ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays climbed one spot to No. 3 in MLB.com’s post-trade deadline Power Rankings, positioning them as the clear American League frontrunner after acquiring pitcher Freddy Peralta.
The Rays had been considered a logical landing spot for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who ultimately went to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Tampa Bay pivoted to Peralta, who was described as more affordable prospect-wise. Peralta was “rather terrific himself, as recently as last season,” according to the rankings, and if he can put his Mets tenure behind him, the Rays are positioned as the favorite for the top seed in the American League.
The Dodgers held steady at No. 1 after landing Skubal, while the Milwaukee Brewers remained at No. 2 following their acquisition of Dustin May. The Rays leapfrogged the Atlanta Braves, who dropped from No. 3 to No. 4. Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos defended his club’s quieter approach: “We didn’t go into the Deadline with the thought that we have to get this or we have to get that.”
The rankings reflect a reshuffled American League landscape. The New York Yankees dropped from No. 5 to No. 7 despite adding two big hitters, including Luis García Jr., who was leading the National League in slugging at the time of his acquisition. The Yankees also called up top prospect George Lombard Jr. the day after the deadline. The Houston Astros made the biggest jump, surging from No. 17 to No. 11 behind Yordan Alvarez’s potential Triple Crown campaign and the addition of Daulton Varsho.
The Chicago White Sox, who lost 102 games last season, climbed from No. 9 to No. 8 as buyers at the deadline. “So they have a lot of confidence,” general manager Chris Getz said. “We have confidence now, and just really look forward to how this plays out.” The Chicago Cubs rose from No. 6 to No. 5 after adding Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes to bolster a rotation that had struggled all season. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer praised his team’s grit: “Certainly, the resilience this team has shown, I think, has been really special. I think we did things we felt like would honor that.”
The Detroit Tigers, who traded Skubal and Casey Mize, held at No. 19 but received pitcher River Ryan as part of the Skubal package. The Texas Rangers tumbled from No. 11 to No. 18 after a six-game losing streak shifted them from potential buyers to exploring trades, though pitcher Jacob deGrom opted to stay.
The Rays and the rest of the contenders now turn to the stretch run, with Tampa Bay looking to lock down the American League’s top playoff seed over the final two months of the regular season.