2025 MLB Power Rankings: A New Team Reigns Supreme Ahead of Trade Deadline

Who’s the best team in Major League Baseball? 

More than 100 games in, you could make a case for almost a third of the squads. 

The eight best teams all have at least 60 wins, making this week’s power rankings especially difficult. Soon, though, some teams will put themselves in a much better position to separate. 

An interesting and lively week should be ahead as only four days remain before Thursday’s trade deadline. 

Here are the latest MLB power rankings, including where every team stands entering the week of the deadline. 

It’s nice to see Colorado acknowledging reality and actually participating at the deadline. Ryan McMahon is already out the door. There aren’t many compelling rentals here, so it’ll be interesting to see which (if any) of their controllable pieces go next. 

Adrian Houser should soon help stabilize another team’s rotation. The bigger question: Is this the year Luis Robert Jr. goes? And how much will it take after his July uptick? 

Rentals Kyle Finnegan, Josh Bell and Mike Siroka may not yield a particularly meaningful return, so it’ll probably be a relatively quiet deadline in Washington….unless a contender is willing to trade the farm for MacKenzie Gore. It seems highly unlikely, but that’s the kind of season-altering move the teams at the top should at least be contemplating. 

They swept the Tigers, won a series against the Diamondbacks and were an extra-inning 1-0 loss away from a perfect week. That doesn’t change their outlook, of course, and they’re one of the more interesting sellers to watch if they’re willing to part with their controllable pieces. Mitch Keller, David Bednar, Dennis Santana, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds will all draw interest. 

It’s been a down year for Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias, the biggest names among their impending free agents. In addition, the Braves have to think they’ll be contending again in the years to come and don’t seem keen on dealing catcher Sean Murphy, despite the ascendance of rookie Drake Baldwin. For those reasons, despite a talented roster, it’s unlikely we’ll see the kind of sell-off that would meaningfully change Atlanta’s farm system. 

We need to first acknowledge that Nick Kurtz has an OPS over 1.500 in July. He is otherworldly insane right now. As for the deadline, there aren’t a lot of rentals here that move the needle. Could any of their pitchers under longer-term deals get moved, or will their middling performance thus far prevent that? 

If you’re trying to predict which team ends up trading the most big-league players away, the Orioles are as good a guess as any. Gregory Soto could soon be followed by Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano and/or Seranthony Dominguez, all of whom are rentals. 

It seems likely that many of their rentals, including 2024 All-Star Willi Castro, soon find new teams. But could Minnesota’s slow start out of the break — they’ve dropped each of their first three series to start the second half — spark a bigger sell-off? Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Joe Ryan, who are all under team control through 2027, will draw heavy interest and are the kind of impact talents who could meaningfully change a contender’s trajectory. 

They’re five games out of a wild-card spot, FanGraphs gives them less than a 3% chance to make the playoffs, and they possess players — from Taylor Ward to Tyler Anderson to Kenley Jansen and more — who could help bring back prospects that would put a lagging farm system in a better place.  And yet, it’s still hard to envision Arte Moreno aggressively selling if they’re anywhere close to .500 on Thursday. 

Around the league, there aren’t a ton of impact players on expiring contracts playing for obvious sellers. That’s why the Diamondbacks hold the keys to this deadline. After getting swept by the Astros early last week, they got moving quickly, dealing Josh Naylor to Seattle. Could Eugenio Suárez, Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly — all of them rentals — be next? 

We should probably be talking more about first-year manager Clayton McCullough and what’s happening in Miami. After trading away almost every household name on the team before last year’s deadline, no one expected much of anything from the young roster in 2025. But they’ve won 20 of their last 29 games and are now just four games under .500 as they likely continue to prepare for the future by trading more pieces away. 

Even if it’s not a full-on firesale in St. Louis, I’d expect at least some of their relievers to find new homes. Rentals Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz should all draw interest, and JoJo Romero, who’s under team control through next year, has allowed just one earned run since the start of May in a market light on lefties. 

Cleveland, we have a problem. Starter Luis Ortiz is already on non-disciplinary leave as part of a gambling investigation by the league. Now, star closer Emmanuel Clase — one of the team’s biggest potential trade chips — is also being placed on leave as part of the investigation. The Guardians still have some tough decisions ahead as they decide whether to buy, sell or stand pat, but they have other concerns now, too. 

The Royals, with playoff odds below 15% according to FanGraphs, were presumed to be at least light sellers; their actions, however, speak otherwise. While winning series against the Cubs and Guardians last week, they also acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Diamondbacks and extended pitcher Seth Lugo, who had been one of the hottest names on the trade market. 

It’s unlikely any team makes a bigger splash than the Giants already did trading for Rafael Devers. So far, it hasn’t panned out. They’re 13-21 since making the move, have lost nine of their last 11 games, and are now three games back of a wild-card spot after getting swept by the Mets this weekend. They could really use a stabilizing force in the rotation, but it’ll be interesting to see how willing they are to push further as their extended slide continues. They have a winning record overall, but they have a losing record in May, June and July.

The Rays had a chance to shake off their miserable end to the first half coming out of the break against the Orioles, White Sox and Reds. Instead, they went 3-6 in that stretch and have now lost 17 of their last 23 games. The likeliest deadline outcome is probably a little buying and selling, per usual. They could use more relief help if it’s the former. 

How would you explain the Reds this year? Last week, in which they lost a series to the lowly Nationals and then swept the Rays, is a decent encapsulation. They remain a bit of an enigma, but they’re right there in the playoff race and could use another impact bat to help push them over the top. 

They needed to add a corner infielder and got that done quickly by acquiring Josh Naylor. You can look at this team now, despite trailing in the division by four games and their pedestrian start to the second half, and see a group capable of winning the West. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they keep making moves over the next few days, maybe finding a way to upgrade at third base. 

They lost a series to the Marlins and split with the Cardinals this week, but I can’t imagine that will stop president of baseball operations A.J Preller from being a major player over the next few days. Something weird and wacky will probably happen to boost an offense that needs the help. 

Just like that, the Rangers are six games over .500. A huge 8-1 homestand right before the deadline has them set up as buyers despite an offense that ranks 27th in OPS. It’ll be interesting to see what they decide to do this week, considering Joc Pederson was just reinstated from the injured list and Jake Burger will likely be back next month. Do they hope those two finally get going or do they decide to be proactive? 

The All-Star break cooled them off, but the Red Sox would be a playoff team if the season ended today. That’s rather remarkable considering they were 43-45 on July 2. Will they add another high-end starter to pair with Garrett Crochet? And could they trade from their glut of outfielders to do it? 

New addition Ryan McMahon went 2-for-3 on Sunday while knocking in half of the Yankees’ runs in a 4-3 win to salvage the series against the Phillies. Still, the team is 9-12 in July after going 13-14 in June. I’d expect them to continue adding to bolster the pitching staff, but how, if at all, will the recent downturn and Aaron Judge’s injury impact their willingness to go all in?

It was an eventful week for the Astros. They ignited the deadline by sweeping the Diamondbacks then got swept in four games by the Athletics as their injured list grew to a league-leading 18 players. The Astros still hold a four-game lead in the AL West despite their injury issues and could go a number of ways to try to patch their holes. An infielder, especially one who hits left-handed, would make sense. So would a starting pitcher, though Luis Garcia, Spencer Arrighetti, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr., J.P. France and Brandon Walter are all expected back at some point in the second half. 

The Tigers had lost 12 of 13 games before the bats woke up in Sunday’s series finale against the Blue Jays. A sweep at the hands of the Pirates early in the week demonstrated just how bad things have been lately for a team that had been the best in baseball for much of the year. The offense ranks last in the AL in OPS in July, but it might be more likely that they try to patch a bullpen that has an ERA over 6.00 this month. Despite their recent slide, they still have a commanding lead in a weak division. 

Remember when we all thought the Dodgers could set a wins record this year? Well, they’re currently on pace to win 93 games, which would be their fewest number of victories in a full season since 2018. They’ve struggled in all facets lately while dropping 13 of their last 18 games. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them add a versatile offensive piece, much like they did last deadline with Tommy Edman, but a right-handed reliever remains a top priority.

Considering they’re without José Alvarado and Jordan Romano has an ERA close to 7.00, the Phillies’ bullpen has actually performed quite well lately. The team has, too, taking series last week against the Red Sox and Yankees. They signed free agent David Robertson, but I’d still expect them to find another reliable late-inning arm. Will they also find a way to bolster an outfield that ranks last in the National League in WAR? 

The Mets have followed their June swoon (12-15) by riding high in July (14-7). They’ve now won seven straight games after sweeping the Angels and Giants and getting the pitching staff, which still leads the National League in ERA, back on track. Their trade for Gregory Soto should help, too, as they needed a left-handed reliever after losing A.J. Minter and Danny Young to injury. I’d expect the Mets to remain active in the pitching market. 

I’ve already made the plea for them to really go for it, though that would require a departure from their usual modus operandi. They have more pitching than they need, and an impact bat in the middle of the lineup could do wonders for a club that has won the division three times in the last four years but has not made it to the National League Championship Series since 2018. 

They possess the most dynamic, complete offense in the National League, and All-Star Matthew Boyd has been a revelation on the mound. Still, while Shota Imanaga is back and rookie Cade Horton has looked terrific lately,  the Cubs could use another front-line starter as they attempt to turn their year of Kyle Tucker into a championship season. If there’s one team that should be “all in,” it is this one. 

After sweeping the Giants, taking a series against the Yankees and nearly sweeping a four-game set against the Tigers, the Blue Jays have now won 21 of their last 27 games to claim the best record in baseball despite a starting pitching ERA that ranks 24th in ERA. They’ve done enough to vault into the top spot on the power rankings for the first time this year, but like the Cubs, they should try to add another starter — especially a controllable one for their veteran staff — who can take the ball in October. 

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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