Jul 29, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop
Troy Tulowitzki(2) hits a double against Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
If the Toronto Blue Jays weren’t a serious playoff contender in your eyes a week ago, that thought process surely has to have changed now after the moves they made right before this year’s trade deadline.
Troy Tulowitzki, LaTroy Hawkins, David Price, Ben Revere and Mark Lowe were each acquired in four separate deals to make the league’s best offense even more dangerous and give the pitching staff some much needed support.
Despite being two games out of an American League Wild Card spot, the Blue Jays now look like not only the favorite, but also may now be a threat to the Yankees in the AL East.
Two more teams who aimed to turn themselves into powerhouses in the AL are the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros.
The Royals added an ace in Johnny Cueto to a starting staff that has battled injuries and inconsistency all season. They also acquired Ben Zobrist to fill in for Alex Gordon in left field and take over for Omar Infante at second base when Gordon returns.
The Astros traded for Scott Kazmir and Carlos Gomez. Kazmir, a free agent next season, may have been the best bargin on the market. Gomez is a streaky hitter that when hot, is one of the best all-around players in the game.
Other teams that made moves to aid themselves for a playoff push include the Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
With all these transactions last week, let’s see how affected this week’s power rankings.
Next: Astros back on top in the AL West