2026 MLB Power Rankings: One Question For Every Team Ahead Of The Trade Deadline

The Red Sox are streaking, the Marlins are fading, and for the plethora of teams on the bubble, we’re finally nearing decision time. 

Every win or loss coming out of the All-Star break provides a bit more clarity as teams decide whether they’re buyers, sellers or somewhere in between. 

With one week to go before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, this week’s Power Rankings features one second-half question for every team. 

The Rockies’ starters have an ERA over 6.00. They need more pitching in the system, and they have a couple outfield trade chips in Jake McCarthy and Mickey Moniak who could help them get that done. 

Will they also consider trading Hunter Goodman, who leads all catchers with 31 home runs and is under team control through 2029? 

Under interim general manager John Mozeliak, the Angels sound more open-minded to making the kinds of changes that will be required to return the team to relevance. Will there finally be a fire-sale in Anaheim?

Just a few weeks ago, the A’s looked like buyers. Then they lost 23 of 29 games and now seem to be obvious sellers. But with many of their top young talents signed long-term, what are they willing to sell in order to add more pitching to the system? 

Among the top 20 or so potential MLB trade deadline candidates, Luis Arraez has to be the likeliest to go. Rental Robbie Ray is likely gone, too, but can the Giants use this lost season to also move one of their big contracts? 

It will be interesting to see if Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers are all still Giants after the deadline. 

With the size of their payroll, the Mets have to try to contend again next season. So, beyond their rentals such as starter Freddy Peralta, relievers Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (who has a team option next season), which of their controllable players will they feel comfortable trading? 

Same question as directly above. The Royals are similar to the Mets in that a season with playoff aspirations quickly spiraled, yet they can’t be thinking about a long-term rebuild. 

So, without many valuable rental arms on the roster, how many controllable pitchers will they be willing to deal? Michael Wacha will command the most attention. 

The reigning American League champs as sellers? That seems to be the likeliest course of action after the offense’s disappearing act and the struggles in the rotation behind Cy Young contender Dylan Cease. 

The biggest question: Where is Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s power? And can he find it in time to give Toronto some late-season hope?  

When healthy, the Reds can envision a rotation featuring Chase Burns, Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott giving them a better chance in 2027. But that won’t matter much if they still have one of the least productive offenses in MLB. 

Can someone other than Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart establish himself as a reliable long-term mainstay in the lineup? 

Will Trevor Rogers, Taylor Ward and Andrew Kittredge help the Orioles return to the playoffs after last year’s disappointing fifth-place finish, or will they be wearing different uniforms after the deadline? How Baltimore decides to handle its impending free agents could determine its second-half fate. 

It’s the question of the deadline: What does Detroit do with Tarik Skubal? 

The Tigers are trending in the right direction, but when you’re trying to convince your front office to keep one of the game’s most talented pitchers, you can’t afford to split a late July four-game series at home against the Royals. 

It seems like every year we’re asking if Sandy Alcantara will remain a Marlin. Suddenly, here we are again. Will the Marlins try to catch fire again with the current group they have, or will a franchise-record 12-game losing streak cause them to sell some pieces? 

Had the Twins not sold off all of their top relief arms last deadline, they might be in first place right now. Instead, they’re one of the many teams on the bubble. 

Will the Twins use this deadline to fix the bullpen it just dismantled? Or will they look to the future and sell rental catcher Ryan Jeffers and listen to offers for All-Star right-hander Joe Ryan? As constructed, it’s hard to imagine there’s enough pitching here to seriously contend. 

As long as the Astros are still in the mix, I’d expect them to keep pushing in to build around MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez. They could use more outfield help, but the bigger question: Do they have enough pitching to get back to the playoffs and make some noise in the weak AL? 

Will the offense get right? I mean that in every possible sense. 

The Mariners need their best players to play better, and they also might need a right-handed hitter at the deadline to help an offense that currently has the lowest OPS against left-handed pitching in the sport. Another high-leverage reliever wouldn’t hurt, either. 

Can this rotation continue to hold up? The Cardinals are trending in the wrong direction, but Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera should give them enough firepower to at least stay competitive. 

Will the rotation, which currently ranks 10th in MLB in ERA despite missing very few bats, do the same?  

What does AJ Preller have up his sleeve? The Padres’ president of baseball operations rarely sits still at the deadline, but this team has more flaws than in years past (particularly in the rotation) and now has less of a farm system to address the deficiencies at the deadline. 

Could he trade All-Star closer Mason Miller to address the team’s other weaknesses? It might take some creativity to make this group a contender.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Guardians’ offense could use more thump. Will they add an impact bat to fix an offense with the lowest OPS in MLB? Or will having star third baseman José Ramírez back from a broken hand be enough for Cleveland to win its third straight division title? 

Will Paul Skenes look like a Cy Young contender again down the stretch? Skenes is still racking up strikeouts with strong underlying numbers, but he currently ranks 32nd among qualified MLB starters in ERA. 

If he pitches like one of the best pitchers on the planet in the second half and the bullpen adds some pieces at the deadline, you can envision this Pirates team and its vastly improved offense ending Pittsburgh’s 10-year playoff drought. 

Can they keep their top offensive players on the field? Star shortstop Corey Seager hasn’t played all month due to a back injury. Wyatt Langford has mashed … when available. He has played in only 53 games this year due to forearm, hamstring and ankle injuries. Josh Jung, the team’s hit leader, is currently sidelined with a calf issue.

The Rangers need those guys on the field if they want to hold off the Mariners and Astros. 

Will this offense play to its potential? The D-backs are currently in wild-card position despite a depleted pitching staff and an offense that ranks 20th in MLB in OPS. 

They could use a first-base upgrade at the deadline (as well as pitching reinforcements), but they also need more of their top offensive players to perform. 

What lane do the Nationals pick at the deadline? They’re ahead of schedule in the rebuild under new leadership, now only one game out of a wild-card spot with the best offense in MLB. 

It’s one thing to trade slugging utility man Curtis Mead, but would they really trade All-Star Foster Griffin as well, given the way they’re playing? Or entertain offers for superstar CJ Abrams? Or will they run this surprise season out and see where it goes? 

Do the White Sox have (or will they acquire) the pitching required to finish off this magical run? 

The young offense has slugged its way to the sixth-most home runs in MLB, but the South Siders might need to add more depth both in the rotation and the bullpen to complete the extraordinary turnaround and end the four-year playoff drought. 

Speaking of turnarounds … a lot can change in a matter of weeks. The Red Sox looked cooked, and now they’ve won 22 of 26 games and are already starting the process of adding offense at the deadline. 

The biggest question, though, is how quickly Roman Anthony (torn finger ligament) and Garrett Crochet (shoulder, lat) return to action. 

Having Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Jhoan Duran is a heckuva starting point, but you can bank on the Phillies adding depth at the deadline for their second-half push.

The question: Does it come in the outfield, at the back end of the rotation, in high-leverage relief — or maybe all three? 

How quickly will Aaron Judge return? We can debate whether their bigger need is behind the plate or in relief at the deadline, but regardless of what they do a week from now, they need their captain back and looking like himself if they want to get back to the World Series. 

Here is a list of injured Cubs pitchers: Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown, Cade Horton, Daniel Palencia, Hunter Harvey, Shelby Miller, Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Porter Hodge, Riley Martin, Ethan Roberts. 

With several of them expected back at some point in the second half, how will the Cubs choose to patch up their beleaguered pitching staff at the deadline? 

Do they make a big splash at the deadline? They have the best record in a weak American League, they have needs up the middle offensively, and they could use a boost both in the rotation and the bullpen. President of baseball operations Erik Neander might see an opportunity ahead to push in. 

The Braves have gotten their NL East lead back to a more comfortable distance and look destined to prove that last year was a blip. Still, they can’t feel too comfortable about their starting options beyond Chris Sale once they get to October. 

Can they land a co-ace at the deadline? 

How much will last year’s sweep in the NLCS motivate them at the deadline? The Brewers have proven their might as regular-season juggernauts, but the disparity in star talent was evident when they went to Los Angeles last October. 

They have the talent on the farm to take a big swing. Will they finally do it? 

How much will Shohei Ohtani’s balky left knee hold him back the rest of the way, and how will that issue impact the Dodgers’ deadline decision-making? Blake Snell is closing in on a return, but neither he nor Tyler Glasnow have pitched in nearly two months. 

If the Dodgers have any reservations at all about their pitching staff, they have the resources to make significant midseason moves — even if they’d prefer not to — in their quest to three-peat.