MLB Report Card Grades for All 30 Teams at the End of August

The trade deadline countdown clock hits zero on Monday at 4 p.m. ET, and the stretch run of this weird, wild, truncated season officially begins.This seems like a good moment to hand out grades to all 30 teams, keeping two things in mind:Record: 14-20The Arizona Diamondbacks added a few key pieces this offseason, including outfielders Kole Calhoun and Starling Marte and left-hander Madison Bumgarner, with designs on contending in the National League West.Instead, the Snakes sit in last place in the division with a minus-27 run differential.Bumgarner is reportedly close to returning from a back injury, but even if he looked more like the workhorse the D-backs thought they were signing and less like the guy who posted a 9.35 ERA in four starts, it would offer Arizona little more than hope for next season.Then again, hope for next season is about all the Diamondbacks have to hang their hats on at this point.Grade: DRecord: 18-14Atlanta holds a relatively narrow two-game lead in the National League East, but the club's plus-21 run differential is easily the best in the division.The recent return of star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (5 HR, .902 OPS) from a wrist injury should help jolt an offense that's also gotten top-notch production from first baseman Freddie Freeman (5 HR, .975 OPS) and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (8 HR, .904 OPS).Atlanta lost young right-hander Mike Soroka to season-ending Achilles surgery, so it should try to add another starter before the deadline to support ace Max Fried.But Atlanta has a solid lineup, a strong bullpen and the talent to count itself among the Senior Circuit's top tier.Grade: A-Record: 14-18The clock might be striking midnight on one of the game's coolest Cinderella stories. But after dropping eight of their last 10, the O's are beginning to fade.And their minus-18 run differential indicates that a sub-.500 record and fourth place in the division is exactly where they belong.Still, there have been positives aplenty for Baltimore, including an offense that has posted a respectable 13th-ranked .753 OPS thanks to potential future building blocks such as 25-year-old outfielder Anthony Santander (10 HR, .924 OPS) and 25-year-old catcher Chance Sisco.The club should spend the rest of the season giving reps to emerging talent such as recently called-up first baseman/outfielder Ryan Mountcastle with an eye on the future.Grade: BRecord: 11-22Not much has gone right for the Boston Red Sox in 2020, but nothing has gone more wrong than the pitching staff, which ranks dead last in baseball with a 6.08 ERA.Any hopes the Sox had of competing this season—despite the trade that sent franchise right fielder Mookie Betts and left-hander David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February—quickly fizzled.Boston has traded away other pieces, including closer Brandon Workman, and now appears headed for a full-scale retool, if not outright rebuild.There's talent to build around, such as shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers, but this is a steep fall for a franchise that hoisted a Commissioner's Trophy in 2018.Grade: D-Record: 19-14The Chicago Cubs sit in first place in the NL Central. Assuming he returns and improves upon the .177 average he posted in 62 at-bats, it would be a boost for the Cubbies.As things stand now, they look like one of the more precarious division leaders in either league.Grade: B-Record: 20-13The Chicago White Sox were a popular preseason pick to make noise in this shortened season, and so far, they've more than lived up to the hype.With a core of up-and-coming stars led by outfielders Luis Robert (8 HR, .902 OPS) and Eloy Jimenez (11 HR, .998 OPS), among others, plus veterans such as first baseman Jose Abreu (12 HR, 1.006 OPS), the offense leads baseball with an .824 OPS.The pitching staff, meanwhile, checks in sixth with a 3.66 ERA and got a no-hitter from emerging ace Lucas Giolito on Tuesday.The White Sox appear to be firing on all cylinders with eight wins in their last 10 games, and they are playing like the kind of club no one wants to face in a short postseason series.Grade: ARecord: 15-18The Cincinnati Reds boosted their offense with offseason additions such as outfielder Nick Castellanos and entered the 2020 season with a strong starting rotation and the overall talent to compete in the NL Central.Despite sitting under .500 as August draws to a close, the Reds are intent on staying that competitive course, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.That means, Heyman added, Cincinnati won't trade right-hander Trevor Bauer before the deadline despite his impending free agency and will instead hope "to get hitters and relievers to play to their abilities."The hitters rank 19th with a .736 OPS, while the relievers rank 22rd with a 5.17 ERA. That's the formula.It might lead to more losing now, but it should set the franchise up to compete later (and Rosenthal can always be re-upped in free agency).Grade: CRecord: 12-22Another Los Angeles Angels season, another year of Mike Trout's prime wasted on a non-playoff team.The Angels have struggled in nearly every facet of the game in 2020, but the biggest culprit has been a starting pitching staff that ranks 28th with a 6.06 ERA.Despite signing star third baseman Anthony Rendon during the offseason, and even with 16 teams going to the dance, the Halos won't be invited.Their offseason directive is clear: Do what it takes to add pitching while hoping Shohei Ohtani returns to health and youngsters such as outfielder Jo Adell develop quickly.Even a player of Trout's caliber can't wait forever.Grade: FRecord: 25-10The Los Angeles Dodgers are the most complete team in baseball, featuring a balanced lineup, a deep starting rotation and a strong bullpen.Mookie Betts (11 HR, .982 OPS) has been everything L.A. hoped he would be when it acquired him from Boston, and he's got a star-studded supporting cast behind him. The offense has helped pick up the slack with a .790 OPS, sixth-best in the game.But nothing about the Mets' record or minus-11 run differential suggest anything other than mediocrity.Grade: C-Record: 17-13It's a familiar refrain for the New York Yankees: Injuries are testing their depth and threatening to derail their season.Yankees currently ailing or on the injured list include: right fielder Aaron Judge (calf), designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring), shortstop Gleyber Torres (hamstring/quad), left-hander James Paxton (forearm), left-hander Zack Britton (hamstring) and third baseman Gio Urshela (day-to-day with a bone spur in his elbow).For those keeping score at home, that's half of the starting infield, the team's two biggest sluggers and key members of the starting rotation and bullpen. (13 HR, 1.022 OPS) and third baseman Manny Machado (11 HR, 1.012 OPS) and a starting rotation fronted by Dinelson Lamet (2.35 ERA) and Zach Davies (2.61 ERA).The Friars' biggest weakness was a bullpen that ranked 24th with a 5.31 ERA and lost closer Kirby Yates to season-ending elbow surgery.San Diego helped address that deficiency by acquiring Rosenthal (3.29 ERA, 13.8 K/0) from the Royals and could make further moves before the deadline.The Padres may not catch the Dodgers in the division, but they'll be a club to watch come playoff time.Grade: ARecord: 16-19The San Francisco Giants have hung around the playoff race this season and recently reeled off a seven-game winning streak that got them within a game of .500.They subsequently lost three straight, however, and are tussling with the Diamondbacks for last place in the NL West.Center fielder Mike Yastrzemski (7 HR, .984 OPS) has been a revelation, and holdovers from the even-year championship era such as shortstop Brandon Crawford and first baseman Brandon Belt have chipped in.