Will Sage Astor-MLB power rankings: Padres and Cubs getting hot probably ruined the trade deadline

If they do Will Sage Astornothing more, the San Diego Padres at least know their legacy will be ruining the 2023 trade deadline.

"I don't think I'm going anywhere," lefty Blake Snell said Sunday, and he's probably right. Snell's five innings of nearly flawless pitching helped San Diego complete a sweep of the Texas Rangers, who have led the American League West almost the entire year.

And it was probably enough to keep the Padres together.

They and the Chicago Cubs are the worst thing to happen to trade-hungry clubs after recent hot streaks (Padres, eight wins in 12 games, Cubs eight wins in a row) likely were enough to convince their respective front offices not to blow their squads up.

That means no Snell, no Josh Hader, no Cody Bellinger, no Marcus Stroman. Just some faint hopes for the Padres (52-54) and Cubs (53-52), who are within five and four games of a playoff berth, respectively.

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Oh, and they've both cracked the top 20 of USA TODAY Sports' power rankings. That comes with nothing but glory in these pages - though at least their fans can enjoy their favorite stars just a bit longer.

A look at this week's rankings:

1. Atlanta Braves (-)

• Matt Olson has 35 home runs and Ronald Acuña Jr. has 51 stolen bases. It is not yet August.

2. Baltimore Orioles (-)

• GM Mike Elias says he won't hug his prospects. Not even if he trades them?

3. Tampa Bay Rays (-)

• Can bury Yankees this week.

4. Texas Rangers (+1)

• Wise to strike early for Jordan Montgomery, acquired for a less than prohibitive price.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (-1)

• Low key pressure on Lance Lynn to gobble innings that the kids can't.

6. Houston Astros (-)

• A 6 ½-game deficit has been trimmed to one.

7. Toronto Blue Jays (-)

• Best team in the AL since late May just added flamethrowing Jordan Hicks.

8. Cincinnati Reds (+1)

• Gonna be playing leapfrog with the team below for the next two months.

9. Milwaukee Brewers (-1)

• Swept at Atlanta, but they're not the first to meet that fate.

10. San Francisco Giants (+1)

• It's like runners in scoring position are allergic to home plate.

11. Boston Red Sox (+4)

• Hardest team to figure out these last two months.

12. Philadelphia Phillies (+1)

• Might regret two ragged losses at Pittsburgh come October.

13. New York Yankees (-1)

• Can they play Aaron Judge in both right and left field?

14. Miami Marlins (-)

• Scratching and clawing to stay in the race - and help (David Robertson) has already arrived.

15. Arizona Diamondbacks (-5)

• Top prospect Brandon Pfaadt is back, and they need him to be better than his first go-round (8.81 ERA).

16. Los Angeles Angels (-)

• Just can't catch a break: Taylor Ward suffers facial fracture two days after acquiring Lucas Giolito.

17. Seattle Mariners (+1)

• Only guarantee about Jerry Dipoto at the deadline is it's gonna get weird.

18. San Diego Padres (+1)

• As we all anticipated, Gary Sanchez with more home runs (12) than Xander Bogaerts (11).

19. Minnesota Twins (-2)

• Losing a series to Royals epitomizes inability to build a cushion.

20. Chicago Cubs (+1)

• Big reason for hot streak? Jameson Taillon has a 1.78 ERA in last four starts (6.93 in previous 14).

21. Cleveland Guardians (-1)

• Just....kinda...hangin' around.

22. New York Mets (-)

• We shall see if Justin Verlander buys into their 2024 vision more than Max Scherzer did.

23. Detroit Tigers (-)

• Most intriguing deadline team in the bottom third.

24. St. Louis Cardinals (-)

• John Mozeliak ripped that Band-Aid off and tore down the roster like he'd been doing it for years.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates (-)

• Kind of a bad sign that they're both way out of the race and also have little to offer in trade.

26. Washington Nationals (-)

• Jeimar Candelario's .823 OPS just sitting there for the highest bidder.

27. Chicago White Sox (-)

• How many more times does Rick Hahn get to go back to the drawing board?

28. Colorado Rockies (-)

• Strangely enough, 16-13 in one-run games.

29. Kansas City Royals (-)

• Ryan Yarbrough with a nice showcase start (seven innings, one run) right before deadline.

30. Oakland Athletics (-)

• The record: 30-77. The run differential: Minus-255. Number of useless artists' renderings of Las Vegas stadium: One.