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We’re entering the home stretch, folks! The craze of the draft, All-Star Week, and trade deadline is in the rearview mirror now with sights shifting to the playoff picture.

In less than two months, 12 teams will embark on the journey which results in two facing off on the biggest stage. There’s nothing quite like baseball in October.

As we gear up to bring you every bit of content you need leading up to and during the postseason, we’ll check in on where teams stand within the league and their own playoff races this week.

You can hear full analysis of award and division races on the Just Baseball Show as well as our winners and losers of the deadline. Let’s get into it!

Post-Deadline MLB Power Rankings

*Most sections of Power Rankings written by Just Baseball’s Editorial Staff

Instead of highlighting teams based on their record over the past month, this update we are going to spotlight what teams did at the trade deadline, and how that has changed the context of their season moving forward.

Teams that went big to buy at the deadline have shot up rankings, as a team like the San Diego Padres looks drastically different than they did at the All-Star break.

On the other hand, a team like the Minnesota Twins, which executed a complete fire sale, has seen its stock plummet in our power rankings.

The Milwaukee Brewers made some very subtle moves at the trade deadline, which really don’t have much of a barring on why they have grabbed the top spot on our power rankings. They are ranked at No. 1 because they are a bleeping wagon right now!

The Philadelphia Phillies have an aging core of players, which puts them in a clear win-now situation. Dave Dombrowski went into the trade deadline with two clear needs: a closer and a center fielder. These two additions were the finishing pieces for a team that has been knocking on the door to win a World Series for some time now.

The Toronto Blue Jays weren’t the biggest winners at the trade deadline, but they got pieces that both raise their floor and potentially their ceiling as a playoff team come October. Look out for this squad that has taken over the AL East in recent weeks.

Are there really five teams better than the Los Angeles Dodgers?

This is something we had to ask ourselves when making these power rankings and it was not a decision made lightly.

We all know that the defending champs have everything it takes to get hot and roll through October to another World Series title. But we also know that no team has done than since the New York Yankees three-peat from 1998-2000.

The Padres went into the deadline holding onto the third Wild Card spot, and looked very catchable in that race. Now that the deadline has passed, the Padres look like a team that can run down the Dodgers in the NL West and are firmly entrenched as a playoff team.

Read our full power rankings for write-ups on where all 30 teams stand⬇️

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Which MLB team won the most games in the month of July?

A) Brewers

B) Rangers

C) Blue Jays

D) Red Sox

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Divisional Races

Believe it or not, we’re less than two months away from the MLB Postseason!

And this playoff race is about as close as any has been in the last number of seasons. As seen at the trade deadline, plenty of teams are trying to compete and the standings are seriously bunched up.

Before we get into Wild Card races in the coming weeks, we’ll start with checking on each division.

AL East

1. Toronto Blue Jays (68–48)

2. Boston Red Sox (64–52)

3. New York Yankees (61–54)

4. Tampa Bay Rays (57–59)

5. Baltimore Orioles (52–63)

Coming off an excellent past month, Toronto has taken firm control of this division with the team that led most of the year falling all the way to third.

The Red Sox have also surged as the Jays have, jumping the Yankees and putting themself in clear Wild Card positioning for now. This is still very much a race though.

Tampa had a slightly confusing deadline and the Orioles sold but still face a confusing path forward.

AL Central

1. Detroit Tigers (66–50)

2. Cleveland Guardians (59–55)

3. Kansas City Royals (57–58)

4. Minnesota Twins (54–60)

5. Chicago White Sox (42–72)

The Tigers seemingly have this division locked up, but they slowed down a little of late while the Guardians are hot despite losing multiple key players and Kansas City added some pieces at the deadline.

The Twins sold off big-time, but did add some great prospects in the process. Meanwhile, the White Sox have already won more games they did last year, so that’s progress.

AL West

1. Houston Astros (64–51)

2. Seattle Mariners (62–53)

3. Texas Rangers (60–56)

4. Los Angeles Angels (55–60)

5. Oakland Athletics (50–66)

This divisional race has suddenly become a great one after it seemed like Houston would run away with it again not long ago. The Mariners added two huge bats at the deadline while the Rangers elite pitching staff has led a huge turnaround.

All of a sudden, we’ve got a serious race in this division. The Angels…bought (because of course they did). The A’s future offense is starting to look real enticing, even if the team as a whole isn’t fully there just yet.

NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies (65–49)

2. New York Mets (63–52)

3. Miami Marlins (56–57)

4. Atlanta Braves (47–66)

5. Washington Nationals (45–68)

This division remains a two-team race with the Mets and Phillies both adding big pieces at the deadline, matching one another to an extent. The fighting fish in Miami are still alive as they continue to impress.

The end of the season can’t come soon enough in Atlanta and the Nationals’ eyes are still set on the future.

NL Central

1. Milwaukee Brewers (70–44)

2. Chicago Cubs (66–48)

3. Cincinnati Reds (60–55)

4. St. Louis Cardinals (58–58)

5. Pittsburgh Pirates (49–66)

Milwaukee has taken control of this race partially thanks to unexpected bats, but it’s certainly still a race as the Cubs remain one of the best teams in baseball.

The Reds are quietly in play for the Wild Card while the Cardinals have continued to be better than expected. Pittsburgh confusingly didn’t sell much at the deadline.

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (66–49)

2. San Diego Padres (64–51)

3. San Francisco Giants (58–57)

4. Arizona Diamondbacks (54–61)

5. Colorado Rockies (30–84)

Don’t look now, but we have a real divisional race on our hands for once in this division. The Dodgers still lead, but the Padres have a real shot to take this division. Our Peter Appel thinks they will!

After starting the year hot, Arizona and San Francisco took a turn for the worse and ended up as sellers this deadline, essentially ending their playoff aspirations. The Rockies may not end up being the worst team ever…but there’s still a chance.

Other Headlines

• The Red Sox agreed to a massive contract extension with star rookie Roman Anthony that keeps him in Boston for eight years. The deal is worth at least $130 million with potential escalators that can take it to $230 million. Read our full story on the extension here!

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Trivia Answer: C) Blue Jays

With 18 wins in July, Toronto won more games than any other team as the Brewers and Red Sox each won 17 games.

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