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Whether jockeying for position for the stretch run, for 2027 or simply long term, every team approached the MLB trade deadline with an objective.
Some contenders are undoubtedly better today than they were just a week ago. Others saw the deadline come and go with only marginal additions, leaving fans disappointed.
For some sellers, the deadline was an opportunity to restock on talent for the years ahead, but the benefits won't come this season.
Here's an updated look at where every team stands after a slew of activity ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
MORE: Recapping every trade made before MLB deadline
MLB power rankings 2026
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers were No. 1 before Skubal, they are No. 1 after Skubal and they might still be No. 1 if half their roster decided to take up professional water polo. The standings show there isn't a major gap between the Dodgers and the National League's other contenders, but last year's NLCS served as a reminder that the standings don't tell the full story. With a historic rotation and a lineup with very few vulnerabilities, the Dodgers are the clear favorites to win it all again.
2. Atlanta Braves
The Braves didn't make a Skubal-esque splash, sticking to quiet additions like Lane Thomas and Tyler Mahle, but they appear to be fully back on track after a sweep of the Nationals. Atlanta experienced a midseason offensive swoon, but the Braves are in position to compete for a bye to the NLDS with Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuña Jr. back in their lineup. Whether this deadline haul was enough to keep pace is another question.
3. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers didn't get Tarik Skubal, which limits their ceiling in October, but there's no doubt they are one of the best teams in baseball right now. With Jacob Misiorowski at the helm of the rotation, the bullpen firing on all cylinders again and a gritty cast of characters in the lineup, Milwaukee will be comfortably in the postseason. The question now is whether the Brewers can overcome the obvious talent gap between themselves and the Dodgers, and whether Misiorowski can continue to pitch at a high level into October.
4. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays made a nice deal for Freddy Peralta without giving up too much. It's been a difficult year for Peralta, but his track record and the Rays' ability to get the most out of talented arms should make this the right fit. By acquiring Liam Hicks as well, the Rays filled a major hole in their lineup. Tampa Bay entered deadline day clinging to an AL East lead with the Yankees lingering and Red Sox charging, but the presence of a superstar bat in Junior Caminero, a strong rotation and the emergence of closer Bryan Baker will put this team comfortably into the postseason.
5. New York Yankees
The Yankees' offense is going to be flawed down the stretch, but adding Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos is a wise decision to put fundamentals aside for now and just focus on getting productive bats into the lineup. While Aaron Judge works toward a return, the Yankees can rely on an excellent rotation to keep setting the tone. Will that be enough to win the AL East? The Rays did well at the deadline and the Red Sox are still surging, so it will take all New York has.
MORE: Grading the Luis Garcia Jr. trade
6. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have battled rotation injuries from every direction of late, but the addition of Kevin Gausman could really pay off with his experience, durability and strong predictive metrics. Chicago also rounded out the edges with Clay Holmes, Ryan Zeferjahn, Braxton Garrett and Tyrone Taylor, What a streaky offense can do down the stretch will determine whether Chicago can give the Brewers a challenge in the NL Central. Can Pete Crow-Armstrong continue to play like an MVP? Is Alex Bregman's recent hot streak a mirage, or has he finally settled in on the north side?
7. Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox entered deadline day coming off a sweep of the Dodgers, even after losing new acquisition Curtis Mead to a broken wrist. After upgrading at catcher with the inconsistent but still solid Adley Rutschman (nevermind the cost), Boston looks like it has a window to compete for an AL East title. Even more critical than anything Rutschman does will be the potential returns of Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet at some point in September or even October, as the Red Sox will need all hands on deck to make a deep run.
MORE: Grading the Adley Rutschman trade
8. Philadelphia Phillies
No one should be totally sure what to make of the Phillies, as they looked lost out of the All-Star break before winning their last two games ahead of the deadline. After trading for Luis Arraez on Monday, Philadelphia will shuffle around its infield and move Bryce Harper back to the outfield, making for an awkward defensive setup to go along with a lineup that revels in striking out. Arraez will help remedy that, at least, as the Phillies try to make what has again become an unlikely push for an NL East title.
10. San Diego Padres
Three consecutive wins over the Giants solidified the Padres as buyers. Not only did they hold onto Mason Miller, but they landed Robbie Ray and Casey Mize to bolster a rotation that simply needs to get the game to a standout bullpen. Whether the Padres can make the postseason will come down to their inconsistent offense, which has gotten much stronger play from Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr. Manny Machado and Ty France of late.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks have played some strong baseball since the All-Star break, even with Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte struggling to hit like they did last season. Gabriel Moreno is red hot, and Eduardo Rodriguez continues to turn back the clock. To hold onto a wild-card spot, the back end of the bullpen will need to be sorted out despite no meaningful additions to the pitching staff ahead of the deadline.
11. Houston Astros
The Astros didn't go all in at the deadline, but they sort of cleared the field for themselves by sweeping the Rangers this past weekend. The Angels and A's are both well out of it in the AL West, and they convinced Texas to sell off some pieces rather than buy. The division might come down to the Astros and Mariners again, and Houston has the advantage in the standings as they stand now, plus a new outfielder in Daulton Varsho.
12. Seattle Mariners
There was buzz the Mariners would considering trading Emerson Hancock, George Kirby and even Randy Arozarena before the deadline, but Seattle largely stayed put with Taylor Ward coming over from Seattle to give the lineup a bat that has flashed great power and terrific on-base ability — just not at the same time. With the Rangers refusing to go all-in, the door is open for the Mariners to compete with the Astros in a head-to-head race for the division, just like last year.
13. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox were right not to go completely all-in at the deadline and blow up their future in any way, but they still found a way to make some marginal upgrades between Luis Castillo, Huascar Brazoban and Brenton Doyle (the Castillo deal was a bit lopsided, but that's a different conversation). After winning a series over the Rays, the White Sox have every reason to believe they have the talent to win a weak AL Central, and they can focus their spending efforts in the offseason after what will go down as a successful year regardless of the outcome.
14. Cleveland Guardians
No one would have been surprised to see the Guardians stay silent at the deadline, hoping recent surges by Gavin Williams and Chase DeLauter plus the return of Jose Ramirez make all the difference in the AL Central, but they deserve some credit for adding platoon bats Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe plus a starter in Foster Griffin. Cleveland still largely is what it is: a well-coached, decent team without the kind of offense needed to make a deep postseason run, unless new addition Jo Adell can really go on a power binge. With that being said, winning another division title is still very much on the table.
15. Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays haven't totally waved the white flag on 2026, as new acquisition Jose Soriano has been better than Kevin Gausman in many ways this season, but they are clearly looking ahead to contending next season and beyond. Toronto can afford to lose Arjun Nimmala with JoJo Parker's upside higher, and Soriano can form a dangerous 1-2 punch with Dylan Cease for the foreseeable future. For now, the Blue Jays have a hole to dig out of.
16. Miami Marlins
The Marlins have had a whirlwind of a season, surging to as many as 10 games over .500 before losing 12 consecutive games in July. They still managed to hang around in the NL wild-card race and, after largely staying put at the deadline and keeping their core together outside of an expendable Liam Hicks, still have an outside chance to make a run to the postseason despite a miniscule payroll.
17. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates unraveled ahead of the trade deadline, with bullpen meltdowns and an injury to Ryan O'Hearn seemingly dooming the team. Pittsburgh hasn't given up on 2026, refusing to sell, but bullpen additions Camilo Doval and Luke Weaver both have 2027 appeal. In the meantime, the Pirates need to figure out what's gone wrong for Paul Skenes and turn him back into an ace to have any hope of making a charge back up the wild-card standings.
18. Texas Rangers
What a difference a weekend makes, as the Rangers could have been as many as 3.5 games up in the AL West if they had swept the Astros but instead trail by 2.5 games and appear to be pulling out of the race. Texas didn't totally tear down its roster on Monday, but the Rangers avoided making additions and will need some luck to swing back their way to either win the AL West or beat out a crowded field of wild-card contenders.
19. Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles aren't all the way out on 2026, but they recognized their position and dealt Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward and Dean Kremer before the deadline. Baltimore received a huge haul for Rutschman, but it won't necessarily help this team this season. A hot final two months from Gunnar Henderson could potentially spark something in the Orioles, but they seem destined to hover near .500 and come up short of a postseason berth.
20. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds resisted trading Hunter Greene and Elly De La Cruz, if there was any doubt, and they have started to play better of late with Greene back in the rotation. Cincinnati probably won't be able to dig itself out of the hole it's in and make the surge up the wild-card standings, but this is a team that could at least play spoiler for the Brewers and Cubs down the stretch.
21. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals were one of the surprises of the league in the first half, but they have slipped in the second half and seem to understand they aren't realistic contenders this season. St. Louis might be ahead of schedule in some respects and has a fun rookie in JJ Wetherholt, but return to the postseason is looking increasingly unlikely by the day.
22. Washington Nationals
The Nationals can call this season a success regardless of the outcome, as they came alive offensively under young manager Blake Butera and found some gems with new president Paul Toboni leading the front office. James Wood and CJ Abrams are here to stay for now, but a six-game losing streak for Washington leading up to the deadline and the trades of Luis Garcia Jr. and Foster Griffin ensure the postseason is likely too much of a leap for the Nationals to make right now.
23. Minnesota Twins
The Twins were one of this season's most surprising buyers, adding A.J. Minter and Dean Kremer, but it's unlikely to be enough. Minnesota dropped its last two games before the deadline and needs Byron Buxton to both stay healthy and get back to the player he was in the first half. For now, the Twins will hold onto hope that their reinforcements are enough to turn an overachieving season into what would be a fairly stunning run to the postseason.
24. Detroit Tigers
The Tigers entered deadline day coming off a sweep of the A's, but they are also dealing with the loss of Tarik Skubal. The arrival of the exciting Max Clark alongside Kevin McGonigle, plus the refusal to completely tear down the roster, keeps Detroit watchable down the stretch, but what would have been a tough effort to climb up the standings with Skubal and Casey Mize becomes an extremely difficult one without him.
25. San Francisco Giants
The Giants dealt Robbie Ray, Heliot Ramos, Erik Miller and Luis Arraez on Monday as a consequence of a highly disappointing season. Rafael Devers, Logan Webb, Willy Adames and more will keep some eyeballs on this Giants team, but they look as directionless as ever. Buster Posey's aggressive approach has yet to pay off, putting serious pressure on him and manager Tony Vitello going into 2027.
26. New York Mets
The Mets have been a colossal disappointment this season, and every sign of life they've shown has been offset by another setback. After stumbling into deadline day on back-to-back losses, New York largely stuck to the plan and dealt rental pieces from its pitching staff. The bullpen losses will make the Mets worse in the short-term, but the recent resurgence by Francisco Lindor plus encouraging stretches by young starters Nolan McLean and Zac Thornton give the fans something to watch down the stretch.
27. Kansas City Royals
The Royals, safely out of contention but lacking assets they actually want to trade, were always going to have a quiet deadline. Kansas City has been a massive disappointment this season, and the hope going into 2027 has to be that the offensive core led by Bobby Witt Jr., Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen continues to progress while the front office gets aggressive with the rotation after a couple years of stability on the mound.
28. Athletics
For a team that has been firmly out of contention around this time of year for some time now, the A's rarely have an active trade deadline — with last year's Mason Miller trade as one giant exception. With so many young bats locked up long-term and no real value on their pitching staff, the Athletics didn't tear anything down but don't have much to look forward to in the second half as they spiral toward the bottom of the AL standings again.
29. Colorado Rockies
The Rockies held onto Hunter Goodman, which will help make team watchable in the second half, and they've already surpassed their win total from a historically bad 2025. Colorado is clearly better than it was last season, and Cole Carrigg and Gabriel Hughes are names to watch down the stretch. For now, though, the Rockies remain near the basement.
30. Los Angeles Angels
With a new front office, the Angels finally shifted away from their stubbornness and moved on from controllable players by dealing Jose Soriano and Logan O'Hoppe, although Reid Detmers and Zach Neto stayed. L.A. will probably be better off for it long-term, but in the short-term, a bad team is even worse today than it was before. Losing Soriano will be a tough blow to the rotation, even as young arm Walbert Urena emerges, and the Angels just don't have anything going offensively to make themselves watchable down the stretch.
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