance, and a 9-3 record in their last 12 games makes them one of the hottest teams in baseball. Rookie Tatsuya Imai has recorded double-digit strikeouts in consecutive starts, including 10 punchouts over six scoreless innings against the Tigers on Thursday.

10. Washington Nationals (43-42)

Previous Rank: No. 8
Last Week: 1-3 vs. PHI, 2-1 @ BAL

Where would the Nationals be with a functional bullpen? They have an MLB-leading 25 blown saves in 51 chances, and 10 different players have recorded at least one save in what is a bullpen by committee in the most extreme sense. Even with all those squandered chances, they are still sitting above the .500 mark, and eight wins ahead of last year's pace.

Nos. 9-7

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Dansby Swanson

9. Chicago White Sox (43-39)

Previous Rank: No. 13
Last Week: 2-1 vs. CLE, 2-1 vs. KC

A 1-5 road trip against the Yankees and Tigers briefly knocked the White Sox out of the top 10, but they righted the ship in their return to Rate Field last week where they are 28-14 on the year. On the flip side, they are 15-25 on the road where they will play 13 of their next 19 games, so the next few weeks could make or break an unexpectedly competitive season.

8. Atlanta Braves (49-33)

Previous Rank: No. 2
Last Week: 0-3 @ SD, 1-2 @ SF

With a 4-12 record in their last 16 games, the foundation of their terrific start to the year is no longer enough to stake the Braves to a top-two spot in these rankings. They are hitting .214/.267/.334 as a team in June while averaging 3.36 runs per game, and clearly missing Ronald Acuña Jr. who has been sidelined most of the month with a hamstring injury.

7. Chicago Cubs (46-38)

Previous Rank: No. 12
Last Week: 4-0 @ NYM, 2-1 @ MIL

The roller coaster that is the 2026 Cubs is ascending once again, as they have won five straight series of three or more games, and have a 12-4 record in their last 16 games. Shortstop Dansby Swanson had 15 RBI in seven games last week out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup.

Nos. 6-4

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Junior Caminero

6. Tampa Bay Rays (48-33)

Previous Rank: No. 7
Last Week: 2-2 vs. KC, 3-0 vs. ARI

Given their lackluster 17-21 record on the road this season, the Rays did well to maximize their time at Tropicana Field last week by ripping off a five-game winning streak. The offense has plated 38 runs in their last six games, and Junior Caminero went 11-for-26 with seven home runs and 15 RBI last week.

5. New York Yankees (48-35)

Previous Rank: No. 4
Last Week: 2-1 @ DET, 0-4 @ BOS

How will the Yankees respond to a four-game sweep at the hands of the rival Red Sox? The offense has not scored more than four runs in a game since June 19, and losing Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon to injury in the past month might finally be starting to catch up to them.

4. Miami Marlins (44-40)

Previous Rank: No. 6
Last Week: 2-1 vs. TEX, 2-1 @ STL

The Marlins have won seven of eight series in June and have the best record in baseball at 18-6 this month, going from the NL East cellar to right in the thick of the playoff picture. Shortstop Otto Lopez leads the NL with a .332 batting average, and he should be a first-time All-Star when rosters are announced.

Nos. 3-1

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Brandon Marsh

3. Milwaukee Brewers (50-31)

Previous Rank: No. 3
Last Week: 3-0 @ CIN, 1-2 vs. CHC

After sweeping a three-game series from the Cubs at Wrigley Field last month, the Brewers dropped two of three at home over the weekend to the team chasing them in the NL Central standings. That said, with a 53-28 expected win-loss record and a plus-120 run differential, there is little question the Brewers have earned their place among baseball's top-tier contenders.

2. Philadelphia Phillies (47-37)

Previous Rank: No. 5
Last Week: 3-1 @ WAS, 2-1 @ NYM

The Phillies are now 38-18 since Don Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson in the manager's seat, and this looks like a roster built for a playoff run. They could use another starter after Andrew Painter was optioned to the minors, and production from outfielders not named Brandon Marsh remains an issue, so expect them to be busy at the trade deadline.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (54-30)

Previous Rank: No. 1
Last Week: 3-0 @ MIN, 2-1 @ SD

The Dodgers improved to 28-16 on the road with series wins over the Twins and Padres last week, and their lack of any real home/road split makes them even more dangerous looking ahead to October. Their lead over the rival Padres in the NL West standings has swelled to 10 games, and they go head-to-head for four games at Dodger Stadium later this week.