MLB Power Rankings: New York Yankees Surging Up Rankings

August 1, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels manager

(14) argues his ejection call with umpire Chris Segal during the second inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

15. Texas Rangers (51-53) The Rangers could be argued as the winners of the deadline. They landed the most coveted asset, trading for Cole Hamels and the four years he has remaining on his contract beyond this season. While that was a move made for the future, as he and Yu Darvish make up arguably the best one-two punch in baseball, the Rangers are not out of the race for this season. They also acquired hard throwing Jake Diekman with Hamels and Sam Dyson in a separate trade to help improve their bullpen. The Rangers showed this week they cannot be discounted, as they bounced back nicely to take the last two games of their four game series against the Yankees, and took two of three from the Giants.

14. Minnesota Twins (54-50) It has been a tough second half for the Twins thus far, as they have gone 4-10, falling eight games behind the Royals in the AL Central. While that race seems to be over at this time, the Twins are still very much alive in the AL Wild Card race. But, did they do enough to keep pace with other teams in the race? The Blue Jays and Orioles both made moves to improve their team, while the Rangers may have made a trade for the future in acquiring Cole Hamels but cannot be counted out. The Twins did well adding to their bullpen by acquiring Kevin Jepsen, but it is fair to question if that will be enough to hold off the hard charging AL East teams.

13. Los Angeles Angels (55-49) The Angels are in a freefall and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. They were able to add multiple left-handed bats at the deadline, trading for David DeJesus, David Murphy and Shane Victorino. That should help their lineup, but the Angels have bigger problems with C.J. Wilson out for the season and some teammates questioning the severity of the injury. The Angels are also in the midst of a MLB worst six-game winning streak at this time. Making matters worse, Mike Trout missed some time with a wrist problem this past week, which made everyone with an interest in the Angels nervous. He returned, but wasn’t enough to help them avoid getting swept by the Astros, who have retaken control of the AL West.

Next: Tough Weekend for Nationals