2015 MLB Power Rankings Week 17

Can you believe it's August already? The trade deadline has come and gone and some teams added pieces to help for the stretch run while others waved the white flag and sold off some big names in the hopes of building for a better future. Was your favorite team a buyer or a seller? Or did they maybe stand pat? Let's check in on each team as some of them look a little different than they did a few days ago.

*Note ~ This week's stats and records will include today's afternoon tilt between the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins.

1. St. Louis Cardinals (67-38) ~ At the deadline the best team in baseball looked like they could use some help at first base and the outfield corners what with Matt Holliday going down with another injury. They acquired Brandon Moss who is having a down year. Most people the Cards touch turn to gold, however, so expect him to hit .320 the rest of the way with 18 home runs and 45 RBI. (Last Week's Ranking 1)

2. Kansas City Royals (62-42) ~ It's almost unthinkable that the Kansas City Royals went out and picked up Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist to help bolster their roster as they push for a repeat appearance in the Fall Classic. One year ago none of those words would have ever come out of my mouth. Or fingers. Semantics.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (60-45) ~ The big budget Dodgers may not have added big names but I'm a believer that their pickups can be sneaky good. Mat Latos thrived in his time in the National League West and has been on a roll lately posting a sub-3.00 ERA and 44/10 K/BB ratio over his last 51 2/3 innings. (LWR 3)

4. Pittsburgh Pirates (61-43) ~ Down goes A.J. and up comes J.A. Burnett has been placed on the disabled list where he should be for a month and in comes Happ to take his place in the rotation. A downgrade for sure but as long as he can be a placeholder the Pirates should be just fine. (LWR 4)

5. Houston Astros (60-46) ~ Most people, yours truly included, have been surprised by the rise to prominence of this Astros team. We all knew it was coming. Just not this quickly. Well, management has shown they are going for it by adding All-Star outfielder Carlos Gomez to the mix after picking up All-Star Scott Kazmir. Houston we have a problem......for the rest of the American League West. (LWR 5)

6. New York Yankees (59-45) ~ Surprisingly the Yankees stood pat at the deadline even though they could really use some rotation help. The possible solution? Calling up prospect Luis Severino who has dominated in the minors including going 7-0 with a 1.91 ERA and 50/17 K/BB ratio in 11 starts at Triple-A. (LWR 7)

7. San Francisco Giants (57-47) ~ It's easy to dismiss them since it's an odd year but the Giants are very quietly only two and a half back of the Dodgers. Adding Mike Leake to the rotation will only help as they defend their title. (LWR 8)

8. Chicago Cubs (57-47) ~ Stud rookie Kris Bryant left last night's game with lightheadedness and a possible concussion after a headfirst slide. He passed the concussion protocol and is in tonight's lineup. That sound you just heard was the collective sigh of relief of every Cubs fan. (LWR 9)

9. Los Angeles Angels (55-49) ~ Losers of six straight, including a sweep at the hands of the Astros, the Angels also lost lefty C.J. Wilson for the rest of the season. As if it couldn't get any worse they face reigning Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber tonight. (LWR 6)

10. Washington Nationals (54-49) ~ Bryce Harper was ejected yet again in last night's tilt with the New York Mets forcing Dan Uggla to come in and play first base while Ryan Zimmerman shifted to the outfield. I am a huge Harper fan but he needs to control his emotions a little better and stay on the field in these big games. (LWR 10)

11. New York Mets (55-50) ~ They added Yoenis Cespedes to help the woeful offense and swept away the Nats to move into a tie for first place in the NL East. That's right. We are in August and the Mets are tied for first place. (LWR 11)

12. Toronto Blue Jays (55-52) ~ General Manager Alex Anthopolous has laid it all out on the table this year. Acquiring the top bat (Troy Tulowitzki) and the top pitcher (David Price) at the deadline makes the Jays a force to be reckoned with. Price's debut today? A club record for a first start 11 strikeouts. (LWR 13)

13. Minnesota Twins (54-51) ~ Minnesota added a bullpen arm by acquiring Kevin Jepsen from Tampa Bay but that probably won't be enough as other playoff teams loaded up on talent. This could be the time the Twins start to fade away. (LWR 12)

14. Baltimore Orioles (53-51) ~ Last week I wondered if the O's would be buyers or sellers at the deadline. They added Gerardo Parra to help the outfield but also parted with Tommy Hunter which weakens the bullpen. So I guess they did both. (LWR 14)

15. Texas Rangers (51-53) ~ Cole Hamels has landed in Texas after blocking a trade to the Astros. Why he would choose to go to a third place team when a first place team was looking to add him is anyone's guess but he will pair nicely with Yu Darvish atop the rotation next season. (LWR 17)

16. Tampa Bay Rays (52-54) ~ Matt Moore is not having an easy go of things as he comes back from Tommy John surgery. After getting lit up again in his last start Moore's ERA now stands at 8.78 with a 2.06 WHIP and he has failed to go more than five innings in any of his six starts. (LWR 16)

17. San Diego Padres (51-54) ~ In one of the more surprising events of the trade deadline the Padres stood pat. Many experts believed they would sell off some pieces most notably Justin Upton but it looks like GM A.J. Preller wants to ride this thing out. With an easy August schedule they have a shot at getting back into contention. (LWR 18)

18. Detroit Tigers (51-54) ~ Detroit, on the other hand, decided to sell off their big pieces by sending Price and Cespedes out of town. They certainly did well in those trades considering both players are impending free agents. The Tigers could be back in the thick of things in 2016. (LWR 15)

19. Chicago White Sox (50-53) ~ In Friday night's blowout loss to the Yankees first baseman Adam LaRoche took the mound for the ninth inning. The result? A 1-2-3 inning including a strikeout of Brendan Ryan. Oh, and he tied to throw the "LaLob" that his father made famous but it failed to reach the plate. Gotta love it when position players take the mound. (LWR 20)

20. Cleveland Indians (48-56) ~ Second baseman Jason Kipnis has landed on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. Losing arguably their best player isn't going to help as the Indians, a trendy preseason World Series pick, continue to flounder in last place. (LWR 21)

21. Arizona Diamondbacks (50-53) ~ After being linked to Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel last week the D'Backs didn't make a move. That said this team has been playing better than I realized as they now sit just 14 wins away from matching last season's total. (LWR 23)

22. Seattle Mariners (48-58) ~ After failing to live up to expectations the Mariners traded away former number two overall draft pick Dustin Ackley to the Yankees. In four years he put up a pedestrian .242/.305/.366 line. That is not what they expected when they took the infielder from North Carolina. (LWR 22)

23. Atlanta Braves (47-58) ~ Atlanta is just 2-9 over their last 11 games and traded away young lefty Alex Wood along with second base prospect Jose Peraza to the Dodgers for infielder Hector Olivera who is 30, injury prone and yet to make his debut in the bigs. I still can't understand this trade. (LWR 19)

24. Oakland A's (47-59) ~ Billy Burns, who has played in just 76 games this season, is second in the American League in stolen bases with 21. (LWR 24)

25. Boston Red Sox (47-59) ~ The Sox didn't make any deadline deals to help upgrade their woeful rotation and seem resigned to another last place finish in the AL East. While GM Ben Cherington did win a title in his time in Boston one has to wonder if his leash is getting shorter. (LWR 25)

26. Cincinnati Reds (47-56) ~ After trading away Cueto and Leake the Reds' rotation is now made up entirely of rookie pitchers. That is insane. (LWR 26)

27. Milwaukee Brewers (44-62) ~ The Brewers purged themselves prior to the deadline and one has to wonder if things continue in this direction if they will try and trade outfielder Ryan Braun to get out from under his contract. The same contract of which the extension hasn't even started yet. Braun is currently slated to stay in Milwaukee through the 2020 season. (LWR 27)

28. Colorado Rockies (44-59) ~ When the Rockies traded away the face of their franchise, Tulowitzki, last week it was curious that they acquired Jose Reyes who is an even older, more expensive and injury prone player. The thought was that they would flip him for more pieces but they did not. What are the Rockies doing again? (LWR 28)

29. Philadelphia Phillies (41-65) ~ I will give credit where credit is due. Since the All-Star break the Phils have won 12 of 15 which is the best record in baseball. Go figure. (LWR 30)

30. Miami Marlins (43-62) ~ Another trade deadline and another fire sale for the Marlins. Gone are Latos, Dan Haren, Steve Cishek and Michael Morse. While the fish weren't going anywhere it has to be disheartening to be a Marlins fan. Each year there are new players in camp and most of them don't finish out the season. (LWR 29)

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