Braves run up that hill

The Cincinnati Reds are once again at the bottom of the MLB Power rankings this week. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Strange things have been happening in the MLB power rankings, but this week the Atlanta Braves keep running up that hill while the Chicago White Sox get turned upside down.

Welcome to July! Major League Baseball has taken over the sports landscape. The NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals are over. The NFL has yet to prepare for next season. Suddenly, the MLB Power Rankings have a lot more power. This week’s list also includes many changes from where teams sat last week.

The first week of July hardly predicts what will ultimately happen. There is still time for some teams to climb steep climbs or fall into oblivion. In the meantime, the best teams will try to establish themselves further. The worst will hope for a rule of clemency to come into effect.

The MLB Power Rankings tell a story about the sport that the rankings only hint at. With the trade deadline now less than a month away, how do these 30 teams rank?

30. MLB Achievement Rankings: Oakland Athletics

Everything about it is pathetic Oakland Athletics Team. Budget contenders a year ago this time, the team took the same direction that the front office showed them.

Athletics could end the year in earnest without regularly hitting the .250 mark in 2022. Offense was her biggest problem. With the starting rotation and bullpen they have, they could at least play competitive baseball in a world where they scare a few runs. Amazingly, they’re not even the lowest-scoring team in baseball, but that’s because another club has a better-rounded staff compared to Oakland’s limited resources.

29th MLB Achievement Ranking: Cincinnati Reds

That Cincinnati Red continue to prove that they are indeed one of the worst teams in baseball. It’s not just a slow start that has held her back. Continuously, this ball racket lags behind in all aspects.

There weren’t many great stories for Reds fans to remember this year. Luis Castillo is doing well enough to increase his trade value. Tommy Pham might have been one of the most desirable outfielders if he hadn’t beaten Joc Pederson. Ownership has decided to hit the reset button. It’s been a painful reboot that feels like the infamous “ring of death” just circling the screen.

28. MLB Power Rankings: Washington Nationals

That Washington Nationals are a terribly bad baseball team with superstar Juan Soto at its core. Josh Bell had a very good year and even Nelson Cruz was a solid DH complement.

The compliments pretty much end there. Many other position players underperformed. The pitching staff is messier than the competitors’ stomach systems in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. The only question for them is whether they are worse than the reds. We still have half a season to find out.

27. MLB Power Rankings: Kansas City Royals

A lot is going well for them Kansas City Royals this season. They have made a half-hearted attempt to field a good team in recent years. Andrew Benintendi’s trade last year worked well, but they couldn’t do much more.

Bobby Witt is finally starting to overcome some of those rookie jitters and puts together a passable debut season. Unfortunately, they’re so buried behind everyone else and don’t have enough rosters to do anything other than spoil a few seasons.

26. MLB Power Rankings: Pittsburgh Pirates

Don’t let the ranking fool you. That Pittsburgh Pirates are a much worse team than their record says. Weekly they seem to find a way to get blown out. A 2:19 loss earlier in July tells us everything we need to know about this year’s club.

The Pirates suffer from the same ailments as the other teams so low in the MLB power rankings. They have some good players and a whole lot of guys who are better off in triple-A. The pitching staff isn’t great at all, with the closer David Bednar even looking a bit more human lately.