
MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers Rise, Yankees Plummet, More
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The past week of the 2025 Major League Baseball season could end up going down as the most exciting one when it's all said and done.
Out of nowhere on Sunday, Boston Red Sox All-Star designated hitter Rafael Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants in one of the most surprising trades in recent memory.
Days later, Devers was at his introductory press conference in San Francisco saying he was open to playing wherever the Giants needed him — a complete 180 from his comments in Boston the last few months.
Read more: Rafael Devers Makes Surprising Announcement Regarding Position With Giants Following Red Sox Trade
That blockbuster deal officially kicked off trade season, which could feature plenty of surprises as a majority of teams still remain in the hunt with six weeks until the deadline.
Elsewhere around the league, the Dodgers asserted their dominance over their National League West counterparts, while the New York Yankees endured a brutal slump that included a 30-inning scoreless streak.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JUNE 12: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees reacts during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on June 12, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri....
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JUNE 12: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees reacts during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on June 12, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. MoreWith all that being said, here is the 12th edition of Newsweek Sports' MLB Power Rankings, with tons of movement among the top 10 teams — but no change at No. 1.
More news: Red Sox Shockingly Demoting Top Prospect Amid Struggles
1. Detroit Tigers (48-28)
2. Chicago Cubs (45-29)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (46-30)
4. New York Mets (45-30)
5. New York Yankees (43-31)
6. Philadelphia Phillies (45-30)
7. Houston Astros (43-32)
8. San Francisco Giants (42-33)
9. Tampa Bay Rays (41-34)
10. San Diego Padres (40-34)
11. Milwaukee Brewers (40-35)
12. Toronto Blue Jays (40-34)
13. St. Louis Cardinals (40-35)
14. Cincinnati Reds (39-36)
15. Boston Red Sox (39-37)
16. Minnesota Twins (37-37)
17. Cleveland Guardians (37-36)
18. Seattle Mariners (37-36)
19. Arizona Diamondbacks (37-37)
20. Kansas City Royals (37-38)
21. Texas Rangers (36-39)
22. Atlanta Braves (34-39)
23. Los Angeles Angels (36-38)
24. Baltimore Orioles (32-42)
25. Washington Nationals (31-44)
26. Pittsburgh Pirates (30-46)
27. Miami Marlins (29-44)
28. Athletics (31-46)
29. Chicago White Sox (23-52)
30. Colorado Rockies (17-58)
Biggest Riser
Boston Red Sox (+5)
The Red Sox were coming off five straight wins and a series sweep of the Yankees when they shocked the league and moved off of Devers and the remainder of his 10-year contract. Since, they took a series against the Mariners in which they scored a total of five runs. For now, they move up the rankings from their dominant stretch of play. But the offense is a big concern at this point in the year without Devers.
Biggest Faller
Minnesota Twins (-4)
The Twins lost six in a row before stopping the bleeding with a win over the Reds to avoid a sweep. In the tight AL Central — three teams are within one game of .500 — they can't afford many stretches like that as the year goes on.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
Giants takeaways: Ugly week ends with ugly series loss to White Sox
It was just one week ago that the San Francisco Giants had momentum. They'd taken two games and an All-Star from the Boston Red Sox, and they were getting national attention for the right reasons. The ballpark energy was back. Strangers on the street were talking to you about your Giants hat. Remember that? Everyone being excited about the local ballclub? Advertisement It was seven days ago, but it might as well have been seven years ago. The Giants were embarrassed by the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox last week, getting outpitched and outhit by two teams that might combine for 200 losses this year. At no point did it look like the Giants were the better team. At only a couple of points did it look particularly close. They made two of the worst teams in baseball look like World Series contenders, and soon they'll come home to face actual World Series contenders. There are bad weeks, and then there are existentially bad weeks. The Giants just had one of the latter. Other than that, everything seems fine. Here are some takeaways from an ugly weekend of baseball in Chicago. Remember that these valuable takeaways are for subscribers only. Gift subscriptions are available. The Giants scored 17 runs in their six games against the Marlins and White Sox, who sure give up a lot of runs to other teams. The Giants have had 14 at-bats with the bases loaded since June 15, and they've turned those 42 runners into four runs. Two of them scored on rally-killing double plays, one scored on a walk and one scored on a play where the back runner was thrown out at home. None of those bases-loaded situations ended with the offensive team feeling very good about itself, which seems hard to do. You can keep going with the not-so-fun facts. In Sunday's 5-2 loss, the Giants drew eight walks and scored just two runs, which is a combination that hadn't happened since 2019. It's been weeks since the Giants have had more than two hits with runners in scoring position in the same game. None of the factlets will be as descriptive as the simple, bleak truth: The Giants couldn't score runs against the Marlins and White Sox, who scored plenty of runs against them. Advertisement If there's good news, it's the kind of 'good news' that gets put in scare quotes. A lot of these problems have to do with the Giants' inability to hit with runners in scoring position (they were 8-for-44 last week), which tends to even out over time. The Giants were on a 110-win pace early in the season when they were great with RISP; they're the most frustrating team in the world now that they're incapable in those situations. The truth, as always, is probably somewhere in the middle. The Giants shouldn't always be this hopeless when it comes to scoring runs. Just some of the time. One thing to keep an eye on: keeps a stat called 'meatball swing percentage,' which is exactly what it sounds like, and only four teams are taking more pitches down the middle than the Giants. If you have unlimited time and a strong stomach, you can watch videos of all of them. Some of them are in hitter's counts. Some of them are with runners in scoring position. Some of them are with hitter's counts with runners in scoring position. It's painful, and it might hint at a passivity that needs to change. It's also not quite as permanent as it feels when the team is in the middle of it, most likely. But one of my main takeaways from the weekend is that, boy, the Giants stink at scoring runs right now. Gift subscriptions still available. The names in the Giants' bullpen might change somewhat, but the roles are going to be consistent. There will be high-leverage guys for late-and-close situations. There will be situational relievers to mix and match in the middle innings. There will be at least one backend guy who can absorb innings, even if he threw a lot of pitches a couple of days ago. Right now, Walker doesn't fit into any of those roles. He clearly isn't trustworthy enough to be a late-inning guy, and he's not stretched out for multi-inning appearances multiple times in the same week. He needs regular work to get right, but the Giants are playing so many close games that it's leaving only high-leverage situations for him. The results have been unfortunate. Put up a 4️⃣-spot for the lead ‼️ — Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 29, 2025 Walker is the worst of all worlds — a reliever who's too talented to give up on, but too erratic to trust. There isn't a bigger gulf between risk and reward on the team. Don't roll your eyes at the idea of Walker eventually contributing quality innings — he had one of the best relief seasons in franchise history last year, and there's a lot that's similiar between the pitches he threw last season and the ones he's throwing now. Other than, you know, the results. Still, if he were having this exact season for another team, he'd be a trade target for the Giants to fix. It doesn't feel like he's that far gone. Advertisement He's a haunted reliever, though, and he's constantly ending up in unexpectedly important spots, even as the Giants try to keep him away. He's like the bullpen's version of Mr. Bean, coming into hilariously sticky situations and somehow making everything even worse. It's almost charming when you think of it like that. Almost. Walker still has options remaining. As of last week, I wouldn't have thought the Giants would seriously consider using them, but then Tyler Fitzgerald was sent down. It was a harsh move to demote the Opening Day second baseman, but it wasn't a controversial one. The Giants sent him down primarily because the Giants still hoped he could help this season, not because they'd given up on him. Walker would appear to be on a similar path. There just aren't any great spots for him to get work on a team that's still very uncertain about its postseason chances. His inability to get one more out in the seventh inning of Sunday's game helped turn a half-respectable series win into a brutal series loss, and these outings will continue until morale improves. You can't make all of the takeaways depressing. It's bad for business. If you're more focused on the long-term success of the team, you can take comfort in Carson Seymour's wide-shouldered sinker, which sure looks like a quality major-league pitch. No idea if it's the kind of pitch that can keep him in the rotation for a decade, but it's a pitch to get excited about right now. It'll be interesting how it plays in short bursts out of the bullpen. Good day on the mound for JV 6.0 IP | 5 H | 1 R | 2 BB | 3 K — SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 29, 2025 If you're focused on the idea of this season, however, you can take comfort in Verlander's outing, which was one of his best in a Giants uniform. He held his velocity deep into Sunday's game, and he was allowed to face hitters for a third time. It feels like a good time to remember that there is still a ceiling the Giants can hope for from Verlander. His stuff is still good enough to impress some of the pitch-modeling metrics, and the dream of him pitching like this in October — against much better lineups — is still alive. Assuming the Giants aren't completely cooked. Which they might be. Unless they're just marinated and resting on the counter, getting closer to room temperature as the grill preheats. Either way, Verlander looked like a capable starting pitcher again, and that qualifies as the best Giants news of the weekend. Take it and don't look back. (Photo of Willy Adames: Kamil Krzaczynski / Imagn Images)


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Jabari Smith Jr. to sign five-year, $122-million contract extension with Rockets
Starting with the 2026-27 NBA season, Jabari Smith Jr. will be on a five-year, $122-million contract with the Rockets, according to reports. There are no player or team options. The Houston Rockets are signing Jabari Smith Jr. to a five-year, $122-million contract extension without any player or team options, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The deal, which begins with the 2026-27 NBA season, is worth below $25 million in average annual value. Smith, drafted at No. 3 overall in the 2022 first round out of Auburn, is eligible for an extension after three NBA seasons. To date in the NBA, the 6-foot-11 forward has averaged 13.0 points (43.2% FG, 34.0% on 3-pointers) and 7.5 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game, and he remains one of the most valuable and versatile defenders for head coach Ime Udoka. With both Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green headed to the Phoenix Suns in the blockbuster trade bringing All-Star forward Kevin Durant to the Rockets, Smith is expected to return to Houston's starting lineup next season. Smith, 22, started approximately the first half of the 2024-25 season at power forward for the Rockets, who finished at 52-30 and with the No. 2 record in the Western Conference. But Smith suffered a broken hand in a January practice and didn't return until after the All-Star break, at which point Udoka opted to keep promising second-year talent Amen Thompson in the initial five. Thompson had begun the season in a sixth-man role. From that point forward, Smith played off the bench without complaint, though he will now presumably regain his starting spot for 2025-26 and beyond. Thompson, too, will remain a starter, with Smith and Durant taking the spots that belonged to Green and Brooks at the end of last season. More: After Kevin Durant trade, Jabari Smith Jr. likely to rejoin Houston's starting lineup


Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Indianapolis Star
Caitlin Clark says she's 'doing everything I can' to return, but Fever wary of setbacks
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark said she feels 'good' after practice Sunday but confirmed she's still 'day-to-day from here on out' with a left groin injury. Clark has missed the past two games due to her left groin. A left quad strain sidelined the two-time WNBA All-Star for five games earlier this season. Indiana is 3-4 without Clark in the lineup and 8-8 on the season. With the Fever set to play the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday, Clark said she's 'doing everything I can' to return to the court. More: Caitlin Clark to wear 'GM hat' as captain for All-Star draft, eyes Fever teammates first '(I'm) doing everything I can to put myself in position to play the next game every single time,' Clark told reporters after Sunday's practice. 'That's always my goal, is to be available for the next game. Doing everything I can with the medical staff to be able to get my body right.' Clark didn't 'participate in everything' during Sunday's practice, according to Fever coach Stephanie White. Instead, White said Clark was limited to 'a lot' of non-contact shooting workouts. White and the Fever are approaching Clark's injury with precaution. 'We're just trying to progress slowly,' White said. 'Making sure we don't have any setbacks.'