Braves Briefing: Atlanta still atop MLB's Power Rankings

A lot of Atlanta Braves fans wanted more pitching added to the staff at the trade deadline, but given what the price was this season to add a starting arm, Atlanta clearly didn't think it was worth it.

After the deadline passed, MLB.com rolled out Power Rankings and the Braves still command the top spot. Here's what they said about Atlanta.

For all the rumors about the Braves potentially picking up a starting pitcher -- they were even attached to Justin Verlander in a few rumors -- they stood pat, rotation-wise, at the Deadline. They did bring in former All-Star Brad Hand to give them another lefty in the bullpen and infielder Nicky Lopez to shore up the defense. This is the nice thing about being the best team in baseball: You don’t have to blow anything up. You just have to improve a little bit. The Braves did that.

NL East Standings

Team	Record	GB	Action Today
Atlanta	69-37	-	Off
Philadelphia	58-50	12.0	@ Miami
Miami	58-51	12.5	Hosts Philadelphia
NYM	50-57	19.5	@ KC
Washington	46-63	24.5	@ Cincinnati

We wrote it

Braves Today's Andrew Stefaniak covered the 12-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels. One of his takeaways was that Ronals Acuña Jr. is still the best player in baseball.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is the best player in baseball, in my opinion, and games like this prove why. The Braves right fielder was on base four times in this game with a homer, double, single, and walk. He scored four times and drove in three runs himself. Acuña Jr's batting average is up to .335 on the year. Acuña Jr will run away with the NL MVP Award. It's a joy to be able to watch Acuña Jr play baseball every day

Here is the full list of takeaways.

What's Next?

The Braves have an off day on Thursday, then will start a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs, who have been hot lately. The Braves have not officially named a starter for this ball game, but Brian Snitker said ahead of today's game that the expectation is that Max Fried will be activated for the start. This first game of the series will be played on Friday at 2:20 ET from Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Check out Braves Today on Socials!
Follow Braves Today on Twitter
Like Braves Today on Facebook !
Check out the homepage for more Atlanta Braves News!
Subscribe to Braves Today on YouTube!
Get Exclusive Braves Merchandise from FOCO