Congratulations! You have survived the first half of the 2019 MLB season.With that comes questions: What will your favorite team do at the trade deadline? Who’s a legitimate threat? Who’s not?  MORE: Watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZNMLB’s first half lent itself to some surprises — the Rangers, namely — and some disappoints, like two thirds of the National League.So, without further ado, feast your eyes on the last MLB Power Rankings before epic dingers and righteous moonshots are launched tonight. 1. DodgersPrevious: 1Of pitchers who have started at least five games for the Dodgers this season, not a single one has an ERA above 4.00. Kenta Maeda has the highest ERA of those starters at 3.78.There’s really nothing else to be said about Los Angeles, which is the class of the National League with no one else really close. Just pure kick-assery all year from Cody Bellinger and the rest of the Dodger lineup all season.2. YankeesPrevious: 2So who’s it gonna be for the Bombers: Marcus Stroman? Madison Bumgarner? Matthew Boyd? The Yankees landing a starter is all but a certainty. With the farm system and ample trade capital, it seems like all options are on the table. With the Nationals winning again, we’re curious to see how the Max Scherzer saga plays out. With 10-and-five rights kicking in next year, it’ll be that much harder for Washington to move him.That all aside, the Yankees have proven they’re legitimate this year with or without a starter, which is what lands them No. 2 at the half.3. TwinsPrevious: 3The Twins have played 10 games this season in which they’ve scored double-digit runs. That’s pretty good!The Twins also have played 14 games this season in which they’ve held opponents to one run or less. The “or less” parts are shutouts, of which they have seven this season. Part of that superb pitching has been Jake Odorizzi, who was named an All-Star for the first time in his nine-year career.4. AstrosPrevious: 4Interesting to note: Not only are the Astros the major-league leaders in wRC+, but they also strike out less than anyone in baseball, aside from the Angels (17.9 percent K rate on the season). Is this a byproduct of contact baseball becoming a thing again in MLB? Hopefully.This three-true-outcome baseball stuff is exhausting.5. BravesPrevious: 5The Bravos finally took control of the NL East, a division that was (and kind of still is) woefully underperforming in 2019.Dallas Keuchel dealt with a mixed bag his first two starts with Atlanta before turning it around and pitching a game — a game that the Braves lost, however — against division-rival Philadelphia. Since June 14, the Braves have played 18 games against division opponents and have gone 12-6 in that stretch, winning every series, as well.6. RaysThe Rays came so close to winning their first series against the Yankees the last weekend before the All-Star break. They settled for a split, instead, and now Tampa Bay is 4-9 vs. the Bombers this year, in a division they should have taken advantage of earlier in the year when New York was banged up.The Rays are still the best they’ve been in years, but they’re likely heading for a wild-card berth if they can’t continue taking the fight to the Yankees the rest of the season.7. CubsPrevious: 6The Cubs are too talented to enter the break just a few games over .500. Signing Craig Kimbrel wasn’t a must for the Cubs, but it helps solidify the back end of their bullpen. That’s the case even with some less-than-great results so far (five runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings pitched).Not that the Cubs have had problems scoring runs in 2019, but they’ve faced an issue to be unable to get guys in when it matters most. They’re too talented to be this meh of a team, so don’t expect it to last the rest of the way.8. IndiansPrevious: 11Somewhat shockingly, the Indians have clawed their way back into the AL Central discussion. They’re still 5 1/2 games behind Minnesota, which is wide, but certainly not insurmountable.That said, don’t throw a party for Cleveland just yet. While there’s a celebration coming to town this week, the Indians’ putrid offense is sure to put a damper on any joyous occasion. What Terry Francona has done — and Trevor Bauer, for that matter — navigating injuries and keeping Cleveland above .500 should win him a Manager of the Year award. Should Cleveland continue to pitch, they’ll be in the mix for a second wild-card spot come later in the season.9. BrewersPrevious: 8The Brewers need Gio Gonzalez to get back and get back right; the lefty was pitching well for Milwaukee before dealing with a dead arm.What’s surprising about the Brew Crew is how they haven’t really hit as well as they did last year to this point. Lorenzo Cain is having a down year, and the team has gotten little production out of the corners. That is, until, Mike Moustakas was pushed back to his natural position with Keston Hiura called up (and Travis Shaw sent down).Milwaukee isn’t without its issues — starting pitching another of those — but they’re still the second best team in the division behind the Cubs. It’s going to be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out in the NL Central.10. Red SoxPrevious: 10The Red Sox have 18 blown saves on the season, which is second in baseball behind the Mets. That’s a whole lot of BS, to say the least. It bears repeating: The Red Sox won the World Series and decided not to make any marked improvements to their squad, and they decided rather to let Craig Kimbrel walk and actively shopped pieces of their team.Middle of the pack11. NationalsPrevious: 17Max Scherzer. ‘Nuff said. (But not really.) The Nats have turned it around and are back in the conversation for the NL East. They’re still pretty far out, but they’re at least back in contention.12. AthleticsPrevious: 15It’s another one of those stars-aligning seasons for the A’s, and they’re hoping to get serious reinforcements in the second half of the season. Jharel Cotton, Marco Estrada, Sean Manaea and Stephen Piscotty are all due back in the coming month.13. PhilliesPrevious: 9The currently-not-very-good Phillies enter the All-Star break in third place in the NL East. Part of that is their 8-14 record since June 14. They could use more pitching help all around, too.14. RangersPrevious: 12Like a few other teams, the Rangers are in the incredibly precarious position of not knowing if this season is Fool’s gold or not. They’ve been baseball’s biggest surprise, but how legitimate is it? Do they blow it up this season realizing maybe they don’t have a shot, or do they try to land a wild-card spot?15. CardinalsPrevious: 14In a packed NL Central, the Cards are the definition of average. While the offense is surprisingly bottom-tier in the NL, the pitching has held up, and it makes for a .500 record.16. PadresPrevious: 16It’s hard not to get excited about the Padres’ future with what we’ve seen this year. Keep your eyes on MacKenzie Gore, who looked good in the Futures Game.17. RockiesPrevious: 13The Rockies are 15-17 since the start of June. Nolan Arenado is in the middle of another Nolan Arenado season: 3.2 bWAR through 88 games.18. DiamondbacksPrevious: 18It’ll take a miracle for someone other than the Dodgers to win the NL West this year. The second-place D-backs have the tools to make a run at a wild-card spot, but these next few weeks will be telling.19. AngelsPrevious: 23It looks like the Angels are destined to be .500 this season, for better or worse, once again.20. White SoxPrevious: 20At (42-44), the South Siders pulled off an impressive series win over the division-rival Twins at the end of June. Yoan Moncada is one home run away from tying his career high (17).Bottom third21. Reds Previous: 21What a turnaround season for Sonny Gray. After a tumultuous stay in New York, he’s an All-Star with the Reds.22. PiratesPrevious: 22How the Pirates have hovered around .500 this long is one of baseball’s most surprising stories of the year.23. MetsPrevious: 19Brodie Van Wagenen can (reportedly) throw all the furniture he wants, but the chair he chucked has a better ERA than Edwin Diaz this season.24. Giants Previous: 24The Giants are catching some breaks while Madison Bumgarner’s X-ray didn’t show one. They’ve also been playing much better of late.25. Blue JaysPrevious: 25Danny Jansen is showing signs of life. He has four home runs in July — he’s got eight on the season.26. MarlinsPrevious: 26Neil Walker could be an attractive trade piece for teams needing a professional hitter off the bench.27. RoyalsPrevious: 28With 30 wins, the Royals are more than halfway to last season’s win total (58).28. MarinersPrevious: 29Despite in a tailspin, Seattle finished June with a -7 run differential.29. TigersPrevious: 27Having only played 85 games this season, Detroit is one of two teams that have yet to reach 30 wins. 30. OriolesPrevious: 30The only other team in baseball that has yet to reach 30 wins. read more