The Phillies vaulted into the top spot in our power rankings for the first time … only to then crumble, ending this weekend on a four-game losing skid.
Needless to say, they’ve been supplanted atop the rankings this week.
Jesús Luzardo had to wear it in the worst start of his career Saturday, but that doesn’t negate what he did up to that point. He entered the debacle with a 2.15 ERA through his first 11 starts in Philadelphia, and he remains one of the best acquisitions of the offseason.
More than a third of the way through the season, we have a much better idea now about how the moves made this winter are panning out.
For this week’s power rankings, we take a look around the league at every team’s best offseason moves.
All right, fine, we’re looking at 29 teams’ best offseason moves. Skip card, please? Carry on.
Shane Smith might go down as one of the all-time great Rule 5 picks. His 2.68 ERA is the 12th-lowest among all American League pitchers who’ve thrown at least 50 innings this year. In addition, Chase Meidroth — acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade — has been the sixth-most valuable AL second baseman by fWAR.
At 38 years old, Andrew McCutchen is still hitting well above league average. That qualifies as a force in this Pittsburgh lineup.
Quick reminder that the A’s were 22-20 when they beat the Dodgers 11-1 on May 13. They have won one of their 18 games since then. One game. One. Brent Rooker continues to rake after signing his five-year extension. The problem is they have MLB’s worst ERA, but their big offseason addition Luis Severino (3.89) has been solid.
Score one for top Rule 5 draft picks this year. The Marlins took catcher Liam Hicks from the Tigers right after Smith went first to Chicago. Hicks, a 2021 ninth-round pick, has an .811 OPS in part-time work behind the plate. Miami is now trying him at first base, too.
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