MLB Rankings: Top Teams Flopping During Baseball’s Trade Deadline

Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies are still the top-ranked team in the USA TODAY Sports power rankings.

But that’s only because all the other elite teams have been just as bad – or worse – as them.

The Phillies have lost eight of 12 games and four straight series, but still hold a nine-game lead in the National League East and a 3 ½-game lead for the best NL record. You could say the sting was blunted this weekend, as they lost two of three games to the best team in the American League, the Cleveland Guardians.

Still, the Guardians started the series with their own 4-8 series loss; there was simply no one who was going to get two wins in Philly this weekend.

The Baltimore Orioles, No. 2 in the AL? They’ve lost 10 of 15. The New York Yankees, just one game behind them in the East? They’re 11-23 since June 15 and have lost 13 of 21.

It is not the way for these giants to go into Tuesday’s deadline, where there is only so much that can be done to plug the holes that have been exposed in the past days, weeks, months. Be careful, act wisely.

A look at this week’s rankings:

1. Philadelphia Phillies (-)

2. Cleveland Guardians (+1)

3. Baltimore Orioles (-1)

5. New York Yankees (-)

6. Milwaukee Brewers

7. Atlanta Braves (-)

8. Minnesota Twins (+1)

9. Boston Red Sox (-1)

10. Kansas City Royals (-)

11. Houston Astros (-)

12. San Diego Padres (+3)

13.Arizona Diamondbacks (+1)

14. Seattle Mariners (-1)

15. New York Mets (+1)

16. St. Louis Cardinals (-4)

17. Tampa Bay Rays (-)

18. Texas Rangers (+1)

19.Pittsburgh Pirates (-1)

20. San Francisco Giants (-)

21. Detroit Tigers (+1)

22. Cincinnati Reds (+1)

23. Chicago Cubs (-)

24. Toronto Blue Jays (+1)

25. Washington Nationals (-1)

26. Los Angeles Angels (-)

27. Oakland Athletics (-)

28. Miami Marlins (+1)

29. Colorado Rockies (-1)

30. Chicago White Sox (-)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB Rankings: Transfer Deadline Approaches for Contenders