MLB Power Rankings: Brewers Take Top Spot, Dodgers Fall to No. 3

  • August 11, 2026

Just seven days have passed since the Major League Baseball trade deadline closed, but initial evaluations carry significant weight, and numerous recently relocated players have already made their presence felt on their new rosters—with varying degrees of success. For franchises in playoff contention, the focus is on assessing how these acquisitions can elevate the batting order, starting rotation, or relief corps as the run-up to October intensifies. Conversely, for organizations out of postseason contention, the remainder of the schedule offers a valuable chance for fresh talent to carve out roles and prove their worth for the years ahead.

In this edition of the power rankings, we evaluate the early performances of players who found themselves in new uniforms following the deadline, while projecting how they will fit into their clubs’ plans both for the immediate playoff chase and the long-term future.

Since Milwaukee reportedly fell just short of acquiring Tarik Skubal, right-handed pitcher Dustin May takes on a much more crucial role as the only addition to the Brewers’ starting staff while they chase the top overall seed in baseball. May delivered a strong performance in his first game with Milwaukee, showing a distinct increase in his cutter percentage. With his high-end velocity and varied arsenal, watching how the Brewers adjust May’s pitch selection will be fascinating, particularly if they plan to rely on him during a deep playoff run.

Making his first two appearances for Tampa Bay in Denver and Sacramento was a challenging assignment for Freddy Peralta, but the righty rebounded from a difficult outing at Coors Field (where he surrendered seven earned runs in 3 ⅔ innings) by throwing six strong frames against Oakland—his deepest game since early June. Few situations carry higher stakes for both player and franchise than Peralta’s tenure with the Rays, as he aims to rebuild his market value before entering free agency while assisting Tampa Bay’s playoff push. Furthermore, backstop Liam Hicks delivered a grand slam in his first game with the Rays, and relief pitcher Tyler Wells has sat down eight batters via strikeout over 4 ⅓ shutout frames. It is highly likely that no franchise did more to upgrade its entire roster than Tampa Bay, and those efforts are already bearing fruit.

Although Los Angeles mounted a comeback to prevent Tarik Skubal from taking a loss on Monday, the elite left-hander has looked decent rather than dominant in his opening pair of outings with the club. A period of acclimation is natural as Skubal adjusts to his new team, and an intriguing dynamic to monitor will be who catches him. With the Dodgers’ primary catching tandem of Will Smith and Dalton Rushing sidelined with injuries and sidelined for the foreseeable future, considerable responsibility falls on Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia—both brought in at the deadline—to ease Skubal’s integration while catching a loaded pitching staff during L.A.’s hunt for a first-round postseason bye in the National League.

Because outfielder Lane Thomas is projected for a bench role and reliever Brent Suter is best deployed in lower-pressure spots, Atlanta’s spotlight after the deadline shines brightest on experienced right-hander Tyler Mahle. Despite rumors connecting the Braves to pursuits of Skubal and Jacob deGrom, Mahle was ultimately the only addition to a starting staff decimated by injuries. He excelled in his first outing, throwing six shutout innings in the Bronx on Saturday, but Mahle still has plenty to show while joining a playoff race following a mediocre stretch in San Francisco.

Chicago was in dire need of pitching upgrades at the deadline and executed that plan by acquiring starting pitchers Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes, along with high-velocity reliever Ryan Zeferjahn. Gausman looked excellent in his first Chicago start, working seven full innings to secure a victory on Friday in Kansas City—marking only his second such deep outing this year. Holmes had a rougher start, surrendering four runs over four frames in a Saturday defeat, though this marked his return to a major-league mound after being sidelined for nearly three months with a fractured right fibula, indicating he may just need time to regain his rhythm.

Facing injuries to Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton, New York chose to focus on their offense at the deadline instead of addressing their pitching, acquiring dangerous bats in Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos. Garcia made a splash in his first game with a go-ahead home run, though the relief staff ultimately surrendered the lead, and neither he nor Ramos has produced much offensive impact since (notwithstanding a spectacular defensive play by Garcia over the weekend). As is standard for any player traded to the Bronx, both will face an intense mixture of high expectations and harsh criticism as the season winds down.

The highly awaited and incredibly intriguing first appearance of Adley Rutschman in a Boston uniform is imminent as he comes off the injured list. Conversely, the Red Sox must wait for Curtis Mead to recover from a fractured wrist sustained on July 27 when he was hit by a pitch during his debut game with the franchise. On a positive note, high-velocity southpaw Erik Miller—brought over from San Francisco in exchange for former top prospect Marcelo Mayer—has the potential to elevate a bullpen that already boasts premier American League relievers in Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock.

Luis Arraez quickly won over the local fans by racking up five hits, including a pair of doubles and a rare home run, during Philadelphia’s series victory against Washington last week. However, he subsequently went without a hit in three of his following four contests—a rare quiet stretch for the batting champion, serving as a minor speed bump in his stellar All-Star campaign. Of greater concern than Arraez’s brief slump is that Caleb Kilian, the relief pitcher packaged in the same trade, has already landed on the injured list with a strained oblique.

Arizona waited until the final moments to complete their deadline business, acquiring outfielder Lars Nootbaar from St. Louis right at the buzzer while leaving their pitching staff untouched. Though Nootbaar has had a quiet start while splitting time between left field and designated hitter, his exceptional plate discipline and on-base ability are poised to bolster the offense: he boasts an 18.5% chase rate, which ranks as the fourth-best mark in the majors among batters with a minimum of 200 plate appearances.

The performance of new acquisitions like Dustin May, Tarik Skubal, and Luis Arraez will rank among the biggest storylines in the final stretch of the season.

The performance of new acquisitions like Dustin May, Tarik Skubal, and Luis Arraez will rank among the biggest storylines in the final stretch of the season.

(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports)

In line with Peralta and Skubal, right-hander Casey Mize has already logged a pair of starts for his new team. After a rough outing against Arizona in his Padres debut (allowing eight runs in 3 ⅓ innings), he bounced back on Monday with six solid frames at Petco Park against the front-running Brewers, noting that the energetic home crowd provided a major boost. On Wednesday, veteran left-hander Robbie Ray will look to rebound from his debut with San Diego, where he walked five and surrendered four runs in a defeat against Houston.

Thrown straight into a high-stakes scenario late in Thursday’s wild extra-inning affair at Fenway Park, Huascar Brazobán fell short of securing a four-out save, leading to extra frames and a frustrating defeat for Chicago. Earlier in that contest, veteran righty Luis Castillo struggled in his White Sox debut, giving up five runs in just four innings of work, which put heavy pressure on the bullpen. While both Brazobán and Castillo are expected to upgrade the pitching staff, it is still uncertain if their presence will be enough to propel Chicago into the playoffs.

Houston’s outfielders sat near the bottom of the majors in both fWAR (29th) and OPS (30th) by late July, making the acquisition of an established player like Daulton Varsho at the deadline an obvious move. However, Varsho is having a subpar season relative to his career norms and can only do so much to fix the team’s outfield production issues by himself. He connected for a home run in San Diego over the weekend, but he must sustain that success to justify being the sole addition for an Astros team focused on reaching the postseason.

Even though they haven’t received a single inning or at-bat from any of their trade-deadline acquisitions, the franchise that dealt away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize has thrived, climbing to the top of the American League in run differential while closing in on a wild-card berth. Guided by a revamped starting staff featuring rising right-hander Troy Melton and a young batting order anchored by top rookie candidate Kevin McGonigle and elite outfield prospect Max Clark, Detroit’s fan base doesn’t have to stress over the progress of the minor leaguers received in the Skubal trade—though Zyhir Hope has already hit a home run—while the parent club stays in the playoff hunt. Whether the team will regret not having Skubal and Mize if they make the postseason is a question for another day.

The most compelling storyline of the deadline for Texas was a blockbuster trade that fell through: a rumored agreement to send ace Jacob deGrom to Atlanta, which the righty blocked with his no-trade clause. Once that deal fell apart, the Rangers remained largely inactive, choosing neither to add significantly nor tear down. Texas might find a way to get catcher Logan O’Hoppe back on track, though he remains in Triple-A for now. Meanwhile, Chase Silseth offers some depth to the bullpen, but he is unlikely to turn around a relief unit that has struggled to prevent runs for a while now. This team remains difficult to project.

Although they remained within striking distance of an NL wild-card spot, Miami opted to sell at the deadline, shipping out catcher Liam Hicks alongside pitchers Lake Bacher and Braxton Garrett to acquire minor league prospects. However, the Marlins did secure right-handed reliever Victor Vodnik from Colorado, keeping him under team control until 2029. Vodnik features a blazing four-seamer that averages 98.6 mph to go with a stellar 55% groundball rate. If he can improve his control and rely more on his slider to generate swings and misses—which should be easier away from the thin air of Coors Field—he has the potential to develop into a premium late-inning option for Miami.

While Jeff Hoffman and A.J. Minter continue to adjust to their new bullpen assignments, Dean Kremer has delivered an unexpected boost to the Minnesota rotation. Kremer spent the previous four seasons as a regular in Baltimore’s rotation, but injuries hindered his performance this year before he was traded to the Twins in exchange for 18-year-old outfield prospect Jhomnardo Reyes. On Monday at Target Field, Kremer faced his former team and dominated, yielding only one hit over seven innings in one of his finest big-league starts, helping Minnesota secure a win that gave them breathing room in the competitive AL wild-card chase.

St. Louis remained inactive until the final stretch before the deadline, ultimately trading away impending free-agent pitchers Dustin May and JoJo Romero to Milwaukee, while sending Nootbaar to Arizona. The Cardinals received several compelling prospects in return, highlighted by outfielders Josiah Ragsdale and Alexander Frias. Frias, an 18-year-old left-handed hitter with remarkable bat speed, is already being ranked among the top 100 prospects by various publications. Meanwhile, Ragsdale, a toolsy 22-year-old center fielder, is translating his athletic traits into elite numbers on the field, joining an exclusive group of just three minor leaguers with at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases this season.

Suffering a 1-5 stretch right after the deadline was a major letdown for Cleveland, especially after they made uncharacteristically aggressive moves to acquire Nathaniel Lowe, Jo Adell, and unexpectedly landing All-Star southpaw Foster Griffin. However, Griffin had a rough debut for the Guardians, allowing five earned runs over just four innings against the Mets—his shortest start of the year—during a series sweep at home. While Lowe has shown decent power, Adell has already struck out 10 times in his first six contests with his new team. The logic behind these acquisitions may have been solid, but the early performance has been lacking.

Although Pittsburgh overhauled its relief corps at the deadline, they haven’t had many close leads to defend recently, leaving the new group of Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval, Kirby Yates, and Lake Bachar largely untested in pressure situations. More concerning is that the Pirates’ starting rotation now carries a higher ERA (4.44) than the bullpen (4.21), a disappointing development that emphasizes the decline of the starting pitching. A team that once seemed poised to snap the longest active postseason drought in the National League is now fading out of the picture as September nears.

Washington also remade its relief group at the deadline, and the initial results are promising. Yovanny Cruz—acquired from New York as part of the Garcia deal—possesses the electric stuff needed for closer duties if he can refine his control. Southpaw Will Dion, who arrived from Cleveland in the Griffin trade, logged three shutout innings on Sunday, while veteran Jake Bird wrapped up the game with a scoreless ninth to secure a sweep over Cincinnati. On a less positive note, Connelly Early, the talented young left-handed starter brought in from Boston for Mead, felt tightness in his forearm during a live batting practice session last week, leaving his Nationals debut on hold.

While the blame for Seattle scoring just eight runs in six games post-deadline doesn’t rest solely on new right fielder Taylor Ward, his 4-for-23 stretch without drawing a single walk—surprising for the American League’s walk leader—hasn’t helped. Additionally, right-handed reliever Seranthony Dominguez surrendered two home runs against Detroit in his first appearance for Seattle, creating a rough initial impression as the only relief upgrade. As has been true all year, the roster’s potential and a mediocre American League could still spark a late run for the Mariners, but the clock is ticking.

Toronto took an aggressive approach by both buying and selling at the deadline, parting with popular players Gausman, Hoffman, and Varsho while bringing in promising talent for both the present and future, most notably right-hander José Soriano, who remains under team control through 2028. Though Soriano’s stat line in his Blue Jays debut was modest—4 ⅔ innings, four hits, two runs (one earned), three walks, and three strikeouts—his pitch strategy differed greatly from his approach with the Angels. He threw a season-low 12% four-seam fastballs while inducing a season-best 12 swings and misses on his knuckle-curve.

The massive trade sending Rutschman to Boston puts a spotlight on the prospects Baltimore received in return. The haul features right-hander Anthony Eyanson, widely regarded as one of the elite young arms in baseball, who collected nine strikeouts in his first game with the system, and 19-year-old outfielder Enddy Azocar, who recorded a spectacular 1.236 OPS over his opening five games in High-A. While these prospects are highly regarded, processing the loss of Rutschman will take time for the fan base, particularly if the Orioles finish below .500 for the second consecutive season.

No organization stockpiled more minor league prospects at the deadline than New York, securing 12 young players through seven separate trades that saw almost the entire major-league pitching staff shipped away. Though infielder Jefferson Rojas (acquired in the Holmes trade), who is considered the top prospect of the incoming group, has had a quiet start, outfielder Aidan Smith (from the Peralta deal) and infielder Billy Amick (from the Minter trade) have surged early on. Smith hit home runs in four of his first six appearances, while Amick hit five home runs to bring his season count to 28, ranking ninth across all of minor league baseball.

Cincinnati was remarkably quiet at the deadline, despite having multiple players on expiring deals and virtually no shot at a playoff spot. Their sole player trade involved sending Nathaniel Lowe to Cleveland for 19-year-old Venezuelan right-hander Alejandro Rivera, who has performed well in his first stateside season but remains far from reaching the majors. The Reds initially seemed to justify their quiet deadline by sweeping Oakland and overtaking Pittsburgh in the standings, but those positive vibes vanished with the news that ace Hunter Greene requires elbow surgery, followed by a weekend sweep at the hands of Washington. A tough blow.

While there is genuine optimism surrounding the young pitchers San Francisco brought in, including Ramon Marquez (from the Arraez trade), Miguel Mendez (from the Ray trade), and Henry Lalane (from the Ramos trade), the most compelling storyline for the remainder of the season is how Marcelo Mayer performs. Mayer is close to starting a rehab assignment as he recovers from a stress reaction in his left forearm and is poised to receive regular starts in the Giants’ infield. This stretch will show whether his early struggles reflect his true potential, or if Boston was too hasty in trading away the former top-tier prospect.

Stuck in last place, Kansas City had very little trade capital to work with. Still, it is highly possible that right-handed reliever Carlos Duran (brought in from the Dodgers for Kris Bubic) could find his way into the major league bullpen before the year ends, and right-handed starter Lucas Braun (received from Atlanta in the Lane Thomas trade) could contend for a place in the starting rotation next spring.

Oakland made virtually no moves at the deadline before parting ways with veteran front-office executive David Forst. Consequently, looking at the team’s incoming acquisitions reveals just a single name: right-hander Seth Johnson, who faced four batters without recording an out on Monday while Oakland blew a late lead to the Rays. A tough start.

While interim general manager John Mozeliak refrained from a complete roster purge, he engaged in more selling than the franchise has seen in years. Their two primary transactions—sending Zeferjahn to the Cubs and Soriano to the Blue Jays—brought back two distinct young hitters with the potential to become franchise pillars: Moisés Ballesteros and Arjun Nimmala. Ballesteros is a left-handed-hitting catcher/designated hitter whose defensive questions made his fit with Chicago uncertain, but his offensive pedigree is stellar, and he is already hitting with authority for his new organization. Nimmala, just 20 years old, has already made it to Double-A and possesses the physical tools to become a high-impact shortstop, though his progress will require patience. Nevertheless, his ceiling is exceptionally high, and he could highlight the next phase of the Angels’ rebuild, particularly if Zach Neto is eventually dealt.

Although he has yet to suit up for Colorado, it will be interesting to see if Connor Norby thrives with a change of address and if the Rockies profit from taking a chance on the 26-year-old after he lost his place in Miami’s crowded infield. Norby has consistently put up strong offensive numbers in the upper minors, and he will have a clear opportunity to secure the starting job at second base for Colorado—a franchise that has quietly helped multiple hitters (including Mickey Moniak, Jake McCarthy, and TJ Rumfield) find success after failing to establish themselves elsewhere.