Following one of the most boring trading deadlines of all time, here’s the MLB power rankings for week 17.
Rank(Pv) |
Team |
Record |
Comments |
| 1(1) |  |
69-36 | Shingo Takatsu was sent down to AAA, one year after being the runner up to Bobby Crosby for the AL Rookie of the Year. Japan’s all-time saves leader is reportedly contemplating retirement (he’s 36). |
| 2(2) |  |
67-39 | The Cardinal’s winning record in July gave them ten consecutive months with a winning record for the first time since 1944. |
| 3(4) |  |
62-45 | The Braves made some effort to shore up their bullpen in trading for Kyle Farnsworth, but they had to give up one of their best prospects in Roman Colon to do it. |
| 4(6) |  |
60-46 | The A’s have been ridiculously hot in the second half so far, to the tune of 16-3. |
| 5(5) |  |
60-45 | It’s a good thing the Sox avoided trading Manny and he’s happy again. The rumored deal between the Mets, Red Sox and D-Rays was definitely not a good one for Boston. |
| 6(3) |  |
61-45 | In contrast to the A’s, the Angels have been pretty mediocre in the second half. They’re only a game ahead of Oakland right now. |
| 7(8) |  |
58-48 | I can’t believe that Jamie Moyer rejected a trade to the Astros. That rotation would’ve been even more unstoppable come playoff time. |
| 8(7) |  |
56-48 | The Yankee’s pitching is obviously in horrible shape injury-wise, but how do you know it’s really bad? They picked up Hideo Nomo, just in case. |
| 9(11) |  |
56-51 | The Indians are still playing pretty well despite Travis Hafner’s trip to the 15-day DL after being beaned in the face by Mark Buehrle. |
| 10(17) |  |
54-50 | I think the Marlins did the right thing by hanging onto A.J. Burnett. They couldn’t do what they did last year by trading Penny to the Dodgers to fill needs, so they didn’t make a move at all. |
| 11(16) |  |
54-51 | Vernon Wells is quietly having another solid season in Toronto, he’s batting .280 with 21 home runs right now. |
| 12(12) |  |
55-52 | The Phillies haven’t played particularly well in the second half, but the Braves have. As a result, Philadelphia now finds themselves seven games back in the NL East and will probably have to look to the wild card (where they trail Houston by 3.5 games) to make the playoffs. |
| 13(9) |  |
56-50 | The Nationals are pretty much the polar opposite of the A’s in the second half, posting a 4-14 record. |
| 14(14) |  |
54-52 | Mets fans have to be disappointed with their team’s performance at the trading deadline. At any point in the season they were rumored to get Gary Sheffield, Manny Ramirez or Alfonso Soriano. Instead, they got nothing. |
| 15(13) |  |
54-52 | The trade for Matt Lawton is a good deal for the Cubs. He’s a great leadoff hitter and has good speed, but he is a terrible fielder. |
| 16(21) |  |
53-52 | Chan-Ho Park has been awful and has a pretty sizeable contract, so dealing him for Phil Nevin was a smart move. |
| 17(10) |  |
54-52 | Ok, so Brett Boone didn’t quite work out. It’s really not a big deal; the Twins aren’t any worse off for having given him a shot than they would’ve been without him. The Twins are doing pretty poorly though, only one series win in the second half and that was against the Orioles. |
| 18(19) |  |
52-55 | Milwaukee would be right in the thick of things in the NL West, although they were only 4-3 in seven games against the D-Backs and Giants last week. |
| 19(23) |  |
52-56 | It’s extremely strange that a team with everyday players like Tony Clark and Chad Tracy has a legit shot at the playoffs. |
| 20(20) |  |
52-54 | The Padres only have four wins in the second half, but they’re undefeated in August! |
| 21(15) |  |
51-55 | Rafael Palmeiro’s suspension hurts the O’s not only because it deprives them of a good hitter for 10 days, but also because of the distraction it’s causing a Baltimore team that needs all the focus it can get to pull out of this slump. |
| 22(18) |  |
50-55 | The injury-prone Magglio Ordonez has a .373 OBP in just 31 games this season, but his return hasn’t really helped the Tigers win any more. They’re currently on a five game losing streak. |
| 23(27) |  |
47-59 | The Reds’ winning July was their first winning month since May 2004. |
| 24(22) |  |
48-58 | Cesar Izturis’ home run in Saturday’s loss to the Cardinals was his first in 82 games or since his first AB of the year. |
| 25(26) |  |
46-59 | The Mariners are way out of contention, but at least they called up highly touted pitcher Felix Hernandez |
| 26(24) |  |
45-62 | It’s a shame the Pirates couldn’t trade Mark Redman, but the Lawton trade works out well for them. They save a ton of money and give younger players the opportunity to start, not to mention pick up a good defensive outfielder with the potential to become a good hitter. |
| 27(25) |  |
45-60 | I don’t understand the trade for Randy Winn at all. The Giants actually get older and give up two good prospects for really no reason at all. Sure they could win the division, but what’s the point? They’ll just get crushed by whoever they play in the first round anyways. |
| 28(29) |  |
41-66 | The D-Rays are have been one of the better teams in the league so far in the second half with a 13-5 record. Of course, seven of those wins were against the Orioles or Royals. |
| 29(30) |  |
38-67 | The White Sox have 36 wins on the road. The Rockies have 38 wins total. |
| 30(28) |  |
38-68 | To no one’s surprise the Royals aren’t doing so well and have lost five games in a row. |