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Each week, the California Post will power rank MLB’s 30 teams and check in on one intriguing awards race. With the MLB trade deadline on Monday, this week’s rundown also looks at how the landscape may change when all the dealing’s done. Records as of Saturday morning.

1) Dodgers (69-41)

The Dodgers are already the best team in baseball. Now, the rest of the sport is waiting to see if they will add Tarik Skubal to their collection of star talent, too. Even if they don’t, of course, the defending two-time champions will be clear-cut favorites for a third straight title. Even with Shohei Ohtani still battling his knee injury, Edwin Díaz and Kiké Hernández are back, with Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Will Smith not far behind. (Last week: 1st)

2) Brewers (68-41)

Another player in the Skubal sweepstakes, the Brewers certainly have more of a need for the two-time Cy Young winner. While Jacob Misiorowski has bounced back from his All-Star-break arm fatigue, the rest of their rotation remains banged up. It has slowed their roll for now. But without many big stars in the lineup, the more star pitching they can get, the better. (Last week: 2nd)

3) Rays (64-45)

The Skubal contenders keep on coming. Like the Brewers, the Rays could use another ace-caliber pitcher to bolster their World Series chances. But, like the Brewers, they are a small-market team typically opposed to mortgaging the future on rental players. Unlike the Brewers, at least, the Dodgers aren’t standing in the way of them at least reaching the World Series. (Last week: 3rd)

4) Braves (65-45)

Did we mention that Skubal is a coveted commodity? The Braves could be a dark horse in the bidding, too, thanks to their depth of young pitching and need for another front-line option to pair with Chris Sale in the rotation. The good news for them for now, at least, is that the fading Phillies have fallen eight games behind them in the NL East standings. (Last week: 4th)

5) Cubs (62-48)

How about one last Skubal contender to round out the top five? The Cubs have the most glaring hole of the group at the top of their rotation. But they’ve also practiced extreme caution in recent years at trade deadlines, and this summer they might prefer a controllable starting pitcher. Either way, they have finally found some extended consistency lately, going 30-20 over June and July. (Last week: 5th)

6) Yankees (62-48)

Finally, we’ve reached a team that likely won’t make a strong push for Skubal. But that doesn’t mean the scuffling Yankees don’t need help. Most of it will have to come internally, of course, with the club now playing without Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger after his hamstring injury. But a catcher and reliever remain on their wish list. (Last week: 6th)

7) Red Sox (58-51)

Curtis Mead might be done for the year. Jarren Duran is hurting his trade stock on and off the field. And yet, the Red Sox keep on rolling, having won back-to-back series, plus a series opener over the Dodgers on Friday, since their 15-game win streak was snapped. A strong deadline could make them a serious World Series threat. (Last week: 8th)

8) White Sox (58-51)

The first-place White Sox have the highest-scoring offense in the American League. Now, they are looking for pitching, pitching and more pitching to go along with it, with everyone from Reid Detmers to Eric Lauer linked to them as potential targets. (Last week: 10th)

9) Diamondbacks (58-52)

If this isn’t the season for the Dbacks to return to the playoffs for the first time since their surprise World Series run in 2023, then when? The club has moved into the second NL wild-card spot with a 13-5 surge and should have some late-season pitching help (including Corbin Burnes) coming back — if they can add enough at the deadline to get there while still in contention. (Last week: 9th)

10) Phillies (57-53)

Bryce Harper’s comment about Philadelphia needing help might have been a veiled shot at top executive Dave Dombrowski. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t spot on. The once red-hot Phillies have gone ice cold once again, losing eight of their last nine. And while adding someone like Skubal would fit Dombrowski’s aggressive MO, there are too many other holes in the lineup they’ll likely have to address first. (Last week: 7th)

11) Astros (56-55)

For the first time since the first week of April, the Astros are over .500 — and in first place in the AL West. It once seemed unlikely that they would get here, given the disastrous way their season started. But now, they can look to shore up their roster and give their veteran core perhaps one last shot at a postseason run. (Last week: 16th)

12) Guardians (56-55)

It’s shaping up to be another unremarkable deadline for the Guardians, which would be fitting for what has been a largely unremarkable — though still potentially playoff-bound — season. Their main concern now is getting José Ramírez going again, after a quiet first week in his return from the injured list. (Last week: 11th)

13) Padres (56-54)

The Padres might not be dead after all, winning six of seven to give what has been a quiet deadline thus far just what it needs: an unpredictable A.J. Preller. Will he still trade one of his top relievers? Will he find a way to land another top starter? Anything feels possible, with the Padres just 1 ½ games out of the wild card again. (Last week: 17th)

14) Pirates (55-56)

Right about now would be a good time for Paul Skenes to get going again. In what was already a strange season for the reigning Cy Young winner, Skenes has now allowed five runs in back-to-back outings, pushing his ERA to 3.90. Pittsburgh remains in the playoff hunt and figures to add at the deadline. But any October push will depend on Skenes rediscovering his typical form. (Last week: 12th)

15) Rangers (55-55)

The Rangers gave up almost nothing in a trade with the Angels this week. But leading up to Monday, they’ll have get a little bit more in future deals than a middle reliever and Triple-A catcher, too. (Last week: 14th)

16) Twins (56-55)

We have been down on the Twins in these rankings all year. We implored them to be sellers earlier this month. And yet, they continue to march forward, entering Saturday above .500 and tied for the final AL wild-card spot. As one of the few clubs to declare themselves as buyers and already adding pieces to their bullpen, they get an overdue jump this week. (Last week: 22nd)

17) Marlins (56-55)

The Marlins are one of many teams on the deadline fence, after finally snapping out of their 12-game losing streak and remaining just 1 ½ games out of a wild card. They have pieces they could move. But also, do they want to punt a real postseason chance? (Last week: 20th)

18) Nationals (55-56)

The Curtis Mead-for-Connelly Early trade might be a sign of things to come for the Nationals. It wasn’t quite a buy. It wasn’t quite a sell. Instead, it keeps them relevant for now (assuming Early can return from injury and contribute down the stretch) while also giving them a piece for the future. (Last week: 19th)

19) Orioles (54-56)

Want to know how strange this year’s deadline is? The Orioles pulled off a stirring comeback against the Phillies on Friday to move within 1 ½ games of a wild-card spot –– then traded Dean Kremer to the Twins. It was a good example of how even teams in the mix are struggling to decide whether to buy or sell. (Last week: 21st)

20) Cardinals (54-56)

A feel-good story for so much of the first half, the Cardinals have wound up where everyone originally expected: likely to be deadline sellers, with their playoff chances dwindling amid a 3-11 skid. (Last week: 13th)

21) Mariners (53-58)

Congratulations to the Mariners, who are the worst team on this list still expected to add at the deadline. They will have to, as their disappointing season has taken an even darker turn with losses in eight of 10 games. At least their division is so bad, they are still only three games back. (Last week: 15th)

22) Tigers (52-58)

The Tigers are actually going to trade Skubal … right? While that has become the industry expectation in recent days, thanks in no small part to the team blowing a 7-0 lead in what might have been his final start with the team, Detroit is reportedly continuing to slow-play his trade talks. That should change in the coming days. Until then, the rest of the sport waits. (Last week: 18th)

23) Reds (52-57)

While much attention has been on Skubal, Reds ace Hunter Greene has been in the deadline rumor mill, as well. That doesn’t mean he’s likely to be dealt. But could he be an unexpected fallback for a team that misses out elsewhere? (Last week: 23rd)

24) Blue Jays (51-59)

Here’s a stat almost impossible to believe: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has zero (0!) home runs at home this season. Yet another reminder of why the Blue Jays find themselves as sellers after last year’s World Series run. (Last week: 24th)

25) Giants (47-63)

Good news: The Giants shed some payroll this week. Bad news: It’s because they stopped paying Harrison Bader after his late-night scooter accident ended his season. Can this year get any worse in the Bay? (Last week: 26th)

26) Mets (47-64)

David Stearns has a lot of players to move. But until he starts lowering the asking price on some — most notably, Freddy Peralta — the Mets will be one of the teams holding up more profound action on the trade market. (Last week: 28th)

27) Royals (46-65)

The next eight months will be critical for Kansas City. Because if they can’t retool their Bobby Witt Jr.-led roster back into a contender by next year, it’s fair to wonder if they ever will. (Last week: 27th)

28) Athletics (45-65)

Not that they were going anywhere anyway, but the wheels have completely fallen off in Sacramento. Another lost season in nomadic anonymity. (Last week: 25th)

29) Rockies (43-67)

Under past regimes, the Rockies have usually not even tried all that hard to sell what few valuable pieces they’ve had at trade deadlines. We’ll see if that changes this week under new exec Paul DePodesta. (Last week: 29th)

30) Angels (42-68)

Speaking of teams seemingly set to change their trade deadline approach, interim Angels GM John Mozeliak could be a key character to watch this weekend. He has plenty of sellable pieces and an apparent desire to kick-start a real rebuild in Anaheim. (Last week: 30th)

Award Tracker: AL MVP

1) Yordan Alvarez, Astros (.324 average, 35 home runs, 82 RBIs, 1.077 OPS)

Here’s an unexpected development. Alvarez now appears to be more of a shoo-in for MVP than even Shohei Ohtani. The real question will be whether he can complete the Triple Crown, currently holding healthy leads in all three categories.

2) Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (.279 average, 13 home runs, 39 RBIs, .800 OPS)

The standout shortstop remains a WAR machine, trailing only Alvarez in the AL at 4.9. Too bad that hasn’t translated into more actual wins for the Royals, who are set to miss the playoffs for the fourth time in his five seasons.

3) Junior Caminero, Rays (.282 average, 30 home runs, 66 RBIs)

It was fair to wonder how much of Caminero’s breakout performance last year was from playing in the band-box of Steinbrenner Field. So much for that. On pace for another 40-plus homer season, Caminero trails only Kyle Schwarber and Ohtain for most long balls in the majors the last two years.

José Soriano had the starting nod for the Los Angeles Angels in Saturday's lineup against the Milwaukee Brewers on August 1. Now, he's listed as a healthy scratch, according to baseball insider Jon Heyman.

Soriano has had his name swirl around discussions and trade rumors ahead of the MLB trade deadline, which is scheduled for Monday, August 3 at 6 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. PT.

Starting in place of Soriano is 36-year-old right-hand pitcher Brent Suter.

Soriano has put up a 9-6 record with a 3.29 ERA and 127 strikeouts. He's also tallied a 1.25 WHIP in 123 innings pitched. The 27-year-old, right-handed pitcher has appeared in and started 22 games for the Angels.

The Angels released the following statement on Saturday:

The last time Soriano pitched against the Brewers was during the 2025 season. On September 17, he pitched 1.1 innings where he allowed two hits, two walks and three runs in a 9-2 loss. He did not deliver any strikeouts during the September 2025 meeting at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

Jose Soriano stats and record

Soriano is on pace for a career-best 3.29 ERA. In his last outing against the San Francisco Giants, he helped the Angels to a narrow 4-3 victory where Soriano pitched five innings at Oracle Park.

On the mound, he put in work against one of the five California-based MLB teams. Soriano wasn't perfect but nevertheless put on a good pitching display that contributed in getting the job done.

He only gave up three hits and allowed one run in his July 26 performance. Soriano struck out five batters and only three were walked in 85 total pitches.

Soriano first signed with Angels as an international free agent for a $70,000 signing bonus on March 4, 2016. He had quite the journey that took him from his home in the Dominican Republic to Arizona to Iowa. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Soriano from the Angels in the 2020 Rule 5 draft. He spent time in Florida, before the Pirates sent him back to the Angels in 2021.

Soriano rehabbed from injury and continued to develop under the Angels' farm system until he got his break in 2023. He made his MLB debut on June 3, 2023 when the Angels promoted Soriano to the majors. It was the first time being called up in his career and he didn't look back.

In 38 appearances out of the bullpen during his rookie campaign, he threw a 3.64 ERA with 56 strikeouts over 42 innings of work.

Soriano, now in his fourth-year in the MLB, looks to improve upon his recent outings. However, it will be interesting to see whether he remains with the Angels as movement around the league is anticipated in light of the trade deadline.

In the meantime, Suter and the Angels will take on the Brewers at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA beginning at 9:38 p.m. ET and 6:38 p.m. PT.

The Angels currently have a 42-68 record and are in fifth place in the American League West division. The Brewers are 68-41, sitting atop the National League Central with the best record.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angels scratch José Soriano before Brewers game amid trade buzz

Wow! First place in the Al Central by three games entering August, three straight wins over the top teams in the league, talk of adding at the deadline instead of the usual subtracting! Why, it’s enough to make a nonagenarian who hates fans and players happy, even if only because it means a whole lot more butts in seats and thus money in his pocket.

Trying to keep things going will be the one starting pitcher (or, today, bulk reliever, as fans of fiber call it) who has really struggled of late. Will Venable is going with an opener for Noah Schultz today, the first time that’s been tried. Jordan Hicks gets the nod to start the game, his first time in that role.

Hicks has fared extremely well lately, not giving up a run in 14 straight appearances since early June. Schultz, not so much, allowing 16 runs in 21 1/3 innings in July and not making it out of the fourth his last two times out.

Will how he does today impact trade deadline decisions on getting a starter? Only The Shadow knows. Well, The Shadow and Chris Getz.

Sox batters, fresh from clobbering long balls last night, will be facing modern medicine marvel Drew Rasmussen. The 31-year-old righty not only had two Tommy John surgeries while still in college (in a time when it was very unusual to be able to pitch effectively for more than a year or two after a second round), he had the nouveau internal brace surgery in 2023, and yet has come back to be an All-Star in 2025 and 2026.

Rasmussen sports a fine 3.07 ERA for the season, but had a mixed July, with two very bad starts early in the month. He was very good his last two starts, though, and held the Guardians to one hit over seven innings last time out.

Rasmussen will face a White Sox lineup that only has a change at catcher from last night’s slugfest.

Jordan Hicks gets the nod pic.twitter.com/t3R51oTaUl

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 1, 2026

Hicks, Schultz, et. al will be tossing to a Tampa Bay lineup weighted toward righties.

Y. Diaz, DH
C. Simpson, LF
J. Caminero, 3B
V. Mesa Jr., RF
J. DeLuca, CF
R. Vilade, 1B
B. Williamson, 2B
N. Fortes, C
T. Walls, SS

First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Central, when it’s supposed to be in the upper 80s in Tampa and likely to rain, so saved by the dome. Usual broadcast suspects, with Steve Stone off for the road trip (too bad), but John Schriffen still in the TV booth (also too bad).

The 2026 MLB season is well into the second half, and while there have been some tough breaks, the Yankees have done a nice job on the whole staying afloat. They have been missing the irreplaceable Aaron Judge for some time now, Giancarlo Stanton’s status is as mystifying as ever, and now missing Cody Bellinger for a long spell, the roster does not look the way fans may have envisioned early in the year. Despite this, the Bombers have a firm grasp on a playoff spot, and are very much in the race for the AL East. While this can be attributed to many things, solid work with the leather certainly plays a role.

As with every other passing month, July did not pass without some highlights on the defensive side. With the month coming to a close, let’s take a look at some of the most notable flashes of the leather throughout July.

July 1: Volpe over the shoulder

On the first day of the month, in a close game at home against the Tigers, Anthony Volpe made an early entry into our list. With two outs in the fourth inning, Zach McKinstry hit a looping popup, ticketed for the center-field grass. Already shaded slightly up the middle, Volpe ran nearly straight back, before making the impressive over-the-shoulder catch and sliding to a knee, preventing a single and bringing the inning to a close.

As a bonus, reliever Paul Blackburn made a nifty, between-the-legs snag on a comebacker the same day.

July 24th: Caballero lays out, throws it from a knee

In the second inning of a scoreless game against the Phillies, José Caballero cemented his spot in July’s finest plays. With Cam Schlittler on the mound, Alec Bohm ripped the first pitch the other way toward the hole on the right side, only for Cabby to pick the worm-burner off the turf, roll over onto a knee, and make a sharp throw over to first base to just barely get Bohm. Every play mattered in this game, as the Yanks went on to win 1-0.

July 24th: Belli’s clutch play on the track

In the same game, Bellinger gave more proof to the importance of defense in the tight Yankees win. Later in the game, with the Phillies hoping to stage a rally in the ninth, Brandon Marsh nearly started one with extra bases when he rocketed a ball to the warning track the other way. Bellinger, as he does so well, had a beat on it and used every bit of his big frame to leap and make the play a few feet in front of the wall.

July 28th: Jazz ranges far into the outfield

Some of the most memorable defensive plays in baseball often involve a player far away from where their position typically roams. In this play, a chopper off the bat of Colson Montgomery bounced over first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, only for Jazz Chisholm jr. to range deep into the outfield, extend to snare the grounder, and make a spinning throw to first base. It’s not often you see a second baseman make a throw from the foul line, probably 50 feet beyond the first base bag, but Chisholm made it look pretty seamless here.

July 29th: A pair of nice plays in extras

This was very much a game to forget for the Yankees, as they ultimately lost in 12 innings. There was a time, however, that a couple of slick defensive plays nearly netted them a win in the 11th (before defense ended up biting them elsewhere). The first play sees some damage control from Goldschmidt over at first base. With no outs and a runner on second base, Camilo Doval fielded a soft chopper to his right before rocketing a throw into the dirt at first base. The veteran Goldschmidt calmly made a swift pick of the ball in front of the runner to secure the hue out.

The second play comes from the always-impressive Ryan McMahon, who snared a hard grounder to his left, quickly got to his feet and threw a strike over to first base. At the time, it was a game-saver, as the tying run was standing on third base with one out. We won’t talk about anything else from this game! If you dare ponder it, consider it a Dishonorable Mention.

Texas Rangers lineup for August 1, 2026 against the Houston Astros: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Ronel Blanco for the Astros.

Texas looks to rebound from yesterday’s ugly loss and re-gain first place in the American League West. Its a lefty-heavy lineup that includes Joc Pederson at first base.

The lineup:

Pederson — 1B

Langford — LF

Seager — SS

Nimmo — DH

Carter — CF

Duran — 3B

Osuna — RF

Diaz — C

Lopez — 2B

6:10 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -120 favorites.

The Mariners games will continue until morale improves.

As a reminder, if you want to chat about trade deadline stuff – rumors, suggested trades, analysis of other teams’ moves – you can do that in the trade deadline thread linked here or pinned on the homepage.

Lineups:

News:

Luke Raley has been moved to the IL with his nagging elbow issue; OF Stuart Fairchild, signed as a minor-league free agent in early July, is here in his place. Read more here. Also, in case you missed it, there was also a roster move yesterday, with J.P. Crawford headed to the IL to try to heal up his inflamed wrist; Leo Rivas is here instead. There are also some updates on the injured relievers as well as some other miscellany (apparently Brendan Donovan counts as miscellany to me); read it all in John’s injury update here.

The Twins also made their own roster moves: they’ve acquired pitcher Dean Kremer from the Orioles, who has reported to the team. Zebby Matthews was rewarded for his career night against the Mariners last night by being optioned to Triple-A to make room for him.

Today’s game information:

Game time: 1:10 PT

TV: Mariners TV with Aaron Goldsmith and Ryan Rowland-Smith, with Angie Mentink as field reporter. This game will also be televised nationally on FS1, with Connor Onion and Mark Sweeney as the announcers. This is my first time typing that particular name and I assure you, his name is in fact Connor Onion and he is real. This fact brought to you by Cibo Matto (you gotta know your chicken onion).

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.

The Braves are going for another series win at home against their division rival Nationals. Reynaldo Lopez is taking the mound, with Miles Mikolas starting for Washington, in a matchup of unconvincing righties.

Drake Baldwin gets the nod at leadoff against the righty starter, as Walt Weiss continues to swap him and Acuna at the top of the order. Elsewhere, Dominic Smith returns to the lineup, DHing and batting sixth, right ahead of the remnants of Austin Riley. Mike Yastrzemski and Jim Jarvis make up the back of the lineup.

Saturday in the park 🏡 pic.twitter.com/b7ymsKFWG6

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 1, 2026

I will update this post once the Nationals release their lineup.

Game Info

Game Time: Saturday, August 1st, 7:15 pm EDT

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Watch: BravesVision

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

Go Rays!

The San Diego Padres have great confidence in Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta when they take the hill. Each pitcher has defined why they’re a top-of-the-rotation starter with their bulldog-like mentality.

Musgrove is the hometown hero who pitched the first no-hitter in franchise history. Pivetta had a breakout 2025 campaign, going 13-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 31 starts. But elbow injuries have derailed their seasons.

Arm Injuries are tough

The road to recovery is tough. The rehab process is slow and frustrating, but quite necessary. First, both right-handers must begin throwing at 75 feet, then gradually move to 125 feet. Next is a throwing session off the mound before heading out for rehab starts.

Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager AJ Preller is optimistic that Musgrove and Pivetta will pitch again this season. Currently, both starters are on the 60-day injured list, but neither has thrown a minor-league rehab start. 

Musgrove’s recovery has been bumpy

Musgrove is recovering from the after-effects of Tommy John surgery that has sidelined him since October 2024. However, in Spring Training, he suffered a setback that has kept Musgrove from making his season debut. Unfortunately, his injury history seems to drag on longer than expected. 

Immediately, the Friars placed Java Joe on the 60-day IL. Thanks to rest and rehab, he is now throwing short stints off the mound. Musgrove will not be rushed, but the hope is that he will return by late August or early September. 

The return of Pivetta is not far off

In an early-season start against the Colorado Rockies, Pivetta exited the game with elbow stiffness. Afterward, an MRI showed a flexor strain. Team doctors recommended rest and rehab over elbow surgery. So far, the diagnosis has paid off.

Pivetta threw 20 pitches in a simulated outing in late July at the Peoria Sports Complex. He is expected to throw another brief simulated outing before having another MRI to check on his elbow’s condition. If the images are good, Pivetta will be sent out for minor-league rehab starts. 

He may have a shorter timetable than Musgrove in returning to the active roster. But Pivetta will need at least four or five appearances before the Padres can consider him ready to pitch in the majors.

The Padres have been dealing with multiple injuries to the starting rotation all season. It began with Yu Darvish and Musgrove in Spring Training. Then you add Pivetta and his rotation replacement, Lucas Giolito, to an already long laundry list.

The return of Musgrove and Pivetta atop the rotation could alter the National League Wild Card race. 

But let’s take it one step at a time. The Friar Faithful need to see them pitch in games before we can dream.