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MLB Power Rankings as Tigers Show Life, Yankees Slide Deepens 1 Week Before 2026 All-Star Game
So, about all those Tarik Skubal trade speculations...
In winning five of six games (all on the road) this past week, the Detroit Tigers have clawed their way back to within five games of a wild-card spot with about 25 games remaining until the trade deadline. And with six games against the A's, four against the Royals and three each against the Angels and Orioles in the next four weeks, the Tigers just might be buyers after all.
Every action needs an equal but opposite reaction, though, and the Yankees delivered in continuing their downward spiral.
Getting swept at home by Detroit this week contributed to New York's schneid of 13 losses in 17 games. What looked three weeks ago like the clear favorite to represent the American League in the World Series suddenly cannot hit water in the ocean.
While the Yankees remain miles ahead of the Tigers in our latest power rankings refresh, those were two of the biggest movers with just one week to go until the All-Star break.
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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30. New York Mets (37-53)
Previous Rank: No. 30
Last Week: 1-2 @ TOR, 1-2 @ ATL
If firing Carlos Mendoza was supposed to cure what ailed the Mets, when, pray tell, does that transformation begin? Because they have thus far lost all three series with Andy Green calling the shots and setting the lineups. Including the end of Mendoza's time at the helm, they have lost 12 of their last 15, falling to a dozen games out of the playoff picture. Bring on the fire sale.
29. Kansas City Royals (36-54)
Previous Rank: No. 28
Last Week: 0-3 vs. TBR, 1-1 vs. PHI
Finding offense outside of Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone has been a season-long struggle for the Royals, and the summer heat has done nothing to warm up those bats. Kansas City has been held to two runs or fewer in six of its last nine games, outscored by a cumulative count of 68 to 21. All-Star Michael Wacha headlines the list of Royals who appear to be destined for the trade block.
28. San Francisco Giants (37-52)
Previous Rank: No. 26
Last Week: 1-2 @ ARI, 1-2 @ COL
The good news for the "surely going to be selling" Giants is that their key impending free agents just continue to increase their trade value. Robbie Ray put together his fourth consecutive quality start in a win at Coors Field, and Luis Arraez racked up nine more hits this week to bring his average up to .326. Even so, they put together a sixth consecutive road trip with a .500 or worse record.
Nos. 27-25
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27. Los Angeles Angels (36-55)
Previous Rank: No. 22
Last Week: 0-3 @ SEA, 0-3 vs. BOS
Winning six of eight games against the A's and O's propelled the Angels to a not-terrible power ranking of No. 22 last week. Those good vibes were short-lived, though, as the Mariners and Red Sox hurled five consecutive quality starts against the Mike Trout-less—and thereby hapless—Halos offense. The only question at this point is whether they'll reach 100 losses for the first time in franchise history. The answer may hinge on whether they trade away José Soriano and/or Reid Detmers.
26. Colorado Rockies (37-54)
Previous Rank: No. 29
Last Week: 2-2 vs. MIA, 2-1 vs. SFG
Say this much for the Rockies: They sure can score when they get into a groove. With 82 runs over their last 11 games—fueled in part by Mickey Moniak's return from a month on the IL—they are now top 10 in scoring average and on pace for roughly 785 runs. That's quite the improvement from 597 one year ago. (Unfortunately, they are also on pace to allow 930 runs and continue to languish near the bottom of the standings.)
25. Athletics (41-49)
Previous Rank: No. 23
Last Week: 1-2 vs. LAD, 0-3 vs. MIA
It feels like a lifetime ago that the A's were a .500 club, sitting just half a game back in the AL West standings. In reality, that was barely two weeks ago. But they haven't won a series since, stricken by a power outage of just 10 home runs in their last 14 games. Shea Langeliers was named the starting catcher for the AL in the All-Star Game, but he sure has cooled off over the past month—.915 OPS in first 56 games; .610 OPS since.
Nos. 24-22
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24. Cincinnati Reds (41-48)
Previous Rank: No. 21
Last Week: 1-3 @ MIL, 1-2 vs. BAL
Hunter Greene finally made his season debut on Saturday. However, after not allowing a single run in his three rehab appearances, he was shelled for eight earned runs in a loss to the Orioles. His return to a team that was already seven games below .500 and seven games back for the final wild card spot was probably going to be too little, too late anyway. But that dud amid a rough week may have taken away what little wind was left in Cincinnati's sails.
23. Baltimore Orioles (42-49)
Previous Rank: No. 24
Last Week: 1-2 vs. CHW, 2-1 @ CIN
A .500 week would be perfectly fine for a lot of teams, but holding steady does nothing to help an Orioles squad that has been stuck between two games below .500 and nine games below .500 on a daily basis since the beginning of May. Can they break through before it's too late? If not, Trevor Rogers' 1.77 ERA since the beginning of June will be very highly coveted on the trade block.
22. Boston Red Sox (40-48)
Previous Rank: No. 25
Last Week: 1-2 vs. WAS, 3-0 @ LAA
The Willson Contreras/Cade Cavalli scuffle took center stage this past week, and losing Connelly Early to the IL (elbow) during that game was a big blow to this injury-riddled rotation. (Ranger Suárez also exited early from Sunday's start against the Angels.) But starting with the four-game sweep of the Yankees, the Red Sox have won eight of their last 10 games as they try to play their way back into the wild card conversation. They just need to do something about that pesky injury bug.
Nos. 21-19
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21. Toronto Blue Jays (42-48)
Previous Rank: No. 20
Last Week: 2-1 vs. NYM, 1-2 @ SEA
We've been incessantly wondering if this is going to be the week that the Blue Jays start turning their season around. And, well, we're still wondering, because Toronto was shut out not once, not twice, but in all three of its losses in the past seven days. In fact, this extremely well-compensated offense went a combined 4-for-57 at the dish while getting blanked on both Saturday and Sunday.
20. Detroit Tigers (40-50)
Previous Rank: No. 27
Last Week: 3-0 @ NYY, 2-1 @ TEX
Surely, Detroit has some sort of target in mind for where it needs to be in the standings four weeks from now in order to not be a seller at the trade deadline. Whatever that target is, the Tigers took a nice-sized step toward it this past week with a 5-1 road trip. Notably, Troy Melton went 6.1 scoreless innings in a win at Yankees Stadium to lower his ERA to 2.05 in seven starts this season. If he keeps that up, they just might pull this off.
19. San Diego Padres (44-45)
Previous Rank: No. 15
Last Week: 0-3 @ CHC, 1-3 @ LAD
Since starting out 31-20, the Padres have gone an MLB-worst 13-25 dating back to May 24. And while the old saying is that it's always darkest before the dawn, losing 23-3 to the Cubs on Wednesday was merely the midpoint of an eight-game losing skid. All of a sudden, San Diego is four games out of the wild card picture with the lowest-scoring offense in the majors to thank for that.
Nos. 18-16
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18. Arizona Diamondbacks (44-45)
Previous Rank: No. 18
Last Week: 2-1 vs. SFG, 1-2 vs. MIL
Say hello to the second-highest power ranked team out of the NL West, where the Dodgers might win the division before Labor Day. The Snakes did get two more quality starts out of Eduardo Rodriguez and another two home runs out of Ketel Marte in the past week, but they have been hovering within three games of .500 for an entire month at this point.
17. Minnesota Twins (44-47)
Previous Rank: No. 19
Last Week: 2-1 @ HOU, 2-1 @ NYY
The bad news for the Twins is Byron Buxton missed the first four games of the week with a hip injury, and then re-aggravated it before exiting early on Sunday. It sounded precautionary, so maybe he'll be back in the lineup on Tuesday. With Buxton, though, every injury is worrisome.
The good news is this offense got along just fine without Buxton, clubbing 13 home runs with Josh Bell (four) and Kody Clemens (three) leading the charge. The Twins are now leading the American League in scoring by a 20-run margin and are right in the thick of the wild card race. Will they get Joe Ryan some pitching help at the deadline, though?
16. Pittsburgh Pirates (46-45)
Previous Rank: No. 16
Last Week: 2-2 @ PHI, 2-1 @ WAS
'Twas a rough week for this starting rotation, headlined by Paul Skenes getting tagged for seven earned runs in a loss at Philadelphia. But the offense shouldered the burden, bookending the week with a pair of 11-run performances. Nick Gonzales went 13-for-27 at the plate and has quietly brought his batting average up to .312. Could he find his way into the mix for a batting title? Pittsburgh only has one (Freddy Sanchez in 2006) in the past four decades.
Nos. 15-13
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15. Cleveland Guardians (47-44)
Previous Rank: No. 12
Last Week: 1-2 vs. TEX, 2-2 vs. CHW
The Guardians picked up back-to-back crucial wins in walk-off fashion, beating the White Sox first on a Brayan Rocchio home run and second on a Kahlil Watson single. (Quite the moment in just the 15th game of his MLB career.) But they turned around and gave those wins right back to the White Sox to split the series and fall back into second place in the AL Central. Cleveland's "Last Week" record has now been .500 or worse in six consecutive power rankings updates, and José Ramírez's broken hamate cannot heal fast enough.
14. Texas Rangers (45-45)
Previous Rank: No. 13
Last Week: 2-1 @ CLE, 1-2 vs. DET
It does not appear to be Corey Seager's year, going back on the IL for the third time this past week, and with a .182 batting average to boot. Yet, the Rangers are hanging in there, sitting at exactly .500 for the 13th time this season after splitting their AL Central series. Josh Jung triple-slashed .368/.478/.684 this week and remains the bright spot for this sputtering offense.
13. Houston Astros (45-47)
Previous Rank: No. 11
Last Week: 1-2 vs. MIN, 2-1 vs. TBR
Houston put an end to Tampa Bay's nine-game winning streak in mesmerizing fashion, turning a 7-2 deficit into a 10-8 victory when Yordan Alvarez walked it off with his second home run of the night. The Astros proceeded to blank the Rays on Sunday, too. But they dropped three out of the prior four games, stalling out a bit in their quest to storm all the way back from 11 games under .500 earlier this season. They'll go on the road to face the Nationals and Rangers to wrap up the first half.
Nos. 12-10
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12. Washington Nationals (46-45)
Previous Rank: No. 10
Last Week: 2-1 @ BOS, 1-2 vs. PIT
In their three wins this week, the Nationals scored a combined total of 27 runs. And in the three losses, they allowed a combined total of 24 runs. Business as usual for a squad that simultaneously feels too proficient on offense to be this mid and too hapless on the mound to have as much of a postseason pulse as it does. Cade Cavalli had a 13-strikeout gem in Boston, but incited a benches-clearing fracas in the process and got pulled in the third inning of his subsequent disappointing outing.
11. Seattle Mariners (47-44)
Previous Rank: No. 17
Last Week: 3-0 vs. LAA, 2-1 vs. TOR
Seattle's six-man rotation is really starting to cook. Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, Emerson Hancock, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo each tossed a quality start this week, with Hancock, Gilbert and Miller each going at least seven shutout innings. And if that wasn't enough, the bullpen went a combined 12.1 innings while allowing just one run.
They did lose Julio Rodríguez to the concussion IL, though. Got to hope he makes it back sooner rather than later, and that Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor eventually show some signs of life, too.
10. St. Louis Cardinals (47-40)
Previous Rank: No. 14
Last Week: 2-1 @ ATL, 2-1 @ CHC
There are only six teams with at least 50 wins this season, and St. Louis just won back-to-back road series against two of the members of that club. The Cardinals put up 11 runs in the final game in Atlanta before exploding for 17 runs the following day in Chicago. And if they can stay hot against 50-win teams, look out. They've got five games against Milwaukee and three against Atlanta coming up in their pre-All Star Break homestand.
Nos. 9-7
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9. New York Yankees (49-40)
Previous Rank: No. 5
Last Week: 0-3 vs. DET, 1-2 vs. MIN
What ought to have been a "get right" week at home against a pair of sub-.500 clubs from the AL Central instead ballooned into another chapter of New York's ongoing horror story. While the Mets have lost 12 of 15, the Yankees have dropped 13 of their last 17, held to five runs or fewer in all 17 of those games. Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger going cold in recent weeks has cast quite the spotlight on the many black holes in this lineup. And Aaron Judge's return from a fractured rib is nowhere near imminent.
8. Chicago White Sox (47-42)
Previous Rank: No. 9
Last Week: 2-1 @ BAL, 2-2 @ CLE
Colson Montgomery hit his 22nd home run on Saturday and his team-leading 23rd on Sunday. On Monday, Munetaka Murakami will begin a rehab assignment. Big stretch of three days for two of the biggest snubs from the initial All-Star rosters. Those two and Miguel Vargas make the White Sox the only team thus far with three players with at least 20 home runs.
7. Atlanta Braves (52-36)
Previous Rank: No. 8
Last Week: 1-2 vs. STL, 2-1 vs. NYM
After losing seven out of eight series in the process of inviting the Phillies back into the NL East race, the Braves finally stopped the bleeding a little bit, courtesy of the Mets. This offense scored a paltry 77 runs in 23 games played in June, but they've racked up 38 already just five games into July. If Sunday's ninth inning grand slam was the beginning of Drake Baldwin getting back to what he was prior to the oblique injury, maybe Atlanta can re-ignite.
Nos. 6-4
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6. Chicago Cubs (50-40)
Previous Rank: No. 7
Last Week: 3-0 vs. SDP, 1-2 vs. STL
If you slept through the first 85 games of the season and happened to start watching Cubs games just in time for them to consecutively smoke the Padres 23-3 and get stomped 17-1 by the Cardinals this past week, well, that was the 2026 Chicago Cubs in a nutshell. There have been more ups than downs, but they've had some ridiculously high peaks and some disturbingly low valleys. They have the offense to contend for a World Series, but can they trade for an entire pitching staff over the course of the next four weeks?
5. Tampa Bay Rays (52-35)
Previous Rank: No. 6
Last Week: 3-0 @ KCR, 1-2 @ HOU
The Junior Caminero Show continued in earnest this week, as four more home runs brought his total to 11 in the span of 11 games. He was also the first player to officially join the home run derby field, making that announcement amid Tampa Bay's nine-game winning streak. Despite losing to the Astros on both Saturday and Sunday, the Rays have opened up a four-game lead in the AL East.
4. Miami Marlins (49-42)
Previous Rank: No. 4
Last Week: 2-2 @ COL, 3-0 @ ATH
For a moment there, it looked like this magic carriage turned back into a pumpkin at 12:01 a.m. on July 1, as the Marlins went straight from 20-6 in June to 0-2 against the Rockies in July. They reeled it back in, though, scoring 28 runs while sweeping the A's. Sandy Alcantara picked up two more wins this week and has now won seven consecutive starts. And Otto Lopez went 14-for-28 with three home runs, bringing his batting average up to .346.
Nos. 3-1
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3. Philadelphia Phillies (50-40)
Previous Rank: No. 2
Last Week: 2-2 vs. PIT, 1-1 @ KCR
Trea Turner entered this week in a 27-game homerless drought before homering in three consecutive games against the Pirates. If that's the beginning of him turning around what has been easily a career-worst season up to this point, the Phillies might be hosting more than just the All-Star Game. They've already been hot for two months with Turner producing at a replacement level. Would be a game-changer if he locks in for the second half.
2. Milwaukee Brewers (55-33)
Previous Rank: No. 3
Last Week: 3-1 vs. CIN, 2-1 @ ARI
Brandon Woodruff going back on the IL with his shoulder issues put a real damper on what was otherwise another banner week for the Brew Crew. Between Mexican Independence Day (May 5) and US Independence Day (July 4), Milwaukee went an MLB-best 36-17, trying to run away with the NL Central crown. And as if they need an infusion of offense, Luis Lara has to be coming soon, right? He homered again on Sunday, bringing his OPS at Triple-A Nashville to north of .900.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (59-32)
Previous Rank: No. 1
Last Week: 2-1 @ ATH, 3-1 vs. SDP
Only the Nationals (485) have scored more runs than the Dodgers (483), and no pitching staff has allowed fewer runs (320) than this one has. Even with Shohei Ohtani having perhaps his most mortal week of the season, Los Angeles won two more series this week and has opened up a 14-game lead in the NL West—this despite an IL stockpile featuring Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Edwin Díaz and Will Smith that suggests they may not have yet begun to peak.
Complete Tier Rankings
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Tier 1
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Milwaukee Brewers
Tier 2
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Miami Marlins
5. Tampa Bay Rays
Tier 3
6. Chicago Cubs
7. Atlanta Braves
8. Chicago White Sox
9. New York Yankees
10. St. Louis Cardinals
11. Seattle Mariners
Tier 4
12. Washington Nationals
13. Houston Astros
14. Texas Rangers
15. Cleveland Guardians
16. Pittsburgh Pirates
Tier 5
17. Minnesota Twins
18. Arizona Diamondbacks
19. San Diego Padres
20. Detroit Tigers
21. Toronto Blue Jays
22. Boston Red Sox
Tier 6
23. Baltimore Orioles
24. Cincinnati Reds
25. Athletics
26. Colorado Rockies
27. Los Angeles Angels
28. San Francisco Giants
29. Kansas City Royals
30. New York Mets
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