Tampa Bay Rays Hold Steady in Latest MLB Power Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

As the MLB season rolls along, the Tampa Bay Rays have found themselves moving closer to the last-place Baltimore Orioles than the front-running Toronto Blue Jays. The Rays made some moves at the MLB Trade Deadline, but it hasn’t changed their course.

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In the latest MLB Power Rankings from The Athletic, the Rays are holding steady at No. 15, tied with the Cincinnati Reds. One of the key acquisitions was veteran pitcher Adrian Houser, giving Rays manager Kevin Cash another arm for his rotation.

Looking at the overall results from the deadline deals, though, it appears to be a wash. Chad Jennings of The Athletic offers some perspective on the whole situation, calling it “unique.”

“Let’s recap, and you tell me if any other organization would have pulled off this combination of moves,” Jennings wrote. “First, the Rays traded away a catcher (Danny Jansen), then added another (Nick Fortes), and subsequently traded Zack Littell in a three-team deal that netted a strong defensive catcher (Hunter Feduccia).

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Tampa Bay Rays make some deals at deadline, but will it really matter as the MLB season rolls on into August?

“The Rays also swapped one of their many glove-first utility infielders (José Caballero) for a young bat-first outfielder (Everson Pereira),” Jennings wrote. “They traded a faded prospect (Curtis Mead) for a veteran starter having a breakout season (Adrian Houser).

“And they traded a young, recently demoted starter (Taj Bradley) for a controllable reliever with truly elite stuff (Griffin Jax),” Jennings wrote. “Were they buyers? Were they sellers? As always, there were just the Rays.”

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Entering play on Wednesday, August 6, the Rays are 11 games behind the Blue Jays. They’re only four games ahead of the Orioles, too. Jennings points out that “they were just the Rays” when reviewing their deals. Tampa Bay has not been able to find some solid momentum, leaving the Rays open for criticism.

It’s August, firmly putting the Rays and other MLB teams into the “dog days” of summer. The Rays need to find another gear now or start looking ahead to next season.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.