Outside of a handful of clear-cut contenders at the top, the MLB landscape is littered with teams toeing the line between contender and non-contender as we move ever closer to the annual trade deadline. There are currently 14 teams within five games on either side of a .500 record, and that means one hot week from one of them can send the club flying up the weekly rankings.
This week, it was the Arizona Diamondbacks, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals who made a significant climb in the rankings, while the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants made big moves in the other direction. That shuffling will continue in the coming weeks as the teams in the middle of the field try to make a decisive push up the standings.
For now, here's an updated look at where all 30 teams stand. 30. Chicago White Sox (19-54) Previous Rank: 30 Last Week: 1-3 @ SEA, 1-2 @ ARI Star of the Week: SP Garrett Crochet (1 GS, ND, 7.
0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 13 K) With one win each against the Mariners and D-backs, the White Sox managed to trim their futility pace below 120 losses for the first time in weeks. Expect a full-blown fire sale leading up to the trade deadline, so it might be just a matter of time before they are back on an all-time awful trajectory. 29.
Miami Marlins (23-48) Previous Rank: 29 Last Week: 1-2 @ NYM, 0-3 @ WAS Star of the Week: SP Roddery Muñoz (1 GS, ND, 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) The Marlins are now 2-11 with a minus-47 run differential in June, and th.
