MLB ranks Dodgers No. 1

MLB.com put the Los Angeles Dodgers at No. 1 in its first power rankings after the 2026 trade deadline, a list published August 5 after the deadline passed at 6 p.m. ET on August 3. The rankings were written by Will Leitch and presented as the site’s first post-deadline snapshot of the league. The top five behind Los Angeles were the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox, according to MLB.com. ### When did these rankings come out, and what exactly were they measuring? August 5 was the publication date for MLB.com’s post-deadline rankings, which followed a trading period the league site described as a stretch of major roster upheaval before the run to the postseason. The article framed the list as a reset after clubs finished their deadline moves and the market stopped shifting. (mlb.com) The August 3 deadline itself closed at 6 p.m. ET, according to MLB.com’s transaction tracker. That matters because the rankings were positioned as a reaction to completed moves rather than speculation about what teams might still do. ### Who rounded out the top five behind the Dodgers? MLB.com listed the Phillies at No. 2, the Cubs at No. 3, the Tigers at No. 4 and the Red Sox at No. 5. (mlb.com) Those five clubs made up the entire top tier in the August 5 ranking. Will Leitch’s piece did not present the order as standings or playoff seeding. It was a power-ranking snapshot after the deadline, with teams ordered by MLB.com’s view of where they stood heading into the stretch run. (mlb.com) ### Why were the Dodgers on top right after the deadline? The Dodgers entered the rankings after one of the deadline’s most prominent moves: acquiring Tarik Skubal, which MLB.com’s deadline coverage identified as a blockbuster. (mlb.com) MLB.com’s trade pages repeatedly highlighted that deal in deadline coverage and in the tracker of completed moves. MLB.com also pointed to the broader volume of movement across the sport, saying the league was still processing both what happened and what did not happen at the deadline. (mlb.com) In that setting, Los Angeles emerged from the market as the team MLB.com placed first. ### Was this ranking tied to a broader post-deadline reaction across baseball? MLB.com published a separate August 5 reactions piece that said the sport was still trying to wrap its head around the deadline’s biggest deals and surprises. (mlb.com) That article underscored how unsettled the landscape remained even after the trade window shut. The transaction tracker said dozens of deals were completed before the deadline, including nearly 50 on the final day. (mlb.com) MLB.com described elite pitchers, hitters and prospects changing teams in a rush of late activity. ### How should readers use this list now that the deadline is over? MLB.com’s August 5 ranking functions as a post-deadline checkpoint rather than an official league measure. (mlb.com) The site’s own framing was that it was time to “get our bearings” after the deadline and prepare for the stretch run ahead. The next reference points are already on MLB.com: the August 5 power rankings page, the August 5 trade-reaction roundup and the deadline transaction tracker, which documents the moves completed before the August 3 cutoff. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2)