30. San Diego Padres (Last Rank: 29th)
- The Padres are almost completely devoid of talent at this point. Should they part ways with their lone offensive threat in Adrian Gonzalez they may never win a game. They would be left without a single hitter who can claim an OPS above the league average.
29. Washington Nationals (Last Rank: 30th)
- We had all but carved the Nationals name onto the bottom of the rankings for this season, but despite their continued dreadfulness (8-15 in July) they manage to climb out of the bottom of the cellar. Unfortunately, rumors that they may not sign top pick Stephen Strasburg suggest that the franchise is still a long way from credibility.
28. Cleveland Indians (Last Rank: 27th)
- The Tribe’s season has been over a while now, but that doesn’t seem like reason enough to mortgage the near future as well. Given both their own talent base and the overall mediocrity of their division we see no reason why they can’t compete in the AL Central in 2010. Those chances take a huge hit if they choose to part with Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez or both.
27. Kansas City Royals (Last Rank: 28th)
- While the team lost eight of nine to come out of the break, a former top prospect has shown signs of turning a corner. Luke Hochevar struck out 22 (including 13 in a game) while walking no one in consecutive starts, easily the two most dominant starts of his career.
26. Oakland Athletics (Last Rank: same)
- Despite doubts about Matt Holliday’s trade value A’s GM Billy Beane was able to flip him for three solid prospects, including Brett Wallace, the best hitter in the Cardinals system. It may not compare the package of Carlos Gonzalez and Huston Street that Beane sent to Colorado, but it’s a better return than many thought possible a few weeks ago.
25. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last Rank: 24th)
- Lost in the disaster of the DBack’s disappointing season is the production of strikeout king Mark Reynolds. He’s still racking up K’s by the boatload (134), but if he can post a .928 OPS and 28 home runs it doesn’t really matter how the outs come.
24. Baltimore Orioles (Last Rank: 25th)
- We might have to postpone Matt Wieters Hall Of Fame induction for a just a bit. Although rumored to be borderline immortal, the uber-prospect has posted a disappointing .679 OPS through the first two months of his major league career.
23. New York Mets (Last Rank: 20th)
- Can this team become any more of a disaster? Just because they didn’t want to feel left out while the players fall further out of contention, the front decided to display their own special kind of implosion of the past week. If it weren’t for the reported financial troubles of the Mets ownership we’d all but guarantee an overhaul in management at the end of the season.
22. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last Rank: 21st)
- They probably didn’t discover the league’s next superstar, but the Pirates may have found a solid bat for the next few years. 28 year old Garrett Jones has mashed 10 HRs and boasts a 1.140 OPS since his call-up at the beginning of July. Of course there’s a good chance he’s traded in the next 24 hours since Pirates management wants to make sure that none of their fans can name a single starting player.
21. Cincinnati Reds (Last Rank: 23rd)
- Back-to-back sweeps at the hands of the Dodgers and Cubs trigger selling season in Cincinnati, and with a trio of coveted arms they have the chance to be major players this week. Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo and Francisco Cordero all figure to draw considerable interest from contending teams.
20. Florida Marlins (Last Rank: 19th)
- King Hanely has continued to be one of baseball’s best players, but he’s gotten little help from his teammates. 2008 All-Star 2B Dan Uggla has dropped over 100 points in OPS from a year ago and the speedster Emilio Bonifacio has posted the worst OPS of any everyday third baseman in the league.
19. Houston Astros (Last Rank: 22nd)
- The Astros somehow managed to creep within a game of first place in the N.L. Central, but they really don’t stand a chance in that division. The team’s handful of late-season runs to the postseason will probably delude the team, their fans and the front office into dreams of October, but all that will do is prevent them from entering the rebuilding stage the franchise so badly needs.
18. Seattle Mariners (Last Rank: same)
- Four straight losses, including a three game sweep by the Indians that saw the M’s outscored 31-6, signaled the end of the postseason dreams in Seattle. It looks as if the team will now be in full-scale sell mode, and there should be plenty of interest in Jarrod Washburn, Mark Lowe and Brandon Morrow.
17. Chicago White Sox (Last Rank: same)
- Given the White Sox middling position in a decidedly winnable A.L. Central it’s a bit odd to find them so quiet on the trade front. Of course we’re not sure what they’d be targeting in a trade either. As we noted earlier this season, the ChiSox are the definition of average. They’ve scored as many runs as they’ve allowed and still rank 15th in baseball in both categories as well.
16. Milwaukee Brewers (Last Rank: same)
- Dave Bush’s shoulder issues, Jeff Suppan’s oblique strain and Manny Parra’s disappointing inconsistency place a huge strain on the rotation. As we’ve discussed on this site, the Brewers have the prospects to take a run at either Halladay or Cliff Lee. If they want to stay in the division race they need to make a move soon as they now find themselves four games out and behind three teams.
15. Minnesota Twins (Last Rank: 14th)
- Everyone knows who Joe Nathan is, but the relievers responsible for getting those leads to him have been dominant in 2009. The duo of Jose Mijares and Matt Guerrier has allowed only six earned runs over 40 1/3 innings since the beginning of June.
14. Toronto Blue Jays (Last Rank: 12th)
- If the Jays are intent on moving Roy Halladay, they need learn from the Johan Santana deal and act quickly. If they wait too long and turn down too many solid offers they may end up with little more than the mediocre Carlos Gomez-headed package the Twins received for their ace.
13. Atlanta Braves (Last Rank: same)
- The Braves slumbering offense might finally be awake. Despite averaging only 4.2 R/G before the break, Atlanta bats have lit up the scoreboard to the tune of 6.1 R/G since as they win eight of 11 and charge back into the wild card race.
12. San Francisco Giants (Last Rank: 8th)
- The enigma of Jonathan Sanchez continues in San Francisco. He followed a demotion to the bullpen with a no-hitter in a spot start, but followed that up by going 0-1 with a 6.55 ERA in two starts since. He clearly has the stuff, but a persistent inability to keep his pitch count down has had his name swirling in trade rumors for most of the season. Given the tremendous pitching the Giants have in their system, trading away Sanchez would be an easy call if they didn’t feel like they may need him down the stretch of a playoff race.
11. Detroit Tigers (Last Rank: 6th)
- Despite calling hitter-friendly Comerica Park home, Justin Verlander is remarkably better there than on the road. He’s a mediocre 4-5, 4.76 in 12 away games but a lights-out 7-0, 1.15 in Detroit. We wonder if this huge split in production would force the Tigers to rearrange their rotation should they see October baseball.
10. Chicago Cubs (Last Rank: 15th)
- The Cubs may have finally put it together, as they streak to the division lead thanks to a 9-2 post-All Star run. Alfonso Soriano (1.170 OPS, 12 RBI) and Rich Harden (2-1, 0.95 ERA) both broke out of season-long slumps to spark the surge.
9. Texas Rangers (Last Rank: same)
- The Rangers win seven of eight but remain 2.5 games out in the division as the Angels reel off eight in a row. If they are to overtake the Angles, Texas will need Ian Kinsler to rediscover his 2008 stroke. A breakout star last year, Kinsler has seen his numbers plummet thanks to a July where he’s hitting .151/.198/.326.
8. St. Louis Cardinals (Last Rank: 11th)
- The Cardinals, often resistant to trade their top prospects, made their second big trade of the season in acquiring Matt Holliday. It cost them Brett Wallace, but it’s a clear sign that the Cards are going for it this season. Holliday may not be exactly what his Coors Field inflated stats show, but he’s a huge upgrade and makes them the team to beat in the wild card race, if not the division.
7. Colorado Rockies (Last Rank: same)
- The Wild Card leading Rox are one of only three teams in baseball who boast four starting pitchers with ERAs under 4. And their fifth starter, Jorge de la Rosa, is 5-0 with a 2.52 ERA in his last five starts.
6. Tampa Bay Rays (Last Rank: 5th)
- After his 2008 season, Dioner Navarro looked like he was ready to establish himself as an everyday major league catcher. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay he’s completely collapsed offensively. His .223/.252/.327 line over 288 plate appearances makes him the least valuable catcher in baseball at the plate. According to Fangraph’s WPA (Win Probability Added) statistic, he has been worth -2.19 wins this season. Yes, that’s a negative.
5. Los Angeles Angels (Last Rank: 10th)
- L.A. closer Brian Fuentes saw his season numbers tumble in one night. Despite not allowing an earned run since May 30, his blown save on Monday night caused his ERA to skyrocket from 2.78 to 3.79. K-Rod’s replacement has still been a resounding success as he leads the AL with 30 saves.
4. Boston Red Sox (Last Rank: 2nd)
- The Sox offense disappeared after the break, as they’ve put up a meager 33 runs in their last 10 games. These two weeks of baseball, combined with a Brad Penny’s league average performance in the 5th starter spot and the team’s distinct lack of an all-star caliber hitter in the 8-hole prove that the team does in fact have weaknesses.
3. Philadelphia Phillies (Last Rank: 4th)
- The Phills pull away from the rest of the division thanks to the hottest offense in baseball. Led by the resurgent Jimmy Rollins (.983 OPS in July), the Phillies have been assaulting opposing pitchers the tune of 6.6 R/G since the break.
2. New York Yankees (Last Rank: 3rd)
- He may not have lived up to the hype as a starter thus far in his career, but Phillip Hughes has been nearly unhittable in the bullpen this season. In his last 16 appearances he’s thrown 21 scoreless innings while posting a stunning 25/4 strikeout to walk ratio.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last Rank: same)
- Over the past week, rumors have linked the Dodgers to both Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay trades. Given the amount of talent that would be required in either deal, the Dodgers would be wise to stand pat. They’ve all but clinched a playoff spot and with Billingsley, Kuroda and Kershaw there’s little to be gained by adding an ace. A handful of postseason starts by either Lee or Halladay instead of Kuroda or Kershaw just aren’t worth parting with the teams three best prospects.
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