The past few days have been full of moving in shaking throughout the majors. The trade deadline brought a lot of big changes. The Yankees won a bunch of games and the Red Sox, Phillies, Giants, and Tigers got considerably better.

1. Yankees: Not doing anything at the trade deadline may end up hurting the Yankees. Or it may end up not mattering at all. The core has started to put it together and the Yankees now have the lead and a nice record in the best division in the better league, making them more credible as Number 1 holders than any other team. 

2. Dodgers: Winning a lot of games in a row (thanks to a healthy bunch of Manny highlights) has the Dodgers in pretty calm control of the NL West. Their record and position towards the top in most major statistical categories speak for themselves. The closest team is almost ten games back–LA can start preparing for the playoffs. They did not, however, make a big splash at the trade deadline. 

3. Red Sox: The Sox won some games, and then they won a bigger battle–the bidding war for Victor Martinez, a player that may give them the edge over any other AL club in the playoffs. He gives Boston another weapon to help unseat the Yankees for the AL East crown, and the 1-2-3 of this rotation rivals that of Detroit.

4. Angels: Kendry Morales and Bobby Abreu have been playing really, REALLY well for LA's other team. The Angels have started to pick up momentum and it doesn't look like they will slow down any time soon. The management deserves a lot of credit.  

5. Phillies: When you take the NL's best offense and combine it with Cliff Lee, you get the makings of a solid playoff core. The Phillies saw just how important the acquisition of last year's Cy Young winner would be when he threw a complete game in his first start for the Phightins. Minor dings and dents have pulled them out of their hot-streak, but they should be able to coast into the postseason with their lineup and pitching. Cole Hamels will need to improve, but Joe Blanton has been unpredictably good.

6. Cardinals: Matt Holliday was hot when he was trading, and leaving Oakland for St. Louis only added fuel to his fire. He has been stellar with the Cardinals, giving the team an added offensive dimension that takes some pressure off of Albert. They are well-built for October.

7. Tigers: They have cooled a bit, but picking up Washburn makes this one of the best rotations in the game. The offense was already good enough for a deep run.

8. Rays: They remain good enough to be in the conversation. Upton has reached a point of acceptable play and Crawford continues to be hot. David Price will need to step up for the Rays to have any chance of playing in October, or playing for very long if they make it there.

9. Rangers: Any idea who has hit the most homers in the AL? That would be Texas. It's as if every player in the lineup has the ability to go deep on any pitch. The Rangers don't seem to care that none of them hit for average–and the results seem to show success. Between Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, Andruw Jones and Michael Young, there is a pretty good chance that someone is going yard every game.

10. Giants: The changes made in the lineup may not have been as heralded as those made in Beantown, but the Giants made a major acquisition with Freddy Sanchez and got a little better with Ryan Garko, too. The offense should see improvement.