MLB Power Rankings: Where Sox stand after trade deadline

Share

The 2021 MLB trade deadline was one for the ages.Ten All-Stars were dealt ahead of Friday's deadline, setting up what should be a wild couple of months to finish off the regular season. Division races -- specifically the AL East, NL East and NL West -- will be fascinating to monitor with several contenders loading up on talent for the final stretch.The Boston Red Sox were quieter than their AL East foes, but they did add slugger Kyle Schwarber to bring some pop to a lineup that already is among the best in baseball. As they wait for Schwarber to return from injury, the Red Sox are in the midst of a rough patch with four straight losses. The Tampa Bay Rays leapfrogged Boston with a series sweep at Tropicana Field over the weekend.So, where do the Red Sox and the other 29 teams stand following an eventful week in MLB? Let's take a look at our updated power rankings.

30 photos
1/30

Previously: 30

Nothing to see here, folks. The D'Backs still have the league's worst record and just parted ways with infielder Eduardo Escobar and reliever Joakim Soria.
 

Tomase: Doubts about these Red Sox starts with ownership
2/30

Previously: 28

Goodbye Joey Gallo, Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy. The Rangers unsurprisingly were sellers at the deadline and have lost seven of their last 10.

3/30

Previously: 29

The Orioles actually have been pretty solid baseball lately, winning nine of their last 14 games. It was sort of strange to see them stand pat the trade deadline, though.

4/30

Previously: 27

Pittsburgh's rebuild continued with All-Star Adam Frazier getting dealt to the Padres, Richard Rodriguez going to the Braves, Austin Davis to the Red Sox, Clay Holmes to the Yankees and Tyler Anderson to the Mariners.

5/30

Previously: 25

The Twins dealt their best hitter Nelson Cruz to the Rays and their best pitcher Jose Berrios to the Blue Jays before the deadline. It's been a rough year in Minnesota, so put it lightly.

6/30

Previously: 24

Did the Rockies front office forget the trade deadline was a day earlier this year? Holding on to Trevor Story, Jon Gray and German Marquez was bizarre.

7/30

Previously: 21

The Nationals blew it all up by trading away Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Daniel Hudson, Yan Gomes and Josh Harrison, among others. Let the rebuild begin.

8/30

Previously: 19

The end of an era. The Cubs core of Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant is no more. Craig Kimbrel and Trevor Williams also were moved at the deadline.

9/30

Previously: 26

Danny Duffy was sent to L.A. after 11 seasons in Kansas City. Jorge Soler also was dealt to the Braves.

Whit Merrifield was considered a prime trade candidate, but he remains a Royal after one of the craziest deadlines in MLB history.

10/30

Previously: 23

The Marlins sent Starling Marte and his expiring contract to the A's for young southpaw Jesus Luzardo. They also sent Adam Duvall back to Atlanta.

Miami is last in the NL East despite having the second-best run differential in the division.

11/30

Previously: 22

It was somewhat surprising to see Jonathan Schoop stay in Detroit. The Tigers could have dealt him to a contender and gotten a pretty solid package in return.

Other than that, the big story around the Tigers right now is Miguel Cabrera approaching the 500 homer mark for his career. Just three more to go.

12/30

Previously: 18

Not much to write home about here. The Angels continue to be as mediocre as possible despite the MVP-caliber season from two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani.

13/30

Previously: 20

Age is just a number to the Cardinals, apparently. They acquired 37-year-old Jon Lester from the Nationals and 38-year-old J.A. Happ from the Twins. Probably not the moves that will get them over the hump.

14/30

Previously: 16

Very strange deadline for Seattle. Parting ways with closer Kendall Graveman -- and sending him to a division rival (Astros) -- was not taken well by the Mariners clubhouse and fans. The M's brought in reliever Diego Castillo as well as starter Tyler Anderson, but they may have been better off just going all-in on selling.

15/30

Previously: 15

Like the Braves, the Phillies have their sights set on the division title. Only 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Mets, the Phillies added starter Kyle Gibson, reliever Ian Kennedy and shortstop Freddy Galvis.

16/30

Previously: 14

The Indians sold off a couple of pieces (Eddie Rosario and Cesar Hernandez) but held on to their sluggers (Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes). As mediocre of a year it's been in Cleveland, this is a team that clearly believes it can bounce back in 2022.

17/30

Previously: 17

Despite an undoubtedly disappointing season, the Braves are right there in the NL East race and made some moves to make a run these next couple of months. They added corner outfielders Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler while bolstering the bullpen with Richard Rodriguez.

18/30

Previously: 13

The Reds shored up their bullpen by acquiring Luis Cessa, Mychal Givens and Justin Wilson. Will that be enough to propel them into a wild card spot? We'll see.

19/30

Previously: 11

With one eye on the rear-view mirror where the Braves and Phillies follow closely, the Mets traded for star infielder Javier Baez and right-hander Trevor Williams. They'll hope those additions, plus the return of Carlos Carrasco, will be enough to keep them at the top of the division with ace Jacob deGrom sidelined.

20/30

Previously: 12

The Yankees added two much-needed left-handed sluggers to their lineup, trading for Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo. Rizzo is on a tear to begin his Yankees career, belting two homers in three games.

21/30

Previously: 10

The Blue Jays addressed their major need for pitching by acquiring Jose Berrios from the Twins, Brad Hand from the Nationals and Joakim Soria from the Diamondbacks. They're eight games behind in the AL East and 3 1/2 back in the wild card race.

22/30

Previously: 9

Trading away Jesus Luzardo for rental outfielder Starling Marte could come back to bite them, but the A's added some interesting pieces at the deadline. Along with Marte, they acquired Andrew Chafin to bolster the bullpen as well as Yan Gomes and Josh Harrison. Oakland probably won't be catching Houston in the AL West, so it'll be tasked with holding on to that wild card spot.

23/30

Previously: 8

Once again, the Padres have lost stud shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to a shoulder injury. Not the news San Diego wanted with Giants and Dodgers ahead in the division race. Losing out on Max Scherzer at the deadline -- to the Dodgers, no less -- hurts too.

24/30

Previously: 6

The Red Sox are in the midst of their worst stretch of the season. It's the first time all year they've lost four consecutive games, and being swept by the Rays to drop out of first place makes it all that much worse.

We expected Chaim Bloom and Co. to do more at the deadline. Kyle Schwarber will bring some pop to the lineup when he returns from injury, but it was odd that the only other additions were uninspiring relievers Hansel Robles and Austin Davis. On the bright side, Chris Sale dominated in his latest rehab start and is set to return to the major-league rotation soon.

Boston will look to get back on track with a three-game set in Detroit starting Tuesday, followed by a big series in Toronto.
 

Tomase: Schwarber ready to learn 1B and give Sox a boost
25/30

Previously: 5

Eduardo Escobar was a sneaky nice addition at the deadline. Daniel Norris and John Curtiss also were acquired to shore up the bullpen.

It appears the Brewers will cruise to a division title barring an epic collapse. All the attention in the National League is on the NL West juggernauts, but Milwaukee should not be slept on.

26/30

Previously: 7

The Rays have regained the AL East lead after a sweep of the Red Sox. The addition of Nelson Cruz to the lineup is scary, but it hasn't all been sunshine and butterflies in Tampa Bay as ace Tyler Glasnow is set to undergo Tommy John surgery.

27/30

Previously: 3

The White Sox bullpen officially is terrifying with Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel joining Liam Hendriks, Michael Kopech, Garrett Crochet and others. Cesar Hernandez was an under-the-radar addition at second base. Chicago will cruise to an AL Central title and be a real problem in the postseason.

28/30

Previously: 4

Kendall Graveman and Yimi Garcia were excellent deadline additions to address Houston's need for bullpen help. The Astros are positioned to make another World Series run.

29/30

Previously: 2

The rich got richer at the deadline as the Dodgers acquired Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and Danny Duffy. They're obviously World Series contenders, but will they pass the Giants in the NL West?

30/30

Previously: 1

The Giants aren't taking this surprisingly stellar season for granted. They added slugger Kris Bryant to the lineup and brought back Tony Watson for the bullpen. It'll be fascinating to see whether that's enough to hold off the loaded Dodgers in these final months.

Contact Us