August Arms Race

August 3, 2023

By: Carlos Alvarez

Good Morning,

It’s been 172 days since Super Bowl LVII, but football is finally back. The NFL Preseason kicks off tonight with the Hall of Fame Game between the Browns and Jets. Don’t overthink it. The starters aren’t suiting up.

Today, it’s a post-trade deadline edition of the MLB Power Rankings, and three more teams (two underdogs) punched their tickets to the Round of 16 at the World Cup. We\’re one step closer to the weekend.

Letter Rip!

MLB

Post-Trade Deadline Power Rankings

\"\"/ — *Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images*

After the Trade Deadline, New Deals & Hot Streaks Have Shift the MLB Hierarchy

The MLB trade deadline has blazed past us, and left in the wake is a new-look power rankings. More shuffling is underway at the top with the Braves, Rays, and Rangers each taking pokes at the No. 1 spot this season. The Orioles have spent much of the summer at No. 2. Down the list this week, the Reds and Cubs are shooting up from the NL Central while the Yankees are the latest free-fall in the AL. Fifteen (15) teams are separated by about 10 games in the Wild Card races (spots 7-21). We’re just two months away from October, but the August arms race is heating up. Let’s give it a go with our post-trade deadline rankings.

MLB Power Rankings

1. Braves (69-37) | ↑1

2. Orioles (66-42) | ↑1

3. Rays (66-45) | ↑1

4. Rangers (62-46) | ↓3

5. Dodgers (61-45) | —

6. Astros (62-47) | ↑2

7. Giants (60-49) | ↓1

8. Blue Jays (60-49) | —

9. Reds (59-51) | ↑7

10. Phillies (58-50) | ↑1

Teams 11-20

11. Brewers (58-51) | ↑2

12. Diamondbacks (57-52) | ↓3

13. Marlins (58-51) | ↓1

14. Red Sox (57-51) | —

15. Cubs (55-53) | ↑7

16. Twins (55-54) | —

17. Angels (56-54) | —

18. Yankees (56-52) | ↓8

19. Mariners (56-52) | —

20. Padres (54-55) | —

Teams 21-30

21. Guardians (53-56) | ↓3

22. Mets (50-57) | —

23. Tigers (49-60) | ↑2

24. Pirates (48-59) | ↑2

25. Cardinals (48-61) | ↓2

26. Nationals (46-63) | ↑2

27. White Sox (43-66) | ↓2

28. Rockies (42-66) | ↓1

29. Royals (34-75) | —

30. Athletics (30-79) | —

*See the bottom of today\’s edition for The Team\’s take on who will win the World Series

Home Run Race

1. Shohei Ohtani (LAA): 39 HRs

2. Matt Olson (ATL): 37 HRs

3. Pete Alonso (NYM): 31 HRs

4. Luis Robert (CWS): 29 HRs

5. Mookie Betts (LAD): 28 HRs

MLB: How the Trade Deadline Shook Up the Latest Power Rankings

CBS Sports: Ranking 15 Best Prospects Trade at Deadline as Mets, Cardinals & White Sox Boost Farm Systems

MLB Quick-Hitters

Cubs Going Crazy: One night after the Cubs hung 20 on the Reds, Chicago put up 16 in another win (16-6). They hit five home runs in this one, and those 36 runs in two games are the most for the franchise since 1897. They’re 12-3 in their last 15 games.

Fins Not Finished: The Marlins rallied from a 5-0 deficit to send the Phillies into extras before Jesus Sanchez tallied a bases-loaded walk-off single in the 12th (9-8). New additions Josh Bell (4-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBIs) and Jake Burger (2-for-4) showed out in their debuts.

Seager Sparks Rangers: In his return to the lineup, Rangers shortstop Corey Seager went yard on his first swing to ignite an 11-1 rout for Texas over the White Sox.

Royals Revival: Kansas City has been a bottom-dweller the entire season, but a 4-0 shutout against the spiraling Mets on Wednesday gave the Royals their fifth straight win.

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WORLD CUP

World Cup Stunners

\"\"/ — *Photo: Lars Baron / Getty Images*

Sweden Wins Group G, South Africa & Jamaica Pull Off Upsets as Marta (Brazil) Ends World Cup Career

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup group stage is drawing to a close (as we speak). The final two matches of group play are live as of today’s publish time, but we now know 14 of the 16 teams in the Knockout Stage. Two underdog squads did the unthinkable yesterday morning — South Africa stunned Italy (3-2) to earn a bid to the Round of 16 with a 92nd-minute winner, and Jamaica held Brazil to a scoreless draw (0-0), effectively ending the World Cup Career of Brazilian legend Marta (Vieria da Silva). Sweden also took Group G, and they’ll face the U.S. Women’s National Team in the Round of 16 on Saturday. Let’s keep kicking…

Top World Cup Storylines

Marta’s World Cup Career Ends After Brazil’s Knockout

South Africa Shocks Italy With Late Winner

USWNT to Face Sweden as Underdog in Round of 16

World Cup Highlights

Sweden def. Argentina (2-0)

South Africa def. Italy (3-2)

Jamaica Draw Brazil (0-0)

France def. Panama (6-3)

Teams Advanced (14 out of 16)

Group A: Switzerland & Norway

Group B: Australia & Nigeria

Group C: Japan & Spain

Group D: England & Denmark

Group E: Netherlands & USA

Group F: France & Jamaica

Group G: Sweden & South Africa

Group H: TBD (Colombia, Germany, or Morocco)

Full Group Standings

Final Group Stage Matches (Today)

Morocco vs. Colombia (6:00 am ET)

Germany vs. South Korea (6:00 am ET)

Live Updates

Reuters: End of an Era for Brazil as Marta Bows Out of 6th World Cup

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HIGHLIGHTS

Soccer

Inter Miami Tops Orlando City (3-1) Behind 2 Goals From Messi

WNBA

Ogunbowale Breaks Wings’ 3-Point Record (5) in Win Over Storm (76-65)

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NEWS

Legendary Italian Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon Retires From Soccer at 45 (B/R)
Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers Accused of Betting on Games (ESPN)
Federal Agents Execute Search Warrant on WWE’s Vince McMahon (SI)
NFL Considering XFL-Style Kickoffs for Future Rule Changes (CBS Sports)
Orlando Magic Made $50K Donation to PAC Supporting Ron DeSantis Presidential Campaign (USA Today)
Manchester City Agree to €90 Million Deal With RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol (ESPN)

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TODAY\’S SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

FIFA Women’s World Cup

Morocco vs. Colombia (6:00 am ET)

Germany vs. South Korea (6:00 am ET)

Live Updates

NFL Hall of Fame Game (Preseason)

Jets vs. Browns (8:00 pm ET)

MLB

Astros at Yankees (7:15 pm ET)

Reds at Cubs (8:05 pm ET)

PGA Tour

Wyndham Championship (Round 1)

Download The Sportsletter\’s Must-Watch Calendar

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POLL

Poll Results

Yesterday, we asked: Which of the MLB playoff contenders do you think has the best shot at winning the World Series after the trade deadline? We gave 21 teams in playoff contention a voting chance, and the results were interesting. Shame on those of you who tried to rig the system and vote multiple times (we\’re smarter than that).

Top-5

1. Braves (13.1%)

2. Astros (12.1%)

3. Orioles (8.1%)

4. Rangers (5.7%)

5. Dodgers (4.8%)

6. Yankees (4.7%), 7. Cubs (4.6%), 8. Reds (4.5%), 9. Twins (4.2%), 10. Brewers (3.9%), 11. Rays (3.9%), 12. Blue Jays (3.8%), 13. Red Sox (3.7%), 14. Diamondbacks (3.4%), 15. Phillies (3.1%), 16. Marlins (3.1%), 17. Angels (3.0%), 18. Mariners (2.7%), 19. Guardians (2.6%), 20. Padres (2.6%), 21. Giants (2.3%)

We\’ll close out the week tomorrow with a full picture of the Women\’s World Cup Round of 16 and an Underdog feature you won\’t want to miss. — The Team