The dust has settled following this year’s trade deadline, with a flurry of activity in the final few days resulting in some more clarity about which teams view themselves as contenders or postseason hopefuls and which teams are ready to turn the calendar to 2025.
With so many names changing teams and depth charts shuffling dramatically as a result, this week’s power rankings will survey the new landscape of the league and identify players whose roles and responsibilities will be heightened following all the deadline activity.
1. Philadelphia Phillies, 67-46
In my power rankings a few weeks ago, I contemplated José Alvarado’s place in Philadelphia’s bullpen considering his recent struggles, and sure enough, general manager Dave Dombrowski went out at the deadline and dealt away two promising pitching prospects to acquire a pitcher in Carlos Estévez who appears to slot in as a more traditional, Capital-C Closer for manager Rob Thomson to turn to at the end of games.